Wow, if you're this deep in, something must have you invested to this story, huh? That's cool!

Now for this chapter, it's going to bring back Peppy, finally merging the complete Star Fox team together on the field for once. Krystal and Peppy have never been active on the same team, so that was an effort that I wanted to try for this story. They don't get into action for a while, but they're all there at last. Five, however, is a bit of a juggle on top of introducing other characters.

This chapter will have several of those. Returning along with Peppy are Fara and Fay, from two chapters back. Along with them, I finally get to include Bill Grey, since he's come up a few times. And with him come...several many faces. Original ones. These characters are added to expand Bill's roster, since he apparently is the leader of not one but two squads for the Cornerian Army. To flesh them out, they're included in the following story arc.

Read below to see the adventure unfold at Space Dynamics.

...


[Corneria City, Present Day, 8:53]

Four Arwings sailed across the skies of Corneria, sailing around until they touched down near a five storied silver building. The Star Fox team emerged from the fighters and walked over to the building, with a sign that read "Space Dynamics" just before the building's stairs.

"Welcome back to the geek gallery, Slip."

"Gee, thanks Falco." Slippy lowered his eyes and shook his head. "You do know that the scientists in there help design all of the toys that you love so much, right?"

"Yep." Falco smirked. "Doesn't make them any less nerdy, though."

"Whatever." Slippy walked back over to Fox and smiled to him. "I'm sure my dad will be happy to see us again!"

"Right, yeah." Fox shook his head as Slippy blinked to him. "You're sure that he's working today?"

"He's always working," laughed Slippy. "If you mean here though, I'm not sure. I should have called ahead."

"Minus ten geek points," taunted Falco.

"Knock it off, Falco." Krystal folded her arms and glared at the bird. "Honestly, do you have to be so immature?"

"Just trying to lighten up sour faces like yours," he mocked. More seriously, Falco added, "Besides, I'm pretty sure that none of us really want to be here today. Or am I wrong?" His teammates remained silent. "Thought so."

"Regardless, we're here now," pointed out Krystal. "So, either let's get on with it—"

"Or leave." Falco folded his arms. "Not like any of us besides Slippy are really needed there, almost ever."

Krystal and Falco turned back to Fox, who stared ahead quietly. He nodded and took a few steps forward, but then stopped.

"Fox, Falco does have a point." Krystal rested her hand on his shoulder. "We don't have to go in today."

"No, it's fine." Fox forced a smile and nodded. "We've been here before."

"Are you sure Fox?" Slippy patted his arm. "I could just ask if my dad's in there and—"

"We're already here," laughed Fox. "We might as well go in."

Though his team remained apprehensive, Fox continued forward and into the laboratory. Its automatic doors parted open as he stepped inside, followed by the others. Fox glanced around the pale gray lobby and strolled to the main desk. The beagle secretary lowered her glasses as he approached, straightening her mint green uniform.

"Hello," he greeted. "My team and I were invited here today by, um, Fara Phoenix." He paused as she blinked at him. "I'm Fox, Fox McCloud."

Silently, the secretary flipped through a calendar on her desk. "Yes, right. Welcome to Space Dynamics, Mr. McCloud. I'll page Dr. Phoenix right away."

"Doctor?"

"That's what we know her by here," dryly answered the beagle. She typed at the desk phone and waited a moment. Fox waited until she hung up the phone. "No answer. Please wait here a moment while I fetch her."

Sighing, the secretary picked herself up from the desk. Not even acknowledging the rest of Star Fox, she pivoted away from them, swiped a card against a keypad, and entered through a dark door ahead of them, vanishing down a dimly lit hallway.

"Great service," scoffed Falco. "I feel right at home already."

"Well, I'd imagine it could be rather boring to monitor a reception desk alone," reasoned Krystal. "Especially when you're eager to work on your own science projects, and then get regulated here instead."

"You really gotta stop reading other minds."

"That takes the fun out of it."

Fox chuckled and shook his head. He glanced down at Slippy, who poked his head around the desk.

"Pretty sure she won't mind me checking on my dad for a minute," decided Slippy. He slid behind the desk and checked the phone.

"Careful, Slippy," cautioned Fox. "Your father may be in charge here, but you don't want to get yourself into trouble." Slippy smirked and waved Fox off. "If you insist."

Abruptly, the doors behind them parted open again. The team turned as a hare in a similar uniform to theirs shuffled inside. He chuckled as he adjusted his lab coat.

