Chapter One: Legacy's Origins
Panting, sweat forming tiny rivulets in his matted, reddish-orange fur, a young vulpine paused in his frantic scramble to flee the burning city long enough to cast a swift, frightened glance over his shoulder. Wide, clear eyes of a pale hue darted nervously over the rubble behind him, desperately searching the twisted ruins of concrete and metal for any signs of life. After a few moments, the young vulpine sighed in relief as his gaze finally came to rest on a pair of familiar faces beneath him, and offered a helping paw up to the nearest of his two friends.
A slender hand covered in soft sapphire feathers twined delicate fingers around his wrist, and the vulpine grunted as he pulled its owner up just enough for her to climb up beside him. Kneeling beside him, the avian uttered not a single word of thanks, but instead simply turned to aid the other member of their small party in clambering up the pile of wreckage. This took both of the youths pulling, for their third friend, of the amphibian race, was not as agile or strong as his companions were.
For a few precious moments, the trio simply sat where they were upon the small hill and attempted to catch their breath, collect their thoughts before moving on. Slowly, the panting young vulpine shifted his gaze towards what was left of his hometown, and his pale, shimmering eyes widened in growing horror as he watched flames leap into the darkened, nearly crimson skies. The city that he and his close friends had grown up in was barely recognizable, its once proud skyscrapers now toppled to the ground, the buildings nearly all in ruins, while those that still stood seemed on the verge of collapse.
The cause for this utter destruction of all that he had known could be seen clearly in the smoke-clouded skies, in the form of flashing lasers and swooping ships, and larger battle craft looming just on the horizon. While not all of the fighters belonged to the ones responsible for this terrible tragedy, he knew that far too many of them were members of the Venomian armada…
"Fox. We should get moving," the female avian said, jolting the vulpine back to reality.
"B-b-but Falco…" the amphibian protested, rotund eyes widening with shock as he stared at his companions.
"Falco's right, Slippy," Fox told the toad, standing up as he spoke.
The amphibian gasped, whirling to stare at his other friend in terror, and the vulpine nodded grimly, regretfully. Even though Fox understood the toad's desire to stay – wanted to remain here himself, look for his father and other friends – at the same time, he knew that the blue falcon was correct. It was not simply because she happened to be about a year older than the vulpine; like it or not, there was little that a trio of children such as themselves could do in such a disaster. They could not fight the Venomian hordes off, or even hope to overpower a few soldiers… all they could do for now was survive.
"B-b-but… where can we go?" inquired Slippy mournfully, glancing back toward the burning Corneria City. "T-t-there doesn't seem t-t-to be a-anywhere safe…"
"…We'll just have to find somewhere," Falco replied. She watched the blazing remains of her home as well, the flames reflecting in her luminous aquamarine eyes as she whispered, "We have to survive. Somehow, we must find a way to payback Andross for this…"
"…Yeah," Fox agreed, nodding slowly.
Sighing, Slippy got to his feet and stood with his two close friends, joining them as they gazed at what remained of Corneria City. The young frog's huge round eyes wavered with sorrow and grief, and he softly murmured, "P-please… be okay… M-M-Mom… D-D-Dad…"
Fox glanced over at his amphibian friend, sympathy shining clearly in his eyes. He understood perfectly how the toad was feeling: while his mother was long dead, having been killed in an accident when he was only three, his father was, to his knowledge, still very much alive, and probably fighting against the Venomians at that moment. After all, his father was James McCloud, leader of the legendary Starfox team…
"…Father… Stay alive… We'll come back someday," Fox promised under his breath.
Then, the young vulpine turned away from the carnage still going on in the blazing town and began to lead his two close friends toward whatever lay beyond the city, toward the unknown that held both the possibility of death and the fledgling hope of survival…
* * *
The trio of friends had been extremely lucky: not only had they managed to escape with their lives, but they had also not been caught up in the masses of frenzied citizens that were currently swarming through the city streets in a panicked rush, struggling to get to the shelters. The Venomian attack had not been completely unexpected, for there had been areas already built for the people of Corneria City to hide in case of such an emergency, but the battleships had come so quickly that many had been caught off guard by their sudden appearance. Now those unfortunates were racing against time to make their way to safety, while death lanced through the smoldering skies above them in the form of Venomian cruisers, lasers, and bombs.
