Chapter -38-
Into The Cold

Great Fox Flying Fortress

Marcus slid off his bed, stood up, and stretched. He picked up Fara's clothes, draped over the nightstand and passed them to her. "So, uh, what's the story with the piano in the living room?"

Fara reached out for her wadded-up clothing. With her free paw, she used a corner of the top sheet to dab herself dry between her sandy-furred thighs, then she pulled her underwear up her legs, and guided her tail through the notch at the back of the panties. She grinned at Marcus and said, "Did you look at it up close?"

"I mean, not really. Wait. There's … something special about it?"

"Yeah. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet. But as soon as your parents gave us the Flying Fortress, I felt comfortable with having it shipped here."

Marcus reached for his pants and shirt. The shirt had his A-frame still inside of it, and his pants had his boxer-briefs still inside of them. He pulled both on, quick and smooth, then glanced back at Fara, who was also nearly dressed. He turned for the door, nudged it open, and walked out to the piano in his living room. "I sense a growing excitement in you, now that I've noticed the instrument."

"Yeah. Did I ever tell you anything about my time with Peppy before he passed?"

Marcus shook his head. "Not really. I feel like I should know … you shared your memories with my mom. Then, she and I shared our memories with one another. So I have your memories, but … after piling them atop of mine and hers, it just … feels like three lifetimes ago. It's in there somewhere."

Fara slid her feet into shoes. She stood up, stretched backward until her lower back popped, then she sighed with relief. She crossed the bedroom, picked up Marcus' shoes on the way to the living room, and handed them to him in passing. She sat down on a bench behind the piano-like instrument.

Marcus came around, behind her, and noticed the strange layout of the playing keys. "Wait, this is Krazoan?"

Fara's grin broadened. "Uh-huh. Found the original on Miracle while working a job with Peppy. Not long before we met, actually." She gently brushed her fingers across the keys, without pressing them. "I later commissioned experts to examine, scan, and reproduce the instrument for me. Each grouping of circular-arranged keys is an active. The diamond shaped buttons are major, and the oval-shaped keys are minor. What impressed me the most is that it stayed in tune for two thousand-some-odd years. It doesn't use strings or anything that would slowly-but-surely go out of tune."

Marcus felt the instrument was familiar, but still didn't know how to play it. "I think your, uh, passenger that you gave me … knows what this is, but never learned to play it."

"Yeah. He's a warrior. A soldier. His fondest non-military memories are the ones handed down to him from his family of raising children. To be honest, having their experience with parenting children has really imprinted on me. I've been secretly yearning to know motherhood for myself for the last few years. Especially since you and I started dating."

Marcus placed a palm on her shoulder. "I'm sensing that it's been an extremely personal experience for you, and something you've kept guarded in your heart for a few years, now."

Fara reached up and placed a paw upon the one he placed on her shoulder. She shifted her rump a bit, getting comfortable on the bench seat. She placed both her paws on the keys, exhaled, and started a very full-sounding melody with the instrument. She manipulated the circular grouping of keys with her palms, the base of her fingers, and her fingertips, to create four total overlapping harmonious chords. She eased up on her palms and fingers in a way that allowed her to arpeggiate the chords in a way that created a riff overtop the chord-swells.

Marcus kept his paw on her shoulder, standing behind her. "Man, that's really pretty. I went through a phase of playing guitar in my teen years. Got pretty good at it. We should jam sometime when all this craziness blows over. After we defeat the Locusts and Anezka."

"Actually, that'd be a lot of fun. This thing is surprisingly intuitive to play. It'd be a lot of fun to write some songs on it. You could teach Ted to play the bass, then we'd just need a drummer."

Marcus grinned. "You were in a rock band as a teenager?"

"Can't keep secrets from you," said Fara with a wry smile. "Nothing professional, of course. Just something for fun."

"I'd like that," said Marcus, listening to her noodle through chords and scales. "I haven't had any memory imprints from this Krazoan Spirit. Are you saying you did?"

"After a while, I started remembering some memory imprints from him."

"Anything interesting?" He placed both paws upon her shoulders and gave her an impromptu massage.

Fara continued to play random chording. "Yeah. I learned a few things. That particular spirit was from the last iteration of Krazoa. They weren't nearly as tall as their ancestors from a million years ago … the ones that terraformed all the worlds in Lylat. Then, there was another group of Krazoa, a hundred thousand years ago. Those descendants made sentient creatures on many worlds, including Kew and Cerinia. And then, about seventy-to-eighty-thousand-years-ago, roughly, the golden-aged Krazoans tried a new experiment by evolving an ape-based population on some planet that was only accessible through a warp gate. They weren't all that different from Andross' people, except that they lacked body hair once genetically mutated. That race is so far away, they may never have to worry about the Locusts … at least not any time soon."

"There's another sentient race out there, based on ape DNA?"

Fara nodded. "They were anatomically modernized by the Krazoan experiments. The Krazoa stopped focusing on them because they were an aggressive race, although they seemed to have a great understanding of art and music, as well."

"That's pretty wild. I wish I could interface with this passenger better."

"You will. Give it time, hon." Fara abruptly stopped playing and looked up at her mate, now standing behind her, with his stomach against the back of her head, and his paws on her shoulders. She afforded him a smile. "I'd say I love how romantic you are, but I'm too distracted by your gorgeous abs against my head."

Marcus grinned down at her. His paws slid over her shoulders, and down the front of her chest, touching her possessively. "Round two?"

"Mm, I'd love to, but let's bookmark that for later. We should keep an eye on 'Saru,' and the others."

"Saru, huh?"

"It was Andross' military code name. Not sure why."

"I see. All right."

"Hey, one thing though … is it me or does Miyu seem awfully familiar with Panther?"

"Well, I think they're getting physical."

"Yeah, but it seems like those two already have chemistry. Like they've been together before, and they're getting back together. I don't know, Marcus, it just seems like they're already comfortable with each other, and that's why they're hooking up so easily."

Marus shrugged. "I think Miyu had a one-night-stand with Panther after he helped save Lylat from the Aparoids. I think she met Panther in the academy. If I'm not mistaken, they graduated the same year."

"I see…" Fara rubbed her chin in thought. "Okay. But, Panther doesn't act like he remembers her."

Marcus laughed softly. "Pretty sure he doesn't, actually. She remembers him, but hasn't brought it up. I'm thinking it's because, deep down, she knows he doesn't remember her and the mere notion of being forgotten by someone … that would hurt anyone's ego."

"Oh. Damn. So, she was just a one-night-fling to him, huh? That sucks."

"I can't believe she won't bring it up to him." Marcus shrugged. "I know I would be offended if someone forgot me, heh."

"Heh. Me, too." Fara stood up. She looked down and saw that Marcus had put on his shoes. She gestured for the door across the living room. "You didn't want to catch a quick shower, first?"

"I probably should, but I just can't stand still right now."

