StarFox 1: REFLECTIONS of PEPPY

by Kit-Karamak

COMPLETE! REVISED for canonical accuracy! This story is told by Peppy via anecdotes starting the day Vixy McCloud dies until Peppy passes. Peppy discusses military life, the first Aparoid attack, his transition to mercenary life, how StarFox was named, the toll on his family, his time as General, and it ends with one final adventure with an old friend. Dedicated to Rick J. May.

10. Chapter10: A Grand Ole Hare & Epilogue

Author's Notes: Okay, this is the final chapter of Reflections of Peppy, and it's another long tone. About 40k words. Again, I'd like to dedicate this story to the passing of Rick J. May, the voice actor of Peppy in Star Fox 64 for the N64. He passed away from COVID-19 in early 2020. So, I finished this story in his honor.
I've tied the chapter and epilogue into the last two books of the series, Reflections of a New Generation and Reflections of Marcus McCloud, which I began writing before StarFox Command came out, and before I knew Fox's son would be named Marcus. Since I figured whatever name I chose would be WRONG, I wrote the character to hate his birth name. I was prepared! Lol. Anyway, he changes his name so it fits with canon, because that was always the plan.
Anyhow, I tried to answer every question under the sun before the end of the chapter. Including such gems as, "What happened to Pigma?" and "Was Peppy ever bothered by the fact he drove the Great Fox dreadnought through the core of the Aparoid Home World?" and, of course, "Did James die, or did he wind up in another realm? And if so, who were the aliens he met, as mentioned in the Nintendo Power Comic, back in 1993?" Anywho, I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please let me know if anyone is even still reading this? Thanks!

X

---

X

Chapter -10-
A Grand Ole Hare

Miracle's Lunar Surface
100 hours AGO…

Peppy Hare gave the gnarled piece of torchwood a flip and caught the handle flush in his palm, held outward. The flame at the other end of the torch roared from the wind of being tossed.

A smile of amusement tugged at the corners of Fara Phoenix's muzzle. The svelte fennec shook her head with a chuckle. "I'd say you're going to burn yourself, flipping that torch, but considering the fact you're seventy-five? Heh, you go on and do what you like." She paused with a broadening of her smile, then, in a slightly softer tone, she added, "You're loving this, aren't you?"

"Feel young, feel strong." He cast a sidelong glance at the vixen, followed by a playful wink, an innocent gesture from a bygone era when things were less politically correct. He even went so far as to flex in a joking manner. "Damn right I'm loving it."

"I'm glad to hear your last hurrah is going well."

"Heh. Yeah. But, in all honesty, it's probably hard on my body. I'm burning the candle at both ends, and I don't feel it. That's going to have repercussions."

"Mm, well, I am glad you're having fun. That's important, too. Speaking of burning the candle at both ends, let's take a break from our hike. I want to get our bearings by downloading the latest topography information from the satellite. Also, it's time we hydrate."

"Sure thing." Peppy gave the torch another flip and caught it in his palm again. He looked around the large empty underground bunker-like building, just a generic backdrop on their otherwise fairly scenic hike across the lunar surface. "Are we going to make camp or…?"

"Aw, are you getting tired, old timer?"

Peppy smirked. "No, kiddo. I'm doing great, actually. You're a pretty good leader. Making sure your team hydrates, stays up-to-date, stays rested … you should teach survivor classes for the military."

Fara replied with a soft smile.

"I'm serious. You're legal again, right?"

"I am."

"Consider the optic-mail already sent. If you're interested, that is."

"Maybe one day. Send it to Bill Grey and have him sit on it."

"I can do that." A pause, then, "Wait, I thought you said you didn't want Bill to know you're alive and active just yet?"

"Tell him not to open it until an old friend reaches out from his past and asks him to read it. Besides, we both know you've probably already told Bill."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because the 'Good Ole Boys Network is a very strong bond of trust between men, especially if they served together, fought together, survived wars together, such-and-so-forth. Women build similar bonds with their child. It's sometimes that strong. So, I'm sure he knows. Just … so long as he pretends like he doesn't, that'll have to be good enough." Fara thumbed the screen of her PDA. "Okay, not much longer on the download. It's at sixty percent. Drink some water."

"Copy that, team leader. Heh." Peppy removed a canteen from an interior pocket of his long jacket, took a long drink of the peach-tangerine hydration supplement, capped it, and stashed the canteen. "Okay, hydrated, bottle stowed and secured, and ready to roll."

Fara's ears flickered. She held her right fist up, lowered to one knee, and tilted her head. She spoke in a whisper. "I heard something mechanical."

Peppy withdrew his blaster, turned, so that his back was to Fara, and replied in an equally hushed tone. "Yeah. But down here it bounces off the ceiling and floor."

"How did the Krazoa make such an enormous underground building without load-baring pillars? That sound could've come from anywhere."

"Force Stones. It keeps the planet forced together and buildings like this stay forced apart. I'll fill you in on how the tech works; remind me later."

"Keeps the planet together? Look forward to hearing about that…" She perked her ears once more. "Wait, I heard the sound again. It's a turret. But it hasn't opened fire…"

"Yet," whispered Peppy.

"Yet," she repeated. "Be ready."

"I'm always ready." Peppy cocked his head a bit, peering through the holographic reticle floating above his blaster.

"Nothing on thermal," said Fara. She closed her left eye, gazing through the 'smart reticle' headset monocle over her right eye. "Nothing on infrared, either. Must be cloaked."

Without warning, three turrets opened fire from three angles.

Peppy flinched at the intensity of the silent gunfire striking his personal defense barrier shield. The kinetic energy of the rounds caused a rippling glow at the center of the bubble. A few shots hit the shield in front of his face. "Those things are wearing down my first barrier."

"How many did you bring?"

Peppy smirked. He reached down and drew back his silver aviator long-jacket.

Fara glanced back at him, expecting a reply, but, instead, she saw that he had personal defense barrier shields clipped on his belt, all the way around his body, roughly eighteen by her quick count of two-by-two nine times. "I bet you wish you hadn't lost all that weight from the last time I saw you. You could've had more than twenty."

Peppy chuckled. "You noticed, huh?"

"Yup. Did my two dads inspire you or something?"

"Lost twenty-three pounds trying to keep up with a teenager." He pointed his weapon outward and fired in the direction of one of the turrets. His aim was true; his first round struck something in the distance, causing an overload, which lead to a small but satisfying explosion. "How about that…"

"And you didn't even use an eye-piece like me. Nice work," she said, and pointed her own weapon outward. She fired, then jerked her wrist to the right and fired again. Two flashes of light came from the darkness, roughly a hundred feet away.

"Flashy," said Peppy. "Be glad for that little piece of tech you're wearing over your right eye, kiddo. All right, let's get moving."

"Can you still run?"

"I'll have you know that my breed of hare can reach eighty kilometers per hour for … like … twenty-meter stretches. Heh. If I'm galloping on all-fours, and I've been training like an Olympic athlete, but … still. We're pretty fast."

"I mean can you still run?"

"Can you?" replied Peppy. "I'll be fine. But hares can outpace a fennec in a flat-out sprint by more than double the speed."

"Yeah, at peak output. You're too old for midnight zoomies anymore."

"Just run, kiddo. I'll be right behind you."

Fara replied, "Just try and keep up. This way, fast as you can!" Fara holstered her sidearm and sprinted hard in a seemingly random direction.

Peppy holstered his own sidearm and dropped to all fours, using his powerful legs to run at an impressive speed.

Fara blinked, immediately impressed by his raw power and how quickly he passed by her. "Keep going in that direction!" she called out to him. A round streaked out from the void and zipped by. It caused her ears to flicker. "Live sniper!" she called to Peppy.

He stood up, coming to an immediate halt. He pivoted hard on the ball of his right foot, opened his arms, caught her in mid-pivot, and with his body weight, he managed to sweep her off her feet. He finished the pivot, then doubled over her protectively.

A sniper round struck the personal defense shield barrier. He stood up straight again, followed by giving her a gentle shove. "On me." He took off in the direction she'd chosen a moment earlier, and he hurried at about half his speed.

Fara was surprisingly quick to recover from the disorientation of being spun about and briefly swept off her feet. She fell into step with him at her personal top speed, and, while running, she noticed that it was just a light jog for the hare. "I stand corrected! You're quick!"

"Save your breathing for the run!" he replied while panting as they hurried together. He stayed with her so that his shield barrier covered them both. "It's dark as hell in here! Where to?!"

"That way!" she exclaimed, giving him a shove in the proper direction. "Don't stop!"

"High power … sniper … rounds!" Peppy exclaimed. He looked down and saw he was still holding the torch in his left paw. "Crap! I didn't burn you, did I?!"

Fara reached down and pressed three fingers against the PDA screen mounted to her left forearm. She held her fingers against the screen briefly, until it went dark. "Not in the slightest! I have an idea!" She reached over and snatched the torch, then she waited until the next sniper round rang out. Her ears flickered at the cacophony of noise that bounced off the ceiling and floor. She dropped the torch on the floor and kept running through the darkness.

Even with her natural vulpine night-vision, the enormous room was too dark for her to see anything up ahead. She continued through the pitch blackness, praying there was nothing on the floor in her path. She ran alongside Peppy, stealing occasional glances at her PDA screen, which was set to display in 'near visible infrared' backlighting.

To Peppy, it was all darkness in all directions. He stayed with Fara by listening to her footfalls and simply trying to run in the exact same direction as a moment prior.

Fara reached for her PDA and double-tapped the screen with two fingertips. She pointed her arm forward and ran for an egress up ahead.

Peppy saw a faint glow up ahead, but he couldn't really tell what it was. He followed it.

The two pilots passed through a doorway, leading to a hallway.

"Slow," she whispered loud enough to be heard.

Peppy came to a halt, panting softly, then he put his palms on his knees and worked to take control of his breathing. "What just happened?"

"Nothing that would work for crepuscular animals like yourself," she replied, quicker to catch her breath. "Whew. What a workout, huh?"

"How could you see?"

"NVIR – nearly visible infrared flashlight. Infrared setting on my PDA screen. Whew," she said, taking measured breaths to calm her breathing quickly. "With my eyes, it causes me to see a hint of green because I can only see a very slight glow with the near-visible infrared spectrum. It messes with my eyes, just a little bit, so that dark objects have a very slight hint of green when my eyes are bombarded with concentrated infrared. But the smart-monocle targeting reticle I wear makes it so I can see whatever is illuminated by infrared. The company also makes clear safety glasses capable of seeing the infrared flashlights … if you want to buy a pair, heh."

"So, you could see through your right eye?"

"Yup. Whew. You swept me up in a single pivot like I weighed nothing." She took one last deep breath, held it for two seconds, then exhaled slow and calm. "That, uh … was a good run, huh? And hey, look at you, Peppy! You still got it, old timer!"

"So, your naked eye can still see some NVIR lighting, huh?"

"Well, yeah. Just … not as well without the targeting monocle thingy."

Peppy chuckled. "So, is there anything hares and rabbits can do that you foxes can't?"

Fara shrugged. "You can see ultra-violet better than I can. You know those color strips hidden in the old Cornerian money notes? Your kind could see them without needing a blacklight to make them glow. Those days are long gone, huh? Everything is credits, now. Of course, physical currency was on its way out the door back when I was still in the military, so … ah well." As an afterthought, she added, "Sorry I'm keyed up and hyper. Fennec metabolism. A hard run like that has my heart racing. I'll calm down in a moment."

Peppy decided to change the subject. He asked, "Why'd you toss the torch? You testing a theory?"

"Yeah … I think whoever we're up against … they can only see by daylight."

"Go on, kiddo."

"Well, Peppy, if they were using thermal and zoomed in on the torch, it would be difficult to zoom back out and try to find us at our speed. So, I dropped the torch to throw them off our trail just a little bit. It would slow'em down, but not by much. Anyhow." Fara ran her paws up over her head, through the hair she'd not cut in the last few years, and then she stretched. "Anyway, yeah, we made it. Now we've got to keep moving before they find out which hallway we're using. Okay. The satellite I'm connected to with the PDA, which only has one bar of reception down here, is emitting a constant sound we can't hear, and measuring the return pings in all directions to map out the interiors, exteriors, and locate potentially inaccessible rooms."

"What, like hidden rooms? Secret rooms?"

"Just whatever is there. It's up to us to determine if it's a secret room or not. Anyhow, this hallway goes pretty far and comes out in another bunker. Let's keep moving and lose this guy until we can figure out how to ambush him."

Peppy grinned, although it was unseen in the dark. "That sounds like a great plan."

"Ambushing? Yeah. I agree. Let's ambush the crap out of this guy."

"You're on point."

"Both literally and figuratively," she replied with an unseen grin of her own.

Peppy chuckled at the twenty-four-year-old's exuberance.

Fara quickened the pace of her walking. She glanced down at the PDA. In a very soft voice, she whispered, "He's behind us."

"Sound wave thingy?"

"Mmhmm."

"Remember to trust more than the gadget. You've gotta trust your instincts, too."

"Oh, I do, and that's why this is going to work. Okay. The room opens up ten meters ahead. I'll go left, you go right, and we wait for him. When I give two taps, we both lunge at him."

"Heh. Lunge, huh? This is gonna be really great or really bad."

"He's probably using thermal or some sort of night vision to follow us in the dark."

Peppy nodded, unseen, in agreement. "Yeah, if he's smart. I'll go high and pull it off his head. You go low and bring him to the floor."

"Works for me," she said. "If he has some sort of eye implant or visor strapped to his head, just help me pin him."

"Got it."

"Okay, break." She went left.

Peppy moved to the right, felt the corner of the wall, and turned about to wait.

Silence.

Peppy heard faint footfalls approaching. Whoever they were, they wore something as quiet as socks.

Fara suddenly shouted in an aggressive manner.

That was the cue. Peppy turned and groped through the darkness. His paws felt something solid. He drew his fist back and struck it. It was firm. Hard. Dense. He tried to gain purchase on it with his free hand, only to realize it was some sort of helmet.

Fara cracked an emergency flair, illuminating the area. She had the man's sniper rifle in one paw, and swung it like a baseball bat, hitting the man in the chest with the buttstock.

The man was resilient and replied with a grunt of pain.

She swung again, hitting the man a second time. He grunted but didn't go down.

The man opened his stance, bowling both Fara and Peppy to the ground.

Fara's voice reverberated off the walls. "Geeze, he's stronger than his lanky ass looks!"

Peppy swept the man to the ground, rolled over onto him, and pinned the sniper. He reached for the man's helmet, but he couldn't dislodge it. It was shiny and non-descript on all sides.

Peppy brought a knee to the man's solar plexus, trying to keep him pinned, but the lanky man plucked Peppy off with ease and threw the hare hard.

Peppy's body hit the wall and dropped to the floor. He landed with a vituperative outburst … one of the four letter words … too much was going on to figure out which cussword was knocked loose from his jostled aging mind.

Fara performed a kippup. She used the momentum to flip forward, landing her heels on the man's chest.

Once again, the helmeted man went to the ground. He drew a foot back and kicked Fara, launching her back a couple of meters.

She hit the ground but rolled with the momentum and was right back on her feet. "Hey! Helmet-head! Over here!" she shouted.

The man turned back to Fara.

Peppy jumped up and tried to tackle the man, but, for as lanky as he was, he had surprising body strength.

Fara picked up the man's rifle, hit him with it again, using it like a bat as she did before, then she released the weapon and grabbed his non-descript suit, which was all one piece, zipped up to the collar. She used her firm grasp on him to drive his helmet into the nearest wall.

The concrete crumbled from age, but the helmet went through the corner by the hallway, taking out a massive chunk of cement. As soon as the helmet passed through the concrete corner, Fara gasped at the fact it didn't even have a scratch on it, as seen through her eye piece.

She performed a series of quick strikes to the man's torso, causing him to grunt with each blow, but it barely seemed to faze him.

The man backhanded her to the floor as though she was just a ragdoll. He turned around and backhanded Peppy to the ground in the opposite direction.

Peppy jumped back up and dove for the man. He wrapped his arms and legs around the man, from behind, and held on tight. "Fara! New plan! Go! I'll hold him!"

"But Peppy!"

"GO! That's an order!"

Fara blinked. She pivoted and did as she was directed … she dashed across the room, and into another hallway.

The man doubled over, flipping Peppy onto his back. Then the man took Peppy by the throat, pinning him to the ground. It only took about twelve to fifteen seconds before everything went dark…

X

---

X

Lunar Surface of Miracle
The present…

There was a strange pins-and-needles feeling but it was distant. After what seemed like seven-to-nine minutes after pressing the snooze button on an alarm clock, both an eternity and a split-second later, the feeling happened again. It was on the cheek.

He felt cold and wet. Uncomfortable. Soggy. His forearms and shins ached. And there was a really … distant … sound. Wait, no, it was a woman's voice. She had the faintest hint of a dialect, like a Titanian actress, or … maybe … one of those romantic foreign movies that have the singing…? The avians of Pollywood, a lunar colony over Aquas that was nearly all bird species…

"Peppy?" she said. There was a hint of concern in her voice. She must have been a good actress.

"Peppy Hare…" On second thought, the dialect wasn't old-Avian. At all.

"Peppy…" Definitely Titanian, but the nuances of her dialect were barely noticeable. The accent had Cornerian inflection.

"General Peppy Hare! Wake the hell up this instant!"

Peppy's eyes snapped open, staring up at Fara Phoenix, daughter of Zerda, the spaceship magnate. He blinked a few times, looking straight up her nostrils. His head began to clear. "Fara…"

"Sorry I couldn't be a Pollywood actress or a singer from a romantic foreign movie."

Peppy sat up with a start, eyes wide, slack jawed. "I … what?"

"You were mumbling in your sleep. That's about the only thing I picked up … that I sounded exotic. You could hear Titanian inflections in the way I pronounce your name? I mean … really? Even my father spoke Cornerian well enough to be easily understood on Corneria. And here I thought I didn't have any dialect at all."

"What … in the world did I say?"

"It sounded like you were musing to yourself, trying to figure out my identity, heh. Are you okay? You're a mess. I've been trying to towel-dry you since finding you. I broke the restraints."

Peppy reached for his wrists and rubbed them in both paws, so that his arms were partially crossed over his chest. He pivoted on his rump and eased his legs over the side of the table. "You came back for me…"

"Well duh. You ordered me to run, but you never ordered me to stay away. I planted a tracking beacon on that jackhole's ship, then I came to save you. When I came in, he was attaching battery cables to the side of this metal table. You were wet, ice water and melting ice cubes were on the table. He went to throw the switch to wake you up with a zap, but I'd already snuck in and unhooked the battery."

Peppy reached up and rubbed at his throat. "One thing is for sure: he didn't care about wartime conventions."

"Yeah. I saw the crank on the side of this table. It pushed pegs up into your calves, your arms, shoulders, and the back of your neck."

"Felt like he was stretching me out, but I couldn't tell. So, pegs into pressure points, huh? How archaic."

"I checked your limbs after chasing him off. Which, for the record, took thermal detonators and a bit of gun-fu. His armored outfit and helmet can really take a beating."

Peppy grimaced. "He drugged me. I need to know what he dosed me with, Fara."

She reached into her belt pack and withdrew a handheld scanning device. She thumbed the flip-top open and ran the device over him from nose to knees.

"Well?"

Fara tapped her thumbs on the screen of the device, scanned his head for a moment, then she flipped the top down, closing it. She put it back on her belt and, in a calm tone, announced, "You were given nothing on record. Based on a few markers in your bloodstream, the medicine might have been Krazoan in nature. It's a stimulant and likely to counteract the agent that seems to have been designed to lower your inhibitions. The device saw some influx in the cortical areas. That's the thin part that covers the cerebrum. It also reported some chemical traces in the temporal lobe, in the hypothalamus, in the pituitary gland, and in the hippocampus."

"Okay, you've already demonstrated your knowledge of biology a few years ago, when you put a hole in that guy's gut. But you know parts of the brain, too?"

"The scanner helped. But, uh, yeah. The brain is fascinating. I never told Fox I was a bit of a nerd. It's not a good look, but … now you know my secret."

"Heh. I married Vivian for being a nerd. Don't ever apologize for being intelligent."

Fara's face tightened from pride. "Thanks…" She cleared her throat and pushed the bashful feelings aside. "Okay, so, whatever that guy gave you, combined with the crap in the air, here, it's lighting up your brain. It will affect you on an emotional level, it will affect your memories, your blood pressure, and, uh, your sex drive … no surprise there, considering the pheromones in the air … and I'm also seeing some stimulation to you're the forebrain, where your body regulates temperature, thirst and hunger, sleep, and emotions."

"Seeing? You just put the scanner away."

"It's still sending information to my smart-monocle. Anyway, then there's the temporal lobe. Speech, processing what you hear, spatial awareness, the concept of time … more emotional processing. Basically, all the parts of your brain that help you think, feel, remember, and process sensory information. Looks like everything is heightened. Neurons are firing. Everything looks good. Too good."

"Too good?" asked Peppy.

"The scanner is giving me suggestions for the 'patient's bio-med profile,' due to not having any metadata on file for you. It seems to think you have the brain of a forty-five-year-old man in a sixty-five-year-old body. I'm going to go out on a limb, here, and assume you feel younger than before … like … actually young again?"

Peppy chuckled. "You made good on your promise, kiddo."

"Still, your blood pressure isn't matching your cardio output."

"Okay, doc, what's that mean?"

"Your brain is trying to regulate your blood pressure as if you were forty-five. Your body is responding like it's sixty-five, but the truth is … you're seventy-five. That's unhealthy for you."

"So, the scanner told you I'm burning the candle wick at both ends, huh?"

"Yeah, we're back to that metaphor … it's a pretty accurate way of looking at it. Expect to ache when all of this is over. I'm concerned to be honest."

"That asshat said it would stimulate my memory. It lowered my tolerance for pain and I feel like it's making me think on a level half my age. He also said it's supposed to make me brutally blunt and honest. He said it would make lying difficult."

"I've never heard of such a drug. Most truth serums, which are BS by the way, make you groggy or drunk, so it becomes harder to lie."

"He said this drug was a Krazoan invention."

Fara grunted and reached for his paws. She drew them to her shoulder, and helped him to slide off the table. "Okay, nice and easy."

Peppy chuckled, gave her shoulder a pat, then gently guided her back from the table. He slid off the side and dropped to his feet with ease. "I feel great."

"Tell me a lie."

"What? Why would I lie to you?"

"I want to know how it works. Just tell me something … anything. Any lie. Tell me the sky is polka dotted."

"It's not. I … literally … have no desire to tell you that. The sky appears blue on most worlds because of…"

Fara held her paws up. "I know why the sky appears blue, Peppy. Just tell me it's polka-dotted. It's not really lying if you know I'm expecting you to say it."

"It's blue." Peppy frowned. "It's blue," he repeated. "Well. That's a new one. Did you know, I've always wanted to tell you that your military jacket says…"

Fara reached up and placed a paw on his muzzle. "Not like this. If you didn't tell me about my profile in the four years since I've woken up, then letting you tell me now would be taking advantage of you in an altered state of mind. You should have every right to decide what to tell me about my jacket."

"Doesn't matter," said Peppy, muffled against her palm. "I had it purged from the system, heh."