"Why am I not surprised that Slippy's in the quickest position to get caught?" Peppy placed his hands on his hips. "Do you ever learn, Slip?"

"Hey, someone has to!" Slippy grumbled as he adjusted his cap. "Besides, it's not like we're fighting an enemy; I'm just checking if my dad's in today." He glanced over the notes on the calendar before dialing an extension on the phone.

"Good to see you again, Peppy, and glad you got my message this morning," greeted Fox. "How are our new arrivals?"

"Doing fine," reported Peppy. "They needed some rest at the hospital, and General Pepper is visiting them now to question them on…well, them." He shrugged and chuckled. "They knocked out quickly last night, but they seemed pretty energized this morning."

"That's good." Fox scratched the side of his head. "Did you get to speak with them? Did they remember anything new?"

"Not much, to both of those inquiries." Peppy adjusted his spectacles and sighed. "They asked about you this morning, and remembered what happened during the fight yesterday, but they can't seem to recall anything beyond that and their names."

"Absolutely nothing?" Krystal brushed through the fur on her head. "Nothing on personal history, no other names that stuck out to them, not even a memory that resurfaced?"

"Nope."

"Strange…" Krystal sighed. "I wonder if they'll be all right adjusting."

"Yeah, if they're not criminal scum themselves," countered Falco. "They knew Fox, but that doesn't make them innocent civilians."

"Perhaps not," relented Krystal. "But we can't prosecute them when they can't even remember their lives before landing in the city."

"General Pepper will keep us in the loop," assured Peppy. "We'll get a head's up on their condition later, I'm sure." His ears twitched as Slippy hung up the phone. "Did you reach Beltino, Slip?"

"No answer," groaned Slippy. "Maybe he's out with my uncle or started a new field project…without telling anyone." He sighed and walked away from the desk. "Again."

"Aw, cheer up, Slippy," soothed Peppy. "He's there when it counts."

"Yeah, usually." Slippy rolled his shoulders and nodded, smiling a bit. "Thanks, Peppy."

The door from the hall slid open again as the beagle secretary returned with a fennec vixen and a white spaniel. Both smiled instantly upon spotting their guests.

"Fox, hello again!" Fara strolled over to him and held out her hand. "I'm so glad that you could make it in today."

"Sure." He took her hand and shook it. "Thank you for the invite over."

"Of course," giggled Fay. The spaniel lowered her eyes. "You should have seen her face light up once she heard—"

"Fay, honestly!" Fara pulled her hand from Fox's and glared at her friend. "Quit giving them the wrong impression, please."

"Buzz-kill," muttered Fay. Returning to her cheerful tone, "Anyway, hi again, all!"

"Let's get back to the main lab," instructed Fara. "We don't want to keep everyone waiting."

"Everyone?" Falco folded his arms. "Who else did you bring in here?"

"There are some soldiers visiting from the Cornerian Defense Force," explained Fara as she opened the hall door with her card. "There was only supposed to be one, but his teammates insisted on tagging along."

"A whole bunch of cuties to boot," cooed Fay.

"Not quite," mumbled Fara. "They're…a bit rowdy."

"Sounds fine to me," mocked Falco. Krystal elbowed his and he groaned as he clutched it.

"Well, let's get over there, then," agreed Fox.

The team followed Fara and Fay into the hallway, lit only by thin, electric blue lights that lined the top and base of the walls. Fox noticed a few doors before Fara reached the final one at the end of the narrow hall, tapping a button that lit up with an arrow shape pointing up. Fara turned and smiled softly to the group.

"Just give the elevator a moment." She glanced back and checked the screen above it, with a "B5" lit up on it. "And…well, it might be a bit more."

"So, there are sublevels here?" Krystal folded her arms. "I was wondering why it seemed smaller outside."

"Oh, yes." Fara nodded. "They need space for some of the equipment developed here, and certain projects require testing facilities that can have the absence of light, so we have more floors below the ground." She tilted her head and studied Krystal for a moment. "Is this your first time at the Space Dynamics Laboratories?"

"Um…yes." Krystal glanced around at her companions and tugged on a bit of fur. "Guess that makes me the only one."

"Not quite," piped in Fox. "Falco and I haven't been here since they made renovations, so we're seeing some new stuff ourselves."

"You haven't?" Fara clasped her hands together. "Oh, I do hope we have time to give your team a tour of the place!"