Sad to say, in this scramble for life itself, the smaller and weaker of the Cornerians were often overlooked, pushed around roughly by the bigger and stronger without thought for what might happen to them. The sickly, the young, the very old, they suffered greatly from the coarse treatment that many other refugees gave them.
On one of the streets, a young ferret cried out as the sheer force of the throng shoving past her yanked her hand from the tight grip of her adoptive mother, and she screamed in pure terror, reaching out blindly for them, her cries mostly lost in the noisy crowd.
However, her horrified screeches did not go completely unheard, and her foster brother hesitated only a second before suddenly releasing the paw of his father and lunging into the masses after her. Being a little older and stronger than the ferret, the ashen-furred pup was able to push through the crowd enough to seize her arm roughly, and yanked his younger sister back toward him. Protectively, he wrapped his arms around her, and each could feel the other's heart thudding against their heaving chests as they clung tightly to one another, even as the relentless push and tug of the swarming throngs of frightened people forced them farther and farther away from their parents.
"Mommy! Daddy!" the ferret screamed over and over, straining for a glimpse of the rest of her adoptive family, seeing no sign of them.
"Don't worry, Sable, they'll be okay," the gray-furred puppy attempted to reassure her, even as his own dark blue eyes scanned the hordes uselessly.
"Billy…I'm scared, Billy," sobbed his sister, burying her tear-streaked face in his shirt, clinging to him all the tighter as they stumbled along, driven on by the uncaring mass of fleeing citizens all around them.
The two struggled forward, half-swept along to the nearest shelter. Neither knew at that time that their parents, still trapped somewhere in the crowds swarming the streets, would soon be dead, caught in the open by stray laser fire…
* * *
"NO!" Peppy Hare shouted uselessly as he saw laser beams raze through a crowded street, cutting down masses of unfortunate Cornerians still caught in the open.
Tears brimmed in the Arwing pilot's reddish eyes, yet he quickly banished all thoughts of crying, shaking his head curtly to scatter the sparkling drops: now was not the time to mourn, or be distracted by the many losses that they were suffering. For now, all that mattered was the fight to keep those who were still alive safe…
"Starfox team, report!" a commanding voice barked on his com-link.
"Peppy here; a little singed, but still intact," he replied automatically, noting the level his ship's shields were currently on.
Sixty-two percent… not the best rating, but considering the hell we've been through so far…
"Pigma's here, sorta," reported one of his two teammates, and Peppy winced as his sensors displayed his comrade's power gauge as well. He could tell what Pigma
Dengar meant by 'sorta': his shields were only at forty-six percent, having taken quite a bit of punishment from the enemy's laser fire.
"Just hang in there, boys, we'll drive back these Venmies yet!" urged their third and final member, their commander.
"Right," Peppy and Pigma replied almost in unison, but both felt a slight surge of alarm as they noted that their leader's own shields were dangerously low: a mere thirty-seven percent, and that seemed to be dropping steadily as the battle wore on…
"Be careful, James," the rabbit cautioned, even as he lashed out with his Arwing's lasers and sent another enemy craft hurtling to the ground in a fatal plunge.
A second strike caused the fighter to explode in midair rather than crash into the streets of Corneria City. Of course, it sealed the fate of the Venomian pilot still inside, but then again, what did Peppy care for the enemy? Better that the assailant would die like that than crash-land and endanger still more of the citizens…
Instinct took over as the desperate battle for his home planet's very survival raged on, as Peppy utilized all of his fighting skills just to stay alive. Although he was the Starfox team's expert strategist, it was not on the virtue of this alone that he was a member: like both James McCloud and Pigma Dengar, he was an ace pilot, with a sleek Arwing at his command. Weaving in and out of laser fire and explosions, the rabbit launched his own attacks, mercilessly destroying the seemingly endless hordes of Venomian aircraft.
