Chapter 20: This Twisted Reality
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pepper stood by his desk, watching Wolf and Fox, analyzing them. His eyes darting back
and forth with a grin. He enjoyed their panicked looks, the fear he incited. This was
power and it tasted good, great, wonderful, the insatiably metallic tinge that dripped on
the back of his tongue. The crinkling sound of his black leather gloves. All elements he
enjoyed.
"Yes..." The word came out softly, but still enough to startle his two captives. "With
weapons development of this nature, Corneria will truly be protected."
"Protected from what?! The only thing Corneria needs protection from is you!" Fox
growled as a uniformed canine grabbed him forcefully.
Pepper nodded off the brute sentry. "Leave us."
He exited swiftly, diligent like any other guard. Fox pulled his jacket out, straightening it
with dignity.
"Where was I...ah yes, I was just getting to my weapons demonstration."
"Demonstration?" That came from Wolf, his face switching nervously, noticing they
were both now alone in there with the General who called himself Emperor.
********************************************
Leon grabbed the cardinal's neck, ripping out several feathers with a brute thrust
accompanying a screech of agony. He brought the torn pieces to his mouth, breathing in
their ecstasy like scented rose petals. Olivia panicked with fear, flattening herself against
the row of consoles, leaning back as he pressed over her with another hand around the
bird's neck.
"Insolent guard, I know what you were doing. Notifying the Star Fox team for whatever
devious purpose you pursue, how very foolish, defying Pepper like this. I assure you that
for every crime—there is a punishment."
She shook her head frantically, groaning in terror under his grip. He smacked her swiftly
across the face with the back of his hand. She belted out a cry of pain, a tear leaving her
feathered cheek to land on the glowing console panel below.
********************************************
The Great Fox blasted through space, the destination, Corneria. Falco thought about their
plans. There were no plans. They were blindly leaping towards their home planet in the
hopes of finding Fox and Wolf, perhaps rescuing them from whatever danger or trouble
they were in. He fidgeted in his seat, eyeing Katt with concern. She was just as aware of
their sightlessness. Corneria had blockades of ships loyal to Pepper, like a wall, guarding
the planet from penetration.
"35 minutes to arrival. We are within sensor range now." Peppy looked over at Falco, a
look of dread washed over his face behind the wire frame bifocals. "Several dozen ships
on radar, multiple formations."
"Increase to two point eight x the speed of light Rob."
"Acknowledged."
The ship careened faster now, the stars streaking by the windows in shredded points of
light, the blue indicator on the radar screen rushing towards the ship's icon. They were
almost there.
"We're coming Fox."
********************************************
The doors slid apart from the other side of the room behind Leon. A jack-rabbit
commander with a shorter male feline who bore the pins of a lieutenant walked onto the
bridge. The sneering chameleon promptly turned around, bloody handed, red feathers
clenched in his grip.
"What is going on here?" The rabbit questioned with authority.
Olivia gasped in pain, blood dripping from the side of her face where Leon had sliced her
with his claws. She looked pleadingly at the commander whose face was filled with
confusion.
"This...guard," Leon sneered at him with resentment, "Has undermined the security of
this ship. She has already admitted to assisting our enemies."
"That's a lie!" Olivia found herself shouting in reflex.
"Powalski, this is an inappropriate exertion of authority..." The middle aged hare crossed
his arms in disapproval. "I will not allow this to continue under my watch over this ship.
There are more appropriate ways to bestow authority."
Leon roughly threw her to the floor as she coughed up her aching anguish, rubbing her
neck where it had been so forcefully gripped.
"You incompetent fool. I am second to Pepper and I assure you that when he finds out...it
will be your head." He gave one final sneer, storming off the bridge fuming with rage.
The rabbit rubbed his forehead in distress as the feline lieutenant rushed towards Olivia.
"Are you alright?" He crouched down and placed a hand on her. "I'm afraid we have to
detain you..." He spoke sympathetically, his calico paw petting down the ruffled feathers
on her hand.
Instantly the consoles all around them began to sound alarm with blaring beeps and
flashing indicators. The lights switching to intermittent reds.
"Enemy vessel approaching, it's the Great Fox, the traitorous mercenary group we're
watching for." The lieutenant raised an eyebrow.
"No!" Shouted Olivia in hysteria, tears pouring from her face as she struggled away from
the cat. "They are trying to save us!"
The commanding hare turned around in a snap, "What are you talking about? Save us
from what?" He exchanged glances as the rest of the bridge crew arrived, settling at their
assigned stations under the bathing red lights.
"To save us from Emperor Pepper!"
