The Great Fox II slowly docked with Delos Station, at one of the many massive shipyard complexes orbiting the central command center. Massive drydocks constructing, refitting and repairing the countless ships in the Delos Defender fleet, one of Corneria's seven defence battlegroups. Slippy had to admit, it was an impressive sight; at least two dozen battlecruisers surrounded the station, along with several carriers, countless escorts, and the pride of the fleet, the Shield of Emancipation, all at the ready in case of an attack. Countless defense stations, heavy cannons and hanger bays were sprinkled around the shipyards to prevent their destruction.
After the second Lylatian-Venomian conflict, Corneria had become much more of a military dictatorship than a republic, when the republic realized that it could not survive all of the disorganization from the centuries of peace the isolated star nation experienced. And thus, the military took control in one swift and decisive move. The Republic was still a 'Republic' but in name only, and it was common knowledge that the prime minister was chosen by the Junta of generals leading the Cornerian Military, which controlled education, taxation and more.
Slippy never really cared. He realized a long time ago that being an idealist would lead you to disappointment. He, Fox, Falco and Slippy may have fought to preserve the Lylat Republic, but in reality it was always for the money and the revenge. Fox really only wanted Andross dead, and falco just wanted a paycheck. Everything became more difficult when they added some sort of moral duty to the equation.
So the Lylat was a dictatorship now. Who cared. The ten percent of people who voted? Slippy snorted. It was comical.
It had been three days since they were ambushed, and slippy was nursing exhaustion with a cup of coffee. He hadn't slept well recently: he felt guilty for leaving Fox. Falco and Miyu reassured him that he didn't have a choice, and R.O.B. even went over the simulated scenarios to prove he did the right thing, but it still weighed slippy down.
As he heard the sharp hiss of the docking mechanisms reverberate throughout the hull of the ship, he put on his flight jacket and tightened his toolbelt before setting R.O.B. into sleep mode. Slippy patted the disabled droid on the head before checking on Falco and Miyu.
The rec room, a small den and one of the few carpeted rooms on the ship was oddly quiet. Falco was napping on the recliner, bandaged up and loopy from opiates. Miyu was flipping through the channels on the television. Both had been near silent for the past three days, and Slippy couldn't blame them. There wasn't anything to talk about that didn't end in depressed silence.
"We're docked", he whispered to Miyu as to not wake up Falco. "You want to come see Peppy, or do you want to stay here."
"I'll stay", she replied glumly. She sighed and went back to flipping through channels before settling on a nature documentary about Zoness and stretching out. He didn't blame her for not wanting to come. This was going to be a difficult conversation to have."
He nodded and left the den, buttoning up his jacket in an attempt to look professional. He didn't feel professional, but whatever. He'd deal with that later. For now, he needed answers.
He journeyed to the airlock, before it split open, revealing the hanger and the ruckus going on inside. The ship was docked onto clamps and held above the ground as to allow every part of the hull to be modified or repaired at once. Engineers, welders, and mechanics swarmed the ship, replacing damaged or burnt armor panels for recycling, checking diagnostics and generally keeping the ship in top shape.
Slippy nodded at the chief engineer, who quickly saluted and went over blueprints and three dimensional models of the ship for a better view of the ship's components and makeup in case there was an obscure issue.
He left the hanger and entered the lift heading for the main station, surrounded by couriers, security guards, officers and officials. The loft began to move rapidly, and within seconds they reached Delos Central, the heart of the 7th Cornerian Defense System. The door opened, leading to a swarm of mechanics and engineers entering for their 18:00 shift while Slippy left along with the officials into the station.
The central station wasn't just a command center. It was also a communications relay, transportation hub, helm, and living space all with built in amenities like a five story shopping mall, civilian communication hub, kilometer wide indoor lake, food court and more, with a surprising amount of care and detail put into the support structures for service members. Compact but comfortable quarters for all crew members were in the station, leading it to be over twenty five kilometers wide, and with a total population of two hundred thousand when including the marine regiment stationed to repel boarders. The majority of that was the built in weapons systems and technical infrastructure, but that didn't take away from it's grandeur. Stations like Delos were built to sustain long term rotations, and thus no expense was spared to ensure morale was kept high.