"Are we taking those soldiers around as well?" Fay smirked at Fara's scowl. "I mean, it is fair to extend them the same courtesy."

"Perhaps, but they're…" Fara scanned Fox's teammates before settling on Slippy. "They're not the children of our Engineering Director, nor are they his friends."

"Hey, you don't know that," contended Slippy. "I do have at least a couple of friends in the Cornerian army."

"Hopefully not from this lot," murmured Fara.

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing."

"So, it's Dr. Phoenix, right?" Fox tilted his head as Fara returned her attention to him.

"W-well, I suppose that's my formal title," confirmed Fara. "It's probably easier if you want to call me 'Fara' though."

"Ooh, she wants a first name basis," teased Fay.

"Ugh…Fay…"

"Dr. Phoenix," repeated Peppy. "You're not related to the other Dr. Phoenix, are you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," verified Fara. "He's my father, who's currently working at the CDF bases."

"Wait, that Dr. Phoenix?" Slippy adjusted his cap. "He's the scientist that helped with work on the ship and spacecraft that they use, right?"

"Yep, that's him." She smiled. "He's actually admires you and your father, as well as the work you two have produced for both Star Fox and Corneria."

"Ha, well, we try!" Slippy scratched behind his head. "Sorry that I didn't recognize your name right away."

"It's fine," chuckled Fara. "I actually liked being recognized as an individual again, at least for my introduction."

"Yep, she gets a little too much attention just from her family name alone," elucidated Fay.

"Uh, not to be rude, but I don't recognize your name," realized Slippy. "Sorry."

"Actually, you shouldn't!" Fay beamed brightly. "I don't have any relatives with big names around here, and I'm still working on making a name for myself."

"In spite of our constant bickering, Fay's my protégé around here," revealed Fara.

"Excuse you, we're practically the same age," complained Fay. "I prefer being called 'partner,' or at the very least, 'understudy.' Those sound less like an apprentice."

"Sorry."

"Aw, it's fine." Fay sighed. "I'm still kind of a novice compared to you."

"Nonsense," debated Fara. "You're an excellent pilot and researcher in your own right."

"Yet I don't have a doctorate of my own," whined Fay. "I've got a ways to go still."

"Relax," soothed Fara. "We all move at our own pace."

A ding rang out behind the duo as everyone turned to the elevator doors opening. Fara and Fay shuffled in, and ushered Star Fox in with them. The doors closed again and the elevator surged down, with everyone inside feeling a bit weightless.

"Is this going to take as long?" Falco leaned against the sidewall. "Just let me know if I can rest my eyes." Krystal elbowed him again, eliciting another pained groan.

"While you're welcomed to rest, I wouldn't recommend it," suggested Fara. "We should be arriving in a bit; our project is on the second sublevel."

"So, whose decision was it to revive the robotics project?" Fox folded his arms. "I don't know much myself, but I remember that my mother wanted the project shut down."

"Did she?" Fara's ears lowered. "Great, that's not what I was told. If I had known that detail, I wouldn't have continued it."

"You were the one that wanted to?"

"Not quite," detailed Fara. "It was a combined decision between the president and the board members, with the latter being quite…persuasive about it." Her ears picked up a bit. "They originally wanted my father on the project, but he was taken off to assist with the CDF, alongside Dr. Beltino." She sighed and shook her head. "Naturally, when he wasn't able to complete the work, they invited me to the team that will finish it up for him."

"Mm. I see."

"Fox, you have my sincerest apologies." Fara lowered her ears again. "If Mrs. McCloud were here, she would be so ashamed."

"Maybe, but she did value honest effort and hard workers," comforted Fox. "At least, that's how my father related her to me."

Another ding and the elevator doors opened. The group stepped outside, entering a dark gray and cyan hallway.

"Is it painted darker for the lower levels?" Falco rolled his eyes. "The deeper, the darker?"

"Wow, you got it!" Fay applauded him. "Gosh, you're clever!"

"…I can't tell if you're mocking me or not…"

"Right this way!"

Fara hurried through the hall, guiding everyone left and down another hall. She opened a door on her right with a key code and swiping her card again. Smiling, Fara lifted her hand and gestured for Star Fox to follow Fay inside.

Furrowing his brow, Fox observed several silver robots lined up past computers and machines. He studied the group of them, noting that they had a similar head to his robot's, but with bulkier bodies and limbs below. One had its arm dissembled and left on a desk, which appeared to be configured into a canon.