"Then don't tell me. If you want to tell me after that crap wears off, then fine. Until then, I don't want to hear about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I'd feel guilty later. It's unfair. You're basically unable to lie. You've kept it to yourself in the past for some reason. You 'want to tell me' now because you're under the influence of a medication that affects your emotions, making you want to be honest. Just keep it to yourself."

"But, Fara, you should know that…"

She pinched his muzzle in her paws. "No. Don't tell me until later, else I will feel guilty you told me under the influence. Don't make me feel guilty. I don't like feeling guilty. Promise me you'll wait until later." She released the pressure from his maw.

"All right. We'll wait until later."

"Thank you." She dropped her paws away from his face. "Promise me."

"I promise."

"Thank you, General." She offered a soft smile. "Okay. Let's get moving."

"Uh … where? Is he gone?"

"Yeah. He left Miracle. But I planted a tracking beacon."

"Clever girl."

She smiled again. "I know." The smile faded and she reached up to brush one of his earstalks away from his face. "So, he actually tortured you…"

"Yeah. Eh. That was nothing compared to what Andy Bowman did to Jimmy."

"Yeah, but James McCloud wasn't seventy-five years old at the time, either. You're a tough old man, you know that? But I need you to put that pride away for a moment and talk to me."

"What about?"

"Where you're injured, if he got into your head, what information he wanted…"

Peppy shook his head. He looked up at the ceiling and pushed both of his ears back behind himself with his paws. "He just wanted to know how we got here, and if we learned any Krazoa secrets along the way. He seemed pretty proud of himself for knowing how to use Krazoa technology, but he was more interested in what I'd learned since arriving than anything. He seemed convinced I was resisting the drugs, and that I'd somehow learned information the Krazoa had on a race hell-bent on consuming Lylat, but … I never learned any secrets here."

"Huh. He tortured you for something you didn't know, and aren't capable of lying about at the moment?"

"Yeah. That'll let you build a profile on him if you want."

"I haven't profiled anyone since training. And only because it was part of training, really."

"Yeah, but I read your file, Fara. You nailed every assignment you had to profile with incredible accuracy. You were approached by recruiters who wanted you to become a profiler in Corneria's investigatory services. You were a natural. And it wasn't that long ago for you. So. The guy tortured me just because, and drugged me just because … he acted like he expected me to lie to him. He acted like the torture was punishment for withholding information."

"Mm. No empathy, no trust. Willing to injure an elder person and attack a woman. Yeah. I'll give him some thought."

"He also had me convinced you were caught and passed out on a nearby table. He kept telling me that if I didn't tell him what he wanted, he would move on to torturing you for information."

Fara scoffed. "That asshat. You ready to find that jerk?"

"You put a tracker on his ship, right? Let's get moving."

Fara walked alongside Peppy on the way back to the shuttle. The conversation turned from the impressive Krazoan city to talking about Star Fox. As they left the city and continued down a dusty partially paved path back to the shuttle, the conversation subject changed. Mostly about how much they missed being in a relationship with Vivian and with Fox, respectively.

X

---

X

Two hours later,
Miracle Landing Zone,
Fara's Shuttle

…

Fara stopped walking just outside of her shuttle's LZ. She sniffed the air. "He was here."

Peppy drew his pistol. "Is he still here?"

"No. It's a faint whiff. I smell shuttle exhaust and sweat." She headed for the shuttle again, at a quicker pace. "I'm thinking he landed here, it was the hottest part of the day, he sweat a lot while doing whatever he came to do, and then he left. C'mon. Let's see what he…" She stopped once more, staring at her shuttle, just ahead, with a grimace.

Peppy holstered his sidearm with a frown. "He didn't even bother to leave the area the way he found it. That's pretty bold of him … just leaving your cargo ramp down like that."

"Yeah. Let's see what kind of mess he made. C'mon."

"On your six." Peppy looked around, remaining vigilant. "I don't see any signs of turrets or traps, but I wouldn't put it past the guy if he's paranoid. But if he was going to kill us, why not just put a gun to my head and pull the trigger while running from your blitz attack?"

Fara boarded the cargo ramp, stepped over a fishing line, and turned to face Peppy. She lowered both her paws, gesturing to the thin transparent line. "You were saying?"

Peppy looked down. He fetched his glasses from his breast pocket, slid them up his nose, and got down on all fours, inspecting the fishing line. "Well. I'll be darned. Sharp eyes, Phoenix."

"This won't have been all he did. This was just icing on the 'eff you cake.' All right. Let's see where this goes."

Peppy got back to his feet with a soft grunt, but it was far easier than it would have been on Katina, with stronger gravity and without the stimulants, hormones, and drugs in his system. He continued to watch Fara, meanwhile he folded the reading glasses into his palm, and put them away into his pocket.

Fara traced the line to the far end where it was tied to a hydraulic cylinder. She traced it back the other direction, where it met a small bomb tucked away against the bulkhead.

"Well? What'cha find, kiddo?"

Fara sighed softly. "My face gave it away, huh?" She rubbed her cheeks with her paws. "It's a shaped charge. It might punch a hole in the hull, but it's meant to injure or kill. One sec."

Peppy watched the fennec retrieve a tool kit from a locker-turned-closet. He didn't say anything.

Fara came back, opened the lid of the explosive, scanned it with her pocket scanner, then she withdrew needle nose plyers from the tool kit. She pinched something inside the small bomb's casing, and then she reached for a pair of wire cutters from the tool kit.

Peppy reached up and covered his ears at the base, by his head. "You got this, kiddo."

"Not like I can call Slippy or a bomb squad, after all, right? Okay. Step outside the shuttle."

"Just cut the wire, kiddo. You got this. I believe in you, girl."

"Because faith stops explosives, right?"

"Just cut the wire." He grinned, then he added, "If it makes you feel better…" He cleared his throat and used his 'official General' voice. "Cut the wire, Major Phoenix. That's an order."

"Heh. If you insist." She snipped a wire, then she exhaled a sigh of relief. She tossed the plyers and cutters into the tool kit and stood up. "He either used the wrong color wires on purpose, or he did a rush job and didn't bother to use a wire of the correct color."

"Or he's an idiot." Peppy dropped his paws to his sides. "Pretty sure he's just an idiot. Call it a gut feeling."

"Anything is possible. He had quite a head start on us. Not sure why he didn't just leave. More importantly, why would he fool around with making something actually dangerous like this shaped charge?"

Peppy said, "Then again, we also know he's killed people. We know he likes killing."

"True, but if you want to do the job right, why leave such a crappy bomb? What a waste of both our time. His and ours. It took longer to put this thing together than for me to disarm it. So he wasted his own time more than he wasted ours."

Peppy shrugged. "Maybe he was in a hurry, or he didn't have the experience with bigger bombs?"

"No, everything is really clean, here. Recently machined. I'm assuming he used the wrong color wires to make it less likely I would pick the right thing to cut."

"How'd you know?"

Fara picked up the tool kit and stowed it back into the closet. "Thee, uh, scanner told me which wire to cut."

"Oh. That's handy. Wait … you're BSing me?"

Fara cleared her throat with a shrug. "I, uh … it suggested that the wiring style was not in the database, and the best way to defuse the bomb was to leave the area. It also said it detected a software-based timing mechanism … it was probably designed to blow up the ship if we never showed up … like if we set up camp and arrived tomorrow."

"How much time was left on the timer?"

Fara hunched her shoulders up, as if to suggest that the timer made no difference to her one way or the other. "I mean, it said there was still twelve minutes and change left on the timer, but…"

Peppy laughed.

"What?"

"You guessed! You guessed which wire to cut!"

Fara shrugged her shoulders with a measure of indifference. "Maybe I did…" As an afterthought, she said, "That's why I asked you to leave. Just in case."

"I've always believed in you, kiddo. If Fox wasn't there to rescue you in Westtown the day you bailed out over Corneria, you would have fought the Battle Attack Carrier differently. You wouldn't have been shot down. But you're not used to flying with a wingmate. If Star Fox hadn't stowed away on your daddy's ship, the day prior, you would have handled Adler your way. You have no plans on cashing out of this life, kiddo. That's why I ignored your order to leave."

She cleared her throat, and said, "Speaking of ordering people to leave … why did you order me to leave when that guy got the jump on you, earlier?" She handed him the scanner. "Here, you hold onto this for me, huh?"

"If you say so, and, to answer your question … because I knew it'd be the only way to get you out of the area. Then you'd be able to save my ass." A pause, then, "Which you did."

"Yeah. I wasn't going to just leave you. Thanks for having faith in me. Twice."

"How can I not have faith in you? I've read your personnel jacket. I know what you're capable of."

She grinned a bit. "I'll never turn down praise and validation."

"Heh. You rescued me, Fara. Then you stopped the bomb. You're two-for-two, kiddo."

She looked around the ship. Her grin faded away. "Shit."

He scrunched his nose with a furrow of his brows. He knew she wasn't the type to cuss unless there was a good reason for it. "What?"

She pointed at the engine cover, which was on the deck adjacent to the aft-starboard corner bulkhead. "He removed something from the engine core."

"Oh."

She crossed in front of the rear cargo ramp and peered into the empty corner maintenance hatch.

Peppy remained quiet.

Fara withdrew a cylinder, roughly eighteen inches tall by seven inches wide. She placed it into her backpack, shouldered the bag, and muttered softly under her breath.

Peppy watched with silent interest.

She picked up the 'L'-shaped panel with a heavy sigh, placed it back onto the engine access opening, turned the small locking clamp to lock it into place, and pivoted on the ball of her foot, facing Peppy with a grimace.

"It's bad, huh?"

"He drained our fuel cell and replaced it into the dock completely drained. But he didn't replace the hatch. He seems to do things half-assed. Or he's in a rush."

"Or, as I said earlier, maybe they're just an idiot. I was in the room with our badguy," said Peppy. "They used a voice modulator in their helmet. What else makes you sure they're a male?"

"The shoulders and hips," said Fara. "A woman has different shoulders and hips than a man. Our badguy is a bad guy. And I'm going to wager they're of the primate persuasion. He threw both of us around at the same time, despite being lanky with very little muscular definition. You've seen Andross. Even though he was a scientist, the guy was jacked."

"Yeah," replied Peppy with a nod of agreement. "But Andross believed a healthy mind ran best with a healthy body. He had his own private gym in his military lab. He worked out when trying to work through a problem or equation or … whatever."

"You read the jacket of your old nemesis, too, huh?"

"What can I say? I'm a reader. You think it might be Andrew Oikonny?"

"The nephew?" Fara shrugged. "I thought he died during the war against the Anglars? I read Andross' oldest living relative died fighting Star Fox under the Anglar banner. Andross' only living member joined the Cornerian Army AirGuard."

Peppy chuckled. "Yeah, Dash Bowman. He retired from the AirGuard to fly for Star Falco."

"Oh, gawd, what a name."

"I know, right? Anyway, last I heard, Dash claims that Andrew survived. Just because no one has seen Andrew doesn't mean he's dead. Dash would know more about his cousin than a military profile. We'll see soon enough, I guess."

Fara nodded. "What's Andrew like?"

"A bumbling idiot who wasn't hugged enough as a child, so he seeks validation from his now-dead Uncle Andross. But he was a bumbling clown, so he never got the validation he so desperately craved."

"Geeze. What a sad sack of…" She trailed off with a shake of her head.

Peppy finished her thought out loud. "…A sad sack of simian." He chuckled with a slight shake of his head. "Andrew wanted to get into scientific experimentation, genetic research, and weapons research and development just like his uncle, but … he doesn't have the brain power for it. He also doesn't have his uncle's philosophies about a healthy body being as important as a healthy mind. He doesn't have his uncle's level of education because he was just a middle-schooler around the time he first moved to Venom. It's not like Venom had professors to teach the stuff Andross learned from a Cornerian university. Finally, he's strong because he's a primate, but he's nowhere on his uncle's level."

"Fair enough. I guess he's too much of an idiot to be our badguy, then?"

Peppy chuckled softly with a half-shrug. "Anything's possible, just not probable."

"Fair enough. He's on our list of suspects, at the very bottom. Any suspects we add to the list will be higher up on the list. Work for you?"

"He's the only one on the list, so let's work the list like he's our number one lead until we find proof to suggest he's innocent."

"Works for me." Fara made her way down the cargo ramp. "C'mon, grandpa. Time to play hero."

"Oh, I'm a hero again, am I?"

"Actually, I was thinking I'll be the 'plucky hero babe,' and you can be the wiseman that councils me through saving the day. That work for you?"

"Yup, sure does. Heroing is for the young. 'Leadership' and 'wise council' is my wheelhouse; it's been that way since Fox was old enough to fly. Anyhow, gimmie just a moment." Peppy stepped into the bathroom. When he returned, he wore a fresh outfit, red like before, but with slightly different black highlights, and the ascot was yellow with a bead to secure it at the bottom. Same silver duster as before. No more headband.

Fara was no longer in the living area compartment of the shuttle.

Peppy sniffed at the air, then he hurried down the ramp after her. He withdrew a device about the size of an elementary school ruler from one of the inside jacket pockets lining the duster. He thumbed the device, and it telescopically extended into a walking stick. "Right behind you, Madam Heroine."

Fara grinned. "You had to pass the torch to someone after all. The story of Lylat needed a lady protagonist, if you ask me."

"Behind the last hero was the vixen that guided him to success. You saying you're ready to bare the mantle now?"

"Of course!" Fara withdrew her blaster as they walked. She disassembled it, putting pieces in her jacket pocket, then she cleaned it as they continued walking side-by-side. Afterward, she reassembled it.

"You always keep a blaster cleaning kit on you?"

"You don't?" Fara grinned again.

"So, where are we going?"

"To syphon an energy source from the ancient Krazoa. I have an energy reserve canister. It is designed to convert electricity into a storable and usable form. When we fill it up, I'll install it into the shuttle's engine core, and that will get us around Lylat for a bit. We really only need to get to the spaceport on Sauria, then we can refill the mains – I'm not sure how our badguy managed to drain several hundred foot-pounds of solid fuel cells but … he did it quickly…"

"And the reserve tank."

Fara nodded. "Yeah, and that reserve canister I brought? That could get us to Corneria, so Sauria will be a piece of cake."

"How much do we need?"

"We need a little more than a third of a canister for takeoff, and just a tiny bit for maneuvering thrusters, a bit of boost, and landing procedures. So, to be safe, I would like to collect half a canister to get us to Sauria safely."

"I bet you love how a single reserve tank can get us all the way to Corneria. A lot has changed in thirty years, huh? And, hey, what do you think of the small engines that surround the cargo ramp on the back? Pretty cool to fit so much power into such a small area, right?"

Fara grinned. "You're just saying that because you want to make sure I'm not frustrated. Well, I'm not. And yeah, technology has come a long way in thirty years. So, you know this area better than I do. Where can we find thee, uh, 'power of the ancients?' Heh."

Peppy grinned, amused by the non-military side of Fara's personality. "Heh. I thought you were leading?"

"And I thought you were counseling. So, where do we go? Gimmie a suggestion and I'll lead us there."

Peppy's grin broadened. He used his walking stick to stay in pace with her. "Right this way." He headed in the direction of the nearest ancient Krazoan city ruins. A few partially standing buildings loomed in the distance, barely taller than the trees that filled the skyline. "If we hurry, we can make it there in thirty minutes. Forty-five, tops."

X

---

X

Forty minutes later…

Peppy reached up with a handkerchief from his pocket and dried the sweat from his forehead. He tucked the fabric back into his pocket and continued walking with the cane. The grassy path had occasional bricks, barely seen through the soil.

Fara looked up, marveling at the city's remains.

Many of the buildings had collapsed, but an impressive amount appeared to have withstood the test of time.

Fara let off a low whistle. "It's impressive that anyone could build a skyscraper that lasts two millennia, huh?"

Peppy feigned a soft smile. "The climate on the lunar surface doesn't have hurricanes, tornados, or other bad weather issues, so the buildings stand because they can."

"Yeah, but Miracle still has tectonic activity."

"Yes, and they are earthquake resistant. But if you think this is impressive, just you wait. These buildings were built by the Krazoan culture that existed from about two thousand years ago. They were shorter, and there weren't very many overall. But the original ruins of the ancient Krazoa, those super tall ancestors of the more modern Krazoa … they built their temples, bunkers, and ancient dwellings to survive a half million years, and they're twice as durable."

"Holy smokes…"

Peppy's grin brightened. "My original hypothesis is that the modern Krazoa built these cities and research structures to study their ancestors' impressive feats of technology and as-of-yet understood sciences that, to this day, still seem like magic."

"What happened to the Krazoa, Peppy? In your words, not a text book explanation."

"Not sure if it was the ancients or the recently-extinct Krazoa, but one of their kind had the bright idea of trying to turn Sauria into a generational ship. They designed Solar to act as planetary-sized sun. That's why Solar acts like a dwarf star, but with the gravity pull of a mere planet. They were going to put the pieces of Sauria in orbit around Solar, and use a tractor beam to tether Solar to a guided missile of some sort, which would take them clear across the galaxy. Solar and the pieces of Sauria would come along for the ride. Then they were going to slingshot Solar around Lylat a certain way, which would launch Solar, and the Saurian sections orbiting it, toward a distant world currently known as Kew. It was believed by the modern Krazoa that a group of their surviving ancestors went to Kew's star system and settled down half a million years ago. Only a small group remained on Sauria and Miracle. That group became the more modern Krazoa … and their world was dying at the time, so the modern Krazoa sought to leave Lylat with their planet."

"So, why is it still here in Lylat?"

"Because the population became split into two political camps. One side believed that by leaving Lylat with Solar and Sauria, it would disrupt the natural balance of the other worlds, which showed signs of sentient creatures … us."

"And the other camp?"

Peppy sighed softly. He looked up at the buildings as the couple approached the long-abandoned city. The cobblestone road became paved but was overgrown with grass and weeds through cracks in the ancient pavement. "Well, I think the other group decided to turn Sauria's second moon into a generational ship, and they tried to leave orbit around Sauria. They did this by creating an explosion that would be used to send part of the moon hurtling toward Kew, and they must've found some alternative to Solar for heat, energy, and light, since Solar is still here in Lylat…"

Fara arched her brows. "What happened to them?"

Peppy lowered his gaze to the walking path that used to be a street. "Well, kiddo … by all estimations, they succeeded. Fox and Krystal did a stint on Kew, and they learned that the system is called the Krazoa system … the question is whether it has been called that for two thousand years, or if it's been called that for half-a-million years."

"So, half the anatomically-modern Krazoa made it to another universe, instead of simply settling on a different Lylat planet?"

"Yeah. So, there was a neighboring planet adjacent to Kew, and that is apparently where a group of modern Krazoa landed. But it came at great cost."

"Go on," she said, interest evident in her tone.

"When that second moon was used as a generational ship, they needed to create a controlled detonation to put it into motion in the direction they wanted to travel. But the southern pole crashed back to Sauria, creating what's now known as 'Moon Mountain Pass.' Having part of a moon slam into Sauria created a catastrophic extinction level event for the inhabitants still on the planet. That wasn't intentional, but it happened just the same. Now, there's a lot of evidence that suggests that Moon Mountain Pass was created by the original ancient Krazoa. The tall half-million-year-old ones. But scientists are still studying all that stuff."

"Good heavens, Peppy. Why leave Lylat at all? There are tons of planets in this system, nearly all of them are inhabitable."

"They were a dying race afraid of something coming through Lylat at some point. They wanted to leave before that threat arrived. Anyway, after the Saurian ELE wiped out the Krazoa on the planet, it was learned that a few Krazoa survived on Miracle. So, the question is whether or not they lived for a few short generations before food ran out, or they lived there for a half-million-years as the descendants of the original Krazoa, who they were studying."

"Both are interesting theories. How did the anatomically-modern Krazoa manage to live on this moon without a planet to farm?"

"They invented matter synthesizers to create basic food, and they tried to repopulate their species using pheromones, which is why that stuff is still in the air."

"That explains a lot. All right, so what happened to those Krazoa?"

"Well, Fara, they eventually died out. They were extremely technically savvy, but … they made like the original Krazoa and died out."

"What about the Krazoa Spirit myths? What's the story with that?"

"Scientists are still trying to decide if the spirits belonged to the original Krazoa or the Miraculin Krazoa. Either way, the story of the spirits is the same: when it became obvious that there was no way to survive, the surviving Krazoa that stayed in Lylat used technology to un-anchor themselves from their corporeal bodies, so, as spirits, they could survive in a pocket universe of some sort. But the ones that kept the portal open were trapped here, in this universe, without their corporeal bodies."

"Holy … just … oh my goddess."

"Yeah. There's evidence that some of the spirits were of the anatomically modern Krazoa, but there's also evidence they belonged to the original Krazoa species."

"That's … just wow. Maybe the modern Krazoa tried to emulate the exodus of their ancestors, but wound up making a lot of the same mistakes?"

Peppy nodded. "That's my theory, actually. Heh." Hare kept his gaze on his walking stick and the path. "Krystal arrived on Sauria when her ship ran out of fuel, while following Andross from her home world of Cerinia, which was destroyed or … to be more exact, the population was rendered extinct. Something to do with their central star. Krystal was marooned on Sauria."

"How did Fox meet her?"

"Well, kiddo, Star Fox was hired to fix Sauria when it came apart. We later learned it was because Andross activated the 'generational ship mode,' separating the planet into chunks small enough to orbit Solar. Anyhow, those two met, managed to get Sauria's Force Stones back to their Force Point Temples, which was part of getting the planet back together, and then Fox and Krystal rescued the rest of the Krazoa spirits trapped here, and used them to activate the Force Point Temples. They got the planet to merge back into one piece, and then Krystal guided the spirits to that pocket universe with the rest of the Lylat Krazoan survivors, thus saving them. One of them showed her how to turn a plant into a consumable fuel as a way to thank her for her help. After that, she hopped into her shuttle and docked with Great Fox."

"…Damn."

"Yeah … pretty wild, right?"

Fara nodded. "Sure is." She shook her head with a soft sigh. "I should have been there to help Fox for all those things. We should've been married with kits and…" She stopped rather suddenly, shook her head, looked up at the sky and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry. I promised myself I wasn't going to dote on the past while we worked together."

"You'd have made a fantastic wife, mother, and I don't hold it against you for wondering what could have been."

"Thanks, Peppy. But I should know, by now, to get my heart out of the clouds. It's where my head belongs, not my emotions."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, kiddo. I often think the same things about how things should have been different with Vivian. Goddamn illness. But … Vivian is waiting for me in paradise. And … Fox and Krystal worked well for one another. You'll find the one, Fara. Hell, you might even find him here."

"On Miracle?"

"Well, I meant on Sauria, but … either one."

"Why would I find love on the planet where Fox met his wife?"

Peppy shrugged his shoulders somewhat. "Because right now Sauria has a stigma to you. So, if you own that stigma and take control back from fate, and if you make your life whatever you want it to be, you'll get to enjoy Sauria for what it really is: a place of wonders … and talking dinosaurs."

Fara chuckled. "I'm a professional. I don't blame fate or Sauria for Fox and Krystal meeting."

"Ah, but you're also a woman, and you have a big, beautiful heart. And knowing about those two … it hurts your heart."