Slippy boarded the first magnetic train leaving the central hub, and it took off like a rocket across the elevated tracks over the skyline. The spires were spartan and efficient, each of a similar design and of similar proportions, and they lacked the graffiti that was all too common across Corneria. Soldiers and their families lived here, so a designated military police force resided over the populace, keeping order. As the train travelled inward, the spires and buildings became taller and more imposing, before the Delos Command Center, a spire six kilometers tall and half a kilometer wide stood out from its surrounding shops and districts servicing the communications officers and administrators within command. The train halted, and he stepped out with a crowd of people, before heading for the administrative center to meet with Peppy.
Peppy's office was large, curved, and held a full height window on the opposite end of the room to the entrance. A massive desk of treated mahogany took up the majority of the surprisingly packed room, with mahogany shelves, cabinets and displays taking up the rest. Peppy was sitting in the chair facing the window and admiring the Delos skyline. A faint wisp of smoke ascended from the other side.
"Alright, Peppy, I'm here. Now I want some answers and I want them now.", said Slippy. Peppy swirled around and faced Slippy, cigar betwixt two fingers and a lit match in the other. He was wearing his military uniform, which was adorned with medals from several wars, including the shield of lylat, the most prestigious award in the military for his sacrifice in helping destroy the Aparoid homeworld. He had deep bags under his eyes and a no nonsense expression that would give any recruit an anxiety attack. But that was his relaxed expression. Slippy knew from experience that Pepoy was quick to anger, and while he could push Peppy now due to their history, that was a privilege few had.
Peppy elegantly shook the match to put it out and took a hit of his cigar, exhaling a relaxed stream of acrid smoke. Slippy's nose recoiled from the pungent sting of smog, but otherwise his expression didn't change.
"Sorry 'bout that, Slippy. Stressful meeting involving the General. Bigger fleets, more recruits, the usual."
Slippy shuffled impatiently. "The fleet's big enough."
"Not for politicians spending other people's money it isn't. The Prime Minister is competing against a warhawk and he wants a shot at reelection. It's out of my hands."
Slippy snorted. "A warhawk for what? War against Venom? They're in pieces. We should be exploring and expanding peacefully, not blowing each other up."
"Like I said, out of my hands. My job is to command the defense force and follow the orders of the higher ups."
Slippy rolled his shoulders. "Enough smalltalk, Peppy. You know why I'm here. Cough up the information. I want to know where to start looking."
Peppy sighed. "I don't have much. Everything I do have stays off the record. None of this leaves this room or the Great Fox II. If you are going to pursue anything, it will be alone. If you are caught, you are on your own. Are we clear?"
Slippy nodded.
"Alright then." Peppy took another hit of his cigar before pressing a button on his desk. The cameras on the ceiling shut down, and the door locked behind him. Peppy sighed and rolled his neck before standing up and approaching Slippy.
"As far as I know, and this is pushing it, twelve years ago, at the end of the first war with Venom, Cornerian high command had detected several high output radiation signals near the home planet. Nobody knew what was going on, so me and your father, along with pigma, were sent to investigate. Highcom predicted a superweapon of sorts, what we found was much stranger. The Lylat wasn't the only group that Venom was at war with. Another power we had never heard of before had begun to bombard a portion of the planet with nuclear weapons. Nobody knew why, but it was a concerning development."
"So aliens?"
"Yeah", Peppy said quietly. "Sounds about right. Unless some Cornerians are living elsewhere, but I doubt it. Anyway, when pigma backstabbed James, it wasn't predetermined. I found his records when we killed him in deep space. They were old, but apparently, Pigma was simply a double agent and a spy. He was never ordered to kill us until the last minute when we found out about whatever or whoever was attacking Venom. Pigma only called it the 'Battlefleet of Just Retribution', which didn't tell us much. Apparently, Andross didn't want word to get out that he was fighting a two front war, unless he wanted a renewed effort from the Lylat. Peace talks were under consideration then.
"So why would a random fleet be attacking Venom? Andross isn't stupid: he declared war on the Lylat knowing we were at equal strength. He wouldn't open up another front unless he absolutely had too. So the fleet attacking Venom must have been the aggressors."