Still, for all of his skill, he was not fast enough to avoid everything, and the power levels of his shields slowly lowered with each blast that struck his furiously darting Arwing.
Even if I die… it will be worth it if Corneria is saved from this menace…
Brave sentiments, but Peppy could not help but wonder as he scanned the battle around him if there was truly any hope of driving away the Venomian forces. Andross had sent so many troops for this raid… Even though the Cornerian Defense Force had almost completely deployed to combat these ruthless attackers, the outcome still remained uncertain…
"What th… WAAAUUUUGGGHHH!"
The startled scream of one of his teammates shocked Peppy back to reality, and he quickly responded.
"Pigma, what happened?!?" he demanded, scanning the skies for any sign of his fellow wingman even as he continued to shoot down the enemy.
The pig made no reply, yet Peppy soon saw for himself what was going on, and he gasped sharply in terror: Pigma's Arwing had been caught in a tractor beam, and was slowly being drawn into the waiting, gaping hatch of a Venomian transport carrier. The rabbit could just barely make out the unconscious form of his teammate through the space fighter's canopy, and felt his heart sink: there was no way he could possibly fight his way over to the ship in time to aid his comrade.
He was not the only one who witnessed Pigma's danger: James McCloud let out an enraged curse, and his ship's thrusters glowed bright crimson as he shot to his wingman's aid, hyper lasers blazing. Ignoring the hordes of enemies surrounding him, the vulpine concentrated only on getting over to where his nearly captured comrade was as quickly as possible, blasting any Venomian who dared get in his way.
Still it was not enough: Pigma's ship was swallowed by the enemy cruiser, the massive doors of steel and alloy swinging shut with a dull, final clunk and sealing before the pilot's teammates could do anything.
Peppy winced in sympathy as he heard James burst into a torrent of profanity: both were painfully aware of the fact that their partner's fate was as good as sealed. Ever since their formation years before, and their initial defeat of Andross, the mad ape had vowed to one day make them pay for all they had done to him. Prisoners of the evil scientist never lasted very long…
Screaming his frustration, James lashed out relentlessly at the Venomian fighters that swarmed out to attack him, no longer bothering to watch the level of his now dangerously low shields. However, Peppy was still able to monitor them, and gulped as he noticed what his friend and remaining partner failed to see…
"James! Get out of there!" he hailed, desperately. "Your shields—"
The vulpine's shields were dropping too quickly, and Peppy had no time to call out exactly how close they were to failing completely. It was already too late.
Horrified, the rabbit strategist could only stare helplessly as the Arwing piloted by James McCloud, his commander and closest friend, exploded into a ball of flames…
* * *
"James…NOOOOO! James, JAMES!"
Gasping, Peppy Hare sat bolt upright in his bed, eyes flying open as he abruptly escaped the grip of his nightmare. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and he covered his face with one paw, breathing harshly as he struggled to shake off the lingering sense of terror and powerlessness that swept over him.
The nightmare was made all the more horrible by the fact that it was more of a memory than a simple night terror: while nearly six years had gone by since that fateful battle, it still loomed fresh in his mind, haunting him. The Cornerians had eventually turned the Venomian hordes, but it could hardly be called a victory, for their main cities had almost entirely been wiped out.
Still, Corneria lived on, and the survivors of that horrendous battle were still able to continue the resistance. As long as they lived, Andross would not go unopposed… But that fact did not make the loss of his two close companions and friends, not to mention the loss of so many civilians, any more bearable to the old veteran.
Sighing, swinging his feet over the edge of his bunk, Peppy ran over the other portions of his dream-vision silently. These images came not from his own personal memory, but were rather a side-effect of his enhanced mental abilities: he was a mild telepath, and occasionally memories from others would find their way into his own mind. It was both a blessing and a curse, for while it caused him to remember the battle for Corneria with the added horror and fear of countless refugees and fighters, it also gave him hope, for he knew that Fox McCloud and two of his friends had managed to escape…
…But to where…?
