Chapter 3.
There's the Goal, Here's the Kicker.
Fox stepped off the Great Fox's ramp, breathing in the asteroid hangar's air. Looking around, he understood the need for more protection. Two cargo freighters sat parked beside the Great Fox, with a steady train of pallet jacks, forklifts, and flatbed carts leading from their cargo bays towards the hall at the end of the frigate-sized hangar. A force field hummed at the hangar's mouth, keeping the air inside, but still allowing starships to pass back and forth through it.
Fox counted stacks of cable reels, wooden and steel crates, furniture wrapped in plastic sheeting, dozens of translucent plastic drums, and even digging equipment. At one point, Fox watched a drill-nosed machine roll off of one of the freighters on a set of treads. A pirate looking for valuable salvage would have a field day here.
A knee-high cart rolled out, pushed by a crew of a dozen. A marble altar rested on it, with dozens of statues engraved into the base. Fox traced the filigree with his eyes, seeing suns, stars, winds, and oceans engraved into the backgrounds around them.
As he leaned over to take a closer look, he heard a voice from behind. "Impressed? You should see it after it's installed with the rugs."
Fox turned around to see an ape in dark green vestments. The ape offered a wrinkled hand. "Please, allow me to introduce myself."
A split second hesitation gripped Fox before he took the ape's hand in his paw. The ape smiled warmly. "I am Ray. I'm one of the leaders of this community, so you may hear some refer to me as Preacher Ray."
Ray nodded to an incoming group. "I represent my humble congregation, and I also contribute to the decisions the order makes alongside the other representatives. Here they come now."
Another representative strode over to Fox, a stout lizard in a teal robe. He clasped Fox's paw with unexpected strength. "McCloud! I have to say, having you here eases our minds and lifts our spirits. We are grateful for your services to us, especially now."
Fox nodded dumbly. He didn't recognize what religion the lizard belonged to at all, so he tried for the most sincere answer he could think of:
"Well, I'm just glad we can help." Fox looked at the rest of the assembled clergy and felt a twinge in his gut. Lizards and apes composed almost the entire group, with the only other species present being one green falcon, a tiger, and a panda. Most wore robes or suits but some, like the falcon and tiger, wore flight suits.
A familiar unease crept back into his thoughts. A part of his mind insisted he should place a paw near his holster.
Ray must've noticed the look on Fox's face, because he spoke reassuringly, "McCloud, who you see before you are some of the most prominent voices against Andross when he ruled. Rock, I think you should show him."
The lizard in the teal robe pulled back his sleeves and showed seams encircling his wrists. "Some officer with a saber. He thought he made an example of me, taking off both my hands. And yet, I'm still here, with new hands, no less!"
Rock beamed at Fox. Fox felt some of his unease melt away, and he felt a pang of shame. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have suspected..."
The lizard threw up both hands in a brushing-away motion. "Please! It is us who should apologize to you. A group of lizards and apes walking towards you, you probably thought we were going to throw you through the hangar force field and into the vacuum."
Fox nodded with an awkward smile. The green falcon spoke, tilting her head forward with the smallest hint of a laugh, "I think your comment hit uncomfortably close to home, Rock. Look at his ears."
Fox self-consciously unflattened his ears. Before he could fumble for the right response, Ray spoke up again, "Well, I think we've embarrassed our protector enough. I'll go ahead and show him around. That is, if he would join me."
Ray looked at Fox with another warm smile. Fox hesitated, then remembered that he all but botched his first impression. A tour with Ray would probably help him seem more like the professional he aimed to be.
"Of course. Lead the way." Fox motioned for him to go forward.
Ray clapped his hands together. "Perfect! I'll show you what we have so far. Feel free to ask any questions! I welcome them."
"Will do." Fox looked at the hangar ceiling, watching electricians on scaffolds install wires and cables. He spotted the edges of multiple metal doors near the mouth of the hangar.
Ray followed his gaze. "Ah! You see our backup blast doors. Those were already here when we started."
