Chapter 7:
The Starfox crew sat around a table in the lounge room of the Great Fox, their faces grave and anxious. They were growing accustomed to operating without a captain – just the three of them. Peppy sipped a mug of coffee thoughtfully while Falco leaned in his chair, reading a copy of the Cornerian Daily that was transmitted to them. They were all unusually quiet. The once jubilant lounge became a dark morgue, the morgue of Fox's memory. Not even Slippy made a noise; he simply rested his head on the cool metal table, staring blankly at the stars outside the window. It has already been a week since they discovered Fox, lying lifelessly in the torn cockpit of his Arwing. The crew had no choice but to get on with it – to get on with Fox's absence.
Amidst the deathly silence, there was the creaking of a metal hinge – a creak that came from the hallways, followed by slow, heavy footsteps. Peppy whipped his head around. Falco glanced up from his newspaper. The steps came closer and closer, and then the door to the lounge was slow pushed open. Fox stood at the threshold, leaning heavily against the walls, panting in exhaustion.
"Fox, you're not supposed to move! Didn't you hear the doctor's transmission?" Falco blurted in concern.
"Ah, doctor says this, doctor says that - to hell with em. I've been in battle long enough to know my own condition," Fox retorted easily. His health condition, however, was far from easy. Blood still seeped through the bandage wrapped above his left eye and his chest, and his legs were still too weak to fully sustain his weight. He slowly stumbled to the table in the middle of the room.
"Mind if I take a seat?"
Peppy shuffled his chair to the side as Fox plunked down. A silence dragged on in the room before Fox spoke again.
"So, what exactly happened? How did you find me?"
"Awww Fox, come on, you didn't suppose Slippy is so naïve as to assume the Great Fox would never get stolen, did you?" Peppy laughed, and Slippy smiled sheepishly at the comment.
"…What do you mean?" Fox inquired, confusion written all over his face.
"The Great Fox was bugged, in case it was ever stolen… though we didn't expect you to be the thief. We were given orders to track you down. We borrowed a carrier from Bill's Husky Fleet in Katina – don't worry, we returned the carrier to him. But any ways, we followed your signals until we found the Great Fox abandoned somewhere outside the Lylat System… and well, we looked around and found you,"
"I see… and-" Fox turned to look at Falco. Their eyes met squarely.
"And me? Thought I've left you, huh Fox? Hah! You deserved a scare for deserting us," Falco chuckled in his usual cynical tone.
Fox leaned over to land a light, playful punch on Falco's face. Falco punched back, and soon they were all laughing like old friends. Slippy broke out in giddy high-pitched giggles as Peppy shook his head and smirked at the childlike commotion.
"So… have you guys heard from Fara?" Fox asked suddenly as the laughter settled.
The smiles faded, and grim expressions fell across their faces like dark curtains. The three stared down at the table guiltily.
"Well?" Fox demanded. Silence returned, and the moment stretched on like the tension of a bowstring. The three eyed each other; someone had to tell him.
"Fox… we haven't heard from Fara, but we did get some news. Fara's parents were found dead in a collapsed building in Corneria… I'm sorry… the prospects of finding her doesn't look too good," Peppy reported reluctantly.
"Oh…" Fox frowned and breathed weakly. He too, looked down on the table. It was a cruel joke god played. He was reminded of his own situation, and to think Fara would have to endure the same thing… That is, assuming that she was even alive… Fox has escaped death, but he has yet to escaped the misfortunes that haunted him. Why did life have to be so difficult? The others looked at him in concern, waiting nervously for his reaction.
"Well… I guess I'd better get some more rest to recover…" Fox said dryly and stood from his seat. Falco helped him back to his room.
He lay in his bed, staring out at the stars that slowly rolled by the window. The lights had been turned off. Fox had already spent days in bed, with tubes tangled all over him and an oxygen mask clamped over his muzzle; a life support system Slippy had designed. He needed the life support system no more. In the time he lay in bed wide awake, he saw Titania slowly drift past his vision, then Sector-X, Solar, and Fortuna. To Fox, it was a familiar path back home, but comfort was not to be found on Corneria. Fox sighed. He had abandoned Fara during the Lylat Wars, and now it was Fara's turn to desert him.