That was the question that had haunted him for years; the one that had come to burn all the more brightly recently, when the vision of them escaping from the wrecked city had begun to come more frequently than ever. He needed to find the answer soon… before it was too late… Too late, perhaps, for any of them…
Sitting on the edge of his bunk, the old veteran resolved something in the back of his mind at that moment: as soon as the morning dawned, he would have to see the General with his request…
* * *
Despite the fact that its once-proud cities had been all but destroyed several years ago, sunrise on the planet Corneria was still a beautiful time. The sun spread its vibrant rays over the horizon as it always had, indifferent to the fact that it no longer touched gleaming rooftops and bustling skyscrapers with its light.
As was his custom, General Pepper greeted the dawn by standing before his window with the blinds half-open, solemn brown eyes gazing out toward the steadily rising orb behind the relative cover of the shades. The office he stood in was just one room in the new base they had built after Andross' assault: Corneria would not stay down for very long.
A light rapping on the doorway startled the canine for a moment: he typically did not receive any visitors this early in the morning.
"Come in," he intoned, turning to face the automatic door as it slid open.
The confusion and mild annoyance on the bulldog's wrinkled face melted away as he saw who was standing there, and the commander smiled.
"Ah, Peppy! Come, come, sit down! What brings you to my office this early?"
"A request, General Pepper," replied the veteran as he took a seat in front of the canine's desk.
Once again, the commander was startled for a moment, but he quickly recovered, and settled into his own chair behind his desk.
"What is it?" he inquired, getting directly to the point.
"General Pepper, as you know, I firmly believe that Fox McCloud was not killed during Andross's raid on Corneria City," Peppy began, carefully watching the canine's reaction.
"Yes," the general nodded slowly. "Continue…"
"That is why… I want to request permission to go on a mission to search for him."
"What?!?" General Pepper barked, nearly leaping to his feet from shock. "Peppy… you know that the Venomians often patrol outside our controlled area! To leave the base…"
"I wish to locate the only son of my leader and friend, James," the rabbit interrupted, staring the canine straight in the eye. "I know that he is alive… I have to find exactly where he is, and bring him to safety, if possible. I owe James… that much…"
The commander's brown eyes softened immediately in sympathy and concern: the general had been one of the vulpine's friends as well, and the loss of James McCloud had hurt him more deeply than simply the death of a great pilot.
"…Are you certain you want to do this, Peppy?" he asked softly after a few moments.
Peppy returned the bulldog's gaze firmly, without a hint of weakness.
"Yes, General," he replied. "I have to do this. I truly believe that James's son is still alive. I can sense him out there… I humbly request your permission to go search for him."
General Pepper watched the veteran's face closely for a long moment. He knew that the old rabbit's hunches were usually correct: they had helped pick out some of the best Arwing pilots the Alliance had now. Yet he knew, deep down inside, that part of the rabbit's confidence in his finding the young McCloud alive were rooted in his own desperate prayers.
"Very well, Peppy," the general finally said. "You may depart the base and proceed with your search. But," he added as the veteran nodded and turned to leave, "you must remember one thing."
Peppy turned back to stare at him, watching as the commander got up from his chair and slowly approached him. General Pepper put both of his heavy hands on the rabbit's shoulders, gazing down into his face.
"Peppy…be careful," he said.
The rabbit paused for a moment, then smiled up at the canine. Gently pulling free of his commanding officer's grasp, he nodded acknowledgement.
"Always, General."
Then, saluting once, he turned and strode out of the office, leaving the commander standing alone with his own thoughts.
* * *
After making a few preparations and pulling some supplies together, the veteran Arwing pilot felt he was ready to depart. It was already mid-morning as he marched briskly down the corridors, making his way toward the hangers. He wanted to get started as quickly as possible.
"Peppy! What's happening?"