Fara smirked. "I remember when, before this section of the ship went through a refit … back when you and I first started working together…"

Marcus grinned at her. "You mean, back when we first found GreatFox II? Yeah. This poor dreadnought has seen better days."

"Yeah, it has. But, specifically, I'm referring to when the showers weren't working."

Marcus laughed. "Oh! That's right! When we first chased Andrew from Sauria to Venom … we had to use the detox showers on the hanger, heh."

"Yup! So! Shall we go tour the ship and see what we can learn from our new crew members?"

"Let's." Marcus offered her an arm.

Fara took his arm and linked her own with his. "Let's."

X


X

Lylat Jump Gate

The Great Fox 'Destroyer' approached a glowing green field at the center of an enormous metallic ring. The destroyer class vessel plunged into the liquid-like light and disappeared into the event horizon just beyond the liquid-y pond-like surface. The transition from Lylat to a different star system was nearly instantaneous for the vessel's crew.

There was a wave of color, mixed with black and white, but it didn't last for more than three or four seconds.

The Great Fox Destroyer emerged in the new star system from a swirling funnel-shaped cone of light, as if it had traveled through an invisible tube. As soon as the ship emerged fully, the exit of the temporary wormhole closed in on itself and disappeared.

The destroyer drifted forward at a slow rate of speed under inertial speed.

On the bridge of the destroyer class ship, the crew faced their forward view-screen. They found themselves confronted with a dark planet and, in the distance, a black chunk of very large and very dense mass at the center of the system.

The destroyer had a long rocket-shaped object connected to the bottom of the ship, twice as long as the vessel. Locking clamps released the object, and a booster at its aft section roared to life, glowing white. The lengthy probe-like jolted forward, picking up speed. The rocket-like pole-shaped device moved at a high rate of speed; so quickly that even with its bright running lights and white flame trail, it was difficult to see. At its high rate of speed, it became untraceable to sensors within thirty seconds.

The device headed for the enormous dark rock at the center of the system.

Silence.

It took twenty minutes to reach the gigantic black mass at the center of the system.

The long pole-shaped device slammed into the dark mass and disappeared into it.

An impressive flash occurred, where the device struck the black mass, and the brightness spread out over the course of fifteen minutes, until the front of the large black globe became bright and white. The glow continued to spread, reigniting the fusion reaction of the dark star, until its hydrogen and helium fuel plasma roared, bubbled, and churned, and the core initiated nuclear fusion. The blast surrounded the entire black star in a matter of minutes, until it was fully emerged in a white glow.

On the bridge of the Great Fox destroyer, Fox McCloud paced the bridge in front of his crew. He turned to Lucy Hare with a bright grin. "I am so glad you showed up at the very last minute to join my crew. Your device worked better than I could have ever dreamed."

Lucy was all smiles. She looked a bit bashful from the praise. "Aw, it was nothing. Back at the University, we had been studying the Cerinian Star ever since Krystal came to Lylat and brought it to our attention. It's been something that the astrophysics lab at the University of Fichina has been studying for … well, ever since I was teaching there. This device was based on my paper. It's what got me a PhD. I'm just … glad it worked."

Krystal hugged Lucy in silence, too emotional to speak.

Fox turned back to the rest of the bridge crew. "Status?"

Slippy Toad glanced down at a sensor readout screen built into a console in front of his seat. "Okay, it's fusing about six hundred million tons of hydrogen into helium every second, converting, roughly, about four million tons of matter into energy each second. It seems to be re-achieving hydrostatic equilibrium. Good news, its absolute magnitude of celestial luminosity is approaching four-point-eight. For comparison, Lylat's Star is about plus-four-point-eight-three-five. Sensors show an apparent magnitude, based on intrinsic luminosity from our location, of negative twenty-six."

"And that's good?" asked Fox.

"Across the board, skipper," replied Slippy. "I thought it would take longer to reignite a star that was placed into suspended animation. Its time in 'dark stasis' doesn't … seem to have affected the synodic rotation of Cerinia or the planet's orbital track around the star … at least not that I can tell. Although I imagine if it stayed dark for a longer period, there might have been some changes. Somewhere in the neighborhood of several thousand years, I imagine. It will take a while before it's visible to Lylat's strongest telescopes; from what I understand, it only disappeared from the night sky around the time Star became a teenager, although to the naked eye, or standard telescope, its light is still visible. You need Lylat's strongest telescope to see far enough into space that it would disappear from view. Sorry. Rambling. I'm excited. I've never reignited a freaking star before. Anyhow, I think we're good to go."

Fox rubbed his chin. He understood most of the basics, but certainly couldn't follow everything Slippy had announced to the bridge crew. McCloud stopped his pacing and stared at the polarized visual on the screen. "Krystal, does it … look like it should?"

Krystal rubbed tears from her eyes. "It looks just as I remember it."

Fox smiled. He pivoted on his foot and faced away from the viewer. "Slippy, ROB, It looks like you two solved our first issue. That was … really great, team. ROB, how long before Cerinia thaws?"

ROB said, "By my calculations, it will take a while. Some of the ice that likely formed on Cerinia would be permafrost by now. Sensors show it still has its atmosphere intact. The poles are the coldest, but I'm already seeing Cerinia's equatorial temperature drop by four degrees. The salt content in its oceans have kept all but the surface of the water from freezing solid in the past couple of decades. However, the frozen surface layer of the oceans will reflect the light of Cerinia's star back. We need to find a way to thaw the oceans rapidly, so it absorbs the light and heat of the system star."

"Okay, can you give us a ball-park guess for when Cerinia might become habitable again, if we don't interfere?"

ROB paused to crunch numbers, then he announced, "I would estimate approximately eighty-to-one-hundred years before the planet is fully hospitable again, if we do not interfere. I highly recommend finding a way to thaw the ice layer on the surface of the planet's oceans. If we can find a way to turn the frost layer back to liquid, rapidly, the temperature will become hospitable within fifteen-to-twenty-five years as a rough estimate."

"Okay, where is our mission objective located," asked Fox.

ROB caused the viewscreen to become partitioned at the center. "Our target coordinates are at the equator, which will be oxygenated after we use the 'Andross Device…'"

"Let's call it the terraforming device," said Fox.

"You're the boss." ROB resumed his previous topic where he left off. "…the terraforming device created by Andross with Krazoan tech. The original device removed acidity from the Venom seas. This new device does not terraform the planet, but, rather, transforms the air to something … breathable."

Fox grimaced. He turned to his wife with a frown.

Krystal had nothing to say at the time.

Lucy and Amanda also remained quiet.

Slippy walked over to ROB's station and said, "What if we make a modification to the terraforming device? The original one was used on water, right? We could possibly introduce some sort of entropy energy reaction command into the mix, so that the water melts quicker. If we do that, could we get the temperatures down at the equator?"

