Blue Fire

Chapter Six, No Holiday

         The sun broke over the mountains, glared strong and high.

         Fox lowered his sunglasses then lied back on the hammock after taking a good long sip from his tall, frothy Mai Tai.

         "Anything else I can get for you, Monsieur McCloud?"

         French Corneria. Quite different from anywhere else on the face of the planet.

         "Yeah...you can..." He stopped for a moment to see the young vixen serving him. She was beautiful. Golden fur. Blue eyes. Brilliant smile. "Another one of these," He smiled back kindly and raised his glass to her hand.

         "We, Monsieur."

         She curtsied and left him, and he inwardly congratulated himself for not doing something that would cause trouble again such as telling her how beautiful her eyes were or how cute she looked in that little hostess outfit. Since Fara, every attempt at being friendly with a member of the opposite gender came out halfheartedly.

         "Anything else?" she asked after returning with his drink.

         "No, that's all, thanks."

         To keep from feeling like an idiot and trying to remain obscure as well, he buried himself in a standard paper publication on the table beside him, decreasing the chance of being spotted by anyone on the island who could have recognized his telltale red fur underneath his telltale aviator shades.

TROGON'S RAGING TAKOVER GOES UP IN FLAMES.

         Obviously, the war wasn't going away any time soon.

         Fox turned the page, hoping to find a lighter side of things.

CERINIA: Under Siege by Rogue Space Battalion

         "...Cerinia...  Never heard of that one," He folded the paper and laid it on the table again. "Now I know why they say no news is good news..."

         He lied back and relaxed for the first time in at least three weeks. This little remote island trip was his first chance in a long time to get away and take a well-deserved break. He had done his best so far, although up to this point, he'd been spending most of the time in his private suite just in case an important call came in. Of all things, the biggest concern was his young son, Jamie, the kid's early years being raised on the Great Fox, watching his dad come on go on missions and learning the ropes of mercenary life. In a few more weeks, he'd start school—real school, with the benefits of being around other cubs and learning about the basics—language, math, science, et cetera. Little Jamie already knew more than any other kid on the planet about missiles, smart bombs, and triple lasers to practically lead his own young cub team. Peppy, recalling the awkward transition for Fox when his dad put him into regular school after hauling him around in space for the first seven years of his life, suggested Corneria's finest primary learning complex, PTA, Pre-Air Defense Training Academy.

         At least Jamie seemed to be doing fine without a mother. One reason was the photos he had of her, the best kept within reach of his bedside. Sometimes he lied on his tummy and just stared at it, perhaps thinking of what it would have been like if she were there with him. Then all of sudden the pleasant shine in his eyes would turn a solid frown, perhaps thinking of how much he loathed Andross.

         For a short time, Fox thought of Fara's tragic death and how it was in the back of his mind during the final days of Lylat's greatest war. There he had been, going off to serve his galaxy at eighteen, not knowing when or if he would return. He thought of what had happened after his first defeat of Andross, when Fara was captured and he had gone to save her. Then he recalled the final battle, after Fara's death, and the explosion behind him as the image of his father had appeared and led him out safely.

         You won't be coming back anymore Andross. I've gotten rid of you once and for all...

         As those thoughts crossed his mind, the daylight suddenly darkened. Fox pushed up from the hammock and raised his shades to look around, sighting all the islanders, guests, and employees with their eyes focused on the sky and pointing as if they saw something spectacular. Actually, it was awesome.  Lylat's sun wasn't glowing anymore.

-----------------------------

         Flashes of light burned through space, sharp rays of brilliant color bounced around in thunderous spikes in the usually soundless atmosphere.

         Peppy scrambled to the controls and activated the observatory nose.

         "What've we got here," he joined Rob at his station and waved Slippy to come forward. "Some kind of light rays. I wonder what caused it."

         In another part of the ship, Jamie tumbled about in his play area, harbored with great care, not a worry in his world, neither on his mind. From his spot near the center of the large room, something caused him to look up to the window and see a wide view of space. Beyond those stars, bright lines of colors dashed in circles then dissipated like magic.

         This cub had loads of toys to play with. Cars, trucks, planes, even a model Arwing, all keeping him occupied beyond the stretches of imagination. Yet, he always enjoyed the thrilling light shows of exploding asteroids and shooting stars ever so often.

         "Ooh," The cub's amazement endured.

         Another dramatic burst of light, and he felt a strong jolt of current.

         "Wow! Cool!"

         Then was nothing but a white light, a beam pouring in through the window and covering the entire room.

         An image then appeared before him. It was a vixen. Tan fur. Loving smile. He wasn't sure at first, then struck in awe by what he saw.

         "Mother?" he said, voice quivering. Then slowly he reached for her, and the tips of his paws connected with her transparent image. The touch was warm, gentle....alive. She even spoke his name, said she would always love him just before her image faded out.

         "You see anything, Peppy?"

         The light had blinded him. Once it passed, he stepped back and scratched his head. "Yeah...uh...I did."

         "Well what was it?" Slippy pried.

         "I don't really know. But it's all gone now. Guess just another asteroid. I sure hope it didn't have anything to do with the war on Zoness. That rumble felt like a whole planet blew up."

A/N:  After taking an extended break from this story(as well as a few of my other very good creative endeavors...^_~) I have returned! Guess I can't make any promises as to how long it'll take before any more updates though.