At the sound of the youthful voice behind him, the rabbit stopped short and turned to see a lean female ferret racing toward him, a wide grin on her face. Returning her smile, he waited politely for her to catch up to him. Within moments, she was standing by his side, smiling up at him. She shoved her blue-tinted flight goggles up onto her forehead, flipped a stray strand of blackish-brown fur away from sparkling sky blue eyes, and asked, "What's up, Peps?"
"Hello, Sable," Peppy replied simply.
Looking at the exuberant ferret, he mused briefly on how hard it was to believe that this cheerful teenage girl was actually one of the new Arwing pilots. And he had been the one who insisted that she be recruited onto the team! Still, he knew from experience that appearances could be deceiving, and that the seemingly ditzy young girl was one of the best pilots they had.
"General Pepper just gave me permission to go out on a search for Fox McCloud," he informed her.
"Really, Peppy?" Sable asked, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wow, that's great! Can I come along?"
"That's not a good idea," Peppy replied, wincing as he saw her smile vanish and her shoulders sag briefly with disappointment.
"Why not?" she demanded, her voice rising several octaves.
Peppy sighed inwardly. "Sable, listen," he said, "you can't come along because your team needs you here. You have to stay with them and help protect Corneria. They need you more than I do. Don't worry, I can take care of myself. I have for years."
"I guess so…" Sable whispered, eyes downcast. "But… promise you'll be careful?"
"Of course," Peppy replied, smiling reassuringly at the ferret.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention, and both looked up to see a young dog and rabbit coming toward them. Both were dressed in full uniform, but the ashen-furred dog's outfit was yellow and green, while the female rabbit was dressed in navy blue and scarlet. The canine smiled at both of them, cobalt eyes flashing behind his sunglasses, but the female rabbit beside him seemed to barely acknowledge their presence.
"Hey Peppy, Sable!" the dog greeted them. "Peppy, I just heard the great news! Good luck!"
"News travels fast, eh, Bill? Thank you," Peppy said, but his attention was focused on the young woman behind the ashen-furred canine.
Sensing his gaze, she shifted slightly, avoiding his eyes. Instead, she rather pointedly glared at Sable, her pink eyes narrowing with a sort of disgust. The ferret ignored the look, shrugging it off and turning to look back at the older rabbit.
"If you are planning on leaving," the female rabbit said at length, "you should go now, Mister Hare."
"Jeez, Rabbi," Sable drawled under her breath, "you're not really one for heartfelt good-byes, huh?"
"She's right, you guys," Peppy said, starting back down toward the hangars. Over his shoulder, he called, "You guys tell Fara, Katt and the others that I said goodbye, okay? I'll see you soon!"
"We will," Bill Grey answered, draping one arm around the ferret's shoulders and waving at Peppy.
The veteran pilot turned on his heels and walked out of sight down the hallway. Out of the corner of his eye, Bill noticed that Rabbi had already turned away and was striding off in the opposite direction. He sighed, then glanced down at Sable, who was staring down the corridor to where Peppy had vanished.
"See you soon," she whispered in a voice too soft for anyone save Bill to hear.
* * *
Peppy crawled into the cockpit of his ship. Although the old veteran had quit flying an Arwing some time ago, he still had a personal spacecraft he used from time to time to get around. As he buckled into the seat and prepared for takeoff, he felt his mind drift back slightly, and he imagined a familiar voice crackling over the radio.
All aircraft report.
Pigma here, I'm not bacon yet!
This is Peppy, I'm fine.
All right then, boys, let's take it home.
Peppy shook his head suddenly, snapping out of his reverie. Sighing, he brought his aircraft around and launched out of the base.
That was a lifetime ago, he reminded himself. I can never have that time back!
* * *
Out of the range of the base's sensors, a massive warship lurked in waiting. Its burly commander, a gravel-voiced lizard with a long scar marring his left cheek, smirked as the ship's radar picked up a tiny blip. So his persistence in patrolling this area had finally paid off…
Turning to his underlings, he rasped, "Move in. We're going after it. And remember," he added with a sneer, "go easy on the lasers. Andross wants a few live ones this time."