"I've had four years to get over Fox."

"Says the woman who is trying to prove to herself that Sauria isn't a big deal. And she's so willing to prove it to herself, that she took a job on Sauria to prove there's no stigma."

Fara frowned. "You're either empathetic or empathic."

"At seventy-five, I know a thing or two about the heart, kiddo."

"Regarding Fox … and his wife, Krystal … I'm just glad he didn't spend the rest of his life alone…"

"You mean just like you're glad that your father and Bosworth found a way to beat loneliness, I take it?"

"Yeah."

"What about your needs? You want to talk about that?"

"You're brutally honest on those drugs."

"Apparently that was the point."

"Heh, well they work. The Krazoa made quite a cocktail for our badguy to abuse. Anyhow, don't worry yourself about it, Peppy. I'll find someone. And if I don't? Well…"

"You have options, kiddo. You'll find the one. Your heart yearns to be a mother. To train the next generation of Lylat-saving heroes. I can see it in your eyes, and I can hear it in your voice."

Fara shrugged her shoulders half-heartedly. "Tell you what, if I don't find a guy worth cloning, I'll consider a donor if the call of motherhood is too strong to ignore." She chuckled off-handedly and looked away with another slight shrug. "I mean … dunno if I'll find Mr. Right on Sauria, through."

"Either way, Fara, it's a beautiful planet with a lot of amazing wonders. Enjoy it if you visit."

"Oh, I'll be visiting it alright. Real soon. I'm pretty sure that's where our badguy went. And, like I said, I've been working this case for a while; it started on the surface of Sauria. But I'll be returning to a part I've not been to before."

"Blah."

"Why blah? You just said Sauria was a great place."

"It is, but there are some pretty humid jungle regions and some pretty cold sections near the caps. I'm too old for that shit." A frown, then, "I mean crap. Boy, these drugs really do kill my 'filter.' Heh."

Fara reached for her PDA. "This thing just vibrated. One sec." She checked the screen and smiled. "Somewhere in this city is a compatible power source. It's not far." She looked up again, frowned, then glanced back down at the PDA. "Without a satellite feed, I can't narrow it down much more; we won't have satellite back in position until a few hours from now … and we're running out of daylight. We'll have a few hours of darkness, then light again just as we'll be getting tired."

"I slept already. Was knocked cold out. Then I got a load of good drugs. Thought I was going to feel bad; instead, I feel like a million bucks. Will you be all right?"

Fara smiled. "Yeah. I was worried more about you than myself. I'll be fine. I'm young enough to still get into trouble, and I'm old enough to know the best ways to find it. Let's track down this power source and get to Sauria. I'll book you on a Phoenix Shuttle back to Katina."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I needed you for Miracle. I've been living out of my shuttle on Sauria for weeks on end."

"And you keep it showroom-floor clean like that? You need some proper help."

"Geeze, Peppy, if it would make you feel any better, maybe I'll put out an ad for some mercenaries or something. Hellcat Alpha has enough pilots, but I'd need someone I know I can trust."

"God. Those guys? Pepper hired them once. Once."

Fara chuckled softly. "That sounds bad."

"They're a good outfit but I'm not a fan."

Fara shrugged with a frown. "I don't know what else to do. Whoever takes payment would work for me if things got rough."

"Fara, I could look up Katherine Monroe. She was a mercenary under Falco for a time. She knows how the work, and she's trustworthy."

"I only needed someone I really trust while here, because of these pheromones in the air. But on Sauria, I'll be all right. But then I'd have to set up some sort of payment arrangement, and I don't care enough about help to wanna do any paperwork. Anyhow, I'll figure it all out."

"Are you sure?" Peppy repeated. "Sauria isn't a big planet by any means, but it's in no way a small world, either."

"Yeah, Peppy. I'm sure. I'll have access to supplies there, and that's all I'll really need. I'll smoke the guy out, even if I have to take my time and hunt for him. Even if it takes a year or two. Even if he goes into hiding. Whatever he does, I'll find him. I'll put him down."

Peppy chuckled. "You go girl."

"People still say that?"

Peppy shrugged. "Let's just chalk it up to good drugs."

They both chuckled dryly.

X

X

Hours later…

Fara looked up from her PDA. Her eyes widened. She put her free paw outward, stopping Peppy in his tracks. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He looked around the dark empty building. Pointing his ears in several directions quickly.

"That mechanical noise."

Peppy shook his head. "I can hear sounds up to two miles away on a calm day in an empty field. But, no, I didn't hear any mechanical noises."

Fara placed a finger to her lips, then she lowered her center of gravity until she was on all fours. She crept to the end of a hallway in the dark building. She reached into her jacket pocket and placed a pair of nearly-clear shades over her eyes. They resembled safety goggles, but more fashionable.

She peered around the corner of the intersection, then back the other direction. Quite suddenly, she skittered back just as a sound-suppressed volley of rounds struck the floor and wall.

Fara slumped against the wall, two feet up from where the weapon's rounds could reach. She exhaled softly. "Found it."

"How the hell could you hear that?"

Fara pointed to her ears. "Two miles is impressive. But, hey, if I hold my breath and get down really low, I can hear insects moving under the ground."

"How do you sleep at night?"

Fara shrugged. "Ignore noises?"

"You won't even need a baby monitor should you do the mom thing."

Fara rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Stop trying to make my biological clock tick louder than it already does, all right?"

"Sorry, you're absolutely right, kiddo. I'll knock it off with that stuff."

"Thank you, Peppy. Anyhow, the turret is out there, and our badguy isn't around to turn it off. So…"

"At least it isn't a particularly loud model."

Fara nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I hate being deafened by automated hardware, especially when it's trying to kill me." She cleared her throat, feigned a weak smile, then said, "It can see us in the dark, and it can detect us without seeing us. So. Either it has a heartbeat detection sensor, or maybe thermal, or it has bio-sign sensors."

"You want to use the shield barriers on my belt?"

Fara rubbed her chin. "Do those things really work against any attacks? I mean, blaster fire and sniper rounds, sure, but do you think it will hold up against a turret shooting high velocity magnum rounds? That thing spit out several hundred rounds in a split second. It probably has a matter synthesizer attached to it."

"The technology came out right around the time you were put into stasis. They work. But it only shields you until the battery runs out. So, you have about forty-five seconds under heavy fire, to get in close and shut it down."

Fara frowned. "Let's use that as an emergency backup. What about other options? An EMP attack, maybe?"

Peppy shrugged. "They're likely to be shielded from EMP bombardment. Most military hardware is, now. A lot of technologically advanced vehicles would conk out, but most military gear would be all right."

"Ah. So much has changed in thirty years, I swear."

Peppy reached for Fara's left forearm and glanced at her PDA. "Okay, well, we're certainly headed in the right direction to get our paws on the energy source. There's something putting out two megawatts up ahead. That's enough to power about nine-to-twelve hundred Cornerian homes during peak hours."

"Damn."

"A lot, huh?'

"Two megawatts? No. Cornerian power plants supply an insane amount of megawatt energy. It's just … the idea of being able to power a thousand Cornerian homes during peak hours? When did Cornerian homes become so … energy efficient?"

"Times have changed, kiddo. Air conditioning units use a lot less energy than they did three decades ago. Anyhow, let's figure out how to get past this stupid turret."

"Agreed. Let's hold off on the shield barriers. I want to keep them as an emergency backup."

"Okay, so, do you have a plan?"

Fara rubbed her chin in thought. "Hmm…"

She peered around the corner again, then put her back to the corner and waited.

The turret took a little more than a second to spool up, then it unleashed approximately thirty-to-forty rounds, rapidly, which hit the wall, chipping away at the corner.

Fara waited for a moment for the turret to become silent again.

"It's learning," said Peppy.

"I noticed. It hit the floor earlier, but this time it has a tighter aiming area." She reached into her gear vest's interior pockets, withdrew an infrared laser pointer, and a reflex aiming topper for her blaster. She thumbed the settings until the reflex aimer showed the infrared spectrum brightly, and then she pressed on the trigger, building up an energy charge at the barrel.

She put her back up against the corner again, took a deep breath, then pointed the weapon around the corner, lined up the invisible laser pointer with the turret's chassis where she presumed the power supply and gear box was located, then she released the trigger, and evaded back behind the corner again.

Her ears flickered from an explosion around the corner, up the intersecting hallway.

Silence.

She peered around the corner again, counted one second, then quickly ducked back around the corner, but nothing happened. She tried again but counted to two … nothing.

Fara stepped out into the intersection. She listened for the sound of the turret spooling up, but it never happened. She turned back to Peppy and gave him a 'thumb's up' gesture. "I can't believe that guy put these things around town. As Falco would've said, 'what a douchebag,' huh?"

"Yup. Definitely a douchebag, and definitely something Falco would've said."

The two headed down the hallway toward the power source registering on her PDA. They continued to follow the source, which led outside of the complex, and into a long-abandoned city.

Silence.

The weight of the eerie quiet was laden with an almost tangible sense of foreboding.

Roughly twenty years' worth of overgrowth covered the streets, the walls of buildings, the alleyways … it was beautiful in a sort of melancholy way.

Peppy approached Fara from her right. "What's wrong, kiddo? You've got a look on your face…"

"It's just … so sad. People raised families here. Children ran through these streets, once. Look, over there, to the southwest … see that corner?"

Peppy withdrew a pair of high-def binoculars from his pack and zoomed in to an overgrown lot. "Is … that a playground?"

"Yeah. Looks to me like even the Krazoa, as fancy, technologically magic, and as mysterious on a deeply profound level as they were … still provided a simple place where their children could just be … you know … kids."

"You've got great eyes, pilot."

Fara feigned a very slight smile. "Thanks. Anyway, you can see the slide, the monkey bars…"

"Corneria changed the name of playground equipment after you were put into stasis. It was considered racist against primates."

Fara nodded. "Fine. The … jungle gym?"

"The primates preferred 'climbing frame,' actually."

Fara grimaced. "Okay, that's beyond awful. What's wrong with jungle gym?"

"Yeah … uh … during the mass exodus of primates to Venom, thirty years ago, it was learned that a lot of primates did most of their evolving in jungle regions, especially on Fortuna, so … we cannot call them jungle gyms, either."

Fara brought her palm to her forehead. "My childhood was a lie."

Peppy chuckled. "Don't feel bad. Just roll with it."

"Rolling with it," she replied flatly. She gestured to the overgrowth of bushes and weeds with a fence around the area. "So, if you look close … there's a slide, a climbing frame, and sectioned poles that could be a swing set. And that's why I'm sad." She pursed her lips, briefly, then, in a softer tone, said, "I'm just saying … parents brought their babies to this city to grow up and learn how to socialize with other kids. And now? Now the city has been reduced to little more than an overgrown bush with weeds sticking out of it. It's … just … really sad."

Peppy frowned. "Well, kiddo, the last of their kind tried to hold out as long as they could, but they finally died out, once and for all, about two millennia ago, because they didn't learn from the mistakes of the original Krazoan ancestors … a people they devoted themselves to studying … and … yeah, it's sad. It really is."

"The ancient Krazoan ancestors documented their history, made warnings about their past mistakes, and left a blueprint of what not to do. And for their distant descendants to follow down that same road to suffering … it seems particularly sad, considering they seemed to have an obsession with enlightenment and meditation, science, and technology…"

Peppy frowned. "You make a good point, kiddo. But it's in the distant past, now. I don't know if anyone suffered, but I don't believe so. I think those who survived the extinction level event on Sauria, whether it was because they were already on Miracle or because they quickly came to Miracle … they simply didn't … procreate because there wasn't a lot of resources. So, no one suffered too much, and kids are particularly resilient and capable of adapting."

"But, Peppy, you know how parents are … they'll give their meal off their plate to their children first and foremost."

"Yes, but they died out because they didn't procreate enough."

"Which is just depressing to me. It means there were a few kids who grew up without other children to play with. It's just … heartbreaking to think about."

Peppy offered a paternal smile. "It's nice to see you care about people, even those who no longer exist. You have a good heart … a kind spirit. If I wasn't three times your age, I'd ask you out."

Fara laughed. "Oh, you lecherous old fart, you."

Peppy replied with a laugh to match hers. "Okay, okay, that might be the garbage in the air talking for me. Alright, kiddo. Let's keep moving."

Fara nodded and took point out into the empty overgrown city.

Up ahead, where the street ended at a circle around an empty fountain, cracked in multiple places, with a pedestal in the middle for a missing statue, there was a large square building built out of granite slabs.

Peppy couldn't tell whether the building was built to mirror older Krazoan architecture, or if the city simply sprung up around the old dwelling.

Peppy and Fara made their way around the fountain, which had some weeds growing up through cracks in the basin, but it was otherwise one of the few things in the area to lack a great deal of overgrowth.

The walkway resembled cobblestone, but it was flat and perfect as if made from stone tiles. The grout between each tile was dirty but showed no signs of cracking or weeds trying to grow through the mortar.

Fara gestured to the tile walk. "It's made different than the sidewalks in the city-proper. It's in really good condition. Other than being dirty with mildew, it's really held up well. No cracks or weeds … impressive."

Peppy rubbed his chin. "Well, for one, that's not mildew. Grout is a porous material, so it's just … dirt. But you're right, there's no weeds coming up through it, which means it's a different material than what was used elsewhere. That means one of two things … either the building and surrounding walkways were made at a different time than the rest of the city, and using a different technology with different materials … or … the building was made differently on purpose to give it higher meaning than the rest of the city."

"It could be a mix of both."

"How do you mean?"

Fara shrugged. "I mean, it could theoretically be possible for the building to have been made by the modern Krazoa, but with the materials and style of the ancient Krazoa. Or it could have been made by the ancients and completely renovated by the modern Krazoa."

Peppy rubbed his chin again. "Only one way to find out for sure." He lifted his walking stick and gestured for the building entrance up ahead.

Fara took point again and approached the doorway first. She pushed on the door, but it didn't budge.

Peppy approached, quick to note that the entrance was different than doors on other buildings around town. He wedged his walking stick into the gap between the flat, simplistic, door, made from some sort of metallic alloy. The frame seemed to be constructed of a composite material, but he didn't recognize the style as anything used around modern Lylat.

Fara stepped aside, giving him space.

He put some force against his cane, but the door didn't budge.

Fara frowned. "Well, that was anticlimactic."

Peppy withdrew his blaster and thumbed the intensity setting level up to a very high power rating. A small LCD display on the top of the blaster changed from '500 rounds' down to '5 rounds.'

"Are you really going to blow the door open?"

"Is the power source coming from this building?"

Fara looked at her PDA then offered a nod of confirmation to Peppy. "It is."

"Then yes. Yes, I am." Peppy gestured for her to step back a bit further. "I'm using a wide-spread full-intensity setting, Fara. Humor me and scoot back a little more."

She moved a bit further away.

He pointed the weapon at where the door met the frame and fired his weapon.

The door held with ease, but the doorframe shattered on the left side, leaving a large gap between the door and the building wall.

Peppy thumbed his blaster again, and the LCD display on the top changed from '4 rounds' up to '400 rounds' remaining in the battery.

Fara took off her backpack. She carefully wedged herself through the gap where the doorframe used to be. She arched her hips, pressing her rump against the wall, and she pressed her shoulder and knees against the door.

Slowly but surely, the door began to shift on its track in the frame, but only an inch or two. She squatted, so her knees were parted with the door between her thighs, until her center of balance was lowered. She tried again, using her rump and shoulders to push the door apart in its frame.

Again, the door moved on its track, but faster this time. She continued to pressed her shoulders in one direction and her lower toros in the other direction, until she wedged the door into the wall.

She looked up at Peppy while taking a brief break from the straining. "It's a good thing you shot the correct side of the frame, or I wouldn't be able to do this."

"Had I shot the other side, the wall would be thinner, and the door would probably just fall out of the track."

Fara shook her head. "You didn't even leave any scratches or cracks on the wall on the side where you shot the frame. I think it's able to somehow channel blaster fire, spread out the energy, and absorb it like an armored plate on a modern fighter."

"Nice hypothesis, kiddo."

Fara grinned then strained again, shoving the door into its pocket in the wall by a few more inches. "More or is this good?"

Peppy eyed the gap. "I could squeeze through there, but if we have to carry out anything in a hurry, it could be a pain later. Could you open it a little more?"

Fara chuckled. "For you? Sure." She drew her knees close, so they were against her chest, with her shins firmly against the door, then she pushed her back against the shattered frame and wall. Fara tensed her body and heaved the door again.

All at once, the door opened on its own, disappearing into the wall pocket.

Fara slumped to the floor and looked up at Peppy from the doorway. "Well. That was unexpected."

"Move your tail, kiddo. If it still has enough power to open automatically, that thing could just as easily close on you."

Fara crawled out of the doorframe, stood up, and dusted herself off.

Peppy stepped through, into the dark foyer, and looked around. "Okay … now … cue the door shutting." He glanced back at the door expectantly.

Nothing happened.

Awkward silence.

Fara grinned. "It was still nice to know that you worried about my safety."

Peppy returned the grin. "Well, of course I do. I care about all my Star Fox kids."

"Heh. Real cute." Fara removed the clear lenses that resembled safety glasses. She hooked an arm of the goggles into her shirt collar. "You really see me as a member of Star Fox?"

"Of course I do. Fox was talking to Beltino's lawyer buddy about making it official if you were going to accept the position, and drawing up whatever papers needed to be drawn up, but you were already working with the team since the day we flew an Arwing, officially, for the first time."

Fara's smile brightened significantly. "That's … really sweet, Peppy. I'm not talking about the team wanting me to join or whatever … I'm talking about the fact that you have always seen me as a Star Fox member, and honored me that way."

"You know, you could…"

Fara lifted a paw. "I'm not ready to meet Fox's son just yet, let alone consider myself a member of the team he is about to inherit. I mean, I'm not necessarily against it, but before I even consider it, I'd need to see how he runs the team, first. Heh."

"Fair enough."

She switched on the selector at the bottom of her blaster, and the infrared laser changed to a bright flashlight, illuminating the massive lobby. "Thanks for understanding."

"But you're thinking about it, aren't you…?" Peppy activated the light on his own blaster and pointed it around the room, then down at the floor, and finally up at the ceiling. "I'm just asking because you seem … open-minded to the idea, since you're an open-minded woman."

"You lapin people might be known for being extremely empathetic, to the point of near-empathic prowess, but … I'm also open-minded enough to consider options other than finally joining the team on an official level. After all, I could always run my own team. I could call it … mm, maybe … ice vixen? Nah, that's a blatant rip. I'm just not sure I'd be able to work with a constant reminder of my boyfriend having a family with another woman. But if he's got promise, and if the fate of Lylat is at stake, or something like that, then yes … I'd consider it. But, even then, it's up to him to accept me. And I don't know where I'll be in my career by the time this scenario occurs, so don't tell him about me, please. I don't want to get the kid's hopes up. Nor do I want to focus on 'maybes,' because that would be unprofessional."

Peppy nodded in understanding. "That's fair. But if the kid gets into a big heap of a mess … if Lylat is in trouble … promise me you'll at least keep an eye on him, even if it's from afar."

"For you, Peppy." She offered him a slight grin, which broadened into a smile at the sight of his own. "Now, let's get on with the job." She pointed her light up at a forty-five-degree angle.

"Thank you, and you got it…" Peppy did the same, looking around the room that stretched out in front of them.

The room was opulent. Fluted pillars stood majestically at the center of the chamber, with gorgeously carved tops and bottoms, resembling waves crashing against each column. The tiled floor was dusty but beautiful and still slightly shiny … enough that the light reflected up onto the walls and ceiling.

"Fara, I think these floor tiles are made of gold. It's a little tarnished, but I'm pretty sure it's gold."

"But shouldn't it have tarnished by now?"

"Not if there was a lacquer coating on top to keep it vacuum sealed and pristine. I think we're looking at just a layer of dust." A thought occurred to him and his eyes widened a bit. "Step back outside."

"What? Why?"

"Because we need to test the room for molds and spores. It might be dangerous to breathe in this building. It's been decades since the atmosphere returned to Miracle, meaning only the Goddess knows what's growing in the ventilation system. C'mon. Out."

The two made their way back, the way they came, through the doorway.

Peppy rummaged through his jacket pockets, then he held a paw out to her. "Fancy scanner, please?"

"But…"

"You've got those lungs for the rest of your life. Let me do this."

Fara relinquished the scanner. "If you need me to show you how to…"

"I've lived with Slippy for a good part of my life. I'm tech-savvy." He traded her the scanner for his walking stick, then he turned the scanning device about and thumbed through a menu on its glass screen. Peppy pointed it in through the doorway and performed an environment scan.

Fara waited in silence.

After a moment, Peppy said, "This building is beyond belief. The floors really are made from gold … mixed with some sort of alloy … and I thought the columns were marble but they're made from polished coquina layered over a high density metallic mesh presumably designed to be load bearing, while making it easier to sculpt and shape the coquina. The seashells used were imported from Sauria, which seems to be on file because you've done scans with this device on Sauria before."

"Impressive little toy, isn't it? I signed up to be part of the pilot program for testing the next generation of military handheld scanners."

Peppy let off a low whistle. "Yeah, these are pretty nice gadgets. Let's see…" He panned the scanner from left to right, while using his free paw to interface with the screen. "The walls are made with an alloy I've never seen before … it mixes platinum and diamond to create a very heavy, very dense, very solid material that is strong enough to hold up the building, yet malleable enough that it likely wouldn't crack or shatter, even if you shot a cannonball right into the surface from pointblank range. The outer walls are layered in a coquina façade, presumably to absorb anything thrown at it without cracking. Then there seems to be some sort of laminate-coated surface on the outside, using an unknown yet ubiquitous polymer that appears to absorb energy … so you were right about the blaster not working on the wall. It also didn't work on the door. It's a good thing they didn't build the doorframe out of that stuff."

"Impressive design. Since you're doing a deep scan, what are they using as mortar for the masonry of the walling?"

Peppy used his left paw to touch the screen, then he pinch-zoomed on something, drew a circle on the screen, followed by two more taps. He looked up and said, "Some sort of synthetic epoxy resin. Never seen a resin that appears to have built-in flame-retardant properties. Corneria could learn a lot about how to make a better building simply by studying this stuff with these fancy scanners." He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew an older standard issue scanner he'd owned for a few years. He booted up the device's operating system, then waved the scanner from left to right. "Uh-huh, just as I thought…"

"Okay, don't keep me in the dark, General."

"Heh. The older scanner can't see through the energy-absorbing laminate polymer coating on the walls. The coating somehow absorbs the older scanner's waves, so the scans registered as … nothing. Never seen anything like that. It explains why we Corneria hasn't had much interest in scanning this place before. Not sure how the new scanners work, but it's obvious that this place is going to attract a lot of attention when you publish a report about your findings. You like to be very thorough and complete like that."

Fara grinned. "Okay, quit calling me out and tell me about the air."

"Right, sorry." Peppy cleared his throat. "Got excited over architecture. That and the science of cartography have always been my hobbies. Heh." He stuffed the older style scanner into his jacket pocket and touched the screen of the newer scanner. "Uh, so, the air is breathable. I'm getting readings for some sort of natural filtration system that is made of … my best guess is synthetic liquid charcoal. At the very least, it has similar properties to liquid and charcoal. This thing is showing the filtration stuff just sits in a mesh slat, inserted in slats behind the walls … just beneath the walls, rather. They're behind the air vents to be more specific.

