CHAPTER 2: Revelations.
Spacelog Entry 20116-553:
It was a good time for Jason to show up in the Academy again. He sounded surprised when he saw me walking into the same chamber where the objective of the mission was to be briefed. He didn't seem as happy to come back, however. Of course, I would make sure that was not the case once he was in full uniform...
-Martyr Desertfox
The hallway was filled with comments of awe from male cadets as well as the giddy giggling from females. Not everyday a celebrity walked trough the CEF building. Jason did not want this much attention, especially in this building.
"They must be surprised to see such a celebrity in here," Kat said, while leading him to the elevators. Jason pretended not to hear her, while avoiding more expectators trying to greet him.
"So tell me, how's life in boxing?" Kat continued, looking at him while waiting for the elevator to come down.
"Not bad, actually, getting paid while beating people up. Can't beat that."
Kat grinned, finally getting him to say something after the awkward silence that he projected when they entered the building. The elevator's doors opened, and she stepped aside.
"After you," she said with an exaggerated gesture. "I will show you the way to the conference room."
He had wished the point of coming back would be for autographs and a scheduled fight, not to strap a uniform on him again. The feel for that wish intensified once he arrived on the conference room, with Kat leading in front of him.
A vast room it was, oval in shape, aquamarine carpeting with the CEF insignia on the middle. On the back of the wall there was a table that was shaped as a circle cut in half, with chairs behind it. And on each chair, a different official dressed in various uniform colors, defining their ranks. However, General Pepper didn't seem to be present. One of the officers, a lion, stood up and extended his hand, his uniform was pale green and bore an admiral's rank on each shoulder. The name Rodernberg was shown with golden letters on a black nametag.
"Mister Jason O'Riley?"
Jason shook his hand, with an uneasy feeling in his mind. He smiled nonetheless, trying to humor them the best he allowed them to. Admiral Rodernberg nodded to Kat, who saluted in return. The feline female exited with nothing more to say.
"Please take a seat." The lion replied while taking his seat once more. Jason sat down reluctantly, preparing for whatever it is that this meeting was about. Officers looked at him attentively, but only the admiral was the one who started the meeting.
"We know you have taken a leave of absence to retire a as civilian in Corneria, Mister O'Riley," he began, "and we also know that you do not wish to come back to CEF. At least, not anytime soon. You have been exiled to a life of boxing, a career that has worked for you for the last three years."
He cleared his throat and opened a folder in front of him. Jason was about to comment on what was said, but he refrained from doing so. He just wanted to see where this was leading first. The admiral turned his attention once more to Jason with the same stern look on his face.
"However, CEF needs you and now more than ever. You were one of the three test pilots to maneuver the prototype Arwing Mandarian 16 during the raid in Corneria by Venom. As you remember, these Arwings have not been done in mass production then, and were used because of the situation back then."
Jason did not like where this was going.
"During that battle with Venom's armada, one of your pilots -and close friend as we have been informed, - died. Three months after that event you resigned from duty, claiming that you could no longer act under the burden that was carried on your shoulders. We had understood that was one of the reasons why you left CEF for good in that time."
Jason's hands curled into fists on the armrest of the chair. Rodernberg noted this and relaxed forward on his seat, holding his hands together. He then turned his head to his right, looking at the rabbit with the fancy eyewear on his face. "Captain Martinez?"
Martinez nodded and raised a document on his own while fixing his eyeglasses. "As Admiral Rodernberg stated, this was not the only reason why you quit CEF altogether. On the night prior to your decision, you talked to another officer about the real reason why you left." Martinez stopped and looked at Jason, who had an irritated look on his face. The Captain closed his own documents and laid them down on the table, looking back at the Admiral.
"Yes, we know well what was discussed that night, Mister O'Riley." Rodernberg sighed and nodded solemnly to him. "We a CEF are a proud army, we always fought for the freedom of our people and the Lylat system, yet we have our faults.
"As I mentioned earlier, the ARM-16 was not a production model, therefore only three ships were distributed. Our economy was collapsing thanks to the war, and materials were extremely scarce. We built each of those star crafts from what little we had in our power."
Rodernberg rested his left hand on his forehead and cocked his head to the side. Jason heard a hint of regret on the Admiral's tone. This was getting more curious by the minute.
"On that night you spoke to another of your closest friends, Sgt. Martyr Desertfox. You assumed that CEF was upset about losing one of their ships more than were about losing the life of an officer. Indeed, the lost of that ship cost us dearly, and there were at the time nothing that could replace it."