He thought of it no more and fell back into much needed sleep.
Dawn came to Corneria, the fiery sun tinting the world in a golden tinge of orange. The Great Fox smoothly sliced through the atmosphere, gleaming with sparks of flames – just like the day team Starfox returned from their victory on Venom, but without the crowds of cheering citizens awaiting them. Few people were informed about Fox's journey; only high military officials knew. As they descended from the clouds, Fox mentally prepared himself for lectures from Pepper – and a punishment of some form. After all, he violated the general's commands. He did not hold complete ownership of the Great Fox, and all operations had to have the general's consent.
At last, the Great Fox landed in the Cornerian Military Starport, adjacent to the Academy and Pepper's office. A hatch at the bottom of the great mother ship opened, and Fox walked out with his arms stretched over Falco and Peppy's shoulders for support. A Lieutenant wearing the academy uniform strode over to them.
"Lieutenant McCloud, the general wishes to speak to you,"
"I'll be there… in a sec," Fox replied calmly.
He eyed Peppy and Falco, a signal that he no longer needed help. They dropped his arms from their shoulders and stared as Fox slowly teetered and disappeared down the dark hallway leading to Pepper's office. Fox breathed deeply before knocking on the colossal wooden doors that symbolized all of the general's authority.
"Come in," a strong voice called.
He pushed the doors open. Pepper lifted his eyes from the documents piled on his desk and dropped the phone he had been talking into.
"Ah, Fox McCloud, I've been expecting you. Take a seat," the general said sternly. Fox could do little but to comply. He noticed that Pepper was treating him with a distant caution – the way he dealt with people he didn't know, or didn't trust.
"So, mind explaining what this was all about?"
Fox fumbled for words, but came up with none. How was he going to explain his motives to the general? No, he wouldn't comprehend – he wouldn't comprehend at all. Fox remained silent in his seat.
"Your Arwing was totaled - completely destroyed. Now I don't need to remind you how much one of those things cost, and what kind of trouble we have to go through to construct a new one. Furthermore, the Cornerian Military Constitution clearly states that all subordinates are to follow the general's orders, mercenary or not. All people under the Cornerian Federation have to abide by the rules. Do I make my self clear?" Pepper demanded in a resolute voice, his tone rising. Just as Fox thought, scalding was all he could find on Corneria. He looked down, avoiding the general's interrogative eyes.
"…Yes," Fox stammered reluctantly.
"And most of all, you're the best pilot we've got, son. We can't afford to lose you. We'd also like to commend you for discovering the – err, 'Dinosaur Planet,' as we shall call it. Interesting…they have the capability to destroy your Arwing. I would think that preparing for a confrontation with General Scale's forces would be wise and necessary. Well done, and most of all – welcome back," at last, Pepper warmed up, smiling in his tired manner and offering a hand. Fox returned a firm handshake.
"So… that's it? No punishment or anything of that sort?" Fox questioned casually.
The general did not answer. His face lit up with an old, mischievous grin, as if planning on one of those jokes that he occasionally pulled off.
"So, looks like Peppy made sure to keep it a secret."
"…Keep what a secret?" Fox asked, puzzled by the general's choice of words. A long pause ensued. Pepper's eyes glittered knowingly as his wry smile grew.
"She's waiting for you. I told her you'd be here pretty soon," the general spoke softly, tilting his head to the door behind him.
Fox still didn't understand. He took hesitant steps towards the door – the door that led to the general's personal studies. Why was Pepper acting so suspiciously? Who could it be? Gently, he pushed the door open.
Fox could see the back of a vixen, standing in front of an open window. A view of the lush Cornerian meadows rolled outside, the grass wavering and rippling with the wind. A gentle summer breeze blew through the window. Her soft blue blouse, which hugged at every curve of her figure, fluttered as the drafts of wind caressed her fur. There was something familiar – yes. Her slender figure belied an inner strength that Fox could sense and recognize. It was… it was…
The vixen, hearing the soft creak of the door, turned around slowly. Her large emerald-green eyes, two deep wells of mixed grief and relief, met with Fox's. His jaw dropped, and his heart stopped beating.