ROB crunched some numbers then replied, "In theory it might be possible to make the equator daytime temperature come up to fifty degrees Fahrenheit. That would make it easier for the team to operate without needing helmet enclosures, but underground it would still be quite cold."

Fox clapped his paws together and rubbed them together in excitement. "Now we're talking! Get to it, gang. Krystal and I will head down to the surface in our HAE-suits and give her some closure. Let us know when to head back to the shuttle, so we're not outside during the air-terraforming process."

ROB swiveled his head a bit and said, "The device used on the Venom seas changed the acidity levels without harming the Anglars. Your Hazmat and Environment suits will protect you while the air transitions to become breathable once more. It may smell and taste a little stale until the plant life returns and gives it the smell and taste that mammals are used to experiencing."

Fox nodded. "Fair enough. But, just to be safe, we'll return to the shuttle and raise the shields until after the device does its thing. Better safe than sorry."

"Very well," said ROB.

"All right, you two, how long do you think it will take to make the modifications to the device?"

Slippy glanced at ROB.

The piloting robot crunched some numbers and said, "I guesstimate by this time tomorrow, if not sooner." ROB turned back to Slippy and added, "You have been looking for a reason to use your new Red Sprocket tool kit. Let's go and open up the device chassis; I will interface with the onboard computer. That is our best starting point."

Slippy turned to Amanda. "Well, ROB, Lucy, and I will be down in the lab next to the hanger … if you can call it a 'hanger.' More like a 'launch pad.' Anyhow, do you wanna tag along?"

Amanda smiled. "You three go on ahead. I'll stay here and monitor Fox and Krystal's HAE suits. Just in case something goes wrong, I'll be able to react."

Krystal offered a smile to Amanda. "Thank you for having our backs."

Amanda replied with a bright smile of her own. "Oh, girl, of course! You know it! Plus I need a moment to just … sit. So much has been going on, and I've been on autopilot."

Krystal nodded in understanding. "Thanks again." She turned to Fox. "I'm ready when you are."

"No time like the present," Fox replied. He cut his gaze over at ROB. "What's the percentage of possibility that some of her people may have survived in a bunker for the past twenty-some-odd years?"

ROB's entire torso lifted then dropped; his arms and head stayed completely motionless.

Fox blinked.

Lucy grinned. "He's shrugging, Fox."

ROB gestured to Lucy but kept his face in Fox's direction. "What she said. Without knowing anything about Cerinian culture, I cannot compute such variables. I do not know how long the people had to head for shelter. I do not know how long their culture's dry goods last. I do not know how many people they would have seen fit to occupy a bunker. I also cannot assume that Krystal would memorize such information, as she was involved with science, exploration, healing, and general academia information. I would say it's likely that some of her people sought refuge beneath the ground if they already had such an infrastructure in place, but who packs twenty-to-thirty years' worth of food? Who packs seeds to make crops, or has space to make a subterranean agriculture center? Who has three decades' worth of water to survive so long? And then the survival of one's race would be generational, so who has enough food and water and waste facilities and power to preserve the culture beneath the ground that long? It's likely that they died in their bunkers."

Silence.

ROB added, "My apologies for my candor, Krystal. But it is a reality you may wish to prepare for, if you try to find any bunkers…"

Krystal nodded with a frown. "I … will brace myself and my emotions." She turned to Fox. "Let's … just … get this over with."

Fox nodded. "Right behind you, hon."

No one else spoke. They simply didn't know what to say after ROB's vividly painted mental picture.

X


X

An hour later…
Shuttle mounted beneath the GF Destroyer

Fox drew the harness over himself and clicked it into place. "Okay, pre-trip checklist looks good. You let me know if you want me to take over at any point, okay?"

She feigned a smile. "I appreciate you offering to open the pickle jar if it frustrates me, Fox, but … this is something I have to do. Besides, I know where to go."

Fox nodded in understanding. "I'm just … I'm here if you need anything from me."

Her slight smile broadened just a little. "I know. That's why I married you." She reached up and touched a 'clamp release' switch on the panel above her head.

He tried to be playful. "Well, that's not the only reason, I'm sure."

Krystal smirked. She reached for the controls and eased into the forward thrust bar. "No, I'm pretty sure it's just because you offer to do things when I give you the pouty face."

"Exactly," said Fox with a firm nod. "I fulfill your needs when you feel needy."

"Mm-hmm." She piloted the shuttle into a landing path, increased acceleration, and, upon approach to Cerinia, she pulled up the nose of the shuttle, so that the belly of the craft took the heat. The craft's shields glowed all around it, and she eyed her dash.

"You're flying by instruments?"

Krystal frowned. "Yeah. Seeing it all dark like this … not a single light in any city across the planet … it's … I've never seen it like this. I know, I know, I'll be seeing frozen bodies in the streets or … whatever. It's just … one thing at a time, you know?"

"Do you … sense anyone?"

"I'd have told you if I did."

Fox grimaced.

"Don't berate yourself for saying what's on your mind. I can sense your unspoken thoughts, but you still have the right to voice them."

"I should have thought before I spoke. It sounded uncompassionate."

"For a man that has killed hundreds of Anglars, thousands of Imperials, and billions of Aparoids, you are one of the most empathetic men I've ever met. In any star system. Don't second guess yourself, now, Fox. I'm going to be okay. I'm going to make it through this. I know this isn't my fault. But, now, I also know it wasn't … directly … Andross' fault, either. So, everything I came to terms with? I find myself mourning all over again. On the other hand, part of me wishes Marcus could be here to see this with me. It is his ancestral home, and being able to share it with him would mean so much … but I don't know how I could ever bring myself to come back a second time, later, jut to show him. If we even survive the Locusts … I mean, look what they've done to Cerinia? They have the technology to do the same thing to Lylat's Star. I don't know if my heart could take the sight of losing my adoptive home world, after having the loss of this one seared into my brain."

Fox folded his hands in his lap, listening to her vent. He wasn't sure he would have been able to talk about, let alone share, the end of existence with anyone else. Hearing Krystal face this was something he really respected, but, at the same time, it was something he had to push himself to do, because it was such an awkward topic.

Krystal continued. "Will I find bodies frozen in piles in schools? Will I find bodies with malnourished grimaces of hunger frozen on their faces in bunkers? Will the senate have died in session, while trying to lead in the final moments of my people? Will they have hid themselves away beneath the leadership hall? Did they die from fighting over food? Did they freeze? Did they seek a painless but cowardly way out by suicide…?"

"Is suicide really cowardly?"

Krystal frowned. "I would have fought. I did fight. I knew I might starve to death by following Andross' wake trail all the way to Lylat. In fact, I nearly ran out of fuel, and had to coast the last day to Sauria. I barely had enough fuel to lift off and land on Great Fox. Thank goodness I made it out of orbit that day."