Everyone turned around in a flash, their expressions of multiplied shock beamed at her.
The commander paced towards her with determination in his eyes, his flopping ears now
stiffly straight up in alarm.
"Young lady, you are speaking treason!"
"I am speaking for the future!" she gasped. "Pepper doesn't deserve his title. He gained
his power with corruption and malevolence! Do you not see?! I will not stand by and
watch this nightmare continue, this twisted reality that claws at all of us!"
He grabbed her arm, inciting a yelp of pain, "Listen, I am warning you. You have crossed
the line with your abrasive comments. You will cease this at once."
"No! I refuse!"
"She's going to get us all killed Commander!" The lieutenant stepped back in fear, his
whiskers twitching as everyone nodded and mumbled stressfully in agreement, terror
filling their darting eyes.
The hare looked around the panic-swept bridge that was in disarray, he had to maintain
order. He was not going to lose himself over one voiced opinion.
"Final warning," he whispered pleadingly, "Stop this right now and I promise I will ask
Pepper for leniency towards you."
"Listen to yourself," she snapped with confidence in her voice, "You're all afraid of him-
--every one of you."
"Commander, the Great Fox will be in weapons range in fifteen seconds."
He blinked at Olivia, ears drooping, unable to respond. Finally he composed himself, still
glaring at the red-feathered cardinal. "Stand by to fire Lieutenant ."
"You know that our lives don't seem right anymore," she began. "Look back to the older
times, when things were different. We had freedom, peace, the Star Fox team were heroes.
This backwards reality was never meant to be. It has to be made right again. You destroy
the Great Fox and the nightmare will only continue."
By now everyone was leaned over in their seats, listening to her with intent. Taking every
word for its worth. They didn't want to admit it out loud, but they agreed with her. Since
their 'acclaimed leader' clutched power into his grasp their lives had dwindled down into
misery. Nothing but death and fighting, taking power, clutching colonies and planets. She
was right...this wasn't meant to be.
"You're just a guard..." The commander's words came out defeated.
The lieutenant stepped promptly towards another console, leaning over a raccoon officer.
"Take the main weapons offline."
"Lieutenant what are you doing?!"
"I'm doing the right thing." The feline came to Olivia's side and wiped a tear from her
face as she stood confidently, chin held high.
The commander looked around, overcome with the emotion of helplessness. "Very well."
He raised his chin up, matching the cardinal's, a blank look over his eyes, "I will have no
part in this. When we are captured, I will report this as an act of mutiny. My paws are
clean."
"Then let there be mutiny."
********************************************
"Yes, a weapons exhibition in a sense, of my incomparable power." Pepper smiled to
himself. "Unfortunately, in some field tests, people do die."
Wolf and Fox glared at him with trepidation, their eyes stabbing into his with revulsion.
Wolf quickly realized what he was going to do, glancing out the window, his sight
catching the glinting light off of one of the skyscrapers.
"You're not testing a weapon on the city are you?" The question betrayed him.
Pepper raised an eyebrow in response, "Where would the fun be if no one was around to
witness its power?"
Fox shrieked out in anguish, "NO! You can't! You're insane! Your own people!" He
became incoherent, his growls mixing with half spoken words. Pepper smiled at all this
ecstatically, lustfully taking in the brash fear in front of him.
He pressed his gloved hand into a button on his desk, a holograph lighting up as the room
dimmed. A wire frame model fizzled into a view. It was a simple missile, several
indicators pointing to different spots on it.
"This is the X-1 missile or, as I like to call it, the 'Devastator. It is loading in its
designated silo at this very moment. We will be taking the hover train to an observatory
soon to witness its power."
He chuckled as Wolf and Fox stared in disgust. "The wonderful facet about this charming
device is that it has the power to eat through an entire planet's biosphere in two days."
"WHAT?!" Fox found himself at a loss for words again, anger mixed with horror. "This
is your home too Pepper! This is the planet you strived to gain power of! And now you're
going to destroy it?! All the trouble you went through, removing the senate, killing the
chancellor, overthrowing resistance in Lylat...all of that and now you're going to kill your
home planet?!"
"This is not my home McCloud..." The hologram clicked off but the lights remained
darkened. Pepper's form silhouetted by the dull light pouring through the glass window
behind him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ah! This was originally connected with the next chapter but things flowed much better
when it was cut it off here. I hope you look forward to Chapter 21. And don't worry
Chibialandra, there is still so much more left in this story. Thanks for reading! =)
Ah, and again, special thanks to FoxMcCloud761 for helping me out with peer editing,
review, and cutting out this little piece of the chapter from the gigantic chunk I had
before. It sounds much better with this chapter seperated on its own.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pepper stood by his desk, watching Wolf and Fox, analyzing them. His eyes darting back
and forth with a grin. He enjoyed their panicked looks, the fear he incited. This was
power and it tasted good, great, wonderful, the insatiably metallic tinge that dripped on
the back of his tongue. The crinkling sound of his black leather gloves. All elements he
enjoyed.