Fox cocked an eyebrow. "Already here?"
Ray swept a hand up and down towards the hangar's force field. "The hangar, the artifical gravity, and the basic radiation shielding were already established some time ago by one of Andross' survey teams. He ordered this rock towed here, for mining, I think. The whole project was a mess."
Ray shook his head with a look that hovered somewhere between amused and disgusted. "He ordered the whole rock moved closer to Venom, even after survey teams told him the resources on it weren't worth the effort. Then he cancelled the whole operation near the end of the war. There was enough time to build basic infrastructure like the hangar and some life support, and then he abandoned it. My guess is he wrote it off as worthless and moved on to something newer. We acquired the rights to the location from the new Venomian government, who technically owned it after the war. They hired investigators to ensure nothing nefarious remained and with that, here we are."
The two walked down a hallway peppered with neat, square holes in the walls. Drilled holes for cables and vents, Fox guessed.
Ray confirmed his hunch. "Andross' teams drilled many smaller holes in most of the rooms, and we found unused wires and cables that ran between them. Some lead nowhere, though, and I'm betting it's because he planned to build more. We certainly plan to."
Ray nodded upwards at the drill on treads that Fox spotted earlier. It trundled by, it's driver waving from the cab.
"It sounds like you know a lot about what happened here," Fox spoke cautiously. He already knew most of this from the brief Byrd sent him, but some of the details stayed vague. Like how many of the people here were apparently Venomians.
Fox kept that last thought to himself. He felt bad for thinking it, but the fact that he didn't know this until now really bothered him. The more he could find out now, the better.
Ray glanced at Fox and pursed his lips. As the two walked back towards the edge of the hangar force field, he placed both hands behind his back and gazed up at the stars.
"I understand how we must look to you. Several Venomians coming into possession of a base with all of Andross' fingerprints on it. I wish there was more I could say to reassure you that we truly are who we say we are. We just wish to build a home here. A shelter for those of us who need a space to reflect and think upon our mistakes and how they affect the lives of others."
Ray looked towards Fox, and for the first time since meeting the ape, Fox saw the exhaustion written into his features. Dark rings circled his eyes, his back bent forward in a slight stoop, and when he spoke, it sounded less like he was talking and more like he was mouthing words as he sighed. He looked truly tired. A kind of tired you only knew when it sank into your bones and into your soul.
For few seconds, Fox's apprehension faded away. He knew that look. He saw the same kind of eyes in the mirror, and he knew how it felt to live as though you were at the end of your rope.
Ray turned away with a small start. He cleared his throat, and turned back to face Fox. "I understand if you have second thoughts about helping us. But I will ask anyway, as humbly as this old body will permit. Please, can you help us?"
For a few heartbeats, Fox said nothing. His suspicions persisted, but faded as he watched the old ape's face. A few thoughts ran through his mind, all of them evaluating possible angles for schemes, double-crosses, or anything else he would have expected from Venomians in the past.
At the same time, something gnawed at him. Near his heart. The feeling that if he left, he'd be leaving behind people who counted on him. The look on the ape's face drove that point home. Every time he felt it he felt something inside him protest, forcefully and furiously, that he needed to be the kind of person who helped others. Someone who at the very least, no matter how or when, tried to help.
He felt that spirit rise in his chest as he answered, "Of course."
"Well, thank you." Ray smiled, and scratched the back of his head. "I have to say though, I held my breath for a minute there."
Fox chuckled, then spotted Slippy as he looked past Ray's shoulder. The frog waved, shouldering a pack that looked about a head taller than he was.
"F-Fox! Some of the people here are setting up their hospital, and I want to help. D-do you think I could? I know that it might take me away from flying, but." Slippy looked around. "These people really look like they could use the help. Plus, i-it's one of those advanced field hospitals, with robot assistants, replacement tissue printers, and even working artificial organs! It makes sense, considering how many heart problems you're gonna have when most of the people here are really old-"
Slippy froze the moment he saw Ray step up beside Fox. "I-I-I, mean-"
"No, no, no, I'd say you're fairly percipient." Ray chuckled. "I can count all of the people here who are under 40 on one hand. That entire hospital is one of the most important things we need here, and yes, we would be grateful for your help, if your captain will allow it."