Fox fidgeted but kept his hands folded on his lap. "You've had a while to think about what you might find if you ever came home. I always knew I'd be by your side if this day ever came, but … I've always put those mental images out of my head. Whatever I see, I'll do my best not to process it. Coping mechanism and all that. I'd encourage you to do the same, but I know that women don't always grieve the same way that guys grieve. And … I really appreciate being included in this. I know it's going to be a private thing for you."

"Well, I never thought my home world would see sunshine again, before today, Fox. Andross made that possible."

"Lucy made it possible."

"Yes, using Andross' technology. If he didn't reverse engineer the Krazoan tech to save Venom's seas, this moment wouldn't be happening either. I know it bothers you to call it the Andross device, but … I was there while he finished building and testing it. It was an accident, but he recruited me as a lab assistant. The fact I helped him create it, and was there when he hid it on Titania … it's kind of cathartic in a way. I mean … I helped him build the very technology that is now being used to save … to resurrect Cerinia."

"But its people are all gone. You said it yourself – you don't sense anyone."

"Here, no. But if I set of a beacon … if I create an auto-repeating distress call, I might be able to reach surviving Cerinians. It's been said to me, more than once, that as a space-faring race, there should be at least a handful of survivors."

Fox frowned. "If you meet a man who is a full-blooded member of your race…"

Krystal reached over and placed a paw upon her husband's shoulders. "No. Let the survivors of Cerinia procreate with one another. If the children of Cerinia procreate with the children of my children, that is fine. But I have my husband."

"You've once told me that your people were sometimes polyamorous. If it's some sort of heritage custom, who am I to…?"

"Fox, I married into a monogamous relationship, and I'm happy."

Fox smiled. His shoulders relaxed. "All right." His gaze lifted to the windshield. "Well … we're getting close."

"Yes," she whispered softly, practically mouthing the word. She eased the controls forward, lowering the nose of the craft until the sunrise over her home city came into view. "The first sun-up Cerinia has seen in decades. Should I be crying right now? Why am I not? I just … this is … I don't even know how to feel right now."

Fox reached over and placed a comforting paw on her knee. He didn't say anything. He just touched her knee to let her know he was there.

Krystal pursed her lips. Her eyes welled up with tears, glistening like morning dew. "Thank you," she mouthed with a broken voice that closer resembled a whisper than anything tonal.

"See? You were asking why you're not crying, but it just took a moment to process."

Krystal shook her head with a sniffle mixed with a weak chuckle. "No, you silly man. I'm crying because you're perfect."

"How … how do you mean?"

"I've cried all the tears I can possibly shed over Cerinia. I've made my peace with it. I have to process a new enemy to blame, but … I've come to terms with my burden of being one of, if not thee … last survivor of my race. But you…" She kept her left hand on the control yoke and moved her right palm atop of his paw and gave it a squeeze. "You did good."

"I did?"

"No 'fix it mode.' No speeches, no peacocking in an attempt to fix my problems … you just … you let me vent on your shoulder, you didn't interrupt, you put your hand on me, you offered to be my 'misery company.' My … fuss-buddy. You are absolutely perfect right now. Exactly what a woman wants … a man who is there for her, and isn't trying to make things about himself. A man who doesn't try to fix what cannot be fixed. Just … a comfort companion. So, thank you."

"I'm honored you're sharing Cerinia with me."

"Oh, Fox."

"Can you … uh … can you help me understand what I did right?"

"Mm, I'm figuratively thirsty, but not dying of thirst. I just don't feel like getting up and pouring myself a glass of water. Right now, I just want someone to sit with me and be thirsty, as well. I don't want someone to fix my problems. I don't like the feeling of troubling someone to fetch me water. I just want someone to sit with me and say, 'I, too, thirst, Krystal,' because knowing that you're with me, and you understand how I'm feeling, and you're going through it with me … that makes me feel better. Less alone. Misery loves company, after all. I can fetch my own water, after all. But I can't make people understand my feelings, unless they thirst with me. Metaphorically, of course."

Fox rubbed his chin in thought with his free hand, and kept his left hand on her knee, still. He gave her leg a gentle squeeze and offered a reassuring smile. "You know that I would fetch you water anyway. I know there's a part of you that feels like you're troubling me by asking me to get up and go do something, but … as a guy, it gives me satisfaction to hold a door, open a pickle jar, or to grab us both some water to refresh our empty cups, y'know?"

"Mm, well, maybe in this scenario, we are snuggled up on the sofa together, and my desire to keep my cuddy-buddy close, and to stay warm, takes precedence over my medium-level thirst level. But, you see how your first reaction is to fix my smallest issue? That is what men like to do. They make a production out of trying to fix everything. When a woman cries, it sends them into 'fix-it mode,' you see…"

"Well, we hate feeling helpless."

"Yes, but I'm not helpless in this scenario. I'm just a little thirsty. But there's something deep … connecting … about knowing your friend, your lover, or, in my case, my spouse, is there with me … understanding what I'm going through … on my level … whether its suffering, pouting, or just … whatever. I like being understood far more than I like sending you for trivial errands. In fact, I hate sending you on trivial errands. That's not who I am."

Fox eyed her for a minute. "I think I get it, now. After all these years, I get it."

She kept her eyes on the windshield, occasionally glancing at the altimeter reading. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. You don't need me to try and fix Cerinia any more than you need me to fix a glass of water because you want to lay in bed, lazily, with me for a while longer. If I get out of bed to get you the water, I'm just disrespecting you … unless I, too, am thirsty, Krystal, and offer to go and get us both some water. However, if that isn't the case, you'd rather just lay together a while longer, both being slightly thirsty together, because that means we're on the same page, and that … that's the connection you enjoy having with me. As a spouse."

Her eyes welled up with tears again. They matted down the fur of her cheeks. "Yes, love. There's no need to go into 'fix it mode' over something as big as Cerinia or as small as a glass of water. Just … be with me. Make me feel safe … connected … understood, and you'll make me a very happy women. And that? That's what you did a moment ago, so thank you … for just … being with me, love. That was brilliant of you, truly, Fox."

He gave her knee a gentle squeeze again.

"All right," Krystal said, drawing her paw from atop of his, and putting it back onto the right side of the control yoke. "We're approaching the landing zone at … the very landing strip from which I took off when I unknowingly left Cerinia for the final time."

"So, you're not just 'home,' you are home."

"Precisely. Twenty-seconds to surface contact."

Fox sat back and put his paws in his lap.

X


X

Meanwhile, in Lylat
Great Fox Flying Fortress

Leon kept his nose close to the whetstone but swiveled his eyes backwards, as if looking behind himself. "Wolf…"

"What, Leon?" Wolf O'Donnell paced the large room that had been converted into guest quarters. He studied the layout and surmised that the carrier was once made in an assembly line designed for creating Cornerian military ships, and that this room would have been for enlisted members' bunk racks … rows upon rows of them. But it was set up by Star Fox as guest quarters, and then left unused.

