Author's note: Well, here we are again… What? You don't know me? Well, it's not a surprise- I haven't felt confident enough in my own abilities to post anything in a long time… Not that I think I'm a bad writer, but I'm too much of a perfectionist to ever feel satisfied with anything I've written… I'll write something, then knit-pick at it until I lose interest altogether…
Heh, I wonder if I'm really gonna publish this… I've got dozens of fics cluttering up my hard drive that I never felt were quite 'up to snuff'. If this one goes over well, maybe I'll start polishing up a few of those too…
Well, I've got the first chapter done, and I think that the hardest part is past...
Well… maybe not…
Ruins of Camelot
Chapter 1
By: Knicknevin
Contact me: knicknevin@teamartail.com
CDF (Cornerian Defense Force) Central Command
General Pepper's Office
4:00 P.M.
General Pepper scanned over the latest battle reports… the news was not good. Andross had already overrun Aquas, Macbeth, and Fortuna… now his forces moved against Zoness and Katina. Zoness would almost certainly fall, but Bill Grey and Husky Squadron were stationed on Katina- they might be able to hold with Bulldog Squadron to back them up… Fox McCloud and StarFox were heading that way too, so there was a good chance they could stop Andross's war machine before it smashed through to Corneria.
Pepper chewed his lollypop nervously. Even if Andross's latest drive was halted, they would only be buying time… The last offensive against Andross had failed miserably, as had all those before it. Now his counter offensive threatened to destroy Corneria's forces completely. The two opponents wore at each other endlessly, attacking and counter-attacking, making the war a matter of numbers. Whoever outlasted the other would win… it was simple mathematics.
From the looks of the reports, Corneria was on the losing end of the equation… And the reports brought some other bad news…
Pepper sat down at his desk with a sigh. He couldn't allow himself to despair- he was still the Commander-in-Chief of all Cornerian Defense Forces. Whether he thought the war was to be won or lost, he still had at least on more duty to perform… He felt he should take care it personally. He pressed the buzzer to call his aide. "Yes sir?" the young lieutenant asked respectfully as he entered the office.
The very young lieutenant… The jaguar couldn't be older that 18, and even that was probably being generous… Before the war, it wouldn't be possible for someone to become an officer so young… Now, however, the situation on Corneria was so bad that… children… were being recruited and promoted to unheard of ranks.
Well, Pepper thought, Maybe they aren't getting very much younger… Maybe I'm just getting older. The aide waited patiently for the General to order him. Too many dying young… but we have no-one else to send… I wasn't much older than him when I received my first combat assignment.
The lollypop in his mouth took on a sour taste.
"Get me a signal through to the Great Fox," Pepper finally ordered. "I need to discuss the latest changes with McCloud…" The aide saluted and hurried away. Pepper turned around to the Vid-screen, deep in thought. He dropped his lolly into the waste can. After a few moments, a sleepy looking Fox McCloud appeared on the screen. "Fox, sorry to wake you," Pepper apologized, "But I think you should hear about this now… Before news comes to you second-hand…"
Fox looked concerned. "What is it?"
Pepper picked up the battle report from Zoness. This part of the job never got any easier… I was so glad to be promoted; I got away from this ghastly duty… But, here I am again. His eyes scanned down the report to the addendum. "Fox, it's not easy for me to have to pass along news like this, so bear with me…"
Now Fox's expression took on a mixture of both concern and agitation. "What is it?" he repeated, "Come on, I was trying to sleep."
Pepper looked down the report again, to the casualty list… A cold and heartless list… promising futures, hopes, all lost… Pepper realized with a twinge of sadness that no one on the list was even half his age. God I hate this job… I wish the war would end so I could resign.
"Well…"
His eyes slid down the depressingly long list- the battle at Zoness was not large in scale, Corneria didn't have a large force there… but the casualty rate among the garrison there was high… his eyes skipped here and there down the list.
Anderson, Eddie
"I don't know-"
He could remember one mother, a young and beautiful woman… Her 6-year-old son had been killed by friendly fire during a military exercise… The rage and sadness in her eyes as she cursed Pepper, who could only stand there, accepting her words.
Compton, Regis
"-of any easy way-"
Or the elderly mother of his former classmate… Regis had been his name too. He'd been killed in an accident at a construction site… although some suspected sabotage… He and Pepper had been good friends through school, and he had served as Pepper's aide until he had been sent to review the status of the new barracks…
Fanaway, Stephen
"-to put this-"
But he could remember only a few such incidents… the rest had blurred together, leaving only hints of a vague sadness.
Pepper had been a good friend of James- Fox's father. Every time he spoke to Fox he felt a pang of guilt… He had been the one to recommend Pigma to James… Who could have guessed he'd be so treacherous?