"Ironic isn't it? Now, as for who and why, those are the two million dollar questions right there. We could be dealing with something worse than the aparoids or a group of roaming lugnuts posing as something to be reckoned with. I'm not going to tell you that I have any answers here, but one more thing caught my eye. In the records, Pigma mentioned andross blew up a planet of savage foxes, and things went to shit from there. Not my words, his. Sound… suspicious?"
Slippy scratched his head. "Yeah, actually. Krystal said Andross blew up her home planet. Do you think that's the planet he destroyed? Krystal didn't recognize any pictures of Andross or even his voice, she was just told that he destroyed the planet."
Peppy nodded. "It's possible, probable even. Currently, Krystal is our closest tie to whatever caused Andross to open a second front, and she's MIA. Andross and Andrew are dead, and we don't know of any successors. The Generals are fighting over scraps of Andross's empire. We're in the dark here and I have a feeling you and what's left of star fox are my best bet. My superiors want this buried: they know something we don't. So, this job I give you is off the record and doesn't officially exist."
Slippy nodded. If it meant a way for him to get Fox back then he'd do anything.
"Alright then. I have several contacts on Venom, but your most useful will be Commodore Julius Varne. He was a captain during the first Lylat war and claims he was fighting enemy forces at the bombardment. He's a Venomian through and through, but he's a good man and wants more information on what's going on as well. He claims he has information on how to find whoever was bombarding Venom. I'm not sure if they're the same group that captured the rest of Starfox, but if not they may know who did."
Peppy slid a folder forward, with the large stereotypical 'redacted' stamp on the front. On it was a picture of a simian with a clean cut goatee and thinning hair. He proudly wore the Venomian Iron Cross on his chest along with several other medals. Solid steel grey eyes and a rigid neutral facade eluded to an aura of professionalism and a no-nonsense attitude.
Slippy gingerly took the file, holding it to his side. Slippy coughed into his hand and inhaled his cigar once more before reclining back into his chair. "But before you pay a visit to Varne, I'm not letting you out of the Lylat without more manpower, not in good conscious anyway. On top of that, this can get ugly really fast, and you'll need someone who has clout with the Venomians before you can reach Varne safely and securely. Your best bet would be Wolf."
Slippy scoffed. "Wolf's been off the radar for three years, Peppy. I don't have a clue where he is. Even Krystal didn't have a clue as to where he could be, and he kept in contact with her the longest."
"I know, and that's why we need help finding him as well. You may or may not have known this, but Wolf was technically nobility. He had a surprising amount of say on what went on in Venom, since he was considered part of Andross's retinue. While he isn't a contender for the throne, he was well respected, respected enough to offer immunity to a former enemy of the Venomian Empire. He will be a necessary crux to this plan."
"That doesn't tell me how to find him, Peppy. For all we know he could be dead, and this plan will bite the dust."
"I know that, so that's why we have to meet in the middle. The only remaining member of Star Wolf above the radar in the Lylat, as far as I know, is Panther Caruso. He owns an apartment in the east red-light, because of course he does. He and Wolf might still be in contact with each other, and that means he's useful."
"This is a whole lot of ifs and buts for a plan you just made up, Peppy."
"Aww, and I figured I had made progress with limiting those."
"Hardy har, Peppy. Just hand me the jiggalo's address so I can talk to him."
Peppy pulled out a notepad and scribbled an address on it, then handed it to Slippy. 300456 Red Rock Pkwy, apartment 56334. Slippy pocketed it and stretched his back. "What else, Peppy."
"Good luck is all. I've heard interesting chatter from Venom, a possible heir. Be careful if you can, or you might stumble face first into a new and vengeful empire. And save Fox. Save them all."
Slippy nodded before stepping out the door and heading back for the mag train. It was time for him to build a crew, whether he liked it or not.
Slippy and Miyu trudged through the sidewalks of the east red light district. It was quiet this time of day, nobody out. That was to be expected: it wasn't the cleanest part of town. Most of the drapes were closed and windows tinted red. It made slippy feel uncomfortable. But he didn't have a choice, he had to find panther and quick, the longer they took, the less time they had to save Fox.