Slippy and Ray turned to Fox. Fox chose his answer before Slippy even finished talking. "Go ahead. We only have 3 Arwings anyway, so that frees up one of us to help out here."
Slippy beamed, jogging towards the hallway. Fox shook his head with a smile.
"You know," Ray spoke, "I really do think we're in good hands."
He patted Fox on the back. "Well, there are some very important things I need to oversee personally. It was a pleasure meeting you, Fox McCloud. I hope we can find more time to talk."
"Of course. I'd be glad to help." Fox spoke. He meant every word.
At that moment, Falco jogged over, flagging Fox down with a wing. "Fox! Fox, I gotta say, it's weird as hell seeing so many Venomians in one place that aren't shooting at us and, are those kegs?"
Falco redirected his gaze halfway through his sentence, staring at a flatbed cart wheeling several steel barrels across the hangar floor.
Ray furrowed his brow with a serious look. "Of course they are."
A realization dawned on Falco's face. "You mean you god-squad guys got beer?"
"Yes, and we plan to brew some, too. What did you think I was going to oversee?" Ray scoffed, winking at Fox.
Fox caught on with a wry smile. "Yeah, Falco, I think he was going to show me what they have in store, too."
Falco straightened himself up with a thoughtful hum. "Well, I got time. Mind if I tag along?"
Miyu looked around the briefing room as she entered. She spotted the usual folks. Jess stood in front of the crowd. The gang of Venomian pilots stuck together at the rear of the room, like always. The arctic fox from before sat in the front row, this time, right by a swift fox in a blue flight suit and a green flight jacket.
This time, though, Miyu didn't see the ferret anywhere. What she did see, though, was the ear-to-ear grin Jess wore on her muzzle as she scanned the crowd. Miyu wondered if that had anything to do with the ferret's abscence.
Sitting down, she felt the white fox lightly elbow her.
"Miyu! I meant to introduce you. This is McCoy, he's one of the bomber pilots." The arctic fox pointed a thumb at the swift fox beside her.
McCoy dipped his muzzle. "Howdy. I saw you go up against that pilot a while back."
Miyu winced. "Yeah. Sorry about that."
McCoy shook his head immediately. "Don't be. You're the reason I didn't take a warhead to the forehead. If you didn't distract him, I probably would've gotten turned into a scrap cloud. I owe you."
Miyu didn't know what to say to that. She almost died, but if she didn't do what she did, then someone else would have died. Miyu just settled for a nod and a quiet "Don't worry about it," and tried to avoid thinking about whether she'd make the same choice again if she got confronted with it.
McCoy waved over another similarly-dressed pilot, a stocky mountain lion. McCoy stood, and the two clasped paws for a one-armed hug.
The mountain lion nodded upwards at Miyu. "I saw what happened out there from my bomber. You took a Titanian lead sled and made it go toe-to-toe against the one fighter that blew right past everybody. Last time I saw a pilot try something like that, I had to wash her out of her cockpit with a hose."
The mountain lion kept a straight face as he spoke. Miyu got the feeling he wasn't joking.
The loud sound of someone clearing her throat echoed through the room. Jess stood in front of the crowd, keeping the same smile as she clapped her paws together. "Well, folks, I got good news and even better news. Victor, hit the lights."
The lights dimmed as the familiar hologram of the asteroid appeared in front of the crowd. Jess cleared her throat. "Our employer told us that we would meet up with another ship and plan out the assault on the asteroid. He's gone to meet them ahead of time, but we've had a few very interesting developments since then."