"Did you hear me?" asked Leon.

"Huh?"

"Goddammit, Wolf. You've not been paying attention to shit today."

"Whatever. Just spit it out."

"For the third time, are we seriously going to follow orders from that little shit?"

Wolf pursed his lips and gave the question some thought.

"Are you ignoring me again?"

"Shut the hell up, Furcifer."

Leon narrowed his large eyes to slits. "No one knows my middle name but you."

Panther, sitting on a bed with Miyu twenty feet away, at the south end of the room, snickered softly. "I already knew it, but Miyu, here, now knows it as well." He and Miyu had a privacy curtain drawn, but their silhouettes were visible due to a lamp attached to Panther's headboard.

Leon tightened his grip on the handle of his favorite dagger. "You didn't know shit, Caruso."

"I do my research on targets before I assassinate them. It has been a long-standing habit from my youth. You don't think I would have researched Star Wolf before flying with them? I checked everything, including your credit rating."

Wolf groaned. "Shut the hell up, Caruso. Go back to sucking face." He stopped pacing and approached Leon. "Look, I'm not ignoring you 'again,' I was giving your question some thought. And, yes. For now, we're going to bide our time. There's a lot of cooks on this rusty deathtrap of a kitchen. Me, for one. Andross. Star and Fara both have leadership personalities…"

Miyu called back to Wolf from the bed at the far south end of the rectangular room. "Marcus. The kid's name is Marcus."

Wolf scoffed. "He'll earn his newer cooler name when I decide he's become man enough to earn my respect. So far, he's more … shall we say … on point than the last time I dealt with him. But at twenty-three, he's still more of a childish little pup than his father was at eighteen."

Panther said, "The average Lylat male doesn't become emotionally mature until the age of forty-three. Women's mean-average is thirty-two. Neither Marcus nor Fara have reached emotional maturity."

Wolf rolled his eyes. "Emotional maturity? What the fuck, Caruso? No one cares how well they can empathize with an overweight second grader, or if they cry at movies. 'Emotional maturity' isn't a goddamn factor in whether or not a man has his life together. Wait … why the hell is there an eleven-year gap between men and women anyhow?"

Miyu answered. "Because women evolved that way from having to utilize empathy in child rearing. In the days of antiquity, young men were sent off to die in wars, sent off to built pyramids and die as laborers, and whatever else. Also, forty-three is around the time that testosterone production starts to taper off."

Leon chortled. "I'm not buying that. I think the reason men's age is higher is because some men never grow up, and those idiots were factored into whatever studies were put together, when considering the averages for age. But, like Wolf said, 'emotional maturity' doesn't mean physical or mental development. The average mammal brain finishes developing around the age of twenty-four. Fara Phoenix has already reached that age, and McCloud is nearly there, now. But my question still stands … Wolf, are we really going to follow the kid into war? He's not fully developed in any capacity, yet. So, what makes him qualified to lead?"

"I don't know!" Wolf snapped. "I don't know what makes him qualified, and I don't know if we're going to follow every order. Only the ones we agree with, but we'll have to assess the situation if he gives any orders that I don't like. All right? Is that good enough for you, Furcifer?"

Miyu stood up from Panther's mattress and walked out from behind the curtain. "God, listen to you two. Neither of you are emotionally mature, yet, and you're both way older than forty-three. Shouldn't you be talking to Garrick?"

Wolf eyed her with furrowed brows. "Who's Garrick?"

"Uh, hello?" Miyu gawked at him. She approached the lupine, paws held outward at her sides. "The nerdy lizard trying to get Venom's government to stop relying on outsiders? Like Kursed, Anezka, Andrew and Dash … Andross."

"What about him?" Wolf crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I haven't met him."

"Farrah told me that your daughter's fiancée has been helping Garrick. So, you have a direct line to the guy. Reach out to Carey or Bliss, get a hole of Garrick, and get that guy in your pocket while making him think that you're in his."

"And … why would I want to do that, Lynx?"

"Because, O'Donnell, Garrick is now working with Asper Sarnoff, who happens to be dating Violet Lombardi, and helping her with her kid. The kid belongs to Marcus McCloud. So, having Garrick close means you have control of everything. He and his group are all that will stand in the way of putting Andross into control of Venom, which leaves Anezka without an army. It also means you'll have the ability to control Falco and Marcus if you need to pull that thread. So, that means control over Garrick gives you control over Andross, Anezka, Asper, Bliss, Carey, Falco, Garrick, Katt, Marcus, Violet, and anyone else tied to that thread."

Wolf met Miyu's approach and stopped in front of her, nearly toe-to-toe with the feline. A sly smile tugged at the corners of his muzzle. "Not bad, Lynx."

"I'm a woman. Plotting is my wheelhouse."

"I also like how you mentioned all the names in alphabetical order. Fine. You got any suggestions for how I should reach out to this guy?"

"You make it look legit," said Miyu. "You go talk to Marcus, and tell him that you overheard my conversation with Farrah about the head of the anti-imperialist group, and you realized that you could convince that guy to get in line by stepping aside to let Andross rule, because Andross will unify Venom, but because he's old and doesn't want to lead anymore, you could arrange having Andross and Garrick come to a truce … you could broker their peace for a small fee. Andross would rule in title only, Garrick would install his people into the Venom government, legally, and start making legislation that, down the road, would put all the power into the hands of the people of Unified-Venom. You tell Marcus that doing this will take a lot of the stress off of Star Fox, because it's less variables to worry about while they're preparing to handle Anezka and, afterward, the Locusts."

"Shit, girl, you've got it all figured out, huh? All right, smarty-pants, you got a word track for me to use to talk Marcus into this plan?"

Miyu groaned. "Do I have to do everything for you?"

"No, but I'm asking because I'm curious how your mind works."

"Fine. You tell Marcus that you're an expert in brokering business deals that happen off-the-books. Politics is just business, but instead of shareholders and CEOs, it's politicians. Same suits, different ties. Marcus will agree because he'll sense that you really do want to get this mess organized, you really do want to charge a broker fee by organizing this peace, and you really, really do want to have control over a situation that, if not fixed soon, could potential become volatile. Sure, you want to get these ducks in a row because you'll need the leverage to keep everyone in line if push comes to shove, but if everything works out, you won't need to do anything but collect your peace-brokering fee. Marcus will understand that you have an ulterior motive, but it will be worth it to him to know that those duckies are lined-the-fuck-up. Got it?"

Wolf's smile brightened. "It's hard to believe that you flew for Star Fox, followed by two mediocre careers with the Army Air Guard and the Cornerian Navy. Between your expert-level plotting, and your carefully-placed cussing, which you're using to get me to trust you, I really got to say, Lynx … you're a goddamn natural. You've just got me to go with your plan, which means your home-girl, the AI chick, is the one pulling all the strings. She used you to talk me into agreeing with this plan. I play my part and talk everyone else into falling in line with this plan … my only question is … why convince me to do this?"