"Yes..." The word came out softly, but still enough to startle his two captives. "With
weapons development of this nature, Corneria will truly be protected."
"Protected from what?! The only thing Corneria needs protection from is you!" Fox
growled as a uniformed canine grabbed him forcefully.
Pepper nodded off the brute sentry. "Leave us."
He exited swiftly, diligent like any other guard. Fox pulled his jacket out, straightening it
with dignity.
"Where was I...ah yes, I was just getting to my weapons demonstration."
"Demonstration?" That came from Wolf, his face switching nervously, noticing they
were both now alone in there with the General who called himself Emperor.
********************************************
Leon grabbed the cardinal's neck, ripping out several feathers with a brute thrust
accompanying a screech of agony. He brought the torn pieces to his mouth, breathing in
their ecstasy like scented rose petals. Olivia panicked with fear, flattening herself against
the row of consoles, leaning back as he pressed over her with another hand around the
bird's neck.
"Insolent guard, I know what you were doing. Notifying the Star Fox team for whatever
devious purpose you pursue, how very foolish, defying Pepper like this. I assure you that
for every crime—there is a punishment."
She shook her head frantically, groaning in terror under his grip. He smacked her swiftly
across the face with the back of his hand. She belted out a cry of pain, a tear leaving her
feathered cheek to land on the glowing console panel below.
********************************************
The Great Fox blasted through space, the destination, Corneria. Falco thought about their
plans. There were no plans. They were blindly leaping towards their home planet in the
hopes of finding Fox and Wolf, perhaps rescuing them from whatever danger or trouble
they were in. He fidgeted in his seat, eyeing Katt with concern. She was just as aware of
their sightlessness. Corneria had blockades of ships loyal to Pepper, like a wall, guarding
the planet from penetration.
"35 minutes to arrival. We are within sensor range now." Peppy looked over at Falco, a
look of dread washed over his face behind the wire frame bifocals. "Several dozen ships
on radar, multiple formations."
"Increase to two point eight x the speed of light Rob."
"Acknowledged."
The ship careened faster now, the stars streaking by the windows in shredded points of
light, the blue indicator on the radar screen rushing towards the ship's icon. They were
almost there.
"We're coming Fox."
********************************************
The doors slid apart from the other side of the room behind Leon. A jack-rabbit
commander with a shorter male feline who bore the pins of a lieutenant walked onto the
bridge. The sneering chameleon promptly turned around, bloody handed, red feathers
clenched in his grip.
"What is going on here?" The rabbit questioned with authority.
Olivia gasped in pain, blood dripping from the side of her face where Leon had sliced her
with his claws. She looked pleadingly at the commander whose face was filled with
confusion.
"This...guard," Leon sneered at him with resentment, "Has undermined the security of
this ship. She has already admitted to assisting our enemies."
"That's a lie!" Olivia found herself shouting in reflex.
"Powalski, this is an inappropriate exertion of authority..." The middle aged hare crossed
his arms in disapproval. "I will not allow this to continue under my watch over this ship.
There are more appropriate ways to bestow authority."
Leon roughly threw her to the floor as she coughed up her aching anguish, rubbing her
neck where it had been so forcefully gripped.
"You incompetent fool. I am second to Pepper and I assure you that when he finds out...it
will be your head." He gave one final sneer, storming off the bridge fuming with rage.
The rabbit rubbed his forehead in distress as the feline lieutenant rushed towards Olivia.
"Are you alright?" He crouched down and placed a hand on her. "I'm afraid we have to
detain you..." He spoke sympathetically, his calico paw petting down the ruffled feathers
on her hand.
Instantly the consoles all around them began to sound alarm with blaring beeps and
flashing indicators. The lights switching to intermittent reds.
"Enemy vessel approaching, it's the Great Fox, the traitorous mercenary group we're
watching for." The lieutenant raised an eyebrow.
"No!" Shouted Olivia in hysteria, tears pouring from her face as she struggled away from
the cat. "They are trying to save us!"
The commanding hare turned around in a snap, "What are you talking about? Save us
from what?" He exchanged glances as the rest of the bridge crew arrived, settling at their
assigned stations under the bathing red lights.
"To save us from Emperor Pepper!"
Everyone turned around in a flash, their expressions of multiplied shock beamed at her.