* * *
Sable Lightfoot glanced out the window at Peppy's departing ship. Heaving a heavy sigh, she wished that she had been allowed to at least escort the veteran's ship for a while. If only she had been able to convince Peppy to let her come along! …But she knew he would never allow it. He kept insisting that she stay at the base… "Your team needs you more than I do," he had told her.
Funny, I don't feel needed. Between the way Rabbi treats me, and the others' fighting skills, it's a wonder I'm on the team at all!
Fara Phoenix could sense her friend's disappointment. Of course, it was obvious to anyone who even glanced at the ferret that she was feeling bad: her normal perky optimism had vanished, and the sparkle in those wide blue eyes had dulled to a shadow. The girl was slumped down in a chair by the window, and kept glancing outside with such a look of complete gloominess on her face that Fara felt something twist painfully deep inside her.
"Don't worry," the female vulpine said soothingly, walking up behind the ferret and placing a comforting paw on her friend's shoulder. "Peppy can take care of himself." When Sable did not reply to this, she prompted gently, "Come on, let's go get a snack. I'll buy, even."
This last comment was actually more of a joke than anything else, since all the food in the military lounge was free for any enlisted Cornerian soldiers. A common joke among most of the fighters, in fact, was that the military would have trouble giving most of the stuff passed off as rations in that particular cafeteria away, let alone selling it. Still, it caused the ferret to glance up at her and smile, and that was all Fara really cared about, anyway.
"Sounds great," Sable replied, getting to her feet. "Only… how about we get out of this place and go find some real food instead?"
Fara returned the ferret's mischievous grin at that, and nodded. As they turned away, Sable couldn't help but pause to steal one last glance toward Peppy's small transport ship, which was already a dot on the horizon.
Suddenly Sable's bright blue eyes widened in shock. Bright lights had abruptly burst into life in the skies around the vessel, and she knew in one terrible instant that they were lasers. And their source…
"Fara!" Sable shrieked.
The vixen turned, took one disbelieving look out the window, then followed on the ferret's heels as they raced for their Arwings. The entire way, Sable continued to shout an alert, loudly calling out for any assistance they could get.
"Red Alert! Red Alert! Venomian craft in Cornerian airspace!"
"What's going on?" Rabbi demanded as the two darted past her, nearly knocking her down in their haste to get by.
"Peppy's under attack from a Venomian cruiser!" Sable shouted over her shoulder, not even bothering to slow down.
That was all it took. After a few precious minutes, a team of four Arwings launched simultaneously from the base. In the front of the small group, Rabbi made a few final adjustments to her controls, testing them to make absolutely certain that everything was functioning properly.
"Get ready," she ordered sternly over her com-link. "They'll send fighters to deal with us. Watch yourselves at all times."
"Roger, commander," answered Fara.
"I hear you, Rabbi," Bill replied next, silently cursing the fact that he hadn't been able to contact their other member before they had needed to launch off. They needed all the fighters they could get…
"Yes, Rabbi," Sable murmured, heart pounding too wildly for her to come up with anything else. Inwardly, she berated herself for not insisting on going along to escort Peppy. Flipping her goggles down over her eyes, she reached for her com-link.
* * *
"AUGHHH!" Peppy screamed as a laser burned through the left wing of his spacecraft.
The severed wing plummeted to the ground far below, and the rabbit wrestled with his controls to keep his ship from following suit.
"Damn you," he muttered at the Venomian cruiser. "I don't need this right now!"
Swerving wildly, he attempted to avoid the blasts that threatened to turn his ship into a smoking hunk of twisted metal, with only marginal success.
"Peppy! Are you okay?" Sable's worried voice crackled over the com-link.
But Peppy was too busy to answer her hail. Another laser tore into his ship, slicing into the engine. As it sputtered and failed, another blast sent the rabbit reeling, his head snapping back and slamming into the back of his seat. The impact knocked him out before he could even cry in pain, and he slumped in his seat, slipping into darkness, Sable's frantic cries still ringing in his ears…
* * *
"We've got them," the lizard commander gloated. "Activate the tractor beam and bring our guest in."