He rested his hand on the table and looked straight at Jason's eyes. Jason's tension elevated at this point, he wanted to shout at everybody and leave just like that fateful night on which he decided to take his life elsewhere. He was also three years younger and ridden with painful emotions.
Not today.
"Nothing would be far from the truth, it was our mistake that led to your dismissal, Mister O'Riley. Believe us, we would have left you life your new life as you have wanted. We do not have the right to force you into coming back to help CEF, but we do need you back to defend Corneria against the new threat that is facing. It is a manner of patriotism, Mister O'Riley. We in CEF hope that you can lend your services to us one more time. What do you say to this?"
Jason pushed his seat back and stood up firmly, the admiral and the rest of the officers turned their gaze up to him.
"I say that CEF can deal with their own problems, Admiral Rodernberg. I am a civilian now and have my own life to take care of. I now know that my assumptions were correct in that time I left your forces, and that is indeed, the truth behind my decision. I am sorry, Admiral, you will have to look for someone else this time."
"I understand," Rodernberg, replied solemnly, "however, if you could take tonight and think your decision over, we would be most grateful. You can call us back tomorrow with your definite answer, Mister O'Riley. I am sure she would like to have you back in her team, however."
Jason raised his left eyebrow and looked at the Admiral with a question on his face. The lion raised his right hand and pointed at the exit behind the German shepherd. Jason turned and saw a black and white furred female coyote leaning against the doorframe. She was wearing a leather jumpsuit which shone against the pale lights of the room, and her arms were crossed n her chest. A smirk was on her face, her black eyes looking straight at him.
"Hey there Jason," she said. "What do you say we have a talk over a date for old time's sake?"
***
Ah yes, Martyr Desertfox. "Friend. Colleague. Lover." Jason had it hard to believe that she was still with CEF after the tragedy, then again, Martyr had a strong code of responsibility that would not let her quit her day job.
He also knew that she loved barking orders to cadets during training session.
The female Coyote had markings that were too sharp for one of her kind, let alone the colors that would make it difficult for anyone to consider her species. Her face bore a birthmark that showed trough her fur, on her left cheek, and her eyes were like black pearls that penetrated into anyone that looked into them. Her hair, even darker than her fur, was spiked almost to a Mohawk, and braided to her back. Her hair would give blue highlights when looked at from a certain angle.
She was transferred from planet Randross, located in the outskirts of the Draconis Empiria galaxy, five years ago. Her marksmanship and leadership skills amazed many superiors in CEF, and with good reason; the coyote's life only revolved around war.
Martyr has known war since she was 14 years old. In her home planet, there was constant war between all the continents, because fresh water was insufficient. Planet Randross was in the brinks of extinction due to the careless use of technology and waste of natural resources. Her father forced her to join the infantry under his command, and since then, she has not the pleasure of knowing carefree life, unlike many young cadets in CEF.
Her first assignment earned her high merits when she was 16 years old, but it also scarred her emotionally for life. The memory still blazes inside her mind like wildfire charring a forest, but she has managed to suppress it well. No one- not even her closest acquaintance, Jason, - has ever known about this.
They both sat on a bench outside headquarters; the air was filled with a spicy aroma that was present after rainstorm has stopped. By now, sunset was appearing, and the sun was sinking on the mountains far away from the city. The sky was turned from gray to a variety of orange and pink colors. Jason knew that Martyr would bring up the conversation about re-joining CEF soon enough, but he decided to forget about it until then. They spoke of times past, and everything that had happened in between. She told him of rookies and their behavior in training sessions, he told her about the latest match and how he survived eight rounds against a monster of a contender.
Both admired the afternoon spectacle for a short while, and this brought Jason solemn peace and relaxation. Martyr picked up his hand, and he felt the light grip that she pressed upon it. Jason turned his head and looked at her with a question that had yet to escape his muzzle.
"I know that you still burdened with what happened that time, Jason." she said, "I too, have been trough hell every night after our friend was lost. We need your help, however, I can't do this alone."
Jason noted her face, her fur colored by the afternoon sunset, her black eyes shining with the orange glow of the sun reflecting upon them. He found himself speechless, both about the whole situation and of the splendid image of the female besides him.
"I need time to think about this." He finally said, although these were not the words his heart wanted to blurt out. Martyr leaned close to him and kissed his forehead.
"Take the whole night if you need to." She said, and stood up, walking away from him as the last rays of the sun were vanishing from view. Her body formed a dark silhouette in the immediate darkness.