"Hey Fox! Long time!"

Whirling around, Fox watched as a gray bulldog in a green fighter pilot uniform jogged over to him. He grinned and patted Fox's shoulder. Smirking back, Fox took his free hand and shook it.

"Great to see you again, Bill!"

"It's been far too long since we've been together," laughed Bill. "Those Aparoids kept us pretty busy, huh?"

"Tell me about it! I don't think we even ran into each other."

"Yeah, I'd call it a shame, but better that you were off taking care of them." Bill sighed as his ears drooped. "Wish I had done better for Corneria."

"Don't worry; the city's still standing, and pretty much recovered nowadays," eased Fox. "Besides, it wasn't easy dealing with a full scale invasion!"

"You're telling me!" Bill patted Fox again before folding his arms. "So, your team got invited down here too, huh?"

"Yep, courtesy of Dr. Phoenix." Fox glanced back to flash Fara a smile, but frowned at her grimace. He followed her eyes past Bill to eight dogs rushing over. "Oh, you brought both teams?"

"Yessir!" Bill beamed again. "Had to bring along everyone, since we're missing out on some training right now."

"Train, train, train," griped a shorter bulldog with pointy ears. "We were tasked over here, Grey. Don't you ever ease up?"

"With an attitude like that, we'll fail our planet more times than we can count!" Bill frowned at his teammate. "You should know better."

"Pretty sure she does," cut in a stocky bulldog. "She just likes to remind you that there's more to life than that."

"Like building robots!" A tall and thin husky rubbed his hands together, grinning. "Come on, this idea is super exciting!"

"Cool down, folks!" Bill laughed and shook his head. "You'll overwhelm Fox by rushing over here all at once."

"Hi Bill," greeted Slippy as he and the rest of Star Fox strolled over. "Um…it's been a while. Could you reintroduce us?"

"Maybe we should go first," chuckled Fox. He cleared his throat and pointed at himself. "Obviously, I'm Fox McCloud." He pointed down to Slippy. "Our mechanic is Slippy Toad." Then, to each of the others, "This is our ace pilot, Falco, resident telepath Krystal, and our grizzled veteran, Peppy. And, we're Star Fox!"

Everyone shared a laugh as Star Fox waved to their company. Bill clapped a bit before nodding.

"Right, my turn," he chuckled. "Might take a little longer, and we don't quite have the same star power as you folks." He winked at Fox and backed over to his team. "You guys should know me, but in case you don't, I'm Bill Grey."

A black and white husky stepped forward. "Not to interrupt, Bill, but wouldn't it be quicker if we introduced ourselves?"

"Ah…yeah, sure."

"Thought so." The husky smiled and bowed to the group. "My name is Ken, second-in-command to the Husky Squad."

"No need to show off, big shot," mocked a brown and gray husky. "Hey there. Name's Maeve, the ace sniper."

"Greetings!" The tall husky lumbered forward. "I'm Ryder, and I'm the tech specialist for the Husky Squad!"

"He's also the newest of the bunch," chuckled a bulky husky. "And I'm the heavy weapons specialist and grenadier, Alma."

"Blah, blah, enough out of the inferior squad," teased a black and brown bulldog, and he elicited dark glares from the huskies. "Anyway, howdy, Star Fox! I'm Ray, expert pilot and shooter of the Bulldog Squad!"

"Honestly, Raymond…" A white bulldog pinched the bridge between her snout and eyes, further wrinkling it. "Forgive him, please. My name is Blair, second-in-command of this squad."

"Let's return to civility," interrupted the stocky brown and white bulldog. "I am Caleb, the team's decryption specialist."

"Don't forget me!" The pointy-eared bulldog bounced up. "I'm the team scout, Hilda!"

"And that's everyone that I managed to bring along with me, at least for here," laughed Bill. "Hard as it may be to believe, and in spite of the shenanigans, these are some of the best soldiers that the CDF has to offer!"

"Yes, yes, wonderful pomp and circumstance," grumbled Fara. "Let's proceed, shall we?"

"Yikes, are you always going to be uptight, Fara?" Bill placed his hands on his hips. "Honestly, I'd think you'd at least try to loosen up a little around old friends like Fox and I."

"Old friends?"

"Yeah, from the Academy, remember?" Bill folded her his arms again. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten about those dog days, Fox!"