"I don't even see any return registers or ventilation covers. Where are they?"

Peppy stepped back into the lobby and held the scanner outward. He turned in a slow circle, scanning the entire room. "Best guess? You're looking at them. The walls have pores, almost like skin, between each panel, in the seams. It's like a sponge, but with bronchial tubes, leading to a main air filtration system somewhere outside. I imagine the Krazoa took what was perfect about biology, like how lungs work, and they mirrored it for their HVAC's filtration and ventilation system. Pretty genius in my opinion. God, I wish Beltino was still alive so he could see this."

"There have been Cornerians here to study this place, so it should already be documented … right?"

"Only a quarter of Miracle has been studied so far. And they sure as heck didn't have fancy next-generation handheld scanners like this one. For being such a small moon, scientists have been taking their time, going through the area with a fine-tooth comb, and documenting each area. But I've never read about a natural filtration system like this. I wonder if it's one-of-a-kind and only pertains to this building…"

"Well, it sounds impressive. Especially if it's able to stay clean in this building for several millennia."

"I wonder where the dust on the floor came from," Peppy mused. "I mean, it couldn't have come from outside. And when the atmosphere dissolved for a long time, it wasn't blown out."

Fara shrugged. "Good question."

Peppy took his walking stick back from Fara. He lowered to a single knee, supporting his weight on his walking stick, while using his free paw to wave the scanner over the dust. "Oh."

"Oh?"

"It's … people."

"What?"

"This dust has trace amounts of DNA."

"The Krazoa were vaporized here?"

Peppy nodded. "Some of the survivors, maybe."

"Okay, uh … how? Why?"

"Well, information about the survivors that we've compiled over the years since first exploring Miracle … it suggests the Krazoa had to shed their mortal bodies … their physical forms, and send their spirit energy to a pocket realm to survive. The ones who stayed behind to operate the machinery … they were trapped here until Fox and Krystal took them to a portal to join their loved ones in the pocket realm. I'm … assuming this building is where that occurred for the spirits that lived on Miracle."

"Really?"

"Just a guess, kiddo. But if true, this … dust … could be all that remains of the physical bodies. That is … you know … assuming the machine also vaporized the physical body after transferring the spirits to the other universe, where they could survive. I don't know. I'm guessing … I know it sounds like some sort of … science-fiction-fantasy book or something, but … this is the best I've got with the information I have available to me."

Fara shook her head. "There's barely any dust in here … just a very thin layer. There was still enough left for the scanner to read DNA?"

"DNA imprints in the carbon. Think of it like fossil imprints. I have to say … I'm impressed; this scanner is top-of-the-line tech."

"It's still in the prototype status, but … I have connections, y'know?"

"You sure do, kiddo."

Fara nodded. "Well, it's safe to go further into the building … but should we wear respirators?"

"According to these scans we should be fine. The silica content is low, and the microscopic hooks are dulled from time, so it won't latch onto your lungs from the inside the way silica dust would. But, I mean, you can, y'know, don a respirator if you want. It's definitely safer than pouring fresh litter powder for feline babies, and that stuff is designed to be safe for children to breathe."

Fara shrugged. "Let's get moving." She headed back through the lobby, her weapon pointed forward. The flashlight attachment bounced about the room with her cadence. She flitted the light from left to right, then straight ahead once more. "Man, this place is gorgeous. Look at the etchings along the cornice molding."

Peppy pointed his own light up, where the walls met the ceilings in a decorative crown molding strip. He was also quick to notice what appeared to be lighting fixtures mounted to the tops of the ornate pillars, then he noticed a chandelier at the center of the room, but it was designed to look like the Lylat system, if all the planets were lined up. He pointed his light back over to the walls where there was a series of effigies of Krazoan peoples performing various activities. "All right, Fara, what does that look like to you?"

Fara pivoted on the balls of her feet, turning around nice and slow. She pointed her light straight up, studied the fluted columns from top to bottom, then she aimed her light down at the floor tiles. She lifted her light to the images that were carved into the walls with a bit of space behind the carvings to make them look like sculptures hovering in front of the bulkheads. "It's their celestial story."

"Go on," said Peppy, fascinated by the way she worded her assumption.

"Well, to the north, up at the top, the etchings appear to show the natives of this world signing some sort of documentations. Then moving from east to west, as Lylat's Star would move across the sky on Sauria, it seems to be a timeline where each activity is more progressive than the last." She turned to the south and pointed her light up again. "Over there, they seem to be enjoying a period of renaissance, including art, math, sculpting, and finding beauty in things. Then, as the viewer's eyes move to the west, where the sunlight fades into the horizon…" she faced west, adding, "They enter a period of technology, science, information, cosmic exploration, mind-altering medication, followed by incredible scientific breakthroughs and advancements. Look at that … a little to the right of the center, they're learning how to … clone sentient life, maybe? Or perhaps genetic engineering? See? Right there, on that relief … it looks like they're coming out of pods, y'know? Then, as we get closer to the northwest corner … ah, jeeze, look at the emotional expressions on their faces, Peppy. It looks like they're kneeling in prayer or, uh, or maybe…"

"Mourning?" Peppy frowned. "Maybe the ELE on Sauria where a large portion of the population became extinct?"

Fara grimaced. "That would mean whoever decorated this place didn't finish it until their story was nearly complete. Their story in Lylat, since it's shown here with some sort of … I assume those planets illuminate the room because they light up like a fixture when I point my flashlight at them."

"I came to the same conclusion."

Fara started walking again. There was a set of doors up ahead, three in total. Fara found that each door opened with ease on well-greased hinges. She opened all three and peered down each hallway, then she turned back to Peppy with a shrug.

"Assess them based on the first thing you see, kiddo. What does each doorway say to you.?"

"The hallways are each made of different materials," Fara explained, while panning her light upward from left to right at forty-five degrees. "The one in the middle has marble stairs leading up to a hallway that's decorated very fancy. Even from down here, I can see ornamental sconces and iron wrought candelabrums that look more artistic than for their purpose of lighting the hall. I also see artwork of some sort painted on the ceiling…"

Peppy listened quietly.

Fara walked from the second door to the third one and shined her light inside. "The doorway on the right leads to a plain hallway with a drab concrete floor and walls, and it has simple light bracket fittings on the ceiling." Fara walked down to the first door, shined her light down the hall, and said, "The one on the left is nicer than the one on the far right, but not nearly as nice as the one in the middle. The walls have some nice color … cherry wood paneling, and there are small but decorative chandeliers hanging above the hallway. But, like I said, it's nowhere as nice as the middle hallway, which, if I'm being blunt, here … impresses even me. I mean, as soon as you pass through the doorway, you're met with those brilliant white marble stairs that come from one solid chunk of hand-hewn marble, and, without a doubt, shaped by frickin' artisans."

Peppy rubbed his chin.

"What're you thinking?"

"That the Krazoa had classes."

"Classes like for learning or classes like society classes?" She lifted her free paw with a groan. "Never mind. It's been a long day. Of course you meant blue collar, socialites, and aristocrats. It's easy to see which of these was made for the upper-class, which likely comprised of landed gentry, leadership, and top scientists."

"What're you thoughts, Fara?"

"To be honest, that's really disappointing."

"It is? You don't find it relatable?"

"Ugh. It's just … I was really hoping they were better than Cornerians and Titanian oil barons. Don't get me wrong, I love my father, and I love that he put me before his business, while managing to balance both. But I romanticized the possibility that the Krazoa found a better way for all peoples from all walks of life. One that Lylat's denizens have yet to dream up. But … now I see the rich have always looked down upon the pauper…" Her eyes flitted to the second doorway, but with her flashlight pointed at the ground, the hallway beyond was dark, save a faint ethereal glow of the white marble steps just beyond the glow of her light.

Peppy could tell she wasn't finished her thought by the way she trailed off. He remained quiet.

Fara sighed softly, staring into the darkness of the middle doorway. "It's disappointing, really, to see that the Krazoan aristocracy built a grand staircase with gilded railings in their hallway, so they can feel higher than the working-class peoples."

"Or, perhaps they felt enlightened, so they chose the path of the enlightened … up. Perhaps door number two was reserved for the brightest intellectual minds. Until we know for sure they built their society on blood, economy, and ego, it's okay to have high hopes for an extinct species."

"I won't hold my breath. They could have built stairs without the insanely beautiful stairs that rise above the plain simplicity of that room on the left."

"Fara, it's emotionally healthy to try and see the potential for good in others. But let's not jump to conclusion, because that's the path to judging others. For all we know, the average Krazoan used the stairs, and they could have had a religious sect that eschews the splendor of mediocrity in lieu of simplicity. I know it's unlikely based on what we've seen so far, but it's not impossible."

Fara replied with a soft smile. "Y'know what? You are a wholesome man, Peppy Hare."

"Well, it's just … I saw nothing on Sauria that suggested the Krazoa had classes, so perhaps the ancients outgrew it or maybe they never adopted it at all, but the anatomically modern Krazoa who built this city preferred socioeconomic classifications. My point is, let's not judge Krazoan society just yet, as there's no way to know what kind of people they were until anthropologists do more to study their kind."

Fara nodded in a humbled way. "Thanks for restoring some of my faith in them. So." She gestured the flashlight toward the staircase behind the second door. "Are you feeling enlightened today, Peppy?"

"No, but I guess my walking stick is. C'mon, kiddo. Let's see what the 'rich' Krazoa thought of themselves."

The couple took the middle door, headed up six steps, through the opulent hallway, and up the next twelve steps further up the hall. The split-staircase only went about a story-and-a-half up, then the hallway opened up into a grand reception area.

Peppy approached strange objects along the east wall. He picked up one thing, inspected it, set it back down, and approached a much larger boxy device with what appeared to be a keyboard. There was a bench seat beside it. Peppy tested the durability of the bench … its cushioned top crumbled to dust. However, the bench frame held.

He sat down upon the bench seat and put his paws upon the object … which made a musical sound like a piano, but much brighter and brilliant, as if a Cornerian grand piano had been EQ'd with a full sound that filled the room with each note he touched.

"Is that like a piano or something?"

"I think so. At least their version of a piano."

Fara gestured him to move from the seat, then she sat down and put her paws on the keys, which were diamond shaped and oval shaped. She felt her way through a few notes to see how it was laid out, then she played a slow waltz. Her foot tapped out three beats at a time, while the tip of her tail thumped against her left thigh on every first beat.

"Fara, that's really beautiful."

"Once I figured out where middle-C was, and how the notes are arranged, and that each grouping of keys was laid out in a pentatonic-like scale, it was easy to figure out how they went about music. It's all numbers at that point."

"Looks harder to play than a piano."

"Actually, this layout has a surprisingly intuitive design … I took piano lessons growing up, but if I had one of these, I would have been able to jump into music easier, I think." She met Peppy's gaze while managing a simple melody with her paws on the keys, and said, "The oval keys are minor. The diamond keys are major, and instead of one long row with eighty-eight keys, the keyboard is arranged in a circular grouping of keys by octave. If I went around each circle of keys quickly," she trailed off and ran her fingers over each circle of diamond and oval keys, "it makes a pentatonic scale run. And playing is not much different than typing on old school numeric keypads, where each keypad group is its own octave group."

Peppy shrugged "Don't know what that means. But it sounds really nice. It kind of looks like you're typing on an 'old school' physical computer keyboard, but one of the ugly ergonomic ones with the hump in the middle. Thank goodness those didn't take off."

"Must've been before my time. Heh. Anyway, this is a fascinating instrument … and it has a very beautiful tone, considering it hasn't been tuned in thousands of years."

Peppy grinned. "If it even needs to be tuned, heh."

Fara nodded in agreement, still playing chord groupings by spreading her paws out across two octave circles per paw. "Mm, I'm assuming it must not need it. A piano strikes a metal string. This sounds more like a simple mechanism striking a solid object designed to create each note when activated. I wonder if it plucks, strikes, or bluntly hammers the objects. I can't imagine they'd be strings like in a piano. Plates, maybe?"

"Did you want to open it up?"

"In a moment, maybe."

"You're starting to like that instrument, aren't you?"

Fara chuckled. "It's more fun to play than the piano, which is why I didn't stick with it once I started flying."

"What makes the layout better than the straight row of piano keys you're used to?"

Fara shrugged but she continued to play enchanting melodies. "For starters, these circle-sets of keys are adjacent to one another on the keyboard so that some of the circles overlap just enough that you could start a run on one circle, but jump over to another circle and create other scales … or work through melodies with notes outside of that circle's standard scale. I am trying to dumb down the music talk, but I might be over-complicating it instead."

"You sound like you've already mastered the instrument, Fara."

"It's intuitive, like I said … but I would love to hear what an actual master of this instrument could sound like when playing complicated pieces."

"Well, it's been here for two thousand years. I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. Why don't we come back after the job?"

She drew her paws back from the keys, and the music abruptly stopped. "You're right. I'm letting my curiosity get the better of me. I'm usually more professional than that."

"Never said you were unprofessional, kiddo. You're more relaxed because it seems our target is now off-world."

"Well, true. I guess you're right about that."

"Did you still want to open that thing up?"

"Later. Like you said, it's not going anywhere. I'll pay some expert to synthesize one for me in the near future, heh. Like you said, it's been here for a long time and it's not going anywhere. Sorry I got distracted, General."

Peppy chuckled with a shake of his head. "Fara, you're young and have no reason to rush. Me? I'm an old fart, hopped up on meds, and I want to finish working before I die of old age, heh."

"Oh, Peppy. Stop. You've probably got another decade left."

"Oh, hell, I sure hope not. I miss my wife. I miss my daughter."

Fara stood up from the bench, dusted off her rump, and approached the hare. She offered him a hug. "What about Fox's son?"

"He's twenty, now. He's a man. Well, okay, boys this day-and-age don't grow up until somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five, but … he's as far as I can take him into manhood." He relented to the hug and finally returned it.

The hug was relinquished and the two stepped apart.

"Sometimes, a man can grow up a little earlier. All it takes is finding the right woman to groom him."

Peppy grinned at her. "I can verify that claim … that's what it took for me to grow up, after all." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward a doorway at the front of the grand hall. "Let's keep moving."

"Let's," she replied with a firm nod. She picked up her sidearm from the piano-like body of the large instrument, pointed its light forward again, and took point. "There are quite a few instruments, here. Makes me wonder what the band sounded like. It's also fascinating to know the Krazoa liked music as much as the rest of Lylat."

"Sounds like those instruments endeared you to them."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I forgot all about being disappointed by the possibility that they might be classist." Fara crossed the hall, passed through the next archway into another hall, and took the lead until another room opened up before them.

Peppy pointed. "Well, would you look at that."

A floating Krazoa spirit hovered at the center of the room.

"It's disembodied," Fara whispered. "Why is it just the head?"

"Aren't most ghosts depicted that way? Just a white form with a head and eyes … where the body just … kind of … disappears the further it gets from the brain. Proof, to me at least, that the spirit … the soul … are both kept in the skull."

Fara cut a quick glance at Peppy. "I'd never thought of it that way. Sounds like you've had time to ponder things in life."

"It's called retirement, kiddo. And a few decades to think about why the Krazoa look the way they do. The real question is … why is this one loitering around, here."

Fara replied with a breathy chuckle, keeping her voice at a whisper. "Okay, uh, do we approach it?"

"Might as well. C'mon, kiddo. I'll take point."

The two neared the spirit with a slow and cautious approach.

The large floating face with tendrils floating behind it turned to face Fara and Peppy. It spoke in a hauntingly ethereal, calm, masculine voice. "There is no need for your weapons."

Fara, wanting to seem unthreatening, said, "My safety is on. It's a glorified flashlight right now."

"Ah. So, the young lady who wears technology to see well in low lighting … requires illumination? I am happy to provide it." And just like that, the elegant soft lighting of the empty hall grew in incandescence until there was no longer any need for a flashlight.

Fara switched off her flashlight attachment and holstered her sidearm. "I'm Fara Phoenix. My compatriot and I have been stranded on the lunar surface. In my backpack, I have a device that will take an energy source and convert it to simplified direct current."

Peppy remained silent.

"What is this … 'direct current' of which you speak?" asked the spirit.

She rolled with the question without even needing to think about the answer. "Corneria, where we're from, transmits power from a fusion-based electricity generation plant to cities using a technology called High Voltage Direct Current based through a voltage source converter. I noticed your civilization also used electricity to power your infrastructure."

"Our power grid utilized self-sustaining resources, converted into a form capable of storage and usage that powered our homes, our science labs, and our world as a whole."

"Like sunlight and geothermal? Hydroelectric and the like?"

"There are electrons in the air, all around us. They only need to be harnessed for power," said the spirit. "But, yes, for larger applications, the heat of sunlight and the heat of the planetary core was more than sufficient."

Fara rubbed her chin in thought the way she'd seen Peppy, earlier. "That's fascinating. Did your world use transistors and thyristors for circuitry? What about TRIACs vs. SCR technology? Sorry, I have an engineering degree, and I grew up tinkering with electronics and mechanics; I never thought I'd speak to your kind, because the Krazoa are supposed to be extinct, and I'm just … very curious. Your light bulbs still work after two thousand years, and so do your music instruments. I'm just … I'm blown away."

"I find your colloquialisms fascinating. Let's start with … blown away?"

"Yeah. Mind-blowing. It's a figure of speech meaning…" she turned to Peppy. "How do I explain it to him?"

The Krazoan spirit said, "May I interrupt to ask a favor?"

Fara turned back to the spirit. "Oh, uh … of course."

"I have been separated from my kind. There is a portal at the top of the temple of enlightenment on Saur-ree, our homeworld. It would reunite me with my people in a noncorporeal realm adjacent to the physical universe."

"Did you stay behind to send your people there, so you could operate the portal?"

"No, Fara Phoenix. I closed the portal so that my kind would be preserved. I sacrificed myself. My job was to search the remainder of Meredith, this moon, to ensure there were no others left behind. My daughter and I volunteered to perform this task together. However, the portal lost power after we transitioned ourselves to an incorporeal state, but before we could cross over. The two of us have been here, on Meredith, trapped ever since."

Fara glanced at Peppy.

Peppy took a step forward. "Did you say Meredith?"

"I did."

"That was the name of the moon over Cerinia, Krystal's homeworld. She and her husband, Fox McCloud, met on your homeworld, which its inhabitants now call Sauria, and they rounded up six of your kind and took them to what the Saurian natives now call 'The Krazoa Temple.' All six were required, along with the Force Stones, to bring Sauria back together, whole."

"Your colleagues saved six of my kind trapped on Saur-ree?"

"They did," said Peppy.

Fara turned to Peppy and quietly said, "I just realized … Sauria is home to dinosaurs, and it's called Sauria. Like … dinosauria. Do you think that was somehow intentional?"

Peppy shrugged at Fara's question, but kept his eyes locked with the spirit's disembodied head. "It's just you and your daughter left on this lunar surface?"

"Yes."

"My name is Peppy Hare. I was born and raised on the planet Corneria, fourth planet of the Lylat System. What did your people call this system?"

"Home," said the spirit in a gentle and earthly tone. "The home system. It is the center of the galaxy. This galaxy is but a tiny wing of the greater universe, but the home system is the center-most part of this interstellar neighborhood. I see your kind are now space-faring … have Cornerians explored beyond the Lylat system yet?"

Peppy replied, "We have, some. Not much, but yes."

"Ah. And have you crossed paths with some of our galactic neighbors?"

Peppy frowned. "We've met a race known as the Aparoids. We now know of a vagabond race called the Locust."

"And what became of those races?"

Peppy frowned. "The Aparoids were destroyed."

"By the Locust?"

Peppy shook his head. "Uh, by me, actually."

"A mammal of the Fourth Planet is in no way able to have destroyed the entire race by himself."

Peppy reached up and scratched a spot beneath his left ear-stalk. "Heh, well … I, uh … did. It was an act of self-defense."

"I wish to hear how you managed such a feat, Peppy Hare of Corneria."

Peppy ran his paw back, behind his ears, over the back of his skull, until his palm stopped on the nape of his neck. "The Aparoid race started a war with Lylat, which is what we call the Home System, now, and uh … my compatriots and I knew we couldn't protect all of Lylat from their attacks. So, we went to their home-world to fight on their turf. We didn't have any options left at the time. A member of my team, Slippy Toad, is a gifted science lover. He and his father helped in the creation of, well … they created a computer virus that gave an order to the Aparoid queen, who, as I understand it … was once a Krazoan … before she modified her body and mind … anyway, the computer virus caused her to send out a signal to all her creations, sending them into apoptosis … our word for self-destruction … and before she could reprogram herself to reverse the signal, I flew our dreadnought ship into the planet's heart, which was a last ditch effort to ensure the survival of my team. When I did that, my actions destroyed the planet's core. Therefore, I'm guilty of genocide."

The spirit stared at him in silence for a moment. Finally, it replied, "I see. She drove you to that action?"

"Yes. I had no other options. I figured if I'm going to die, I was going to take them down with me; I would rather join my wife in death than be transformed into something that vile and hateful. I only survived because I initiated a bridge-separation command, effectively turning the command center of the ship into an escape pod. The exploding planet should have crushed my pod, but … the debris just threw me around a bit. I was lucky. Or maybe it was fate, if you believe in that concept."

"Peppy Hare of Corneria, fourth planet from the central star, will you become my physical host and return me to my kind?"

"Do … I have to perform some sort of … rite of passage … like … a test of worthiness?"

"Yes, I must deem your heart, your mind, and your soul pure enough to take on my spirit lest I potentially become corrupted."

Fara licked her lips. "What of your daughter?"

The spirit pivoted a bit, facing Fara again. "Would you be willing? We have only one another, and I would prefer to stay if she cannot go home as well."

Fara's ears lowered. She cleared her throat and, in a soft tone, said, "I … yes. I … guess I'm willing. So, like, you would possess our bodies?"

"Inhabit, not possess. We have no control … we are only a passenger, and once we enter your body, we cannot leave of our own accord. We are prisoners until you release us. It requires great trust on our part."

Fara relaxed her posture. "I … I'd be willing to make sure your daughter gets home. Peppy, here, is offering to take you, so … the least I can do is bring your daughter."

"You both have my eternal gratitude, but I have no way to repay you, except to offer the knowledge of my kind to you. But, first, you must demonstrate worthiness."

Fara nodded. "I understand."

"I'm ready," added Peppy.

"My test will be different than the one my daughter issues. Mine is worthiness of endurance and physical testament of character. It will challenge your ability to defend and protect with nothing but your senses and fisticuffs."

Peppy slumped a bit. "I'm an old man. I'm not fit to fight with my fists."

Fara lifted her chin just a bit. "But I am. I guess I'll be your host."

"Very well," said the spirit. "Be my hand-to-hand champion, Fara Phoenix, daughter of Titania."

"Wait, how did you know that about me?"

"You hear me speak, do you not? I am not physical – I have no vocal cords; I cannot make physical sounds, yet you hear my words in your mind."