As the sun decided to call it a day, Jason prepared to make his decision before calling it a night.
***
The next morning Jason joined headquarters once again, confirming his comeback to CEF after years of absence. He was treated to a new uniform and the corresponding medals of Honor that represented his rank. Jason the boxing champion was now Captain Jason, and nothing else seemed to matter about it. The Captain entered an empty room and waited at the corner of the establishment. Moments later, Martyr walked inside, holding a few bundles of papers that were held together by means of a piece of wool.
He took an invitation given to her to sit down. The room itself seemed pretty much like the one they had visited before. Few plants were placed here holographic screen glared from a wall. He held on his hands various folders, but he was not permitted to open them up just yet. On the other side of the table where he was seated, Martyr held the same amount of documented files, and like him, she kept them closed. On the cover of each folder appeared the word "CONFIDENTIAL" in vivid red, but this did not made Jason any curious about them.
Martyr adjusted the screen with a remote control, and began displaying status of CEF officials who appeared simultaneously onscreen. Jason remembered some of the faces in there, but some others he had no recollection of ever meeting with them.
"Captain Riley?" said an old and frail voice. It was from an old chimpanzee whose face appeared on another vidscreen, this being at the left side of the room. This screen was separate from the one Martyr was using as well. Jason turned his head to the voice and perked his ears. Jason accepted his title the time he traveled with Martyr, but is uniform was still being transferred. Calling him a Captain was something he would have to get used to once more.
"Sergeant Martyr Desertfox shall introduce you hand picked members of the CEF. These individuals will be enlisted in your new squadron named StarDragon."
Jason turned his eyes to Martyr, who crossed her arms while paying attention to the screen herself.
"Furthermore," the ape continued, "you are to report to hangar 18 at 0800, your ships shall be waiting for your arrival. Make sure to read the manuscript written by CEF's engineering staff for any quick references about the MAR-16. Are there any questions so far?"
Jason hesitated. "Not at all, sir."
"Very well," the officer said with a smile that would make children run away in horror. "Sergeant, you may continue with the scheduled procedure, over and out."
The screen vanished with no noise whatsoever. Jason felt relieved. He had seen far too many faces in one day that he would in a boxing ring during a sold-out event. In fact, he was beginning to get bored with the whole thing CDF was planning for him. He still would not forgive them for their decisions; therefore he felt that they should not take his decision for granted.
Martyr picked up a remote control and pointed it to the giant holographic screen. After a few seconds, the words "STARDRAGON PROFILE SHEET" flashed with utmost eagerness. Another set of seconds and both their faces were visible onscreen. Jason noted the ranks on top of their photos: His named bared the assign Wingman rank, while Martyr was assigned the secondary chain of command of the squad. Other than so, there was nothing more on display besides holographic buttons that allowed the viewer access to more information on their profile.
"That's us," said the Coyote with a slight ring of amusement in her voice, "nothing much to say about our profiles, except that we both have the worst pictures ever taken by a photographer-in-training. I'll just skip our bios and proceed with our chosen children."
A few taps in the remote and the screen shimmered. A few moments later the screen pulled itself together once more, displaying the picture of a young vixen staring back at Jason. Her features were that of a red fox, markings neatly edged around her muzzle, her hair was full and neatly cared for. A small hint of a smirk appeared on her brow and mouth, her eyes glittering with the all knowledge of a mischief. Jason followed the written profile besides the photo, and noticed a familiar name.
"Fana McCloud." Martyr said.
Jason's eyebrows rose in wonderment.
Spacelog Entry 20116-553:
It was a good time for Jason to show up in the Academy again. He sounded surprised when he saw me walking into the same chamber where the objective of the mission was to be briefed. He didn't seem as happy to come back, however. Of course, I would make sure that was not the case once he was in full uniform...
-Martyr Desertfox
The hallway was filled with comments of awe from male cadets as well as the giddy giggling from females. Not everyday a celebrity walked trough the CEF building. Jason did not want this much attention, especially in this building.
"They must be surprised to see such a celebrity in here," Kat said, while leading him to the elevators. Jason pretended not to hear her, while avoiding more expectators trying to greet him.
"So tell me, how's life in boxing?" Kat continued, looking at him while waiting for the elevator to come down.
"Not bad, actually, getting paid while beating people up. Can't beat that."
Kat grinned, finally getting him to say something after the awkward silence that he projected when they entered the building. The elevator's doors opened, and she stepped aside.
"After you," she said with an exaggerated gesture. "I will show you the way to the conference room."