* * *
"Peppy? Peppy!" Sable called, watching in horror as the ship plunged toward the unforgiving ground.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot from the enemy spaceship and engulfed the falling ship, halting it in midair. As the ferret and her teammates watched in shock, the tiny vessel was reeled back toward the Venomian warship's waiting hatches.
"A tractor beam!" Fara cried, her voice breaking. "They've captured Peppy!"
"Not if I can help it," Bill growled, racing toward the ship, Sable directly behind him.
"Here comes the enemy," Rabbi warned, seeing several squadrons of Venomian fighters emerge from the ship.
"Not a problem, Rabbi," Fara called back, swooping past her commander to meet the opposing forces.
Her hyper lasers flared, and instantly two of the fighters exploded. Nearby, the other Arwing pilots were also firing their lasers, weaving and rolling to avoid the return fire.
"Fara! Bogey on your six!" Sable warned. Before the vixen could react, however, the ferret lashed out with her own lasers, and the Firebird crashed to Corneria's surface.
"Never mind," Sable amended with an impish grin. "I got it."
"Nice shot, Sable," Bill laughed, then turned his attention back to the Venomian warship in time to see it pulling away, too quickly for him to attack it. "Damnit," he cursed, "the cruiser's escaping!"
"I'll go after it!" Sable yelled, blasting the last of the Firebirds and whirling in that direction.
"No!" Rabbi's stern voice exploded over the radio. "Return to base, now!"
The other pilots stared at her ship in shock.
"But Rabbi…" Sable started.
"No buts," Rabbi hissed. "The enemy is trying to lure us away from the base. We cannot leave it defenseless. For any reason."
Without another word, Rabbi swung her Arwing around and headed back toward the base. Her wingmen stared after her ship, then reluctantly followed, Sable glancing helplessly toward the distant Venomian cruiser.
"Sorry," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
With a sob, she turned and jetted after her allies, tears splashing against her goggles.
* * *
"What's going on? What did I miss?" a pink-furred feline demanded as she charged into the hanger to find four Arwings missing and several extremely worried-looking personnel running around.
When nobody immediately stopped what they were doing to explain to her what was going on, the cat's violet-blue eyes flashed with annoyance. Reaching out, she grabbed the shirt of the next person that ran past and repeated her question, glaring at them.
"P-Peppy's transport was attacked by a Venomian warship!" the nervous technician blurted, pale with fear. "T-the other Arwings already took off to try and help him, but…"
"Damn!" cursed the cat, releasing the worker's shirt and darting toward her own Arwing.
However, just as she was about to climb into the cockpit and take off, she spotted four small fighters gliding back into the base and landing. Realizing that the battle had already ended, she quickly ran over to join her teammates.
"What happened, Bill? Fara?" she called, seeing two of her partners.
"Katt…" the vixen replied slowly, soft emerald eyes misting with emotion as she quickly looked away from the feline's face, not wanting to meet her gaze.
"Where's Peppy? Did he get away alright?" Katt asked, locking eyes with the ashen-furred canine instead.
Cobalt eyes solemn behind his dark sunglasses, Bill simply shook his head in the negative. Katt gasped, the expression of shock on her face soon morphing into one of barely contained anger, sorrow and grief.
"No… if only I'd come sooner…" she whispered.
"It wouldn't have done any good, anyway," the canine told her, a note of bitterness that was not aimed directly at the feline creeping into his voice as he added, "Rabbi told us to return to base without giving chase."
"What?! How could she…" the feline hissed, glaring over in the tan-furred rabbit's direction as Rabbi emerged from her Arwing and began to walk swiftly away from the rest of her team.
However, as the other three Arwing pilots watched, Sable intercepted the female rabbit before she could leave. The ferret's bright blue eyes shimmered with tears behind her goggles, and Katt noted with concern that her paws were balled into trembling fists at her sides.
She was not the only one who had noticed this, for Fara tensed, biting back a sharp gasp of fear. Bill frowned, cobalt eyes darkening behind his sunglasses, and he swiftly strode forward to stand behind Sable, hoping to help resolve the tense situation before things became even worse.