"Oh. You're telepathic," Fara said. "I follow you, now. You talk to us telepathically, and that means you can learn stuff about us telepathically, as well."

"Correct."

"Anything else you can do that we can't?"

"Teleport. Although some neighboring mammals in adjacent star systems should be able to do such things. The sentient mammals of this system, and the sentient mammals of the neighboring systems are partially created with Krazoan DNA, which is how I'm able to inhabit you as my host. We are fundamentally compatible."

"You said there's another race capable of teleporting?"

"Yes. Another race we have helped to create … they live on a world I believe to be called Kew … they were created with the ability to teleport. Another race was created with telepathic mastery…"

"Krystal," Peppy concluded aloud. "Okay, so the mammals of this star system … what special features have you endowed upon us?"

"You were the control group. You were given a robust immune system, brilliant minds, and exceptional animal instincts, but no telepathy and no teleportation."

Peppy frowned. "Well … that sucks."

Fara flashed a quick grin at Peppy.

The spirit said, "Animal instincts are something the other races lack. Hearing, smell, eyesight, increased speed and power…"

Fara cut her gaze back to the Krazoa spirit and said, "Yes, and the famous Cornerian predilection to hide from danger in caves beneath the cities. Fight, flight, and hiding. Excellent instincts, indeed." She shook her head with a chuckle. "But I worked hard to temper the propensities for running and hiding out of my personality from a young age. So, who am I fighting? Bring it on."

"As you wish. Prepare yourself, little one."

Fara cracked her knuckles. "Little one, huh? What I bring to the table in stature, I make up for in other ways." She cracked her knuckles.

Green upstanding lizards appeared from thin air. They wore archaic armor, including shoulder pads with spikes, leathery chest plates made from animal hides, and they wielded wooden shields with bronze highlights and spiked maces. The lizards towered over Fara, roughly six-and-a-half feet tall, each. Two of the six lizards were closer to seven feet in height.

Fara's eyes darted about the group of six men. "Whoa. Never seen Venom Imperials look like this before. They look like coked-out cavemen by comparison to what I'm used to."

Peppy exclaimed, "They're distant relatives; they're called the Sharpclaw Tribe! They live and breathe hand-to-hand combat, Fara!"

"All right, back up, General. I don't want you to get blood on your jacket." Fara stole a quick glance at the floating spirit. "Do you want them incapacitated, fully unconscious, or…?"

"These are based on Saur-ree reptilian servant guards, but they are holographic projections. Dispatch them as you see fit, little one, but know that you are not taking lives."

All six fanned out, moving around Fara.

Fara looked around the room, expecting to see holo-emitters, but could not locate any. "All right, well…"

The first lizard to approach her threw a firm jab across her muzzle. It hit like a real person.

She reached up and cupped the side of her face. "He hits like an oversized bar bouncer named 'Tiny.' Jeeze Laweeze."

"You okay?" asked Peppy.

"Yeah. Peachy."

This time, the lizard cocked his fist back and struck the fennec hard, with an overstep of follow-through. His scaley knuckles slammed into her maw.

Fara's muzzle was filled with the salty metallic taste of her blood. The jarring strike against her head caused her blood pressure to spike. The sensation of feeling dazed lasted only a split second, and then came the adrenaline and cortisol. It flooded her body, and her training took over. She tensed up with the hormone surge, yet she felt the serene calm of confidence wash over her form like a familiar old friend.

Everything felt measured and drawn out, like one of those action movies where time slows down in an unrealistic way. She studied everything about the man throwing the punch in a split second. It felt like her brain was playing catch up, but, in reality, it was calculating everything, processing everything quickly, so that the world around her felt like it was out of sync with her.

The lizard followed through with his haymaker punch. His body continued to move past her.

She brought her paws up and gained purchase on his bicep and neck. Simultaneous to taking hold of him, she buried her knee into his gut.

As he doubled over, she used the paw on his neck to guide him into a forward flip, until he was on his back. She stood back up, fast, and stomped her foot down, with a powerful kick across the lizard's face.

He started to sit up, but she brought her fist, like a hammer, into the bridge of his nose, putting him right back down.

Her ears perked at the sound of an advancing opponent. She started to turn her head just enough she could see with her peripheral vision that the second attacker had a weapon.

Fara reached for the approaching lizard's club, snatched it, pivoted, and forced her shoulder into his torso. She continued a follow-through of the spin, then doubled over like she did with the first, flipping the second lizard onto his back, across the first. But when she finished the shoulder-flip, she held number two's spiked mace.

She put a paw on the top of the mace, keeping her other paw on the handle, and buried the butt of the handle into lizard number three's gut … except, due to her lack of height, the handle stuck number three in his crotch.

Number three doubled over in pain. His face met her knee in an upswing, breaking three's jaw. He staggered backwards but kept his footing due to his wide stance.

Fara pivoted to build up momentum, then she stuck him with a homerun swing. The spikes from the club became imbedded in number three's skull, lobotomizing him instantly.

She lifted her foot and put it on his shoulder as he began to sag to his knees. With a hard push, she dislodged the mace, and used the inertia of it popping free to bury the spikes in number four's chest upon his approach from behind her. The spikes pierced his ribs and lungs, causing his cry of pain to become a sudden wheezing gasp.

Fara kicked away number three, pivoted expertly on the ball of her foot-paw, put her opposite foot on four's stomach, and pushed away from him. The spikes slipped free of four's chest more easily than it did from three's head, earlier. The weapon was slick with gore, making it easy to manipulate but difficult to hold.

The first lizard shoved the second lizard off to the side and sat up. He groped in Fara's direction, trying to gain purchase on her tail.

Fara spun about and buried the spiked mace into the head of number one, caving in his skull, killing him instantly. She brought a foot down onto the throat of number two, crushing his throat. Lizard two gurgled and choked on blood.

With Fara's powerful ears, she could hear the death rattles in his chest, and she knew the second lizard was drowning in his own blood and, possibly, a collapsed lung.

Three tried to get back up. He rose to one knee and two hands, staggering from the severity of his head injury. Blood gushed down the side of his face in rivulets. He had a blank expression on his face, void of emotion, except only rage and pain.

Fara dropped the mace, grasped either side of three's head, and pulled it downward while bringing her knee up. Her knee met his jaw, which was already broken.

Three couldn't find a breath to shout in pain. He flopped onto his back, rolling to the left and right while holding his hands over his double-shattered jawline. He had holes in his skull from the spikes, but apparently still felt pain.

Fara performed a roundhouse, striking number five in his throat upon approach. He staggered back, stunned. The incredibly tall reptile reached for his Adam's apple, trying to suck in a breath of air.

The fennec put her foot on his gear belt, launched herself up, grasped the nape of his neck in the crook of her elbow, and used her body weight to swing him down, so that his face hit the spiked mace on the ground. With her added body weight, she managed to force his face onto the spikes of the club so hard that they pierced his skull, much deeper than she'd achieved with number three, earlier. Five was dead in an instant.

She looked over her shoulder and saw the equally tall number six, standing several feet away. The reptile beat his left fist against his chest, snorted like some sort of bull, and then he dashed toward her with his own spiked mace held aloft.

She reached for her blaster, withdrew it from her hip holster in unison to thumping the lethality selector switch, and opened fire.

A perfect headshot.

The fatal blast eviscerated his head, completely removing it from his shoulders. The heat of the blaster shot cauterized his neck, so that the headless body flailed past her and dropped to the ground with the others.

Silence.

Fara panted softly. She reached up, flipped her hair out of her face and huffed with indignation. "Anyone else?! No?" She took a deep breath, held it for four seconds, then exhaled slow and calm, then repeated the breathing technique one more time, causing her heart rate to slow. "Okay, good."

And, just like that, the six men flashed and disappeared. The seemingly realistic gore faded away. The floor was spotless, except for Fara's own blood.

She turned her head away and spit a mouthful of blood onto the floor where the inside of her cheek had been cut against her teeth from the initial two punches of the first attacker.

"Sorry," she said in a sarcastic tone. "Holograms apparently hit pretty hard." She looked down where there should have been blood on her outfit, but it was gone, and the cloth was dry and unstained.

Peppy shook his head. "Seeing you in action was damned impressive. Why not just snap their necks quick and clean?"

Fara scoffed in reply. She shook her head, mirroring the hare, and said, "The average Cornerian canine soldier with a strong neck takes over a twelve hundred foot-pounds of torque to perform that maneuver. Reptiles in similar shape take about sixteen hundred, because their range of motion is further than a mammal. Those … Sharpclaw guys? It would have taken even more. And they had studded shoulder pads, making it harder to get my arm around their neckline. So…"

Peppy chuckled. "I was kidding. I know cinema attacks aren't realistic. I just meant … you took them out like a trained assassin, I'm just surprised you didn't snap any necks."

Fara frowned. "I … was on defense the entire time. And let's keep this between us … I never wanted anyone to see that side of me."

"Your secret is safe," Peppy replied. He turned to the Krazoa spirit and said, "Did she pass your test?"

"A most impressive display," said the spirit in a calm, robust baritone voice. "And such skilled hand-eye-coordination at the end, a truly difficult shot to make while flooded with adrenaline, and no time to aim your weapon." The spirit faced Fara, adding, "You have earned my respect, Fara Phoenix of Titania. And I trust you to provide safe passage for myself and my daughter."

Fara feigned a slight smile and a nod of acknowledgement. "How did you make your Sharpclaw tribe soldiers so … realistic?"

"Holo-spheres. They give a hologram physical form. Each ball takes the place of a head or limb, with a holographic emitter in each; they hover and maneuver where the limb should be, while projecting 'solid light,' a waveform of the light spectrum with physical attributes. The rest of the body is created to be solid so long as the holo-spheres are not separated too far apart from one another. You're not the first to fight an army of holographic Sharpclaw soldiers."

Fara furrowed her brows. "Who was the first?"

"While you performed your demonstration, I linked up to our remaining planetary network and accessed the archives, located beneath our destination on Sauria. I learned of the two beings that saved many of my brethren on the planet of Saur-ree. They returned several solar revolutions later, and found two more Krazoa spirits and saved them in exchange for their assistance with healing…"

Peppy said, "Krystal and Fox McCloud."

"Yes," the spirit replied. "Fox McCloud and his betrothed from the doomed world known as Cerinia. What my kind learned from them was added to the archive before those Krazoans were placed into the pocket realm."

Fara furrowed her brows. "What does this have to do with … wait, so it was Fox that also fought these … uh … Sharpclaw holograms?"

"Yes, Fara Phoenix. Your 'intended' fought his way across the expanse of Saur-ree, standing against a living Sharpclaw leader of incredible physical stature and prowess."

Peppy chimed back in. "General Scales."

"Indeed. General Scales' army was comprised of holographic soldiers, using the Krazoan technology, which was uncovered for Scales by an injured off-worlder."

"Doctor Andross of house Bowman, head of the Oikonny tribe. Wait…" Peppy gaped at the spirit. "So, you're telling me that all the Sharpclaw soldiers that Fox fought … they were all holograms?"

"Did you not witness how they disappeared after each one was defeated?" asked the spirit. "Every soldier vanished after being dispatched. Except, of course, for Scales, himself."

"Why did Scales need a holo-army?"

"He was the General of a defeated army; the Sharpclaw Tribe was defeated in combat by the Earthwalker Tribe. Due to Scales' initial defeat, the General had only a handful of loyalists after that battle. Those who lived to serve Scales remained under his employ. The living Sharpclaw who did not die in battle were smarter than the hologram army. They were part of the team that attacked the Cloudrunner fortress, and they kept Fox McCloud imprisoned at one point, but all of those who were felled by Fox McCloud in combat were holograms. Yes, all of them."

Peppy brought a paw to his forehead. "Oh geeze. Does Fox know?"

"Are you suggesting he did not know the enemy he fought?"

Peppy grunted. "He probably figured it out, but he wasn't the kind of man to brag about something, and we never discussed it afterward. I just thought they were teleported away using technology – Scales got his hands on technology he didn't deserve, after all. And, we later found out that he had a Krazoa spirit locked in him."

"Yes. Andross Bowman of Oikonny freed that spirit when striking down Scales with an energy weapon, and took the spirits for himself."

Peppy nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. Then Fox freed'em from Andross when he kicked Andross' ass."

"Correct, Fox McCloud freed them upon defeating his nemesis."

Peppy shifted his weight on his walking stick and said, "All right, you mentioned your daughter's spirit was nearby, right? When is my test?"

"Whenever you are prepared for it," said the cobalt colored spirit. "I will summon my daughter." He rippled a bit, creating what appeared to be waves through his translucent blue form.

A spirit with slightly shorter tendrils, a lighter shade of cerulean blue, came through cracks in the walls, until she entered the room fully. She stopped in front of Peppy, looking between him and Fara.

The first spirit rippled again, briefly, and his daughter responded in kind.

Peppy turned to Fara. "I think they're speaking telepathically."

"I wish I could hear what they were saying."

The first spirit said, "I can speak so that all may hear if that would make you more comfortable. I told her that Fara Phoenix of Titania has passed my test. I told my child that Fara Phoenix will provide me a physical host to our truth and wisdom temple. I then asked her what she will require of this man, Peppy Hare, to pass the trials."

Peppy shifted his weight, so that his walking stick helped to alleviate the dull ache starting in his right hip. "I seem to recall Krystal mentioning the Krazoa going easy on her … all she had to do was observe the spirit hiding in floating baskets. On a side-related-note, do you guys possess the ability of telekinesis or was it technology that made those baskets float around her?"

The slightly lighter-blue female Krazoan head approached Peppy as if sizing him up. "I require a test of heart and courage." A pause, then she said, "I am accessing the archive to answer your question … mm, Krystal of Cerinia is a telepath, so the spirit already deemed her worthiness based on the fact it had full access to her mind. However, the spirit was unsure if he could possess her at first, so a simple 'test of observation' was required to study her neurological pathing in use."

Peppy rubbed his chin. "So, her test was a simple matter of procedure."

"In a sense," said the female spirit. "By observing her mind in use for a simple task, it was determined she was a compatible host to carry said-spirit to the portal access point. Little did my Krazoa brethren know, at that time, that the portal access point was rigged to reroute the spirits to an energy chamber, which Dr. Andross utilized to rejuvenate his broken and failing body. When Andross achieved full power, he used his machine to force my brethren into his own body, as he needed precisely six to fully restore himself. After the defeat of Andross, the vile man fled to Meredith – our name for this lunar body upon which you stand. Fox McCloud landed his fighter upon his interstellar vessel. Krystal of Cerinia remained on the planet long enough to take the spirits to the proper portal access point. They were sent to their loved ones. She did not know there were more than six of our kind. She then left the planet to pursue Fox McCloud with her Cerinian shuttle."

Peppy gestured to Fara with a paw but kept his eyes on the two Krazoan spirits. "Krystal and Fox are both vulpine species. Fara is also a vulpine woman. So, I assume that Fara is just as compatible as Fox and Krystal. But am I?"

"All sentient species of this system, and the sentient species' of Cerinia and distant Kew … were all genetically engineered by the Krazoa. Your ancient ancestors were simple animals living in the fields and meadows of Saur-ree, our homeworld. That is … until our ancient ancestors gave your ancestors the ability to stand upright and think. You were created with Krazoan quadruple-helix DNA, but our kind was unsure if your double-helix DNA could support the transference of our spirit consciousness. We now know, because of Fox McCloud and Krystal of Cerinia, that it is, in fact, possible to exist within your minds and bodies."

Fara cleared her throat. "I passed my test. I'm prepared."

Peppy turned to Fara. "In a rush, kiddo?"

"If we are both possessed at the same time, and our trust was misplaced, no one would ever know. So, I'll go first. And if they take control of me in a way that my trust was misplaced, you go and get help."

Peppy rubbed his chin in thought. "Fox and Krystal were never 'used' in a manner you're suggesting…"

Fara shrugged. "They were just a vehicle to leave Sauria. No reason to take control of their bodies." She cut her gaze back to the male spirit and said, "No offense. I plan for every contingency."

"As you wish." The spirit turned about, one hundred eight degrees, and settled back into her body, tendrils first, until it fully merged with the fennec.

Fara's eyes took on a very soft purple glow. Her shoulders relaxed a bit, and she drew in a calm, slow breath, followed by exhaling in a slow, smooth manner. "Whoa…"

Peppy eyed her. "How is it?"

"They really are telepathic," said the fennec. "They share their thoughts with one another, and they built 'the archive' to house their collective thoughts so that when they are gone, they will not be forgotten. It's like … a place to upload memories the way our kind uploads pictures into the cloud network. Cornerians simply haven't found 'the archive' just yet."

"Oh. I'll be…"

Fara looked down at her paws then reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. "Peppy, they shared their life memories with the archive upon their deathbeds, and younger Krazoa telepathically accessed the archives to understand their descendants. This man really is her father, and he also experienced memories of his own birth from the viewpoint of his mother. He knows what it is like to father and mother children. Every Krazoan understands the complexity, beauty, and rewarding joys of parenting a child."

Peppy smiled softly. "Well, that's … actually … super wholesome."

"I'd never really considered kids before now," she said in a reverent tone. "I volunteered for black ops to prove I was more than some … rich girl. But now, I see my actions in a new light … having the capacity to take a stand against tyranny is more than just a sacrifice for the safety of the innocent … it's because tyranny is a threat to procreation, and propagating the species is, in essence, the survival of existence."

Peppy tilted his head with his brows arched. "Even if there were no sentient people in this universe, the galaxies would still exist, though…"

Fara spoke in a calm and relaxed manner, not indicative of her slightly-hyper fennec mannerism. Instead, her cadence of speech suggested she was at peace from her newfound inner serenity. "Yes, that's absolutely correct, but without true sentience to ponder the worth of existence, the grand creation of the universe would have no meaning assigned to it. Children are the key to survival, and they are a realization of all our hopes, dreams, and a potential for our collective best and evolution toward greatness. Even if a child achieves nothing but procreation, it is possible his or her grandchildren or great grandchildren could save millions or invent a way to make the universe a better place. I'd never thought about things like that before. It's … really amazing." Her eyes teared up. "It's really a beautiful way to look at the universe. There's so much I want to do with my life, now, because even if I don't add up to the sum of existence, mathematically speaking, one of my descendants will, and I want to be part of that equation."

"What about those who have had to bury their children, or don't have any?" Peppy asked.

"The species still continues," said Fara. "And every child is like a fractal. They have touched lives, even if they were stillborn. And that means they are part of the greater equation, at least the way the Krazoa look at it."

"And if you are the last of your kind?" asked Peppy, his thoughts turning to Krystal.

"The Krazoa have experienced that. But even in the death of their kind, they knew they would live on in both spirit and the DNA of the creations that now populate Lylat and Kew, and in the survivors of Cerinia. They also have a fascinating outlook on Andross … they see him as a necessary evil. Even he had a place in existence. They … don't believe he is solely responsible for the destruction of Cerinia. Thee, uh, jury is still out on whether he could have or would have caused it. Or if he simply was a part of an equation or a greater machine already in motion."

"It almost sounds like you forgive him, Fara."

"I … think I do, now. He's still a dangerous man, but apparently his actions were because he truly believed he had no choice but to act. He believed it was in the best interest for the preservation of Lylat. Whether or not he was correct isn't the matter … his intent was to save Lylat in his own way, and that's a redeeming quality, no matter how poorly his 'plan' was executed. Whatever caused him to arrive at the conclusion that it had to be done with force, that is more to blame than him."

Peppy approached Fara and hugged her gently. "I'll tell you what … if you can find forgiveness, then … so can I, kiddo."

The female spirit approached Peppy again. "You have passed your test by demonstrating both heart and courage."

Peppy blinked. "Wait, that was my test?"

"I gave you no test parameters. You simply demonstrated both kindness and courage. Forgiveness of that magnitude requires a deep-rooted sense of honor that sentient persons do not always possess."

"That … was easier than I thought."

"And you thought it should be a basket illusion observation test, hmm?"

Peppy chuckled softly. He opened his arms, holding his walking stick aloft in one hand, and his light in the other. "Okay, ma'am. I'm not getting any younger, heh."

The female Krazoa offered something Peppy had never seen before … the corners of her normally-emotionless face tilted up at the corners, proof that their kind did in fact have facial expressions to show mood … something Peppy had pondered on sleepless nights in the past.

She turned about and settled into Peppy's body, tendrils first.

His eyes took on a similar purple glow to Fara's own. The pain in his joints disappeared. He stood upright, telescopically closed the walking cane, put it into the pocket of his duster coat, and stretched until he felt a pop in his lower back. Peppy exhaled with a sigh of relief. "Wow. And here I thought the combination of pheromones and drugs felt great. Hosting the Krazoa is on an entirely different level."

Fara chuckled, still studying her padded palms. "Feels pretty amazing, huh?"

"Had I known I'd feel twenty again, I'd have done this years ago. I'd have gone around just looking for every last Krazoa spirit on Sauria; I'd have kept each one for a month at a time or something."

Fara turned to him and offered a wry grin. She licked the inside of her cheek where she was bleeding earlier, but the wound had sealed itself since being possessed. "I understand how vitamin K works to clot a wound and create a scab. I understand the body is capable of a lot of miraculous things. Some things more fantastic than others…"

"But?" Peppy turned to face the fennec.

"But I've never experienced instantaneous healing on any level. And all the stuff I was worried about? Like feeling trapped in my body while the spirit is in the driver's seat? Nope. I'm not looking at you like my daughter; I'm not trapped in a metaphorical trunk while they pilot the 'vixen hot rod.' I don't even hear their thoughts. At least not consciously. It's more like … having memories I didn't have before and knowing they're not mine."

Peppy grinned at the way she called herself a 'hot rod.' He gestured to the doorway at the far end of the large empty chamber. "Same, I just have … more knowledge of things than I did before. Like the power source we were looking for? It's a solar powered backup generator. The batteries are full, but the cells are partially collapsed, which is why it's holding a megawatt of power, but not the original capacity amount of a hundred times that amount. Still, it will be more than enough."

Fara nodded. "Yeah, you're right. More knowledge than before. That's a good way to describe it. I know what it's like to parent a child, but only because I remember those things. But I also have knowledge, not just memories." Fara paused, briefly, then she added, "And I'm ready to finish this job and get it over with."

The next hallway led to a room with a dark teleporting pad built into a large granite relief at the center of the room.

Peppy said, "Do you have anything on that shuttle you'll need?"

"Right now? No. What are you suggesting?" She frowned, adding, "They might be telepathic, but it seems the possession doesn't make me telepathic, unfortunately."

Peppy gestured to the teleportation pad set into the stone. "Don't focus on trying to read my thoughts or feelings, kiddo. Focus on the knowledge of what this device does."

"You think we should … use this big ole block of rock to teleport us to Sauria?"

Peppy nodded firmly with a bright smile. "Heck yes, I do. It would save us a lot of time. If we're lucky we might even head off our badguy at the pass, so to speak. Then, when you're ready, and when you have sufficient spare energy to fill the tank in that backpack, you come back here, to this teleporter pad, and you snag your ship."

Fara thought about his plan for a moment, then she nodded firmly. "Okay. I like it. But I'd like to add something."

"Sure thing, kiddo."