"For one, we're early. We're 24 or so hours away from reaching the asteroid. The rendezvous won't happen for another 72. On top of that, we also learned that some old friends of ours are in charge of protecting this asteroid." Jess' smile turned wicked as another hologram appeared in place of the asteroid. Miyu heard the whole crowd descend into a dull roar of murmurs and growled curses the moment it flickered into view.
Right in front of them, slowly turning in the air, hovered a hologram of a familiarly long-necked frigate, complete with a formation of 4 fighters in front of it.
Miyu's claws dug into her armrests. She recognized the fighters by their silhouettes alone.
A set of four portraits appeared in front of them. A falcon, a frog, a hare, and a red fox. Miyu read the words under the fox's portrait: Fox McCloud, Leader of Star Fox.
Some jeers rose from the crowd. Jess held up a paw. "As it turns out, this crew did a lot of government work in the Lylat Wars. Most of that's classified, so we don't have much to go on about the history of this particular outfit. So."
Jess held an upright finger towards the crowd, and everyone fell silent. "I'm thinking we could potentially knock them out before our friends arrive, and I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm absolutely itching for some payback. Who knows? If we take and hold the asteroid ourselves, we might even negotiate a better fee for our services."
The hologram flickered off, the lights brightened, and Jess stepped in front of the crowd. Taking a moment to look around, she spoke, with a dead seriousness that gave every one of her words an edge, "I realize our last fight didn't go well. I understand that some of you might have reservations, even. But I'll be clear:"
She raised an arm, pointing at an angle away from the crowd. "The good news is we know who we're up against, and we know exactly what they're capable of. But what's the better news?"
The corners of Jess' lips curled upwards as she left her serious expression behind. "The better news is that now, we have a chance to surprise them."
Some voices in the crowd cheered. Others nodded. Miyu leaned in.
"They're on defense, now. That opens up some options." Jess stressed the last word, cracking her knuckles. "They have something to defend, so that limits their range. They have to stay close to their target, but us? We get to pick our vectors. And more importantly,"
She lifted her muzzle. "They don't know we're coming."
"Yeah!" Someone stood and fist pumped in the front row. Others stood up to clap. The arctic fox whooped. A few howled. Miyu stood, too, clapping hard as she looked around. For a minute, she basked in the shared feeling of getting a second chance at the enemy. She wore a smile with bared teeth as she cheered and looked around at all the people cheering with her.
Her gaze stopped at the crowd of Venomians near the back. They watched, but kept quiet. One scowled. Miyu turned back to face Jess. She guessed some pilot cultures were just different.
As it turned out, the order brewed good beer. Fox tasted everything offered, but he stuck to the back of the group as Ray introduced Falco to more and more of the order's drinking stock. Peppy joined later, and sat across from Ray in the unfinished dining hall, where everyone sat on boxes that stored chairs and ate on crates that held tables.
Fox spent most of that time in thought. Thankfully, instead of weighing the odds of whether or not the mission would go wrong, he thought about how he'd organize the asteroid's defense. Fox felt more at home here, thinking through the details of a mission. It distracted him from the other pressures of running the team, and he welcomed every minute where he didn't have to worry about an uncertain future.
It also helped that his team got along with the people here. Falco already spent a good chunk of the evening leaning against the wall and talking to the green falcon from before. Peppy sat by Rock as the two gingerly discussed politics.
At one point, the green falcon walked over to Fox, interrupting his thoughts. "Mister McCloud. We've met, but we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Greene. May I?" She motioned to a free seat beside him.
"Go ahead. I'm just thinking about how my team can help y'all." Fox rested his arms on the table. "Besides patrols, I can't think of much."
"That's precisely why I came." Greene tapped the shoulder of her dark blue flight suit, indicating a patch that said Security. "I'm in charge of scheduling flight patrols for this asteroid, so I figured we should talk."
"What are your thoughts?" Fox asked. He glanced at the tiger at the other end of the room, the one wearing the same kind of flight suit as Greene.
Greene looked around, then leaned in, speaking in a voice that you could almost miss in the murmur of conversations around them, "McCloud, what's your honest assessment of our defenses?"