They had hailed a taxi to the east red light, with the cab driver giving them curious looks. Slippy had been red as a tomato the entire time and Miyu had her head in her hands, but they got there. The cab didn't take them directly to Panther's building, but that was fine. It gave them time to plan on what to offer him. They both knew he was the least trustworthy of the former star wolf team, and living in a shadier part of town might allude to him not being in the best financial shape.
They approached a tall apartment about ten rooms wide. The two front doors were closed, but unlocked, and the address matched the one Pepoy had given him. He opened the door, revealing some of the inhabitants. Several escorts and others who plied a similar trade were smoking and drinking in the lobby despite signs forbidding it, and a twenty-something year old ape was manning the front desk with a bored expression. He eyed both of them before sighing and cracking his back.
"You two are looking for a room?"
Slippy groaned, but Miyu pushed passed him. "We're looking for someone, actually. Panther Caroso, about six feet, buff, scar across the left eye, thinks he's a player but he's more of a douche. You wouldn't happen to have his room number, would you hon?"
The young ape snorted. "Yeah, I know him too well. But he doesn't like visitors unless they're scantily clad."
Miyu rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know, hon. But we have business with him."
The ape snickered. "I'm surprised anyone wants anything to do with him. He isn't the same as he was when he started renting two years ago. It ain't a pretty sight."
"I wouldn't expect any less", Miyu replied.
"It's room 732.", the ape said before stretching out on his office chair. They sauntered over to the elevator and Slippy punched in the floor key. Terrible elevator music about cocktails and umbrellas droned on.
"What do you think the kid meant by 'he let himself go', you don't think he got fat, do you?"
Slippy tried to conjure up the thought of a fat Panther Caroso but couldn't. "I doubt it. The only thing more important to that man than women was his body. He's probably just, I don't know, tamer hopefully. Truth is I'm just trying to find a positive in this situation, because messing with Panther is usually more of a headache than anything else."
"You got that right. He was a duck to Krystal and nothing else. Thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread when he was just another raunchy alpha-male." Miyu sighes. "I just want to get this over with."
Slippy nodded. "I know. But we need info and Panther has it, or at least he should have it. Hopefully."
Miyu turned back to face Slippy. "Slippy, for Fox's sake, I hope he has the information, because if not we'll be forced to go undercover in Venom just to talk to a high ranking Venomian officer. That's how people like us get killed!", Miyu massaged her temples. "I'm sorry, I just have a bad feeling about this. I knew panther personally, a long time ago, and I can assure you that he'll want something in return, something expensive, something very unpleasant. And that's if he even has the information. He might lie and backstab us."
"I know.", Slippy replied calmly.
"Then how can you be so…", Miyu waved her hands in exasperation, looking for a way to properly articulate her irritation, "Calm! Collected! How can you be so confident? I'm terrified of what we're walking into, Slippy. This is worse than the Anglers, because areas with the Anglers we knew what we were facing and we could be self reliant. Now we're dangling on a string that a man-whore of a mercenary, if he can even be called that, could drop at any moment. I hate the fact that we can't just do the job and leave."
"I get it, Miyu. I really do. And so does Peppy. You keep forgetting he was in the same situation when James died. He understands the stakes, and so do I. And I'm not going to force you into this mission: you don't have the same history with Fox that I have. He's one of my oldest friends and I'm not going to let him rot."
Miyu shed a single tear from stress, and slippy wiped it away. "I know you didn't sign up for this, and frankly, neither did I. I'm terrified right now, not because of Panther or Wolf, Venom or whatever else we're going to find there, my gadgets will blow them up all the same. I'm terrified of losing my friend. And I know you might not know Fox or Krystal or me that well, we don't have the same history. But I know you are scared of losing Fay. Were all scared; that's okay. We just have to do something about it."
Miyu nodded, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry. That's not something I like to do. And I never expected you to step up."
"Would you rather it be me or Falco."
Miyu giggled. "God, anyone but Falco. The only thing that would step up would be his ego."
"Yeah. We wouldn't want that."
Slippy took a deep breath and wiped his slick brow. "Alright, back to business. Let's go talk to Panther."
He and Miyu approached the door of the apartment l, and Miyu knocked firmly. It was silent for a few moments, then they heard rustling from the other side of the door, a few gruff grunts, and finally the lock being loosened.