"Please allow me to pass," Rabbi said calmly, her voice even, dark pink eyes regarding her opponent carefully. "I need to report this turn of events to the general."
"Anyone else could tell him, Rabbi," replied the ferret coldly, blue eyes flashing colder than ice for a fleeting instant.
The veiled threat behind her comment was all too apparent to the others in the hanger, and the workers and technicians all froze where they stood, all turning their attention to the exchange. Bill quickly gripped Sable's shoulder, keeping his expression carefully neutral.
"Let me pass, Lightfoot… rookie," the female rabbit repeated her command, hissing the last two words so that both the ferret's last name and the ranking sounded like terrible insults.
"Why are you so eager to tell General Pepper what happened?" inquired Sable, arching one eyebrow sharply as she tilted her head slightly to one side. "You know how he cares for Peppy as a friend… and he was captured because you let him…"
"Mister Hare was captured because of his own foolishness," Rabbi interrupted coolly. "If he had never left the base he would have remained safe… The only one to blame for what happened is Mister Hare. He knew the risks…"
"Mister Hare, MISTER Hare…" Sable echoed, a note of disbelief and pure outrage now coming into her already trembling voice at this last remark of Rabbi's. "All the things that you should call him, and you just say, 'Mister Hare'…"
Her balled paws clenched all the tighter at her sides, until Fara and Katt, watching from a fair distance away, were frightened that the ferret's claws would dig into her palms and draw blood. The thought had obviously occurred to Bill as well, for he gritted his teeth and squeezed Sable's shoulder a little tighter.
At last, she appeared to take the canine's silent, gentle warning to heart, for she abruptly relaxed, allowed her fingers to fall loose at her sides. Eyes closed, she bowed her head, yet did not move out of the tan rabbit's path. Neither did Bill, who stared at Rabbi quietly behind the darkness of his shades as she wordlessly swept past them without another glance in their direction.
With Rabbi's departure, the tension that had steadily built in the hanger like a rising storm abruptly dissipated. A collective sigh seemed to echo through the chamber as the workers and technicians quickly turned back to their duties with exaggerated vigor.
"…That was close," Fara sighed, nearly slumping to the floor as the tension that had been building in her slender body abruptly relaxed. However, she remained standing, and under her breath commented to the pink-furred feline beside her, "I don't think that it will end that easily next time, however…"
"I hope not," Katt whispered back, a hint of venom creeping into her tone as she hissed, "Somebody needs to take that damned Rabbi down a few pegs… If not Sable, then I'll just have to do it…"
"Don't," Fara urgently cautioned her friend. "Your career couldn't handle it, if you attempted to take her on…"
"You're saying that Sable's could?" inquired Katt, although she calmed down visibly at the vixen's words.
Shaking her head, the feline joined her friend in gazing over at where Sable and Bill stood together. The ferret had pushed her goggles back up onto her forehead, and her sky blue eyes were filled with tears as she clung tightly to the ashen-furred canine's side. She didn't want to start crying in front of all of these witnesses, but she couldn't help it.
"Bil…Billy…" she sobbed, burying her tear-streaked face in the canine's shirt.
"Hush…it's okay, Sable, just let it all out," Bill soothed his adopted sister, gently rubbed the back of her neck with his hand.
"But it's not fair, Billy! It's just not fair!"
No, it's never been fair, has it, Sable? The canine thought sadly, shaking his head as he remembered how he had comforted her like this before, when they had learned of their parents' deaths. As bad as the experience had been for him, he couldn't help but feel that it had been much worse for his adopted sister, who had to deal with the pain of losing two families because of Andross's hordes. Now that Peppy, who most of the Arwing pilots considered to be a sort of foster father to them, had been captured…
"Damn you, Andross," the canine muttered under his breath, softly so as not to let the sobbing girl in his arms overhear. "If my little sister loses another father to you, so help me, I'll kill you myself… with my bare paws, if nothing else…"