"…Fara?"
"Fox?" she gasped.
Fara ran over and collapsed into his arms, hugging Fox fiercely about the neck, fingers entangled in his fur. She broke into incoherent sobs.
"Fox… I was… I…"
"Shhh…I know Fara… I know…It's ok… the war is over… it's gonna be all right," Fox whispered softly into her ears, hands stroking her head gently. Tears welled in his deep blue eyes as a bittersweet smile crept upon his sad face. He knew that Fara had endured much and bore all the hardships alone. Now that there was someone to turn to, she could hold out no longer. Fara buried her head in his neck as her sobs grew and her slender shoulders shuddered.
Fox had left Corneria for an answer – an answer to all his troubled thoughts, and answer to father's intentions. He came back, finding the answer in his arms.
"Go back home son… go back to her… she needs you," he remembered father speaking in his dreams. Now he understood.
At last, he returned to someone he truly loved – someone he could return to after every grueling battle. Someone… someone that he could live for. Fox smiled. He needed her too.
***THE END***
Acknowledgements:
Thanks everyone for reading! All Starfox characters ©Nintendo (I'm sure I don't need to explain). Dinosaur Planet is an upcoming Starfox title by Rare.
Muchas gracias to Yavarice for his continual advisory and encouragement on my first ever fanfic – Yav, you may collect from me at will ;) (and the Great Fox is armed with a laser cannon! Not an ion cannon! Yes, I have learned).
This story is posted on fanfiction.net, justicecadets.com and smashboards.com, under the same account name Canis lupus. Head over to check it out, though it is not any different.
I will be taking a rest from writing for a while - perhaps a few weeks, perhaps a few days (depending on my mood). This fanfic involved a lot more work and effort than I've expected – I seem to have been writing for a year rather than a week. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I chose to write and update it till the end. Once again, thank you all.
Got any questions concerning Starfox? I'd gladly oblige. PM me.
The Starfox crew sat around a table in the lounge room of the Great Fox, their faces grave and anxious. They were growing accustomed to operating without a captain – just the three of them. Peppy sipped a mug of coffee thoughtfully while Falco leaned in his chair, reading a copy of the Cornerian Daily that was transmitted to them. They were all unusually quiet. The once jubilant lounge became a dark morgue, the morgue of Fox's memory. Not even Slippy made a noise; he simply rested his head on the cool metal table, staring blankly at the stars outside the window. It has already been a week since they discovered Fox, lying lifelessly in the torn cockpit of his Arwing. The crew had no choice but to get on with it – to get on with Fox's absence.
Amidst the deathly silence, there was the creaking of a metal hinge – a creak that came from the hallways, followed by slow, heavy footsteps. Peppy whipped his head around. Falco glanced up from his newspaper. The steps came closer and closer, and then the door to the lounge was slow pushed open. Fox stood at the threshold, leaning heavily against the walls, panting in exhaustion.
"Fox, you're not supposed to move! Didn't you hear the doctor's transmission?" Falco blurted in concern.
"Ah, doctor says this, doctor says that - to hell with em. I've been in battle long enough to know my own condition," Fox retorted easily. His health condition, however, was far from easy. Blood still seeped through the bandage wrapped above his left eye and his chest, and his legs were still too weak to fully sustain his weight. He slowly stumbled to the table in the middle of the room.
"Mind if I take a seat?"
Peppy shuffled his chair to the side as Fox plunked down. A silence dragged on in the room before Fox spoke again.
"So, what exactly happened? How did you find me?"
"Awww Fox, come on, you didn't suppose Slippy is so naïve as to assume the Great Fox would never get stolen, did you?" Peppy laughed, and Slippy smiled sheepishly at the comment.
"…What do you mean?" Fox inquired, confusion written all over his face.