"Heh. Okay, so … we go to Sauria, I take you into the nearest tourist settlement, get you on a Phoenix starliner back to Katina, and home to Fox's son. He's, what, twenty now?"

"Yeah. Old enough to have a team, but just … not ready yet. He has so much potential, but he would benefit from another year or two of extra one-on-one mentoring."

"All right. You know him best. I mean, Fox defeated Andross at eighteen. And this boy is supposed to be telepathic, so … I've got to ask … ready for what? What could be worse than Andross?"

"Fara, his mother believes that the boy is destined to fight the Locust race one day and save Lylat from destruction. He's ready to survive whatever Lylat throws at him, but I want him really ready to handle whenever the bugs come to town."

Fara frowned. "You know, I really didn't believe that sort of thing until now. Apparently the Krazoa documented a handful of clairvoyants in their time, so now I'm ready to believe the boy has some sort of destiny. Also, the Krazoa really took the Locusts seriously."

"Yeah … I've trained him out of obligation and out of my respect for Fox and Krystal. But … now I went from 'trying to believe' in Krystal's claim … to actually understanding what's to come, and it's terrifying, to be sure, yet I feel this … strange comfort in the notion that Star and his son are destined to defeat those bugs…"

Fara replied with a firm nod. "I don't know if it's me that believes in the boy's prophecy or if it's the Krazoa spirit, but … right now, I really believe in the whole sorted thing."

"Meaning?"

Fara reached up and rubbed at her face with her palms. "I believe McCloud should be as prepared as possible. And with all the knowledge of how children can be … part of me feels as though it would be smart for Fox's son to hold off on getting into the mercenary business or … whatever he decided to do … at least until he's as mature as possible. Another two or three years should be a good idea. I mean, I was initially comparing him to his father, but … Fox? Fox is different. He was an early bloomer because his mother passed when he was very young … it forced him to grow up early. But Falco and Slippy weren't ready. Yet, with your help, they rose to the occasion, but … the fact remains … those boys were thrown into something they conquered partially out of luck. Sheer luck. And an overabundance of testosterone and confidence, but if Fox hosted Krazoa spirits, let alone multiple spirits, he would have traded his ego for humility at age twenty-six"

Peppy chuckled with a slow shake of his head. "Krazoan-calm, yet still fennec-hyper."

"Oh hush, you." She grinned.

Peppy grinned back, then he said, "It sounds like your spirit knows a lot about historical stuff, and mine knew some technical stuff. Heh. Actually, Slippy would be so proud of me right now."

"Why's that?"

Peppy walked to the wall, where there was a seam in the granite panels. He opened it with ease on a set of large hinges, built inside the wall. He pulled on it, then, once it was halfway open, he gave it a hard push, until the granite block opened all the way out of the wall. He reached inside and gave a tug on a large mildew-drenched cable, pulled on it until it gave, and guided the plug into a hole in the wall. He pushed the block back into its place in the wall.

The hinges squeaked.

The block thumped back into its place. The wall looked flush once more.

"Because I just rerouted power to this teleportation pad without his help."

Fara grinned. "I wonder if you'll retain these memories after we give the Krazoa to … hmm, I seem to think we will. I guess that's the spirits subtle way of answering me. Apparently, their kind saw Fox as some sort of warrior champion, so they didn't allow him to have this sort of access to the knowledge of their kind. They didn't want it used for war. But they're sharing with us, so I assume they see the both of us in a different light." Fara turned to the large granite relief in the middle of the room and waited with an enthusiastic grin. "I've never teleported with ancient tech before. I remember what it's like, but I look forward to experiencing it for myself. This should be a hoot."

Peppy approached the block at the center of the room with the large relief. He watched as the etching turned into a liquid pool of light. "There's our ride to Thorntail Hollow, where my spirit believes our badguy has landed. It's kinda interesting to experience the hunch of another first-hand like this."

Fara nodded in agreement. "Yes, the archive has recorded that man's arrival half-a-day ago. This suggests there are still Krazoa spirits on Sauria, recording occurrences to the archive for us to access. Okay. Let's get him."

"C'mon, kiddo." Peppy reached for her paw, took it firmly, and stepped into the liquid light circle.

They were immediately surrounded by the cosmos. They witnessed galaxies near and far, and it was beautiful.

Peppy saw overlapping images of his paw before him. He looked down at his other paw, still holding onto Fara's, and he noticed a trail of her bodies stretching out behind her.

And as quick as it began, they arrived at their destination. They were immediately cradled by an enormous pair of grey hands.

"Oi!" cried a masculine voice in an unfamiliar brogue. "Where'd you cheeky lot come from, then, eh?! Oh! Look at you two! Krazoa spirits, then, yeah? You lot come back soon, and visit me, but first … I'm going to forward ya both to the majestic Krazoa palace! Off ye go, then! Quick as ye like!"

And then came the cosmos again.

The second trip was significantly shorter than the first. They arrived on the roof of a beautiful old building, high at the top of a mountain. It was drizzling slightly, and there was an enormous hole at the top center of the building.

Wind whistled through the area, toying with Peppy's fur, and his equilibrium returned, along with the sensation of standing on solid ground once more.

Fara stood up and rubbed her face. "Did you see that giant stone guy? I've read about them; there are two on opposite sides of the planet or something. One's name is Rocky, the other's name is Rubble. One is in Thorntail Hollow, the other is clear across the planet, I think."

"Fox just called him 'The Warp Stone.'"

"Can you believe the Krazoa made changes to the molecular structure of granite to make it malleable enough not to crack when it moves?"

"Let's just keep moving. I have a feeling we'll be back to see him again soon enough."

Fara approached an empty pedestal base, where a statue once sat.

Silence followed.

She ran her fingertips over the base, then closed them into a fist, causing the palm padding of her fingerless gloves to creak slightly.

"You act like you remember this place."

Fara shook her head. "I … think my passenger does. Weird, right? Or rather … they're connected to the network archive the other spirits accessed. I don't know. It's … there was a statue here. It didn't belong."

"Oh … that. It's a pretty long story."

"Can you condense it for me?"

Peppy shrugged. "Okay, so … Andross created a statue of a fake 'Krazoa god.' It was some sort of stasis chamber for his broken body. He was on his deathbed. He set a trap for Fox after separating the planet, but Krystal arrived first. Andross used Krystal to draw out one of the Krazoa spirits, then he trapped her in a machine designed to slowly drain her life force. His intended plan was to kill Fox in it and rejuvenate himself long enough to get around and capture the rest of the spirits himself, but Krystal arrived first, followed by Fox second, so Andross pivoted and reacted. He instead kept Krystal trapped in the machine, spoke to Fox using a hologram of the 'Krazoa god' statue, and convinced Fox that the Krazoa spirits were needed to save Krystal's life. So … every Krazoa spirit that was brought to this palace, with the intention of saving Krystal's life, was used to hold a piece of Krystal's life force. Not sure how. Then the spirits were channeled through the machine and sent into Andross' rejuvenation chamber. It took six to revitalize Andross. Krystal was released from stasis and dropped into this hole in the roof, right here." He gestured to the opening near his feet.

Fara turned, walked over to the hole, and peered into it. "That would be a fatal drop for anyone."

"Yeah. It was meant to be. And … yet … Fox was right there to catch her when it happened. And … Krystal later determined that Andross' intentions were 'nothing personal, only business.' She seems to have a theory that Andross was trying to distract Fox to get away, and that his intentions were much more than he ever let on. Who knows? She was right about one thing, though … Andross did invent ways to instantly repair the acidic seas of Venom by using Krazoan tech. And then he buried it on Titania. No one else even knew it existed, but Krystal found it. It's how the Anglars were defeated. Anyhow…"

"So, she arrived on this planet before Fox, but wound up captured … and Fox saved her?"

Peppy nodded. "Yes. When Krystal arrived on Sauria, the dinosaurs were under the impression that the Krazoa spirits inhabited the temple, and that four out of six were scattered across Sauria. Of the remaining two, one took refuge in General Scales, either gifted to him by Andross, or because the spirit chose Scales in an attempt to avoid Andross. The other spirit stayed, which was found by Krystal. But it was a little more complicated than that."

"Can the spirits inhabit any dinosaur?"

"I've never witnessed it, except for Scales." Peppy shrugged. "I think so, but not for as long of a time period as they can inhabit the Sharpclaw and Lylat mammals, because their sentience was created from Krazoan DNA a long, long time ago."

Fara nodded. She gestured Peppy to follow her over to the glowing portal on the other side of the roof. She placed her paws gently on Peppy's shoulders and leaned up to kiss his nose. "Thank you for your help. I want you to touch the portal, release your spirit, and I will arrange for you to have transport back to Katina. I'm going to stay a bit longer. Also, my spirit wants to stay with me just a little longer to help find the man who killed the research team on Miracle … Meredith, whatever the moon was called."

"You're staying? Alone?"

"I won't be alone. I'll have the spirit with me. You've been an amazing help, Peppy, but … it's time to go home."

Peppy feigned a tired smile. "You're right. It is time to go home. Thanks for the last hurrah, Fara. I enjoyed going out with a bang."

"I didn't believe you before," she told him with a thoughtful frown. "But … I think my spirit believes you. If this really is … you know … then tell my daddy I miss him, and I'll see him when it's time. And tell him the stasis worked … I'm back. I'm better. I'm going to live my life the way he wanted: for me to focus on my personal happiness, and to be my best self. But I'm also going to live my life the way I need to, at least for a little while longer … I know he wanted me to stay away from danger, but that's the only way I know how to be my best self. But the minute I'm ready to take up the challenge of balancing work and family, I'll do whatever it takes to keep myself safe and alive for my babies, all right? You tell him I miss him, and I can't wait to see him, but I'm in no rush to see my folks again."

They hugged one another.

Peppy kissed the side of her face. "I'll condense it, but I'm sure he already knows and he's watching over you, kiddo."

Fara's frown faded away, followed by a somewhat melancholy smile. "Thanks, Peppy."

"If I'm feeling better in the near future, let's have coffee or something. I'll take decaf but … you know what I mean. No need for another several years, I'm not trying to live to become a centenarian or anything."

"I am. I'm going to live to be a hundred 'n ten. That way I don't have to act middle aged until I'm at least fifty-five."

Peppy chuckled. "Stay in shape. Once you get old, it's hard to get back into shape, and that's what causes all the aches and pains."

"I'll keep that in mind. Let's stay in touch for as long as possible, okay?"

"Let's stay in touch," Peppy repeated with a tired, kind, almost-dashing sort of way.

She smiled, kissed his nose again, and stepped back. "I'd like that. At least send me an optic-mail when you get home. "I hope I'm as beautiful at seventy-five as you are handsome, old timer."

"Heh. My ego is too old to hear you, but the rest of me appreciates hearing it, kiddo."

"All right, I'm going to call for a transport pickup. Can you stay here at the palace while I head back to Thorntail Hollow? It's the safest place."

Peppy nodded. He turned to the portal, touched it, and released his spirit. All his aches and pains returned. He sagged a bit and put his paw on the portal's frame to brace himself with a soft sigh. "Fox and Krystal told me it's a bit disorienting to give up the ghost, so to speak. They told me they dropped to their knees when it happened, so prepare yourself for that."

"You didn't drop to your knees."

Peppy chuckled dryly. "That's because, at my age, I'd never be able to get back up to my feet."

"You're a tough old man, that's all there is too it."

"Gotta keep up appearances. I've got a reputation to uphold after all." Peppy gestured to the lift platform nearby. "I'm going to head inside and get out of this rain."

"Sounds good. Be well, old friend."

"Take care, Fara Phoenix. Stay frosty, kiddo." His eyes no longer held the purple glow from before. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his personal communicator. He opened the camera app, thumbed the 'selfie' mode, and gazed at the screen. "Oh, good, the Cherenkov light is gone."

"Wait, the spirits emit radiation?"

Peppy shrugged. "That's the theory. As I understand it, the spirits emit some sort of low-level radiation that is … somehow … harmless to our bodies, but I certainly wouldn't want my eyes to glow forever. Can you imagine trying to sleep with illuminated inner-eyelids? Heh. All right. So, I'm just staying here until a shuttle comes for me?"

Fara nodded. "I'll have them pick you up from right here. Go ahead and get out of the rain. You'll hear when they're approaching. I need to stop that guy in Thorntail Hollow."

"How about you have Phoenix Transportation pick me up from Thorntail Hollow? I just … I want to see what we're dealing with before I leave you on your own, all right?"

"But the humidity…"

Peppy shrugged. "I'll take off my coat. C'mon. I've made up my mind. Let's go take a look and make sure the Earthwalker tribe and Thorntail tribe are all right."

Fara nodded and waved for him to follow her. She stepped into the portal…

Peppy stepped in behind her. He experienced that ethereal galactic scenery once more. It was serene and beautiful, if not slightly disorienting.

And then? Once again, the two of them arrived in a pair of enormous granite hands.

"Oi! Look who has returned, then!" crowed the enormous rock man. "You two returned toot-bloody-sweet, you did! Oh! But lass, you've still got a spirit! I thought I toljae ta drop it off at the palace?"

Fara stood up in the enormous stone palms. She turned to Peppy, saw he'd lowered to one knee, with both palms on either side of him for balance. She took him by the elbow and shoulder, and helped him to his feet. Then she turned to face the large face of the warp stone, and said, "I'm holding onto mine a bit longer. I think he wanted to see to it that after his daughter was put into the palace, I would make good on my personal promise to him that I would right some wrongs on the planet's surface. We're looking for a guy in a shuttle that likely passed through here light night or early this morning."

"Too right he did, lass! Lanky bloke with a shiny dome coverin' 'is 'ead. Go on through the archway, over yonder, then, yeah? Go 'n see the water. He mucked it up, 'e did."

"Did you speak to him?" she asked.

"He didn't stop for banter. I tried to have 'im park it for a wee dram, but 'e dinnae wanna stop on my account, oh no."

"Wait, you said he mucked up the water?" asked Fara. "I heard he's done that on other parts of Sauria before heading to Miracle. But he's doing it again, here, too?"

"Aye. The Thorntails, they act like he chored the water."

"Chored? What did he do to it, exactly?" she asked.

"I dannae ken, lassie. I cannae exactly crawl down there and look m'self. I tried callin' him over to speak, but he bloody-well-pied me! I'm stuck here, half buried, I am. It's well shan, innit?"

Peppy said, "We'll get to the bottom of this for you. I promise."

"Oh! You promise, you do? You'll skedaddle aff, like everyone else. Nooo one ever talks to me or even brings me treats anymore! Bloody hell, I miss goin' out on the skite. Maybe find me a tidy scan in the quarry."

Peppy added, "I'm friends of Fox McCloud, and…"

The enormous rock smiled brightly and erupted, "Haud yer wheesht! Fox McCloud, truly?!"

Fara spoke up. "We both are. He's…" she stole a glance at Peppy, then back to the rock man, and, in a softer voice, said, "He's missing right now. Can you help us?"

"Oh, I am, lass." The warpstone gestured to a pathway leading down into the heart of the hollow, adding, "Go on down thereabouts. See the water in fron'na Shabunga's storefront. Off ya go, then. Get tae, you lot. See what you see, then. Just … let me know, though, will ya? At my age, I've come ta live for gossip, so just, y'know, keep me in the loop, aye, lass?"

Fara hopped down two feet, landing on the ground with a soft grunt. She turned about and reached up for Peppy. She took his paw and helped him down to the ground. "Thank you. I will see you before sundown, all right?"

"I hope, wee lassie!"

Peppy rubbed his chin. "I always thought that guy resembled Golemech, which was made with ancient Venom tech, but it was aggressive and built to serve Andross. Makes me wonder how Andross figured out how to operate Krazoa technology in such a short time…"

"You're seventy-five, Peppy. Surely you have a theory on the matter."

Peppy rolled his shoulders with a shrug. "The Krazoa created the Venom lizards, and their ancient civilization. I'm assuming Golemech and this big guy were created using similar technologies. Anyhow. Andross was already familiar with ancient Venom tech, and he used what he learned on Venom to figure out the Krazoa tech. Moving on." He reached behind himself and rubbed his back.

"Pain setting in?"

"Ehh, just a little stiffness from overdoing it since taking on my passenger."

"I'm … sorry. I'm the one who suggested you get her to the portal and discharge her."

Peppy replied with a dismissive gesture followed by a good natured chuckle. "It's no problem, Fara. If I were to take her on for much longer than this, I would have had to find a way to get a steroid shot in the back; after a little while of keeping her around, I'd finally build up some more back muscle. Then I'd be right as rain. But I'm too old for all that stuff."

"You'd have had some short-term options, though."

"Yeah, but no use worrying about any of that right now. Anyway, c'mon, kiddo. Let's go take a gander at this water situation." Peppy reached into his pocket, withdrew a vape device, took a slow, steady, deep puff, and then he exhaled softly. He cut his gaze over at Fara whose eyes were on his vape device. "Homemade blend, kiddo. A full two second puff is six hundred milligrams of Ibuprofen, one hundred milligrams of aspirin, and twenty milligrams of caffeine. I had a banana for a snack, earlier, so between that and this, I've got potassium, and an anti-inflammatory that helps muscle ache, the aspirin thins the blood, and the caffeine opens the capillaries to deliver it all quickly."

Fara nodded. "Apothecaries aren't needed to synthesize medicinal vaporizer blends, now? Man, a lot has changed in thirty years."

"Nah, you still need a pharmacist for pharmaceutical mixtures like this, but having an in-home matter synthesizer has its perks, heh."

"Isn't that military-grade hardware?"

Peppy shrugged with a wry grin tugging at the corners of his muzzle. "It was designed for emergencies on the Great Fox escape pod. It survived my crash landing on Katina four years ago. I figured out how to rip it out and bring it into the house, heh. But I can't abuse it, else my liver and kidneys will never forgive me."

"Yeah, that was my first thought … liver and kidneys."

"I won't need either of 'em much longer anyhow. All right, c'mon, kiddo. Let's get a move on." Peppy headed down to the stream at the center of the hollow with Fara behind him.

Upon approach to the stream, Peppy gawked in horror. "My goddess, the water isn't flowing?" He abruptly noticed that fish were frozen in place, well preserved.

Fara moved beside Peppy and pressed her shoe against the solid water. It was like a block of gelatin but easily held her weight without squishing or splitting. A little bit of water beaded up as if she'd stepped upon a sponge. But not enough for the dinosaurs to drink. "The water up by that Warpstone fellow wasn't like this. But this? Why is this water solid?"

"I guess our badguy's tech only affects water he personally uses it on? It's transparent, and it's kind of freaky looking, but…" he shook his head.

"Hmm … why don't we take a water test to check its Ph balance? Then we will figure out why only the hollow is affected."

Peppy replied with a nod. "Do you have a kit?"

"No, but you have my prototype military grade scanner, remember? Go ahead and scan it, while I make a phone call to schedule your pickup."

Peppy reached into the left inside jacket pocket, withdrew the high-end scanner, and waved it over the water. "Well, that's … different. Y'know, come to think of it, Fox saw pillars of this stuff in the water palace. Err … Ocean Force Point Temple, or whatever it was called. It was used to hold up sections of the area. It held its shape just like this. Good goddess, our guy figured out how to turn the water solid just like those water palace columns and such."

Fara finished her call, secured her communicator, and turned to Peppy. "Well, your ride is on its way. Considering the small size of this world, it won't take them long to arrive."

"I was saying that I've seen this before. It was solid just like this in the Ocean Force Point Temple."

"Mm, yes, my 'passenger' recognizes it as Krazoan technology. Listen, I wanted to thank you for all your help. You've gone above and beyond, General Pepper Jackson Hare. Did you at least have fun?"

Peppy chuckled. "Yeah, you know I did. One last hurrah for Ole' Peppy J. Hare. I appreciate being included. I'd argue about sticking around a bit longer, but … I really just want to get home to my bed and have a really good sleep. And, hey, I know it's morbid to keep bringing this up, but if that weird feeling turns out to be true … and if this is the last time we see one another, Fara, I promise I'll find a way to reach out to your father in the afterlife."

"Just … tell him I love him. Whenever you see him. Don't rush on my account."

"Sometimes I don't get a choice in the matter of whether or not I get to rush something like … that. It's just a weird feeling, you know? I'm sure it's nothing. But … I'll be honest, there's a big part of me that's looking forward to seeing Vivian again. And Lucy, of course."

The distant roar of a shuttle's engines approached from the distance.

Fara hugged Peppy one last time. "You tell that wife she's a lucky woman to have married a handsome, brave, strapping hare. You've fathered and co-fathered so many. I know we didn't keep in contact much in the past four years, but we talked via optic mail a few times over the last four years, and I've really appreciated the occasions I used to vent to you. I'm sorry it wasn't more, but … thank you for those times. Thanks for being a dad when I needed one."

Peppy returned the embrace, gave her a firm squeeze and a gentle pat on the shoulders. "Thanks for letting me come with you. It was nice to feel young one last time." He handed the scanner to her, followed by all the gear in his pockets, except for the vape and his personal communicator. He gave her muzzle a gentle pat. "Stay beautiful, kiddo. And don't wait too long to consider carrying on your blood. It's important. The world could use more wholesome DNA like yours."

Fara smiled softly. She pocketed the weapons, the scanner, and the telescopic walking stick. "Are you sure you won't need this stuff?"

"Nah. I have stuff at home. If you wind up staying on Sauria until this job is sorted, you'll need a hiking stick. Keep it."

"I can't help but wonder if I should hire some help."

"Just hang in there until the job is done. If you want to start a team like 'Star Vixen,' you'd make a great leader."

Fara chuckled softly. "I don't know about the name, but we'll see. I was considering Ice Vixen a few years ago, but now it sounds silly to me. That and … I'd do better as a team ace than a team leader. Too much responsibility and paperwork … even if the paperwork doesn't involve paper these days."

Both chuckled.

She looked up just as the shuttle came over the tree line. "Well, your ride is here."

They hugged again.

Fara kissed the corner of his lips, inhaled his scent as if to memorize it, then drew her head back and kissed his nose. "I really hope you'll feel better tomorrow when you wake up. Do you have arrangements for Baby McCloud?"

"Heh … 'Baby McCloud.' Cute. Yeah, of course – Bill Grey. I made him my right-hand man when I became the General. He's a good guy. I trust him with my life as much as I'd trusted Fox or Falco, when they were alive. Probably more than I trusted Falco."

Again, they both chuckled.

Peppy continued, "If you ever get a chance, peek in on Star. Even if from far away."

"I was planning to."

Peppy smiled. He glanced over his shoulder and watched the shuttle set down in the middle of the hollow. The hare sighed softly and kissed Fara's forehead. "You stay safe, kiddo. I mean it. You're as much a member of Star Fox, to me, as the rest of the group. Fox offered you the invite, so you are family as far as I'm concerned. Just remember that. Okay?"

"Thank you, Peppy. Have a safe trip."

"Oh, I'm sure I will." Peppy turned and headed for the shuttle that sat in the grass about three hundred feet away. A ramp door on the side opened, meeting the grass. The aging hare made his way up, and the ramp shut behind him.

Fara stood in the middle of the hollow and waved until it disappeared over the tree line, headed for the nearest Cornerian settlement.