"How do you mean?" asked Miyu.

"You're having me run this … Garrick guy. Why not do it yourself?"

"Because you've brokered more off-the-book deals, Wolf. I'm good, but you're better."

Wolf laughed. "I would have agreed with that sentiment, until you paraphrased something I've said in the past. That's expert-level clever shit, right there. But I'm still onboard. I don't mind being manipulated into doing something if I benefit, and have control over the soldiers from a mid-manager perspective, without having the responsibility and spotlight of the upper-management people. Fine. I'll go talk to Marcus and get things moving in the right direction. You go tell the AI lady that you got her plan in place."

Miyu smirked. "What makes you think I didn't come up with all of this, myself?"

"Did you?"

Miyu grinned. "You'll never know. Just know this – I already have my fingers in several other pies, including Bill and Fay getting married soon, and a bunch of other stuff. Now, take Leon with you. I'm putting a sock on the door handle as soon as you two leave the room. Got me?"

Wolf's smile melted into a wry grin. "You're all right, Lynx. You ever want work? Call me. Star Wolf would hire you any time."

"We'll see."

Wolf waved a paw. "C'mon, Leon. Let's go."

Leon shrugged and fell into step behind Wolf.

Wolf and Leon headed out into the hall. O'Donnell said, "Get Saruzako on the line."

Leon's voice began to fade down the hallway. "You want to reach out to Ruffian? We haven't seen much of him since the Aparoid invasion."

"Yeah, but Andross is going to need an entourage when he lands on Venom. Ruffian can put one together."

"I never understood why Ruffian chose that to be his handle … his … professional name."

Wolf's voice began to fade as well. "Saruzako understands playing the game. Just … whatever. Get him on the line. Let's go visit Andross. I think the guest 'suite' is down here…"

Miyu turned from the doorway with a smirk. She sauntered back to Panther with a satisfied grin. "Okay, they're gone. Let's have some fun."

X


X

Great Fox Flying Fortress
Main Bridge
Lylat

Marcus paced the bridge in front of the main viewscreen.

Fara Phoenix sat at the command seat with her ankles crossed on the deck.

Falco Lombardi sat at the comms' panel seat, with the backrest facing the terminal built into the bulkhead.

Farrah Fennecs paced on the main viewscreen just behind Marcus, so that she was out of his line of sight, as if shadowing his pacing. Every time Marcus pivoted in the direction of the viewscreen, she became transparent for a split second to remain unseen.

Vivian Hare and Theodore Toad both sat at the sensor and the helm controls, where ROB64 often sat when in attendance.

King Tricky, the leader of the Earthwalker Tribe, was lying down on his belly in front of Fara in the skipper's seat. He rested his chin on the deck, but his eyes were lifted, staring at what appeared to be an out-of-place chandelier at the center of the bridge, halfway between Fara and Marcus.

Silence.

Tricky asked, "Hey, Star. I mean, uh, Marcus, why does your ship have a pretty chandelier on the bridge? It seems out of place with the mercenary theme."

Marcus said, "It's a new hard-light holo-emitter. It can be used to create a solid wall to suppress fires, trap intruders, protect crew members from boarding party attackers, and stuff like that."

"Ohhh…" Tricky cut his gaze to the lady that looked like Fara, who was up on the flat TV screen on the front wall of the room. "It looks kinda' girly, like a chandelier."

The rest of the crew kept a straight face, but their eyes flitted up to Farrah on occasion, amused by her antics, and the way she mirrored Star's body language and posture, and the way he spoke to Tricky.

Marcus sensed what Farrah was doing from his crew, but he ignored it for their benefit.

Fara broke the awkward silence with a completely random topic. "I was going through my belongings recently. I mean, you know, since having them shipped here. I, uh … I found General Peppy Hare's Army Air Guard challenge coin. He apparently slipped it into my gear when we worked together right before his passing. At first, I wanted to give it to Marcus, because he was raised by Peppy for a few years, and was by Peppy's figurative side when the old man passed. But, I have a dilemma. See, I also want to give it to Vivian, because that's her granddaddy. But … I also want to give it to Lucy … when she gets back, because that was her father, and she's a daddy's girl … and Vivian, you'd still be able to inherit it."

No one knew what to say.

Marcus continued pacing. "I'd love to see it … but, yeah, it should go to Lucy. That's only fair."

Vivian piped up. "Nah! Mom has one of dad's challenge coins already. I think she has more than one, actually. It should go to you, Marcus."

Marcus bit his lower lip. In a hushed tone, he replied with, "Thanks, Viv."

Falco shook his head, amused by Farrah's shadow-pacing, but annoyed by the weird mood of the room. "Okay, what the hell is going on here? Huh? Shouldn't we be, like, coming up with a plan for when Andross stabs us in the back?"

Marcus shrugged. "You already have."

Falco blinked. "I did?"

"Yeah. I mean, you didn't run it by any of us, but you thought it out pretty well."

"Oh! Well, why don't you share my plan with the rest of the class, then?"

Marcus continued his pacing. He said, "Okay, so … Falco seems ready for anything, apparently. If Andross backstabs us while he's still aboard Great Fox, he wants to take his illegal entropy detonator that he has hidden away, and toss it in Andross' quarters, close the door, put up a force field around his guest suite, and run. However! If Andross backstabs us anywhere outside the Great Fox, then … Falco, here, wants to shoot down Lylat's least-favorite ape, rescue Andross' escape pod, and string him up for my father to kill … out of vengeance for killing my grandfather. If my dad even wants to do things that way … he's pretty conflicted, though."

"Hey…" Falco cleared his throat and looked around the room, gauging everyone's expressions. "Can we keep that little part about the you-know-what a little more … secret?"

Fara rolled her head over to her left shoulder, peering back at Falco around the backrest of the command seat. "No one cares you have illegal ordinance in your possession. We're mercenaries. We're a team. We're not going to snitch on you, old man."

Falco sighed in relief, then he gawked. "Old … man? Seriously, sister? We were born the same year, you and I!"

"Yup." Fara gazed forward again, but she stayed in the lazy lounge position. "I used to be such a great military poster girl. Now look at me … me and my bad posture. I never used to slouch until I met you people."

Falco scoffed. "What do you mean by 'you people,' sister?"

"You … riff-raff. You … space-scoundrels."

Marcus grinned a bit but resumed pacing.

Fara abruptly changed the topic, and said, "Hey, Tricky, you've been quieter than I'm used to seeing … er … hearing from you. What's on your mind, big guy?"

Tricky lifted his chin from the deck plates. "I'm glad you guys stopped by and picked me up. I'm excited to be here. But I miss my wife, Queen Hope Skye. That's all. I know I don't mention her often but … there it is. Our wedding anniversary was yesterday, so I'm glad you guys at least waited until this morning to reach out to me."