The commander paced towards her with determination in his eyes, his flopping ears now
stiffly straight up in alarm.
"Young lady, you are speaking treason!"
"I am speaking for the future!" she gasped. "Pepper doesn't deserve his title. He gained
his power with corruption and malevolence! Do you not see?! I will not stand by and
watch this nightmare continue, this twisted reality that claws at all of us!"
He grabbed her arm, inciting a yelp of pain, "Listen, I am warning you. You have crossed
the line with your abrasive comments. You will cease this at once."
"No! I refuse!"
"She's going to get us all killed Commander!" The lieutenant stepped back in fear, his
whiskers twitching as everyone nodded and mumbled stressfully in agreement, terror
filling their darting eyes.
The hare looked around the panic-swept bridge that was in disarray, he had to maintain
order. He was not going to lose himself over one voiced opinion.
"Final warning," he whispered pleadingly, "Stop this right now and I promise I will ask
Pepper for leniency towards you."
"Listen to yourself," she snapped with confidence in her voice, "You're all afraid of him-
--every one of you."
"Commander, the Great Fox will be in weapons range in fifteen seconds."
He blinked at Olivia, ears drooping, unable to respond. Finally he composed himself, still
glaring at the red-feathered cardinal. "Stand by to fire Lieutenant ."
"You know that our lives don't seem right anymore," she began. "Look back to the older
times, when things were different. We had freedom, peace, the Star Fox team were heroes.
This backwards reality was never meant to be. It has to be made right again. You destroy
the Great Fox and the nightmare will only continue."
By now everyone was leaned over in their seats, listening to her with intent. Taking every
word for its worth. They didn't want to admit it out loud, but they agreed with her. Since
their 'acclaimed leader' clutched power into his grasp their lives had dwindled down into
misery. Nothing but death and fighting, taking power, clutching colonies and planets. She
was right...this wasn't meant to be.
"You're just a guard..." The commander's words came out defeated.
The lieutenant stepped promptly towards another console, leaning over a raccoon officer.
"Take the main weapons offline."
"Lieutenant what are you doing?!"
"I'm doing the right thing." The feline came to Olivia's side and wiped a tear from her
face as she stood confidently, chin held high.
The commander looked around, overcome with the emotion of helplessness. "Very well."
He raised his chin up, matching the cardinal's, a blank look over his eyes, "I will have no
part in this. When we are captured, I will report this as an act of mutiny. My paws are
clean."
"Then let there be mutiny."
********************************************
"Yes, a weapons exhibition in a sense, of my incomparable power." Pepper smiled to
himself. "Unfortunately, in some field tests, people do die."
Wolf and Fox glared at him with trepidation, their eyes stabbing into his with revulsion.
Wolf quickly realized what he was going to do, glancing out the window, his sight
catching the glinting light off of one of the skyscrapers.
"You're not testing a weapon on the city are you?" The question betrayed him.
Pepper raised an eyebrow in response, "Where would the fun be if no one was around to
witness its power?"
Fox shrieked out in anguish, "NO! You can't! You're insane! Your own people!" He
became incoherent, his growls mixing with half spoken words. Pepper smiled at all this
ecstatically, lustfully taking in the brash fear in front of him.
He pressed his gloved hand into a button on his desk, a holograph lighting up as the room
dimmed. A wire frame model fizzled into a view. It was a simple missile, several
indicators pointing to different spots on it.
"This is the X-1 missile or, as I like to call it, the 'Devastator. It is loading in its
designated silo at this very moment. We will be taking the hover train to an observatory
soon to witness its power."
He chuckled as Wolf and Fox stared in disgust. "The wonderful facet about this charming
device is that it has the power to eat through an entire planet's biosphere in two days."
"WHAT?!" Fox found himself at a loss for words again, anger mixed with horror. "This
is your home too Pepper! This is the planet you strived to gain power of! And now you're
going to destroy it?! All the trouble you went through, removing the senate, killing the
chancellor, overthrowing resistance in Lylat...all of that and now you're going to kill your
home planet?!"
"This is not my home McCloud..." The hologram clicked off but the lights remained
darkened. Pepper's form silhouetted by the dull light pouring through the glass window
behind him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ah! This was originally connected with the next chapter but things flowed much better
when it was cut it off here. I hope you look forward to Chapter 21. And don't worry
Chibialandra, there is still so much more left in this story. Thanks for reading! =)
Ah, and again, special thanks to FoxMcCloud761 for helping me out with peer editing,
review, and cutting out this little piece of the chapter from the gigantic chunk I had
before. It sounds much better with this chapter seperated on its own.