"The Great Fox was bugged, in case it was ever stolen… though we didn't expect you to be the thief. We were given orders to track you down. We borrowed a carrier from Bill's Husky Fleet in Katina – don't worry, we returned the carrier to him. But any ways, we followed your signals until we found the Great Fox abandoned somewhere outside the Lylat System… and well, we looked around and found you,"
"I see… and-" Fox turned to look at Falco. Their eyes met squarely.
"And me? Thought I've left you, huh Fox? Hah! You deserved a scare for deserting us," Falco chuckled in his usual cynical tone.
Fox leaned over to land a light, playful punch on Falco's face. Falco punched back, and soon they were all laughing like old friends. Slippy broke out in giddy high-pitched giggles as Peppy shook his head and smirked at the childlike commotion.
"So… have you guys heard from Fara?" Fox asked suddenly as the laughter settled.
The smiles faded, and grim expressions fell across their faces like dark curtains. The three stared down at the table guiltily.
"Well?" Fox demanded. Silence returned, and the moment stretched on like the tension of a bowstring. The three eyed each other; someone had to tell him.
"Fox… we haven't heard from Fara, but we did get some news. Fara's parents were found dead in a collapsed building in Corneria… I'm sorry… the prospects of finding her doesn't look too good," Peppy reported reluctantly.
"Oh…" Fox frowned and breathed weakly. He too, looked down on the table. It was a cruel joke god played. He was reminded of his own situation, and to think Fara would have to endure the same thing… That is, assuming that she was even alive… Fox has escaped death, but he has yet to escaped the misfortunes that haunted him. Why did life have to be so difficult? The others looked at him in concern, waiting nervously for his reaction.
"Well… I guess I'd better get some more rest to recover…" Fox said dryly and stood from his seat. Falco helped him back to his room.
He lay in his bed, staring out at the stars that slowly rolled by the window. The lights had been turned off. Fox had already spent days in bed, with tubes tangled all over him and an oxygen mask clamped over his muzzle; a life support system Slippy had designed. He needed the life support system no more. In the time he lay in bed wide awake, he saw Titania slowly drift past his vision, then Sector-X, Solar, and Fortuna. To Fox, it was a familiar path back home, but comfort was not to be found on Corneria. Fox sighed. He had abandoned Fara during the Lylat Wars, and now it was Fara's turn to desert him.
He thought of it no more and fell back into much needed sleep.
Dawn came to Corneria, the fiery sun tinting the world in a golden tinge of orange. The Great Fox smoothly sliced through the atmosphere, gleaming with sparks of flames – just like the day team Starfox returned from their victory on Venom, but without the crowds of cheering citizens awaiting them. Few people were informed about Fox's journey; only high military officials knew. As they descended from the clouds, Fox mentally prepared himself for lectures from Pepper – and a punishment of some form. After all, he violated the general's commands. He did not hold complete ownership of the Great Fox, and all operations had to have the general's consent.
At last, the Great Fox landed in the Cornerian Military Starport, adjacent to the Academy and Pepper's office. A hatch at the bottom of the great mother ship opened, and Fox walked out with his arms stretched over Falco and Peppy's shoulders for support. A Lieutenant wearing the academy uniform strode over to them.
"Lieutenant McCloud, the general wishes to speak to you,"
"I'll be there… in a sec," Fox replied calmly.
He eyed Peppy and Falco, a signal that he no longer needed help. They dropped his arms from their shoulders and stared as Fox slowly teetered and disappeared down the dark hallway leading to Pepper's office. Fox breathed deeply before knocking on the colossal wooden doors that symbolized all of the general's authority.
"Come in," a strong voice called.
He pushed the doors open. Pepper lifted his eyes from the documents piled on his desk and dropped the phone he had been talking into.
"Ah, Fox McCloud, I've been expecting you. Take a seat," the general said sternly. Fox could do little but to comply. He noticed that Pepper was treating him with a distant caution – the way he dealt with people he didn't know, or didn't trust.
"So, mind explaining what this was all about?"
Fox fumbled for words, but came up with none. How was he going to explain his motives to the general? No, he wouldn't comprehend – he wouldn't comprehend at all. Fox remained silent in his seat.