"Aw." Vivian smiled. "That's really sweet."

Fara said, "Why don't you set up a video conference?"

Tricky's head lowered, and his chin returned to the deck. "Ehh. We plan to do that, but it's not the same. Last time, I wanted to run around with you guys because she was on her walkabout. Every Earthwalker takes a walkabout to explore all of Sauria. Ever since I went off with Fox McCloud to save the planet, my people have started doing it. She was excited for her walkabout, and the girls go as a pack. But now that she's back with the tribe, I was looking forward to spending time with her."

Marcus frowned. He stopped his pacing and held his hands out, palms up. "Tricky…"

"No, no. You can't talk me out of it. I'm staying. She'll run Sauria for me. I'll represent Sauria in this war against the last Krazoa, and against the weird bug people."

Marcus sighed softly. "All right. I'm glad you want to be here. Just don't look so … excited about it."

"Oh, I'm just waiting for the exciting stuff to happen, that's all."

Marcus hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "What? You're not amused by Farrah shadowing my every move in real time, by using the camera lens on the ship's surveillance network?"

The chandelier above Tricky began to glow, slightly.

Farrah appeared in physical form in the middle of the bridge. It looked as though she was sitting on Tricky's back, with her left left crossed overtop of her right one. "Wait, you knew I was doing that the entire time, Marky-Mark?"

Marcus shrugged. "It was amusing the crew. Amusement is good for morale."

Farrah balked. "You're not supposed to encourage my bad behavior! It isn't any fun if you know when I'm doing it!"

"Can't help it. I'm telepathic. Everyone here is watching you do it. So … I knew through them."

Farrah rubbed her chin. "Man. That's handy. Being able to network with biological minds. What about Kursed? Were you able to sense her thoughts once she got her positronic brain?"

"Some of the parts of her brain were original – a few lobes. I sensed base emotions. But she made a few modifications so that she could utilize her telepathy again. It was part of her identity. I mean, it wasn't as clear as before, but … it was a work in progress. But you would have a fully-electric brain. The neurons and neural pathways will be similar to a biological brain's mapping, I've read, but whether or not I will be able to interface with your brainwave output? I guess it depends on the frequency and range. If the waves are similar to the brainwaves of everyone else here, then maybe. We'll know soon, right?"

Farrah slid off Tricky's back, although the dinosaur barely felt a thing, because her construct had no real weight to its mass. She pointed at the viewscreen, displaying satellite feed of Andrew and herself walking through the ruins of Miracle. "Soon, yes. Andrew is a total whiner. He whines to get out of physical labor. He whines about walking long distances. He whines about the water not being 'flavorful enough.' I mean, no crap, right? It's water. He should be glad he's not having to drink reverse-osmosis water. No, he's getting real water with real nutrients. But nothing is ever good enough for him."

Theodore finally spoke. "Is he doing it right now?"

Farrah nodded. "Yeah. He's moaning about a blister starting to form on his left foot."

Falco said, "Give him a head smack for me."

Farra nodded firmly. "One head-smack! Coming up!"

On the viewscreen, the tiny construct of Farrah reached out and gave Andrew a firm smack across the back of the head. The ape quickly shied away and reached up with one hand to rub the back of his skull, protectively.

Everyone on the bridge snickered except for Fara and Marcus.

Marcus said, "Can you pipe audio up here?"

Farrah shook her head. "Not easily. Limited bandwidth for superfluous stuff, because I'm in both places at once. Once I'm inserted into the Cerinia server network, and I've been integrated with the trinary computer code used by those machines … things will be good for me. However, right now, I have him walking to an adjacent town because the area with the server farm has a suppression field that blocks teleporting equipment. And, well, since he didn't exactly bring a speeder bike or something … actually, scratch that. He can't drive a speeder bike anyhow. He just admitted it to me. Ugh. What a sad sack of…" She trailed off and shook her head.

Marcus feigned a smile. "Hey, Farrah, don't forget to connect with Miyu now and then."

"Oh, I won't forget. She's having sex right now."

Fara made a 'yuck' face.

Vivian seemed unphased.

Ted brought a finger up and pointed at his throat as if to make a 'hurl' gesture.

Falco made a similar 'barf' expression, along with a grunt of displeasure.

Marcus cringed. "Privacy is a valued commodity. If you're going to join the ranks of the biological…"

Farrah laughed. "Not every natural-born being cares about privacy, Marky-Mark. Besides, Miyu is pretty proud of herself. And, furthermore, being a telepath and all, you probably already knew she and Panther were going at it right now."

Marcus sighed. "Yeah, I did, but I respect their privacy because I value their right to it, so I ignore it."

Farrah grinned brightly. "Do you know what everyone is doing on this ship?"

"Wolf and Leon are scheming. They're trying to talk Andross into putting Garrick in control of making an official government body, while Andross will basically be their mascot to help unite Venom against Anezka. All Andross cares about is getting back to his lab."

Farrah blinked. "Wait. You can sense Andross as well? I thought you couldn't?"

"I'm starting to be able to sense his base moods and feelings. A little. But it's enough to know that he's bored with it, and he just wants to tinker with his … science experiments or whatever. I know he's taking the threat of Anezka as small potatoes compared to the worry he's feeling about these … Locusts. Like, I'm pretty sure he's genuinely scared … afraid … anxious about those creatures."

Frowns all around.

Falco spoke first. "Andross is broken in the head. So, if he's afraid of something, it's because he's afraid of failing. Of losing. Of dying. I guess that means we should take the bugs as a serious threat."

Vivian spoke up. "Farrah, would you be able to hack into the Locust's computer network and take over their ships?"

Farrah laughed. "Oh, honey, that's THEE very first thing I did! Or, rather, that I tried to do. Their computer systems are all trinary code. I need to learn how to run the systems of Miracle. Then I would have to learn how to interface with their network systems. In short? Not right now."

Vivian snapped her fingers. "Darn. Put that idea on the back burner, then."

"Of course!" Farrah cut her gaze to Theodore. "Ted! If I ever figure out how to defeat their firewalls, would you want to help me make some alterations to a subspace node, so I could focus my broadcast upload into their network? If we can hack their ships, we could win this thing in time for supper."

Marcus shook his head with a sigh. "You won't be able to, Farrah. The Locusts' ships are alive. They communicate with something akin to telepathy, which is designed to interface between the group. I'd have a better chance at hacking the mind of a Locust, but … I don't think my ability even works that way, so … no."

Everyone frowned all around the bridge.

Farrah said, "Chin up, gang! I'm going to focus my bandwidth on getting Andrew to plug me into the subspace interface. See you guys soon. Stay safe!" Her hard-light construct faded away.

Tricky looked around the room once she disappeared. "I like her. She's funny."

Fara chuckled. "Yeah. She's something, all right. She's me if I hadn't gone to finishing school, and if I mixed amphetamines with caffeine and a grapefruit." She pinched the bridge of her nose with a soft chuckle of embarrassment.