Fox blinked, surprised by the question. He took a few seconds to carefully choose his words. "From what I know, between your team and mine, we have seven pilots and six working fighters. You also have three people who work as security guards. That's enough to make any raiding party think twice about attacking, and if I remember right, you have a team working on turret defenses already."
Greene nodded slowly, but with the edges of her mouth curled downwards. "McCloud, you're not wrong, but I asked for an assessment, not a duty roster. What do you think our odds are against a real attack?"
Fox focused on Greene's face, and paused. He rapped a claw on the crate's surface. "I think...that the more important odds are whether we get attacked at all. The biggest risk we're running is that we get attacked before the base defenses go up. If we're attacked then, then the odds are only as bad as the number of starships thrown at us. Then it boils down to whether we can keep them away from the base. If that's the question, then I think we can hold our own against the usual raiding parties."
Greene locked eyes with Fox. "And against something bigger than that?"
Fox narrowed his eyes. Something felt off. "There something you're trying to suggest, Greene? Do you think we're gonna be attacked?"
Greene stared at Fox's eyes, looked down, and a sigh escaped the thinnest split in her beak. "I don't know, but I think you're right. I think that even if we're attacked by a raiding party, then we could deal with them with no real problems. Thing is,"
She looked back up. "That's a good plan for dealing with raiding parties. Raiding parties are just that: raids. Raiders don't plan. At least, not much. They just grab a few ships and pick easy targets. What if we're attacked by a group that plans more than just a raid? What if someone looks at us and then decides to plan a real assault?"
Fox furrowed his brow. He spoke in a low voice to match hers, "Do you think that's a real risk?"
Greene replied, "I think it's a risk worth planning for."
Her questions still felt off. A part of him suspected that she knew more than she let on. "What makes you think it's a risk?"
Greene shrugged, shaking her head. "McCloud, this is my job. I gotta look out for these people. Maybe I'm worrying too much, but out here, I think it's worth at least thinking about it."
Fox rubbed his chin thoughtfully. She dodged the question. At the same time, she didn't sound unreasonable. He ventured a guess, "You think we should do more to defend the place than just patrols."
Greene tapped the tip of her beak. "And I think we need to do it without alarming folks. I wanted to talk to you one-on-one before bringing in anyone from our teams."
Fox nodded. He felt his suspicions come back while he recognized her point. That said, none of Greene's suggestions felt dangerous. Maybe she hid something. Maybe she really did worry too much. Maybe both.
That last idea stood out in Fox's mind. He shelved it for now. "Right. I'll talk to my team and we can plan something out."
"Okay. Good." Greene sounded relieved. Fox only just noticed that some of her feathers smoothed down when he agreed to do something.
She offered a wing. "I'm glad we talked. It's good to work with someone else who knows what the risks are."
Fox took her wing in his paw and shook it. "Like I said, I'm here to help. Let's get our teams together tomorrow and get a plan figured out."
"Sounds good to me. You have a good night, McCloud."
As Greene turned away, Fox also stood and walked towards the hallway. When he reached the hangar, he thought hard about two things: how the base defenses could be improved, and why Greene mentioned a planned attack.
Author's notes:
If you want an idea for how long this story's gonna be, I have an outline done already and so far, I've covered 5 of the 19 sections.
Nail Strafer: You're in luck! I have a lot of action planned for chapter 4, and I'm hoping it'll make the story more interesting.
Elarix: Pointing out the problems with my dialogue really helped. I spent the whole last chapter working on my grammar. As for Jess' insignia, I honestly thought of something like a lightning bolt held by the fist of an angry god when I thought of it.
Vexed: I'm glad Fox looked professional! My aim was to make him look and sound like a guy trying his best in a difficult position. So far, I'm just setting up everything for chapter 4. I just hope it lives up to everything I've written so far.
Thanks again for reading, y'all. Chapter 4's gonna be a real challenge, so wish me luck.