Hanscomb, Lynx
"-so-"
At least Peppy had taken on the task of breaking the news to Fox… This time, though, Pepper felt he had to do it himself… and, despite all the terrible memories, he felt this time was going to be the worst.
Longfellow, Fanix
"-I'll tell it to you straight." He finished, looking at the next name on the list.
Phoenix, Fara
****************************************************************
Great Fox
En-route to Katina
Local Night
Peppy awoke to the sound of shouting. That was fairly common on board the Great Fox, even in the middle of the night. After a few moments, he recognized the voice as Fox's. That was also common.
He ignored the shouting for some time, as he always did when Fox and Falco fought. After some time, Peppy realized that Fox's voice was the only one he heard. He didn't sound like he was saying anything intelligible either- just shouting and carrying on. Concerned, Peppy jumped out of bed, dressed, and hurried over to Fox's quarters.
By the time he opened the door, the shouting had stopped, and was replaced by something Peppy hadn't heard from Fox since he was a young child… Fox was weeping. Peppy took a cautious step into the room to see Fox kneeling next to his bed, face buried in the pillow. Peppy stood in the door, shocked at seeing his friend so totally lose his composure like this… "Fox?" he asked nervously, "What's wrong Fox?"
Fox made no reply. A scene hauntingly familiar… The last time Peppy had seen Fox like this was after he had told him the fate of his father, James.
Peppy stood, looking at Fox in confusion. "What's wrong Fox?"
Peppy suddenly realized there was only one thing that could provoke this kind of a response from Fox… only one other person that close. "Fox! What happened Fox?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Fox picked his head up, seeming to become aware of Peppy for the first time.
"S-she's… gone…"
That was all Peppy had to hear. Without saying another word, he wrapped his arm over Fox's shoulder. The two sat for some time in silence, Peppy fighting back tears of his own. He had liked Fara a great deal, and knew how happy she made Fox… Although he would never admit it, Peppy looked on Fox as the son he never had. He was too old to have children now- he was 41, going to turn 42 soon. By the time his child got to be Fox's age, he'd be at least 60… So instead he had 'adopted' Fox after James had died.
He thought back to the day when he had told a young Fox that his father wouldn't be coming back again... a day far too much like this one. Poor Fox, he thought, first your mother, then your father and now this… losing all the people that matter most to you. The world seems bent on dealing you a losing hand…
After some time, Peppy realized Fox's muffled sobs had quieted and his breathing had become even. He'd fallen asleep. Peppy picked Fox up gently and laid him down on his bed, then stepped back. Poor Fox… Peppy shook his head sadly. He wished there was something more he could do, but he knew that Fox was going to have to deal with his grief on his own. There were no words Peppy knew that could contain that kind of sorrow…
He stepped out of Fox's room, closing the door behind him. He thought back to that day three months ago… The pride in Fox's voice as he told the others that Fara had agreed to marry him… As soon as the war was over… He slammed his fist into the wall in a rage.
"What happened?" he heard a voice ask from his left. Falco stepped out from a shadow in the darkened hallway. "I heard yelling a while ago but I didn't know what was going on…"
Peppy just shook his head sadly, trying to find his voice again. "Fara's dead," he finally managed to force out.
Falco stepped back in shock. "N-no… way… How did… what…" he stammered, "Is Fox all right?"
"He's asleep now… I don't know what happened… Let's try contacting General Pepper in the morning… he must know what happened…"
"Is Fox gonna be okay?" Falco asked nervously. "Maybe we should keep an eye on him… just in case…" he choked back a sob. "You know… I really liked her… I never said anything because I knew she liked Fox, but… man…"
"You should get some sleep," Peppy advised Falco, "But, wake up Slippy and tell him too…it's going to be a long day tomorrow…"
Falco turned without another word and headed towards Slippy's quarters, head hung low. Peppy shook his head sadly- it was going to be a long day indeed. The Great Fox would reach Katina by tomorrow, and Andross's forces wouldn't be far behind. He couldn't let Fox fight in the shape he was in, but he couldn't ignore the situation on Katina either…
Peppy made his way back to his quarters and lay down. Things seemed darker now; the confidence he usually felt was drained away. For the first time in a long time, he considered the possibility that they may actually lose the war.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day indeed…
Well, I'm not totally satisfied with this, but I'm gonna post it before I lose my nerve and go into hiding again :) The way I look at it, if I post chapter 1, I'm obliged to keep up the story until the finish. Chapter 2 is gonna be longer that this little bit, so I'll be a few days in coming.
My current e-mail address is way too busy, so I'm gonna get a new address dedicated to fanfiction discussion and such soon.
Anyway, tell me what you think, thanks.