Marcus shrugged with a measure of indifference. "She's probably just trying to stand out as her own person, or something like that."

Fara cut her gaze to her mate and said, "You okay?"

"I guess I'm just wondering what my parents are up to, right now."

X


X

Cerinia

Fox and Krystal stood in front of a holographic depiction of Slippy Toad.

Slippy was in full color, beautifully rendered. His voice was slightly tinny over Fox's wrist-mounted PDA, but the newer model was far sleeker than his old model.

Toad said, "Okay, this is the first time we're using this environmental protection suit. I'm not sure how familiar you are with this device, but the military started using them to great effect when going into the exclusion zone of Corneria's old Capital City, mostly to ensure that all military base buildings that survived have been secured, which required people going in and shredding documents, ensuring all computer hard drives were properly destroyed … stuff like that. It required a lot of man hours…"

Fox held a paw up. "Okay, okay. Cut to the chase, bud."

"Right, sorry. Yeah. So, the 'suit' is actually just a vest with a wearable battery pack. It creates a force field around you. You activate the field in a place with atmosphere and it regulates your immediate surroundings at seventy-two degrees Papetoon Standard."

Fox nodded. "All right. What about the unusually heavy shoulder pads? What's the deal with that?"

"Well, Fox, the vest has a device in the shoulders that regulate air. One side is filtered to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, so, as you breathe, it creates air for you. The other shoulder pad has a filter designed to intake any breathable contagions that the field cannot block. For example, mold and mildew when you step close enough to something covered in it. It's a molecular air filter, just … more … complex. Now, your battery will last between twelve and eighteen hours, minimum. The average user gets about twenty hours of use before needing a charge. However, these vests were modified by me. They are four pounds heavier than the average vest, because my addition to them is to pull electrons and static electricity out of the air to keep the batteries charged. Also, when you move, it converts kinetic energy into battery energy. Finally, it draws capacitive and static energy from your body. As long as you're alive, it will stay fully charged. It's great because you can even take a nap in the field and not have to worry about running out of power. Even if you're unconscious for up to twenty-four hours."

Fox arched his brows. "You didn't tell me you made changes to them."

"Yup! You're my field test people. If the batteries stay at full charge for the duration of the entire mission, I'll be able to take the vest data, patent the upgrade, and sell that patent for my modification to the manufacturer. I'm already rich, but that sale? It will put my last two kids through college, not just the four who have gone, already."

Fox grinned at Krystal. "Can you imagine six?"

Krystal frowned. "I've wanted more kids for a while now, but I'm too old for that."

"No, you're not," Fox replied.

"You're right … my kind has children until sixty. But do you want a toddler climbing all over you in your fifties?"

Fox shrugged. "If you want another…"

"Oi, all right, all right. Let's … save that conversation for another time, yeah? We are literally standing on the largest mass grave in Star Fox history. Cerinia's population was six billion, and, unlike the Aparoid homeworld, they were alive when we stood on their soil. Also, we didn't leave a grave – we destroyed the planet. But, here, we're standing on the grave site of my entire race. Bit of a mood killer, that."

Slippy froze, likely having paused the live feed from his end so as not to let his friends see his emotional reaction to Krystal's words.

Fox frowned. He reached back and rubbed the nape of his neck. "Honey, I'm … I'm real sorry. You're right. I guess my way of processing that information is to do my best to pretend like it's not a thing. I didn't mean any disrespect, and…"

She reached up and touched his muzzle with her left index finger. "Thank you, love."

She cut her gaze back to the hologram of Slippy. "Once our force field is active, will we be able to touch one another? Like, if I need to give him a boost by hand, is that possible?"

Slippy's still form suddenly became animated again. "Oh, yeah, definitely. The frequency of the field's revolving energy output is the same for both fields, meaning you guys can share air simply by stepping close together. You can pass through each other's field with no problem. No one else will be able to touch you, though. They will be repelled. The power in the batteries will push complex organic life away, unless you touch them with your paw, first. There's sensors in the sleeves that can detect paw movement and tendon movement in your arm, so all you have to do is reach out and touch someone. So, if you're in hand-to-hand combat, for example, you can grab them for a throw, you can punch them, but if they try to return the attack, they will be repelled when they connect with your field. And if you try a flying tackle, it will throw them back really hard. Anyhow, it's great because those fields will stop most sniper rounds, as well."

Krystal nodded and said, "Thank you, Slippy. If we have any issues, you will be the first to know."

"Thanks, Krystal. I'll be monitoring the readings from my end. After the mission, I'll pick up the body cam footage from the memory card in the camera that's stitched into the vest. Be safe, you two. We're here on standby as your support team, whether you need logistical support, computer help, or you need us to come out in a Land Master and tow something back to your shuttle … whatever you guys need, just call any of the three of us."

"Four," said ROB from the background.

Slippy grimaced. "Right! Four! Totally meant that. I didn't mean to exclude you."

"Mm, I'm sure you didn't," ROB replied from behind Slippy, somewhere off camera.

Slippy frowned into the camera lens. "I have the full-room camera turned off, but everyone is here, behind me, and we're all rooting for you two. Stay safe, okay?"

Krystal offered a sad sort of smile. "Thank you. All of you. See you soon." She reached for her vest and touched something inside of one of the pockets, causing her personal hazmat and environment vest field to activate. She reached for Fox's vest and activated his.

The overlap of their twin force fields created a very slight distortion in the air above them, where their fields met and meshed together. It was hardly noticeable.

She cupped either side of his face and brushed her nose against his nose. "Thank you for coming with me. This is not something I wanted to do alone."

"Thank you for letting me come. I know this is going to be a very personal experience for you, but I'm glad you aren't here alone. And I'm glad it's me that you asked to come."

"Mm. Let's … get underway, then, shall we, love?" She turned for the shuttle cargo bay door. The design was much different than her old Cloud Runner ship. She turned away from the button and faced the aft wall, which lowered into a ramp. She took a deep breath and exhaled with a soft sigh. "Ready."

Fox reached for her paw while the cargo section of the shuttle changed its pressurization. A small green light illuminated on the wall above the control panel. "Okay. This is it. Lead the way."

Krystal nodded. "Follow me, then, yeah?" She stepped off the shuttle and headed out into the misty fog hanging over the once-crowded city where she was born…"

X


X

Author's Note: Sorry I've been drawing this out for so long. I've had a lot of story to tell before this moment, and now that we're here, I want it to be dark, moody, and powerful. But, also, I wanted the reader to be really ready for this moment as well. Having a few chapters to emotionally prepare for this moment is never a bad thing. All right! So, this story is becoming huge, huh? Very long, and overly drawn out. No end in sight! LOL. Anyway, I'll get started on the next chapter ASAP! Thanks for reading!
Wait … is anyone still reading? I'm just curious!