"Hate to break it to you—"

"Aw, seriously?" Bill laughed. "We definitely need to sit down and talk about the old days again, then! You too, Slippy!"

"Ah…sure." Slippy tugged his cap a little lower. "Anyway, good to see you again, Bill."

"We're past that part already!" Fay popped up beside Fara. She checked over the group of dogs and giggled. "Though, I imagine it's always good to see a strong force like these pups over here!"

"Please stop gushing," mumbled Fara. More clearly, she continued, "At any rate, thank you all for coming! We're proud to introduce our latest work here at Space Dynamics. This project is based on the combined efforts of our finest, including the legendary Vixy McCloud." She strolled over to a desk and pulled out a remote control, tapping into it. "Presenting…Project Galatea!"

One robot had its eyepiece scanner flash to life, with the visor lighting up in red. It stomped forward and Vixy smirked as it approached the group.

"Hello," greeted the deep voiced robot. "I am SDL Unit 4022. How may I be of assistance?"

"Wow, it's, uh…neat," managed Krystal.

"Hey, give it a second," protested Fay. "We're just getting started."

"Hi there, SDL Unit," returned Fara. "My name is Fara Phoenix."

"How may I be of assistance?"

"Hmm…we're looking to put on a demonstration for our visitors today," described Fara. "Can you clean up part of the lab? How about this messy desk beside me."

"Of course."

The robot stomped over and switched its right arm to a feather duster. Slowly, it bent and adjusted its body near the computer, cleaning off the monitor. Lifting itself back up, it switched its left arm to a vacuum and sucked up shreds of paper lying on the floor.

"This here, everyone, is our chance at the future," enlightened Fara. "Robotic units that will help in daily living and combat situations. So far, we only know of a few robots that work well with monitoring ships and reporting diagnostics. Picture, if you will, sentries that could be used to not only aid home owners with simple tasks like cleaning, but also work with military operations, able to replace living units."

"Why does this not seem like a good idea?" Falco lowered his eyes. "You going to tell me that these things are immune to being hacked and used by enemy forces?"

"There will be secured safety algorithms installed in each unit prior to their launch, hopefully within a few years," explained Fara. "We're working on securing each robot to ensure they're safe from any kind of malware corruption, as well as clearing out a few bugs."

Almost on cue, the robot's arm converted to an arm cannon, and it blasted a hole into the computer on the desk. It then aimed lower and blasted through the desk itself. Twitching, the robot detached its arm and stumbled backwards.

"HoW mAy I bE oF aSsIsTaNcE?" Its voice distorted as sparks fluttered from its eyepiece, with the red light fading.

"Uh…those are part of the bugs," insisted Fara. "We promise that those will be taken care of by the projected launch date, still some time away." She powered down the robot and sighed. Forcing a smile, she turned back to her audience. "Rest assured, we are most certainly looking into perfecting this project!"

"Well, in spite of the potential risks it presents," noted Blair, "I can honestly see this being a good thing, in the future. Who knows? Maybe this will finally help reduce wartime causalities."

"That is what we're aiming for," concurred Fay. "This is the furthest that we've come so far, and we're looking to continue cooperating with the CDF on this."

"Seems pretty good," commended Bill. "We'll try to keep in touch and help you folks out on this project."

"Rest assured," called out a new voice with calculated inflection, "we will keep our relations with the Defense Force as strong as ever."

Everyone turned as the elder green toad with a thin mustache, Dr. Beltino Toad, stepped inside. Slippy smiled and waved as his father walked in, who dropped his shoulders and excitedly waved back to his son. Recomposing himself, he nodded to the rest of the room.

"Welcome back, Dr. Toad," greeted Fara. "I trust you've made progress on the Orbital Gate's restorations and reconfigurations?"

"Plenty," assured Beltino, adjusting his yellow-rimmed glasses. "In fact, I was hoping to borrow your audience to report the progress on that as well."

"Absolutely," agreed Fara. "That's a great idea."

"Splendid!" He waved the group out after him. "Come, come! We'll need to bring you up in separate groups, but we'll take this crowd upstairs for the next project of ours!"

Beltino led members of Bill's squads to the elevator first, fitting in most of the team with him on the elevator. They all shouted for Bill to follow, but he laughed and waved them off.

"No worries! I'll head up with Fox and friends!"