Peppy gazed down on her from a porthole on the side, returning the wave until he could no longer see her. After that, he settled back in his seat with a soft sigh, and he fastened his safety restraint then closed his eyes. Sleep came surprisingly easy.

X

---

X

Epilogue:
Going Home

Katina…

Peppy closed the front door to the house and wheeled his luggage to his bedroom door. He left it there, made his way to the adjacent bathroom, flipped on the light switch, took a leak, washed his paws, turned out the light, and walked across the living area between their bedrooms.

He pushed open the partially ajar door and stepped into young McCloud's room. "Hey, kiddo. How're you doing?"

Star looked up with a bright smile. "Hey! You're home! Sorry, I didn't sense you; I guess I was hyper-focused on finishing this mission."

Peppy peered into the room and looked around. "I don't see your friend."

"Crimson. Yeah. Uh, see, Red and his mom moved to Papetoon two days ago. It was kind of sudden. Any chance we could move there? Heh."

Peppy smirked. "Well, your mother still technically owns the property we used as Star Fox's base of operations before the war."

"I was joking, but … are you serious? Wait, my mom owned it?"

"Yeah, she did real estate on the side, and that was a property she apparently bought with the intent to fix it up and flip it. She passed away, and James never had the heart to sell it, especially since it was paid off. Having something in her name made him feel … I dunno … like some part of her was still alive, I guess. Fox inherited it. Later, your dad asked me to find a place for the team on Papetoon when Corneria banished your father for assaulting General Jack Pepper's superior."

"Yeah, I seem to remember hearing that he got deported to Papetoon because that's where he was born. Wait, did you say Jack Pepper?"

Peppy nodded. "Yup. Jack was John's uncle. He retired two months before the tensions between Venom and Corneria broke out. Anyhow, Jack Pepper was only a low-level general at the time. Jack's superior had serious political connections and when that guy, I forget his name off the top of my head, but, yeah, your father punched him. Not your father's finest moment."

"Yeah, guess not. Geeze. Punching a high-ranking general … dumb move."

Peppy chuckled. "Glad you think so. Anyway, yeah, so … the general had your father deported back to Papetoon. That's when Fox asked me to find a place for the team to live, like I was saying, and I discovered that Jimmy left Vixy's 'fix-n-flip' property for Fox in the McCloud will."

Star remained silent, listening to his godfather tell the story he knew so little about.

Peppy continued. "But your father … he hates handouts. Oh, man does Fox hate not being able to work for something. So, I made a big to-do about finding a remote place, and about getting all the paperwork taken care of, and I told the boys they'd have to pay rent as a team … heh. My intent was to put money into savings for them, heh. But the situation changed before too long. Turns out I didn't even need to worry about making sure the boys had some money put aside – we broke big and made history with Yaru de Pon's Arwing."

"I … had no idea about any of that."

"No worries. So, back to your buddy…"

"Yeah, Red."

"Right. Crimson O'Donnell. Anyhow, if you decide to move to Papetoon … that's a realistic possibility. However…"

"However?"

"However, it's something to be discussed another day. But, hey, let me ask you this … if you wind up staying here, on Katina, what's your plan for that kid?"

Star shrugged in typical teenaged fashion. "We plan on keeping in contact on the subspace net."

"You're going to stay friends on subspace?"

"Yeah, why not? We have a ton in common. But if it becomes possible, I'd like to consider moving to Papetoon…"

Peppy shook his head with a chuckle. "You're not really considering the notion of palling around with Crimson O'Donnell forever, are you? If his father finds out, he'll shoot you down quicker than…"

"I'll pull a loop and put my foot up his ass if Red doesn't beat me to it, first."

"Oh, you would, would you?"

Star smirked. "Yes. Yes, I would. After all, that's what dad said worked well with Wolf, because the lack of Wolf's depth perception made it easy to pull a hard six, a hard loop, or a number of other things."

Peppy feigned a grin.

"You're not going to tell me I'm being childish by joking around about flying against a vet like Wolf?"

"No, I'm not. You're twenty. Damned-near a grown-ass-man, now, son."

"Son, huh?"

"My godson, yes. It's a type of son, after all. So, any other exciting adventures while I was away?"

"Well, I … uh … I met a girl."

Peppy arched his brows. "Did you, now?"

"Yeah. She … also lives on Papetoon. At least right now."

"You … met a girl … online?"

"No one calls it 'online' anymore. But, yeah, we met in a chat about mercenary starfighter craft. She's smart, she's a bit of a mystery, but she's beautiful. We have a ton in common."

"Star, you can't go meeting up with random girls who you've never met. She could be a dude, first of all. I mean, really, that's just…"

"I know her."

Peppy scrunched his brows, creating a series of small creases in the pelt over his forehead. "But you just said…"

"Yes, we met each other 'online.' We didn't realize we knew each other at first."

"What's her name?" asked Peppy.

"Violet…"

Peppy's eyes widened. "You're flirting with Falco Lombardi's daughter?"

"…Maybe." McCloud drew the word out slowly.

"Oh, Lord…" Peppy shook his head. "That girl is the very definition of what it means to be a firecracker."

"Loud and beautiful in the sky?"

Peppy groaned. "No, Star. As in … if she blows up near you, she could seriously hurt you."

"How do you figure?"

"Because, Star, she's never…" Peppy sighed and shook his head.

"Please, just tell me."

"She's never had a stable home because Falco and Katt didn't know how to be stable together. Then, Falco went and disappeared with the rest of the team … so … now we're talking about a girl who is unstable, seeking attention, and she'll have daddy issues. Now, I don't mean any disrespect toward Lombardi's kid, but … she's clearly been through the wringer. My point is, she won't know how to behave in a functioning romantic relationship."

"Peppy…"

"Star, just stay away from her. I don't mean that as any disrespect toward the girl. I'm just telling you that she'd make a better friend than a lover. Going down that road will lead to misery and heartbreak."

"It's hard to read you, Peppy. You're literally getting too emotional to sense things from you."

"That's because I worry about you. Listen, I would tell you the same thing about my granddaughter, Vivian…" Peppy sighed softly, once more. He shook his head, rubbed his face with his palms, and frowned. "I'm not even kidding."

"You mean, like, if I had started flirting with Vivian instead of Violet? You'd still tell me to stay away from her?"

Peppy nodded firmly. "I love my granddaughter, kiddo. I really do. But Lucy and her husband came apart due to fighting about what kind of lifestyle they wanted to live. So, now that Lucy is missing, Vivian is being raised by her Uncle Jack, one of my sons."

"I … had no idea you were going through that kind of stress."

"Heh. Didn't want to make my problems your problems. I'm the adult, and you're the kid. You've got enough to worry about. But you're a legal adult, now, so … I'm telling you. Now that Lucy is missing, Vivian's dad is only in her life as a part-time parent. Jack is trying to make sure his niece gets to see how a healthy relationship works. Find a girl who understand the lifestyle you're trying to live, so that the relationship is more likely to last. Else you're doomed to experience a divorce with a kid in tow, just like Lucy did."

"Well, I'm really sorry your granddaughter, Vivian, is going through that. Does she fly?"

"Vivian knows how to fly, yes. Lucy taught her, and I have taken her up a few times. Good pilot, actually." Peppy trailed off with a frown, realizing he was only putting ideas in the boy's head about making a team with Violet and Vivian. "All right, no. Let's get back to your thing with the Lombardi girl. Listen, Star, you want a girl who has been treated well by her parents, so that she knows how to mother her own babies."

"All right, well, uh … Violet and I have been talking in video chat a lot the past few days…" EditpointKit_4d123

"Falco once told me that his daughter is bipolar. I'm not saying that she's incapable of being a great mercenary … Falco and Katt made sure to get her on a prescription that apparently works very well for her … but if you tried having a family with Violet Lombardi, she wouldn't be able to take those pills during the pregnancy, and you'd have to deal with the fallout. Just, trust me, as much as it pains me to say this … don't date Violet."

"I'll take your advisement under careful consideration."

Peppy smirked, amused by the way Star was trying to sound like some sort of professional team leader. "Is that so? Okay, let's say you date this girl, kiddo … you're not experienced in matters of the heart; how are you going to be able to handle a live firecracker with a fuse that changes length faster than the wind can change direction during a storm, huh? Because that's what it's like to handle someone who is bipolar, and they need someone with exceptional patience, and you? You're a chip off the old block, off an older block. You forget, Star, I'm an expert on three generations of McCloud boys."

"You make a really outstanding point, and your experience in stuff like that is really invaluable to me. But I'm telepathic; who better to adapt to her mood changes than me? There might not be a better guy for her in Lylat."

"Kiddo, do you hear yourself?"

Star scrunched his nose. "How do you mean?"

"When someone gets extremely emotional, you have trouble reading them, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"Imagine going from extremely upset, to the point that you're flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, and you're looking to hurt some feelings … then something happens, and boom, just like that, serotonin, oxytocin, and all the other endorphins … now you're on cloud nine, while everyone around you is pissed off that you're laughing and smiling while they're angry for having just been insulted by you."

Star frowned. "She … doesn't sound nearly as bad as whoever you've met in your past. And, like you said, earlier, she's on medication that apparently works really well for her."

"Go on and date her, then. You'll see. Don't come running to me, because I'll remind you that I already told you so."

"Okay, let me ask you something…"

"Go on…"

"If I'm already interested enough to ask her out … in theory of course … and if things do go sour, instead of telling me that you warned me, could you just … tell me how I should handle the situation?"

Peppy shook his head with a sigh, which trailed off into a strained chuckle of amusement and annoyance. "God, why do boys take forever to grow up? Okay, kiddo. Listen up. If … you date her, or even if you simply put her on your team … there will be great days, and really great moments. She'll lift you up with praise, and she'll make you feel like the only man in Lylat. You'll feel like thee man. But a disagreement or something that sets her off one day … you'll see an entirely different side of her. It's not her fault. That's what being bipolar is, sometimes. A rush of hormones and emotions that come out when they shouldn't. It can't be helped. So, don't take any criticism to heart, when she blasts you with it. And don't let her destroy your confidence as a pilot, because that's what uncontrollable rage can do, and it's not fair to her to experience it, and it's even less fair to those around her that she puts 'on blast' or whatever you kids say these days. Just nod, tell her you'll work on doing better in … whatever mean thing she's saying about you at that moment … and try not to get lost in the hyper-good moments, where she tells you that you're the Goddess' gift to women, or some such. Just be humble all the way around, and don't take offense to the bad moments."

Star stared at Peppy in silence for a moment.

"What?"

"There was someone in your life before Vivian?"

"I was young. Younger than you are, now. I didn't know how to do anything but analyze the situation in retrospect, much later."

Star frowned. "I'm sorry you went through that."

"Don't be. She was older than me, and she taught me how to man up and treat a woman, because she demanded it. I was proper-trained on how to love a woman by the time I moved on from that stepping stone in my life. I was able to treat Vivian like the gift that she was. I was able to respect her for being the right woman for me."

Star's frown dissolved, first becoming a smile at how fondly Peppy spoke of his wife, but then his smile faded as well. "Hey, uh, look … I've got to ask … Peppy, are you feeling okay? Your voice sounds … really … tired."

"Okay, guilty as charged. I mean, well, I've certainly felt better. Of course, that was, oh, thirty or forty years ago, heh. Why do you ask, kiddo?"

"You're just … in an unusually hyper mood. You're full of energy, but I can also tell that you're exhausted. Your eyes are a little bloodshot, like you've been awake for way too long. The sinus cavities beneath your eyes are sunken in. You're really dehydrated, and your moustache is … well, let's just say I've never seen it uncombed until now. What happened?"

"I had one last hurrah, kiddo."

"Wait, hold up, uh, were you … tortured?"

Peppy laughed it off. "Only by the smell of dishes in the sink, which assaulted me when I walked in the front door!"

"I just … okay." He lifted his paws defensively. "I'm sorry I asked, I know better than to…"

"It's fine, Star. Stop being so hard on yourself for checking up on those around you. One day, if you become a team leader, you're going to need to be the guy that fixes disagreements and helps tired pilots maintain their mental health. To do that, you're going to need confidence and understanding. You're going to need to know when to be optimistic with them. No guilt trips, no pity parties, just a brother coming to talk to another brother-in-arms."

Star feigned a slight smile. "Yeah. Yeah, that's good advice. I'll definitely keep that in mind. And I'll take to heart what you said about Violet, too. I can't promise anything … I really felt a connection with her. But … I'll make sure I don't let her hurt my feelings."

"Good. If you two ever fight, you ask her to wait until the next day to discuss it, after both of you have rested. After you're both reset, so to speak. Now, look, I've had a pretty hard couple of days. I've been burning the candle wick from both ends since I walked out the door, got on a shuttle, and left Katina. Now that I'm home, I just want to check my mail, then get ready for bed. I feel like I might sleep the longest, best, deepest sleep ever. Maybe I'll sleep in tomorrow…"

"Gonna sleep like a baby, huh?"

Peppy offered a wry grin. "More like a lazy teenager, heh."

"Ha. Ha. I've been doing better with that stuff, lately."

"Oh! Good! Look at you, kiddo! Getting up without me to wake you up! Heh. Prove it to me tomorrow. Knock on my door when you wake up, and I'll look at the clock, give you that parental acknowledgement that your generation craves so much, and then I'll probably go back to sleep. I need it. Heh."

"You look beat-tired, but you also look wide awake."

"Caffeine."

"Oh. Doesn't that give you the shakes?"

"Already had'em hours ago. I'm just wired right now. I'll conk right out as soon as I settle in. Have a good night, kiddo. C'mere. Give your godfather a hug or something. That way I know I validated to your 'attention meter' and all that. That sort of thing is very important for your young mental health and such." In truth, Peppy also craved family attention and acknowledgement. But to get it, he knew he had to pretend he was only doing it for the young man's benefit.

Star climbed off his loveseat, put his game controller down, and approached Peppy. He eyed the hare, able to tell something was off, but youth and inexperience made it impossible to tell what was going on. He approached Peppy and embraced his mentor.

Peppy hugged his godson, followed by a sigh. "Not going to lie, I miss hugging my own daughter. Ah well. I suppose it's only a matter of time before I see her again."

"That was …. grim," said Star. "I'm not used to you using dark humor like that." He stepped back and eyed Peppy carefully.

"Heh. I'm an old fart. That's how we roll. I've just been, you know, sparing you my old-fart-sarcasm until now. I got in touch with it this week."

"Ah. That makes more sense."

Peppy gave Star a firm masculine pat beneath the shoulder blades. "All right, kiddo. I love you."

"I love you, too, Peppy. Have a good night." He stepped back from the embrace and gave a tug at the hem of his shirt to free it of wrinkles.

"Oh, I will. I'm going to sleep great. I just know it." Peppy stepped out of McCloud's room, crossed the living area, and retired to his room across the way. He took the handle of his luggage roller, dragged it into his room, sideways, so that the wheels scooted across the floor, and reached back with his free hand to pull the bedroom door shut behind himself.

The quiet old hare locked the door without really thinking about it and walked over to his bureau. He opened the top drawer without a word, quick to tidy his socks into rows of matched pairs, and separate his underwear into boxers and boxer-briefs. He withdrew paperwork that was stashed beneath his undergarments, eyeing dates on the various documents.

Peppy carried the paperwork over to an escritoire desk, dropped into the cushy chair, and organized his files by level of import. He wasn't sure why he was doing it; the hare assumed it might have had something to do with the drugs given to him on Miracle.

It needed to be done anyhow. Now felt like a good time.

One of the pages was an original 'quick start guide' for the first-generation Arwing prototype. The top topic on the page read, 'A beginner's guide to E-RAT tech: Energy – Redirection, Absorption, Transference (official name and patent pending)! Arspace recently acquired an exciting new technology using a new field of science – gravity diffusing. A niche group of engineers know of this from Beltino Toad's invention in the G-Zero racing circuit, first used by James F. McCloud Sr. For the rest of Lylat, know that your A-wing prototype starfighter is equipped with pontoons where the wing blasters are stored. But these pontoons can do much more than blast aggressors! To utilize the E-RAT technology, the pilot simply needs to perform an aileron roll. Our engineers affectionately refer to this maneuver as the BARREL ROLL! Why, you may ask? For the barrels used as shields in the ancient war for Corneria's Capital City! The secret to E-RAT tech is the gravimetric energies, which are stored in these pontoons. The energy field is sent to the starfighter's stabilizers, which act like a pair of antennas, to help create an 'Energy' manipulation field that 'Absorbs,' 'Transfers,' and 'Redirects' incoming energy! It's tentatively called E-RAT technology because the energy field generated by the stored gravity in the pontoons can, in fact, redirect, they can absorb, and they can transfer incoming energies, such as blaster fire from enemy attacks…"

Peppy paused from reading to adjust his reading glasses.

"Back in the early stages of G-diffusing technology, we initially called it 'M-PERT,' or 'Magnetic Polarity Energy Reversal Transference,' but once the technology became refined, the polarity didn't change. Also, the effect was no longer achieved using a magnetic field, but, rather, a gravimetric-powered energy field. Gravity is a free unlimited source of energy anywhere within range of a star, and one of the four fundamental interactive forces of the known universe, but it's more than a force of nature. It's also a consequence of mass moving straight through curved spacetime. Harnessing its potential has never been done on such a small scale before now. Utilizing it to protect something as small as a starfighter has been the breakthrough technology that Yaru de Pon, creator of the prototype A-wing starfighter, has harnessed to protect this new light fighter from all manner of sustained attacks from enemies of all weight classes, all the way up to turret fire and ion cannon fire from capital ships!"

Peppy chuckled and sat the page down on the desktop of the mahogany desktop.

He was reminded where the Arwing technology came from … Beltino and James found a way to defuse gravity to give James an edge when racing in the G-Zero circuit, thus changing the entire racing industry. The 'G' literally meant 'gravity' by the time James retired from racing. They first used the technology in James' starfighter-inspired racer, the Lil Wyvern. But Beltino didn't exactly invent the technology from scratch…

…As Peppy recalled, it was something James secured for study from the Aparoid back seventeen years before the Aparoid assault that plagued Lylat. Until Beltino sold the technology to Yaru de Pon of Arspace LTD, the prototype fighters were still using inertial dampeners.

That reverse-engineered Aparoid technology found its way into the Arwing, which was utilized in defeating Andross' forces several years later by Fox McCloud.

Peppy set out his most recent will and other estate documents by level of importance, including the original documentation for the official rights to the Star Fox team, use of the name, and its chartered documentation for the team's legal mercenary team status.

There was even some old paperwork signed by General John Pepper.

Peppy grinned inwardly. No one remembered John Pepper as a general of the fleet anymore. His name was synonymous with being the Prime Minister of Corneria that managed to steer the planet into victory against the Anglar Empire while still suffering from injuries sustained by the Aparoid attacks, a couple of years earlier.

Peppy chuckled at the fond memories of his longtime friends.

John Pepper now had his face on currency. As of last year, actually. It was something that Fay Spaniel arranged, somehow.

Peppy reached into his pocket, withdrew his wallet, and took out a fifty-credit note and sat it atop of his sorted papers.

After sorting everything, Peppy slouched a bit in the chair.

"Okay, on second thought, I'll put all this stuff away tomorrow. Arranging was the important part. That's done. I'm happy."

He opened a laptop, scooted it over, so that it was directly in front of himself, then he opened a secured browser. He opened two tabs in the browser, and used Fara's recent money transection, from his banking page, to pay for an anonymous mercenary job on the second browser tab.

Peppy put her generous payment into the mercenary job, wrote up a synopsis of what the job would entail, then transferred the money to the mercenary commissioner website under the name 'anonymous,' in hopes that someone would eventually take the job, go to Sauria, and help Fara Phoenix by watching her back.

A smile spread across Peppy's muzzle. He searched the mercenary site for users until he found Star McCloud's username. He switched back to the job commission tab and set the job so that only Star could see it when logged into the site.

"Thought you could be sneaky and sign up for this webpage without me knowing, huh, kid? Well, now you are the only one that will be able to see this job available, and only when you're logged in, looking for jobs. Heh heh. Good goddess, I feel like such a matchmaker right now. Vivian would be proud of me. Although, I suppose if a year passes and no one takes it, the job will go public, but hopefully that doesn't happen…"

He took a moment to send an optic-mail to Fara to let her know he made it home safely.

Peppy stood up from the chair and stretched.

He reached for the light on his nightstand and switched it off. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust.

Off came his clothes. They were tossed into a hamper in the corner of the bedroom. He dropped onto his bed with a grunt, shifted the fabric of his undergarments, reached for the covers, drew them up to his neck, closed his eyes, and exhaled slow and smooth.

His body relaxed…

The world around him dissolved away like a dream. He breathed slow, calm, but shallow breaths.

The pillow felt so cool on the back of his neck. His body felt heavy, but his mind felt floaty and free.

He welcomed the silence. Even the sound of the air ventilation system faded away.

Blissful nothingness.

Silence.

"Peppy?" The voice belonged to a woman, and it sounded so familiar.

"Yes?" he asked, looking around in confusion. The room was dark, and he couldn't see anyone. "Fara…? Did you follow me home?"

"Peppy, I'm not Fara Phoenix, hon. Has it really been so long that you don't remember my voice? Should we play one of those guessing games using hints or whatever?"

"I, uh … who … who is this?"

"I think you know. Deep down. You're just afraid to admit that you know."

"It sure sounds like Fara. I mean, it's definitely not Vivian."

She replied with a dry chuckle. "I know, you probably expected your best friend, your wife, or your first godson to be here. But, no. The first never showed up, the second one is waiting patiently to talk to you, and the third one … well, he isn't dead, thank heavens."

Peppy's eyes widened with realization, but the area was still too dark to see anyone. "Victoria?"

"Oh, I'm Victoria, now, huh?"

"Vixy, is it really you?"

Victoria Reinard McCloud stepped from the darkness and held her arms open.

The two hugged one another.

Peppy said, "By the goddess, Lylat, did … did I just…?"

"Yes, Peppy. You 'just,' hon."

"And I see you first? Not Vivian and Lucy?"

"Oh, Peppy. Vivian is here, like I said. She's waiting to talk to you. And Lucy? Lucy isn't dead. She's with Fox. I'll explain later. The reason you see me first, is because … deep down, your biggest regret is that you feel like you failed me by 'letting' Jamie and Fox die. But Jamie isn't here. He never arrived. And I already told you Fox is alive. Just … very far away. So, because that was your biggest subconscious burden in life, I'm here first to tell you so that your burdens are lifted from your soul. It's good to see you."

Peppy stepped back from the hug and just stared at her. "I just … but your grandson still needs me."

"No, Peppy. He's a man, now. He has Bill. He has Fara. Well, he will. He has Vivian – your granddaughter. At least, you know, he will when he creates a team. He'll have Theodore Toad. And he'll have Fox and Krystal back in his life soon enough."

"Peppy?" Another woman's voice. This one, Peppy knew instantly.

"Vivian?" He looked around.

Vivian Hare, his wife, approached Peppy from behind Vixy; Peppy saw her over the vixen's shoulder. Vivian looked young. Roughly between twenty-five and thirty, in her prime and absolutely beautiful, just as Peppy always remembered her, before her first bout with her illness. He cut his gaze between the two women. It was then that Peppy realized Vixy looked like she did the day she died.