"Your Arwing was totaled - completely destroyed. Now I don't need to remind you how much one of those things cost, and what kind of trouble we have to go through to construct a new one. Furthermore, the Cornerian Military Constitution clearly states that all subordinates are to follow the general's orders, mercenary or not. All people under the Cornerian Federation have to abide by the rules. Do I make my self clear?" Pepper demanded in a resolute voice, his tone rising. Just as Fox thought, scalding was all he could find on Corneria. He looked down, avoiding the general's interrogative eyes.
"…Yes," Fox stammered reluctantly.
"And most of all, you're the best pilot we've got, son. We can't afford to lose you. We'd also like to commend you for discovering the – err, 'Dinosaur Planet,' as we shall call it. Interesting…they have the capability to destroy your Arwing. I would think that preparing for a confrontation with General Scale's forces would be wise and necessary. Well done, and most of all – welcome back," at last, Pepper warmed up, smiling in his tired manner and offering a hand. Fox returned a firm handshake.
"So… that's it? No punishment or anything of that sort?" Fox questioned casually.
The general did not answer. His face lit up with an old, mischievous grin, as if planning on one of those jokes that he occasionally pulled off.
"So, looks like Peppy made sure to keep it a secret."
"…Keep what a secret?" Fox asked, puzzled by the general's choice of words. A long pause ensued. Pepper's eyes glittered knowingly as his wry smile grew.
"She's waiting for you. I told her you'd be here pretty soon," the general spoke softly, tilting his head to the door behind him.
Fox still didn't understand. He took hesitant steps towards the door – the door that led to the general's personal studies. Why was Pepper acting so suspiciously? Who could it be? Gently, he pushed the door open.
Fox could see the back of a vixen, standing in front of an open window. A view of the lush Cornerian meadows rolled outside, the grass wavering and rippling with the wind. A gentle summer breeze blew through the window. Her soft blue blouse, which hugged at every curve of her figure, fluttered as the drafts of wind caressed her fur. There was something familiar – yes. Her slender figure belied an inner strength that Fox could sense and recognize. It was… it was…
The vixen, hearing the soft creak of the door, turned around slowly. Her large emerald-green eyes, two deep wells of mixed grief and relief, met with Fox's. His jaw dropped, and his heart stopped beating.
"…Fara?"
"Fox?" she gasped.
Fara ran over and collapsed into his arms, hugging Fox fiercely about the neck, fingers entangled in his fur. She broke into incoherent sobs.
"Fox… I was… I…"
"Shhh…I know Fara… I know…It's ok… the war is over… it's gonna be all right," Fox whispered softly into her ears, hands stroking her head gently. Tears welled in his deep blue eyes as a bittersweet smile crept upon his sad face. He knew that Fara had endured much and bore all the hardships alone. Now that there was someone to turn to, she could hold out no longer. Fara buried her head in his neck as her sobs grew and her slender shoulders shuddered.
Fox had left Corneria for an answer – an answer to all his troubled thoughts, and answer to father's intentions. He came back, finding the answer in his arms.
"Go back home son… go back to her… she needs you," he remembered father speaking in his dreams. Now he understood.
At last, he returned to someone he truly loved – someone he could return to after every grueling battle. Someone… someone that he could live for. Fox smiled. He needed her too.
***THE END***
Acknowledgements:
Thanks everyone for reading! All Starfox characters ©Nintendo (I'm sure I don't need to explain). Dinosaur Planet is an upcoming Starfox title by Rare.
Muchas gracias to Yavarice for his continual advisory and encouragement on my first ever fanfic – Yav, you may collect from me at will ;) (and the Great Fox is armed with a laser cannon! Not an ion cannon! Yes, I have learned).
This story is posted on fanfiction.net, justicecadets.com and smashboards.com, under the same account name Canis lupus. Head over to check it out, though it is not any different.
I will be taking a rest from writing for a while - perhaps a few weeks, perhaps a few days (depending on my mood). This fanfic involved a lot more work and effort than I've expected – I seem to have been writing for a year rather than a week. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I chose to write and update it till the end. Once again, thank you all.
Got any questions concerning Starfox? I'd gladly oblige. PM me.