They waved as the elevator closed and slowly ascended the floors of the laboratory. Bill sighed and folded his arms as he turned to Fox. He shifted his gaze carefully at Fox's teammates, each a distance away from their leader. Slowly, he leaned closer to Fox.

"You know," whispered Bill, "you're a fantastic pilot. Not that your team hasn't done a lot of good as is, but what would you think of joining up with my squads?" He smirked as Fox raised an eyebrow at him. "General Pepper could help you past any nonsense regulations that would try to keep you from it. You could be a great member of my squad, and even my overall second-in-command!" He grinned to Fox. "How about it? Can I finally convince you to join up and soar the skies with me?"

"Bill, you're a great friend of mine," murmured Fox. "But my team is my pride and joy. I couldn't think of leaving them, especially after all of the great work we do together. Maybe when I'm older, but right now, I'm nowhere near slowing." He smiled as Bill sighed and nodded, his ears drooping. "So, what about you? I've offered you a spot on my team before. Could be just like how our fathers were, years ago. Same deal, just that you'll be on a smaller team. Would that work for you?"

"Wish that I could agree, Fox," returned Bill. "I'm as stubborn as you, though. There's no way I can picture myself leaving the CDF and my squads behind to follow your spotlight team around." He winked to Fox. "You guys may have the press heralding you to be the 'Heroes of Lylat,' but I couldn't forgive myself for just leaving the team I've done great work with myself."

"Understood," laughed Fox. "Just know that my offer will always be open, should you ever change your mind."

"Likewise," chuckled Bill. His communicator then beeped off. "Sorry, that'd be the General. Give me a minute."

Walking away, Bill tapped his communicator and chattered to the General. Fox smirked as he watched his friend, and then turned as Fara walked up to him. Her ears were down and her head a bit lowered.

"Well…?" She shrugged to him. "These are the fruits of your mother's labor. Project Galatea wouldn't be nearly so well constructed without her efforts, and we'd be lost for decades more without all she offered." Fara sighed. "Does that…make up for working on this?"

"Fara, please," insisted Fox. "Don't feel at fault over continuing her work. You've done a great job with it so far, and I'm sure that she would admire where you've taken it." He sighed and nodded. "My mother always did want to create a better future for all of Lylat. From what this is shaping up to be…it could very well do just that."

"Truly, I do hope so," murmured Fara. "Fox…thank you."

They nodded to one another once more before Fara strolled over to help Fay with one of the robots. Peppy wandered back over to Fox and rested his hand on Fox's shoulder.

"Everything ok?"

"Mm…I think so," decided Fox, though his eyebrows lowered. "Do you…do you think my mother would have wanted this?"

"Honestly, I'm afraid that I'm not sure myself," admitted Peppy. "Your father never liked to go into details over this work after she passed." He patted and rubbed Fox's back. "But, I like to think the folks here do her some justice. Just like her son."

Peppy warmly smiled at Fox, who chuckled and smiled back. He patted Peppy's shoulder and nodded.

"Thank you, Peppy."

"Anytime, Fox." He nodded back. "If you need to talk more later, I'll be available."

Relaxing his shoulders, Fox turned as the rest of his team strolled over. He glanced at the elevator, which was still on the upper floors of the lab. Fox inhaled and exhaled as he joined in his team's next conversations.


...

Gosh, I forgot how long this portion was. No wonder people fell off.

This portion was originally part of a chapter that was over 14k. Not my finest for something that introduces way too much at once. (I get excited.)

A bunch of stuff to go over below, which should help explain...a lot more.

...

First off is the beginning. If you haven't picked up on the emotional aspects, Fox is facing a side of his life and history that begins and ends with his mother, someone he knows very little about, but has personal memories of her that he doesn't want bubbling back to the surface. His friends are more sensitive of this than they usually are in the games, since he was visiting the place of his parents' home from long ago at the beginning and remembering them.

It's all meant to have a recent timeline, so Fox is basically being thrust to a meeting where scientists are going to talk about experiments that his mother worked on prior to her untimely death, a world Fox never really took part in because he was so young. This is part of his life, however, that he has a bitter outlook on: it's where his parents interacted with Dr. Andross, who would go on to play a part in his mother's death, and later kills his father.

Compound this with the fact that Fox's minimal knowledge of his mother's work was her desire to have it buried, and he's being pushed into a position that's forcing him to not only open his own wounds, but potentially his mother's as well.