Both looked the way Peppy always remembered them to look.

Peppy rubbed his face. He didn't feel the moustache. His sagging double-chin was gone. "I'm … I'm really dead, aren't I?"

"Honey, you are home," said Vivian. "We can finally get started on having a life together."

"What about reincarnation? Lapin-kind has always believed in that."

Vivian grinned. "The Krazoa should have been proof that there's more to life than a physical body. And, yes, it's … optional. Reincarnation, I mean. But there's a bit of time before it becomes available. I look forward to finding one another again when life begins again, anew, but … for now … let's spend time together and reminisce on this life. We have a lifetime worth of time ahead of us before we can decide our permanent fate."

"The afterlife is real," Peppy murmured softly. "What have you been doing with yourself all this time?"

Vivian smiled softly. "I watched over you as well as I could. It was always amazing to me that you never once strayed. You never once looked at other women. No matter how far away you were, no matter how alone you felt, and even after I passed away, you were the most faithful of men. That's unheard of for our race. I should never have separated from you. I should have moved aboard the GreatFox and lived with you. You were a mentor and a cheerleader for those boys … but, while they had you, you had no one, and … for that? I am eternally sorry. You deserved your wife by your side more often."

"Oh, Vivian, you were raising our boys not to make the same choices I made."

"Perhaps, but your choices saved more lives than I can count. Also, I got to see our last life together. We were apparently inseparable, Peppy. We met much younger, stayed together until we were much older, and while our lives were far plainer in that incarnation, we somehow managed to drive one another to do greater things in this most recent chapter of our existence together. I raised children that made a difference – Lucy and Fox, and, somehow, despite separating from you, I apparently motivated you to do your best, and make the most positive changes possible. I can't help but wonder how much you were capable of doing had I stayed at your side the entire time. For that, I can never apologize enough."

Peppy stepped around Vixy, opened his arms, and drew Vivian into his embrace. "My goddess, Vivian, look at you." He inhailed her scent, then exhaled on a sigh of content.

Vivian laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "Me? Honey, you should see yourself. You're exactly as I remembered you." She tightened her arms around his torso, then slid her paws up his back. Vivian clung to her husband, then, after a moment to hold him, she stepped back, and clasped his biceps. "All the lives you've touched … all the people you've saved … all of Lylat remembers you as a gentle man with gentle eyes, but with the heart of a lion. But I remember you like this." She gave his biceps a firm squeeze.

Peppy looked down where his slight gut was an iron washboard of slightly chiseled definition, creating abdominal indentations in his pelt like wave-lines in moist sand. "Good goddess, I look twenty-four again."

Vivian slid her paws to his shoulders, down his chest, and over his abs. "You look like the day you put a ring on my finger. You could outrun most of the military. A gorgeous man and all mine."

"How is it we look like our best selves in the afterlife?"

A wry grin tugged at the corner of Vivian's muzzle. "Because our bodies are gone. Our spirit is comprised of the memories and actions that left impressions on our souls, and our souls manifest in such a way that we become the sum of our hopes, our dreams, our achievements, and the best parts of who we are as people. Even the Krazoa Spirits, when their spirits were reunited, interact with one another on a level similar to this."

"It's a lot to process. But I don't have a physical brain anymore, so how do I actually process it?"

"The brain is just a physical device that allows your spirit to interact, contemplate, and appreciate the physical world around you. Without a body, you're free to interact, contemplate, and appreciate existence in a noncorporeal format."

"There's my brilliant wife. God, I missed our intellectual conversations. They were so stimulating." He leaned in a bit and side-nodded to Vixy, while keeping his gaze locked with Vivian's own. "So, uh, she said something about my burdens…"

Vivian grinned at her husband. "It happened to me, as well, but I had a lot of baggage to unpack, so you got a quick conversation, and I had a much longer, much more drawn out … welcome committee."

Vixy folded her arms over her chest with a smirk. "Peppy, your wife obsessed about not having spent more time with you. She fixated on how she'd given you grief for focusing so much on Star Fox, when she could have been right there with you, at your side for all of it, not just some of it. And until just now, she doted on you every moment of every day."

"It's true." A slight frown marred Vivian's small lapin muzzle. "Upon arrival, here, we are confronted by our shame and our burden, we overcome it, and we evolve. It's not really an 'afterlife' so much as the next stage of existence, where we take steps to become closer to happiness. Completion. And if we simply aren't there, yet, we have another go at the physical life – the stage from which you just came."

"So, basically, we're just spirits floating around in a cosmic pot of an afterlife-like realm, adjacent to the physical universe?"

Vivian laughed softly. "Do you hear yourself? You see? This is why I've always told you that Lucy takes after you with her love of astrophysics."

"Speaking of Lucy, Vixy said she's still alive?"

Vivian nodded, followed by a slight smile. "Mm-hmm, she wound up in an adjacent dimension. It's only a matter of time before she helps Star Fox return to Lylat. She has a daughter she's fighting to get back to, after all. It's only a matter of time for as astrophysicist to figure out how to get the rest of those boys home, where they belong."

Peppy smiled. "That's really reassuring. I wish I knew that before now … I never knew how to mourn Lucy. Except, of course, a bit of self-loathing and bottling my defeatist attitude. Was it really Andross that attacked the team?"

"It was," Vixy cut back into the conversation. "Andross is still alive. He's cheated death. For now, at least. He could have been a hero to Lylat, but he didn't know how to do anything without a sense of entitlement as part of his motivations."

Peppy sneered. "Yeah. Toxic Entitlement Syndrome is something Andross suffers from, heavily. That, uh … term was coined after your passing."

Vixy continued. "Just the same, Andy Bowman had a humbling moment when landing on Venom. He learned that it was a Krazoan companion world full of Saurian servants that had been evacuated from Sauria at the onset of their first moon crashing into the planet's surface…"

"The creation of Moon Mountain Pass," said Peppy in a soft tone. "You're talking about when Andross discovered the remains of the ancient civilization on Venom, and he learned of the Locust race?"

Vixy nodded. "Yes. He realized then, at that moment, that he had to unite Lylat in order to save it from the eventual return of the Locust race. Without the Krazoa to protect Lylat again, the system was doomed. Andross learned that their sole reason for existence is to extinguish life, and grind everything and everyone into a usable resource for the benefit of the Locusts' need to procreate and consume."

Peppy grimaced. "So, they're like cosmic vultures in the circle of life, huh?"

Vixy shook her head. "Worse. Vultures feed on the dead. The Locusts seek out the destruction of all who are not of their species."

"So, they're like the murder hornets of Fortuna, but not quite as big, huh?"

Vixy chuckled dryly with a slight shrug. "Yes, but the Locusts are sentient, and they do not sting starships. Also, the Locusts do not see their actions as murder; they see it as honoring those they have defeated … by utilizing every part of their slain enemies to sustain themselves."

"Every … part? What do they use skulls for? A goblet or something?"

"Oh, goodness, no. Their enemies are liquified and refined into something akin to fossil fuels. They wipe out entire races this way, including planetary resources, which leaves dead worlds in their path."

Peppy grimaced. "Awful."

"They see all life, planets, and resources as finite throughout the cosmos. They believe their survival is imperative, and must come at the cost of destroying others. They are driven to this end by some … genetic mutation. They do what whatever it takes to survive without remorse. Conversely, the Krazoa, when faced with extinction, chose not to participate in any action that would lead to the destruction of other sentient lives."

Peppy nodded with a forlorn expression. "Right, because engaging Sauria as a generational ship, using the Force Point Temples, would have caused a disturbance to the other worlds in Lylat, all of which had sentient life, created by the ancient Krazoa … thee, uh, 'tall ones.' Their ancestors."

"Yes. Correct."

"Y'know, the anatomically modern Krazoa, before dying out two thousand years ago, had a nearly zero-carbon-footprint on Sauria. They farmed the planet's surface, but they lived on the two moons in orbit above the planet. I found proof that they genetically altered themselves to take up less space, eat less, and they were closer in height to myself. But they saw Sauria as hollowed ground, the graves of their ancient ancestors, whose mastery of technology was seen as magic to everyone, even the anatomically modern Krazoa."

Vixy nodded. "Yes. A few thousand Krazoa managed to send one of their moons into deep space. They did, in fact, survive for a very long time. They lived as neighbors to the Kew, another one of the creations of the ancient Krazoans. But the anatomically modern Krazoa learned they were targets of the Locusts, and ultimately found a way to migrate to a parallel universe."

"Wait, they left this dimension for another?"

"Yes. James is with them."

Peppy's eyes widened.

"James escaped captivity, using a prototype ship. He followed a space creature to escape Andross' forces through a wormhole, leading out of this dimension. I cannot watch over him wherever he is, but I know I'll see him again … one day."

Peppy blinked a few times. "So, James is with the surviving Krazoa, and they cannot come back to help with the Locusts?" Peppy lifted his paws and said, "Look, just … explain this to me again. I need to wrap my head around it."

"No, they cannot come back to 'help' with the Locusts. The handful of Krazoa that survived the test of time are now few in numbers. Furthermore, they never possessed the technologies of their ancient ancestors. They repelled the Locusts at great cost to their kind twenty-five hundred years ago. Then, they barely repelled the Locusts a second time, fifteen hundred years ago, which is when they shielded the Kew. Then, out of self-preservation, they retreated out of this dimension. The only one to see a modern Krazoa ever since … has been my husband."

"And they'll attack again during your grandson's lifetime?"

"Yes."

Peppy pursed his lips in a tight frown. He took a deep breath, even though he didn't need to … it was a habit. "And is it true he's part of some sort of … prophecy?"

"All I know is that his involvement is the path of least resistance."

"Why are they coming back to Lylat, anyhow?" asked the hare.

Vixy frowned, glanced between Peppy and Vivian, then she said, "The Locusts travel around the cosmos in a migration pattern. They will return soon. They are already headed in the direction of Lylat, but they were temporarily sidetracked, which buys the system a bit of time."

"Good heavens, Vixy…" Now, Peppy really wanted to go back to the land of the living and continue helping prepare Star, but he knew it was too late. "This is all so much."

"I know, but I have obsessed over this because my grandson is caught up in it."

Peppy caught his wife's expression. He cut his gaze back to Vixy and said, "But … thank you. I needed to know what was going on, and you seem to have all the answers."

"I was brought here to help you deal with your burdens, your shame, and your guilt, because everything you became in life has apparently been tied to the day you saw James' transformation when I died."

Peppy frowned firmly. "What? That's…"

"Everything that happened to James, when I was killed, led up to my grandson's destiny, and the prophecy of his children's victory against the Locusts."

"My biggest regret is not having more time to train Fox's son."

"Yes, I know. As I said, I'm here because all of your frustrations, all of your shame, your guilt, your burdens … they all stem from situations with my husband, my son, and my grandson. So I am here to help you unshoulder the weight of your burdens."

"All right, um, so I still have some baggage on my soul, huh? So, let me ask you something else … what about the Aparoids?"

Vixy frowned. "The Aparoids were an abomination. They never should have existed in the first place. They upset the order of nature by further creating unnatural deaths, same as the Locusts, and by trapping the souls of those people in mechanically controlled bodies. It was … not what the Almighty Creator intended when He created the physical realm and tied it to this realm."

"He? So, the goddess Lylat isn't the Almighty Creator?"

"No. The goddess, Lylat, created the Lylat system. And, yes, she is aware that the system has honored her by name. However, she did not create the cosmos, nor the fabric of existence." said Vixy. "The Aparoids and Locusts were never supposed to exist. They are a product of a series of perfect storm accidents, created by mortals living in the realm of life."

"Can't the creator snap His fingers and fix it?"

"No. He created the laws of the universe. He put things into motion. He stepped back and started creating alternative realities and different dimensions. Divine Intervention could break the fabric of reality if done wrong. So, instead, He has given us … myself, Vivian, and now you, access to knowledge that will help us guide our loved ones into surviving their trials."

"So … life is a mechanism already in motion, so to speak."

"Yes, precisely. If the Locusts ever found a way to use Krazoa technology and break into this realm, then, yes, Divine Intervention would take place. But, to force fate would mean He has to break His promise of freewill to all sentient beings."

"I see. So … I'm not in some sort of cosmic trouble with our creator for causing the genocide of the entire Aparoid race?"

Vixy shook her head. "As I said, they were never supposed to exist. A wayward Krazoan woman sought to create her own race and attempt immortality by trying to 'play God,' in a deliberate attempt to provoke the Almighty with an aggressive race of hybrid mechanical abominations."

"How, uh, did the creator react to that?"

"No idea." She shrugged with a slight frown. "It was long before we existed."

"And then I came along and drove a ship through the core of the Aparoid home world. Genocide of a race is still a lot to be responsible for."

"You were 'responsible for' righting the natural order of things, Peppy."

"Oh." Peppy grinned sheepishly. The grin faded. "But it still killed billions when I destroyed the planet. It's always … sorta … bothered me, deep down … rattling around in the back of my head, you know? That's why I'm surprised you told me my biggest burden involved the McCloud family."

"You didn't feel burdened with shame by the destruction of the Aparoid race. You did it to save Lylat from their kind. What 'rattled around' in the 'back of your head' was guilt in having the second highest body count in history tied to your legacy."

"Second? Second highest body count? There were billions on that planet. Who killed more than me?"

"Beltino Toad; he created the apoptosis program, ordering most of the Aparoids left in the universe to self-destruct. Only those too damaged or too newly created to receive commands from the Queen Aparoid had survived the purge … roughly a handful, and all of them are gone, now."

"Uh, Vixy, how many Aparoids are we talking, here?"

"Peppy, there were Aparoids in a war with the Locusts, clear across the galaxy. There were Aparoids in adjacent galaxies. All the Aparoids within 'immediate earshot' of the queen's apoptosis command, caused by Beltino's computer virus, were already going to self-destruct anyhow. You simply destroyed their home world, giving them an honorable death, which was important to quite a few of the people who were turned into Aparoids against their will."

"I … hadn't thought of it that way. An honorable death, huh?"

"Before you ask, it does not count for anything, here. But the Aparoids were created from many, many species. For some aliens, an honorable death is everything. You saved countless cultures from a death by self-destruction, which is tantamount to suicide."

"So, there were more Aparoids than the billions on their home world at the time I destroyed it?"

"Yes, Peppy. Nearly four trillion in total throughout the cosmos, which is why the Locusts could not fight them to any sort of conclusion. If the Locusts cleared one system of Aparoids, they still could not defeat the entire race."

"Still, the toll of … billions of lives snuffed out in the blink of an eye … I'm not going to lie, Vixy, that was pretty hard for me to swallow. If I'm being honest, here, I'm dead and I still feel guilty about it. I can't imagine the fiery death of your planet going to pieces beneath your feet … that is something I made people experience … a really crappy way to die for sure."

Vixy placed both of her paws upon Peppy's shoulders. "It was over in an instant for nearly all the Aparoids on that planet. You freed souls tied to those bodies, all of which had been tethered unnaturally; some for millennia. You liberated them."

"Well, that's a relief. I was a little worried that would count against me getting in to see my family."

"Not in the least, Peppy."

"So, you're really here to weigh my burdens?"

"Weigh? No. I'm here to alleviate them, so you don't carry them with you to the next cycle of life."

"But, Vixy, why you?"

"I was your biggest burden … for all the guilt you felt of the Aparoids' destruction, you never felt shame in that. You knew they gave you no alternative, and the Lylat System hung in the balance. But the guilt and shame you felt in the belief that you failed me, Jim, and Fox? That weighed the heaviest on your shoulders when you closed your eyes for the last time."

Peppy frowned thoughtfully.

"But, as I pointed out earlier, Peppy, you have failed no one. Fox and James have always seen you as the most reliable man in their lives."

"Well, honestly, it's a relief to hear I'm in the clear on the Aparoid thing, too." Peppy feigned a slight grin. "Okay, then, so … is there a Hell, and did Pigma go there?"

"There is a … place, far from the sight of the Almighty Creator, where spirits go to have their misdeeds purged from the canvas that is our immortal soul."

Peppy furrowed his brows. "Canvas of our soul? So, like, the dark 'laces' of our 'misdeeds' that have poisoned the spirit in life?"

Vixy nodded firmly. "Precisely. Some people have been known to see it in the aura of others. The Lapin peoples were well known for having such empathy … your kind especially avoided anyone capable of performing deeds that tarnished one's very soul…"

"I didn't avoid Pigma, though."

"You did after his darkest deception, but even then, his actions were an attempt to save his father, so his loyalty was prioritized by kin. Betraying blood is far more egregious, but his actions were, in fact, considered a sin, as he placed the life of his father and the linings of his figurative pockets … in front of the entire Lylat System – he betrayed his race."

Peppy rubbed his chin, somewhat surprised to still have so many expressions used in life. "Okay, so … what happened to his soul, anyhow?"

"You tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but you listened to your leader." A pause, then Vixy McCloud answered the question. "Pigma's soul is in the afterlife, but it is not here. It takes time to cleanse a soul. I'm told it is not … pleasant. However, it's not permanent. Pigma was a broken man in life, and he was a tormented soul. But his suffering in life, as an Aparoid, alone, in the frozen depths of space … it was unbearable and unfathomable. So, his time in that … other realm … will likely be reduced compared to other men known for such deceit and dishonor. However, as I said, everything he did was out of misguided loyalty to his father, so he was not punished for the sin of complete betrayal, for which there is no redemption." Vixy gestured for Peppy to turn back to his wife. She added, "Now that you know James and Fox have survived, and that the destruction of the Aparoid home world and their queen was your destiny, you are unburdened, Peppy Hare. Now, go spend time with your wife.

Peppy reached up and pushed his ear-stalks back. He turned to Vivian and said, "Well, as long as Pigma is serving a punishment, even if it's not permanent, I'm happy, heh. I know I probably shouldn't be happy to hear that anyone wound up in Hell, but … we're talking about Dengar, here. He's getting what he deserved and I always figured he'd wind up there anyhow, so … works for me."

Vivian linked arms with her husband. "Come, let me show you home. All souls are born here. We've spent more time here than alive, and you will slowly regain your memories of our time together in this plane of existence. It's truly home, and I wanted to greet you and welcome you back to it."

"Home is wherever you are, Viv."

She rested her head on his shoulder. They walked together. The darkness became lighter.

Peppy looked around as they walked, armed linked. "Is this the 'light at the end of the tunnel' or whatever?"

"No, love. The vast beyond isn't defined by some common metaphor."

Peppy mused, "I guess … what I mean is … this isn't exactly like what we're told to expect by people who had been revived from clinical death…"

Vivian unlinked arms with him. She put it around his back and slid her paw overtop where a back pocket would have been in the mortal world. She reached across with her other hand to take his paw. "Honey, the physical mind comforts a dying body with images of walking into a light, and other such things … it's the theatrics of a dying person's imagination, because subconsciously, their mind know they just died. But you don't actually see this realm until after the mind expires and releases the spirit, which is the energy that protects your soul…"

"Because matter and antimatter cannot coexist together without a protective field around antimatter?"

"Yes, but those are conversations you can have with Lucy one day. For now, just be content with my explanation: The mortal mind never sees heaven, only the soul."

"So, this is it, then, huh? My body and mind are gone…"

Vivian gave his paw a squeeze, then she up-nodded to the realm that began to fade into existence up ahead. "You've just pierced the veil, my love. You were at the gates until just now. And now you can enter heaven, unburdened and guilt free. And, Peppy, I've missed you so much."

"I thought yearning was a mortal concept?"

"No, Peppy. Not for soulmates. The heart wants what the heart wants, but the soul is linked in a way that … the best way to describe it is, I felt incomplete until today."

"If you don't mind my asking, why was Vixy the one to greet me?"

"Someone has to help the burdened shed the toxicity of guilt, shame, and immense grief. She is quite good at helping people rationalized their feelings. It's why James married her. She helped him cope with his actions in the military. Furthermore, she was the first to the gates because, well…"

"I'm listening," he replied.

Vivian shook her head with a soft chuckle. "It's like she has an RSS feed on the mortal world. She is obsessed with the happenings of James, Fox, Star, and even Andross. She watches from the veil at the edge of this realm. She was there when you began to cross over, so she was the first to greet you. She saw that a lot of your grief stemmed from your feelings about James and Fox."

"Oh. So, it wasn't because I needed to unload my, uh, burdens to someone related to Fox and James?"

"No, honey. She was just the right person for the job because your feelings involved her mate and child. Also, some souls have been known to stay at the veil for a while, but as long as that took, in the mortal world, it would have only been a minute."

"Oh. Really? So, things in real time occur quickly here, huh?"

"Yes. A year on Corneria would feel like eons here, but you have the ability to relive your … greatest hits, shall we say. That passes the time."

"Oh, so Vixy probably feels tortured by dying so long before James and Fox, huh? I mean, if she's just standing at the Pearly Gates, watching paint dry and watching a tea kettle sit on the stove…"

"Perhaps so. But don't worry about Vixy. She'll be reunited with James and Fox when it is their time."

"I'm glad I wound up where you are."

Vivian smiled softly. "As am I, Peppy."

"Like I used to say, if we both wound up in Hell, and I were to get there first, I'd have saved you a seat at the bar."

Vivian chuckled with a shake of her head. "It's simply a place where the impure and toxic energies are discharged before the soul can be fully allowed into the realm. Very few souls stay forever. A handful at best."

"Will Andross be one of them?"

"Andross wanted to fix things, he just didn't know how to go about doing it. His soul didn't make decisions; his mortal mind did, which is a product of nature, nurture, hormones, and their effect on neural pathway mapping. In short, a good soul can belong to a person who makes poor decisions. Since Andross is still alive, his time in what we call 'hell' has not yet been determined. And, since those who wind up in Hell have no idea they can come here once they are truly repentant, until such a time as they are truly repentant, some stay quite a while."

"Oh. Well, then. How about that. So, what was the name of my soul when it was born here?"

"We chose our own names; many of us keep the name of our last living iteration. Be Peppy for as long as you prefer. Now, come, let me reintroduce you to the realm where we first met and fell in love. That's how soulmates are made, after all. It takes a little time for the memories to come back, but until they do, I'll take you to see your parents."

"That sounds nice. I was a little disappointed by the fact the Pearly Gates aren't pearly in any way. It's just a misty veil. Kind of low budget."

"Oh, Peppy. I've missed your quips and your humor."

"I've missed you, Viv. Say, is Johnny here?"

"Yes, John and Jack Pepper are both here. Zerda and Bosworth are here with their wives. Beltino is here. Edward Spaniel and Michael Lynx are both here. I'll take you around to re-meet everyone in time. But, first, let's go see your parents."

"Thank you, Vivian."

"And then, I'd like to spend some time together … just us."

"Finally."

She smiled and put her head on his shoulder again. "I love you."

"God, I love you."

"How does it feel to be home?"

"I don't care where I ended up, so long as I got to be with you." He stopped her in her tracks, turned her to face him, embraced her face between his cupped palms, and kissed his wife the way he did the day he married her in life.

Now he was home.

The End

X

---

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I hope people still are reading this! I haven't really seen any reviews for the recent chapters. I know it's been, like, a decade, but … yeah. It's done! What did you think of it? Let me know! :D