"What do you two want?"
Slippy cleared his throat. "To talk."
"About what, frog?"
"Does it matter? Let us in and we'll tell you."
"That doesn't sound like a good idea, senorita. When two mercenaries show up at my door I don't open it. Tell me why you're here and maybe we'll talk."
Slippy rubbed his temples. "Just open the door, Panther."
"I don't think so."
"Oh for God's sake, Panther, we just want to know how to find Wolf. Can you tell us where he is?"
More rustling. Panther opened the door, revealing a very different individual. The Panther wasn't wearing his typical merc get-up, but rather dark skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, and a few ear piercings. A leather watch was tightly strapped on his left arm. More alarming, however, was the laser magnum firmly gripped in his right.
"Come in", he said, "and if you try anything i'll blow your brains out."
"Charming.", Miyu said.
They entered the apartment after him, which was surprisingly clean and well kept. Clothes weren't thrown all over the place, no dishes were in the kitchenette's sink, and the apartment didn't smell like sex. It was almost as if Panther had become a functioning human being.
"Alright, who are you and what have you done with Panther?"
"Very funny, Senorita. I just made a few changes is all."
Slippy inspected the room with a keen eye, looking for traps or cameras. "So why live in this part of town. You have plenty left, unless you wasted it all."
Panther plopped on his recliner and snorted. "I still have a love for the ladies, Senor. That hasn't changed."
Miyu's face twisted into a grimace. "But your standards sure as hell have."
Panther had dropped the pistol on the table and pointed at Miyu in a comical fashion. Her expression softened, but didn't change. He rolled his eyes and slouched back. "Anyway, you said you wanted to find Wolf. I can't help you."
Miyu groaned in frustration and slippy facepalmed. "How could you not know? You two work together."
"Not anymore."
"Why not? You had it good, you guys had pardons and fame. Why split now?"
"We didn't split recently. It was two years ago. Wolf said he had work in Darkstar and he and Leon left."
"But why? Why would you stay and rot in a red district?"
"I got tired of the violence and I wanted better work. I guard wealthy entrepreneurs now, it's easier and far more stable. I also had a few… disputes with Wolf that we couldn't work out, so I ended it."
Miyu snorted. "So you slept with one of his women, didn't you."
Panther scoffed. "I wouldn't stoop so low. And besides, Wolf doesn't have ladies."
Miyu rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, so he's a virgin? That's total crap."
"No, Miyu, he's… a little off to the side. What do you Cornerians call it? Queer? That's what it's called on Venom, but Corneria is a bit more tolerant."
"No way. I refuse to believe Wolf is gay. He doesn't seem like the type."
Panther grinned deviously. "Looks can be deceiving. Take me for example, Senorita. I'm a big softie on the inside.""
"Sure you are. Just tell us how to get to Darkstar and we'll meet up with Wolf there."
Panther chuckled. "Oh, Senorita, you're so clueless. Darkstar isn't one place, it's a sector of stars around the apophis black hole. It's also one of the few places near the Lylat where you can truly go dark. It's a criminal magnet and almost everything illegal on the Lylat passes through there in one way or another."
"Then why haven't we heard of it? It sounds like a big deal."
"Because it's a neutral territory. Not even Andross had a grip on it. Now that he's dead, Wolf and Leon took a job there. He said he was going to disappear. At the time I didn't think too much of it but now I know he was serious. He passed through Darkstar, did the job and now he isn't there anymore, but your best bet to find him is to go through Darkstar and ask around."
"Let me guess, they don't like Star Fox?", Slippy asked.
"They don't give a shit. Scratch that, it isn't a they. It's a bunch of rogue colonies who are run by all sorts of different people. Your biggest issue is navigation: I've been there, but not in a long time."
"What, are you offering to chaperone?"
"I'll help as much as I can. I'm bored, and Darkstar isn't the place you want to go alone."
"For what?"
"I've got cash, froggy. I've left the merc life, but it's dull."
"I said for what, Panther."
"Nothing, I just want something to do."
Slippy gave Miyu a look. She shrugged. "Fine, Panther. But I'll be watching you."
"Suite yourself. Now, amigos, let's get going. Darkstar's a long trip."