Fox's emotions with confronting his mother's work, which ties in with her death and his father's, are not exactly thrilling for him. His friends offer him an out so that he doesn't have to contend with any of that, but Fox knows that he can't avoid his mother's legacy forever. In this story, she's a big influence on the science community, something that Fox never got to partake in or understand, so it's a different side that disrupts the precious few and guarded memories he has of her.

...

Earlier in her debut, I mentioned wanting to do Fara Phoenix more justice than just being a potential love interest to Fox. So, in full, this is her appearance in her work field, and she is Doctor Fara Phoenix, daughter of the unseen Doctor Phoenix, who is original and I tossed him in to expand Fara's background more.

That was to help give her more belonging to Space Dynamics, and makes her part of a family legacy type that is recurring with members of the Star Fox team, since Slippy's father works with them, Peppy is a multi-generational member, and Fox took up his work from his father, plus has his mother's recently recovered work to further his ties. In case you were wondering, families and legacies are a theme that comes up in this fanfic (influenced by Star Fox's own canon and lore, yay).

To make sure that she's not buried down by nonsense, I wanted to make sure she came across as earnest and strives to do the right thing by her moral compass. She's involved with a project that Fox's mother worked on, but had no idea that it was more controversial than she was informed of. Her goals are altruistic, and Fara genuinely wants her efforts to be put forward on leading Corneria to a brighter future. In a way, she's a hero on a level different from Fox, but working towards the betterment of Lylat, similar to his ideals.

In case it's not obvious, the robotics program that she's working on, the same that Fox's mom worked on, was going to be the one that would be taken over by Andross, and the robots that were meant to be helpful aids to everyday life become...well, the future will be visited again later. Sadly, though, Fara does not have the foresight on this matter.

...

Fay is essentially Fara's consistent opposite. Fara's had her family help guide her with her efforts in establishing who she became. Fay does her work herself. Fara is a bit on the reserved and dutiful side, while Fay likes to be more outspoken and playful. One's a doctor, the other's not. Both are hard workers and best friends, but Fay has a slight weight of under-confidence around Fara, who she views as someone of higher standing in communities than her.

In a way, she echoes Slippy's views on himself compared with his father and his teammates, each of who he finds more important and of higher value than himself. She doesn't like to let her insecurities show, mostly to not worry Fara, who dislikes people comparing themselves to her or her family. Fay tends to deflect issues with jokes or silly behavior, though she enjoys making people laugh regardless.

...

Bill Grey is the next major name included, and he's that one guy who helps out back in Star Fox 64. See, I use the canon elements.

He's basically treated how he is in that game, where he's an old friend of Fox's and looks to help out. He's more in the background for this part of the story arc, but he'll get to do more later. For now, he helps expand on Fara, by bringing up her schooling tying in with his, Fox's, and Slippy's. They all went to the same place, but things went differently when Andross killed Fox's father. For bonus trivia, I had Fara and Slippy going in the science field, and Fox would've been along the military route with Bill, but that doesn't really come up.

Another part that I wanted to play around with is based on some exchanges that I vaguely remember Fox and Bill having about working together, so I twisted it around to make it so that Bill and Fox go back and forth on poaching one another from opposite teams and seek to recruit each other onto their respective teams. Neither, however, is able to forsake their loyal ties to their friends, so they remain unable to team up.

Included with Bill would be his team! Canonically, Bill is the leader of two squadrons in the Cornerian Army. None of those characters ever exist or mattered to the Star Fox series, so Bill's basically a character that acts as a satellite for Fox rather than, you know, actually belonging and impacting the story.

As such, the team included is consistent of...a bunch of original characters. They're basically there to help pad out Bill's team, give personality to them, and then make Bill more dynamic. Essentially, they were intended to be expanded upon enough to give them personality, and then later on, they were meant to be killed off, freeing Bill of his ties to the Cornerian Army after he goes into a downward spiral from losing his two units. Yeah...that would've been dark. But hey, Bill would've joined the team!

Alas, never made it that far, so, Bill's buddies get to live and play around at Space Dynamics. They're kind of goofballs, so, they're fun to have pop up along the way. Nothing too important to worry about, just extras to fill in dialogue and such. Yay depth!

...

The next chapter will be a brief interlude to the past, to expand more on Vixy's work during her days at Space Dynamics. That's right, we get to see Fox's mom in a lab! ...Not a lot happens for her, but it's where she gets to speak with Dr. Andross, so...you get a brief look into that relationship.