He had wished the point of coming back would be for autographs and a scheduled fight, not to strap a uniform on him again. The feel for that wish intensified once he arrived on the conference room, with Kat leading in front of him.
A vast room it was, oval in shape, aquamarine carpeting with the CEF insignia on the middle. On the back of the wall there was a table that was shaped as a circle cut in half, with chairs behind it. And on each chair, a different official dressed in various uniform colors, defining their ranks. However, General Pepper didn't seem to be present. One of the officers, a lion, stood up and extended his hand, his uniform was pale green and bore an admiral's rank on each shoulder. The name Rodernberg was shown with golden letters on a black nametag.
"Mister Jason O'Riley?"
Jason shook his hand, with an uneasy feeling in his mind. He smiled nonetheless, trying to humor them the best he allowed them to. Admiral Rodernberg nodded to Kat, who saluted in return. The feline female exited with nothing more to say.
"Please take a seat." The lion replied while taking his seat once more. Jason sat down reluctantly, preparing for whatever it is that this meeting was about. Officers looked at him attentively, but only the admiral was the one who started the meeting.
"We know you have taken a leave of absence to retire a as civilian in Corneria, Mister O'Riley," he began, "and we also know that you do not wish to come back to CEF. At least, not anytime soon. You have been exiled to a life of boxing, a career that has worked for you for the last three years."
He cleared his throat and opened a folder in front of him. Jason was about to comment on what was said, but he refrained from doing so. He just wanted to see where this was leading first. The admiral turned his attention once more to Jason with the same stern look on his face.
"However, CEF needs you and now more than ever. You were one of the three test pilots to maneuver the prototype Arwing Mandarian 16 during the raid in Corneria by Venom. As you remember, these Arwings have not been done in mass production then, and were used because of the situation back then."
Jason did not like where this was going.
"During that battle with Venom's armada, one of your pilots -and close friend as we have been informed, - died. Three months after that event you resigned from duty, claiming that you could no longer act under the burden that was carried on your shoulders. We had understood that was one of the reasons why you left CEF for good in that time."
Jason's hands curled into fists on the armrest of the chair. Rodernberg noted this and relaxed forward on his seat, holding his hands together. He then turned his head to his right, looking at the rabbit with the fancy eyewear on his face. "Captain Martinez?"
Martinez nodded and raised a document on his own while fixing his eyeglasses. "As Admiral Rodernberg stated, this was not the only reason why you quit CEF altogether. On the night prior to your decision, you talked to another officer about the real reason why you left." Martinez stopped and looked at Jason, who had an irritated look on his face. The Captain closed his own documents and laid them down on the table, looking back at the Admiral.
"Yes, we know well what was discussed that night, Mister O'Riley." Rodernberg sighed and nodded solemnly to him. "We a CEF are a proud army, we always fought for the freedom of our people and the Lylat system, yet we have our faults.
"As I mentioned earlier, the ARM-16 was not a production model, therefore only three ships were distributed. Our economy was collapsing thanks to the war, and materials were extremely scarce. We built each of those star crafts from what little we had in our power."
Rodernberg rested his left hand on his forehead and cocked his head to the side. Jason heard a hint of regret on the Admiral's tone. This was getting more curious by the minute.
"On that night you spoke to another of your closest friends, Sgt. Martyr Desertfox. You assumed that CEF was upset about losing one of their ships more than were about losing the life of an officer. Indeed, the lost of that ship cost us dearly, and there were at the time nothing that could replace it."
He rested his hand on the table and looked straight at Jason's eyes. Jason's tension elevated at this point, he wanted to shout at everybody and leave just like that fateful night on which he decided to take his life elsewhere. He was also three years younger and ridden with painful emotions.
Not today.
"Nothing would be far from the truth, it was our mistake that led to your dismissal, Mister O'Riley. Believe us, we would have left you life your new life as you have wanted. We do not have the right to force you into coming back to help CEF, but we do need you back to defend Corneria against the new threat that is facing. It is a manner of patriotism, Mister O'Riley. We in CEF hope that you can lend your services to us one more time. What do you say to this?"
Jason pushed his seat back and stood up firmly, the admiral and the rest of the officers turned their gaze up to him.
"I say that CEF can deal with their own problems, Admiral Rodernberg. I am a civilian now and have my own life to take care of. I now know that my assumptions were correct in that time I left your forces, and that is indeed, the truth behind my decision. I am sorry, Admiral, you will have to look for someone else this time."
"I understand," Rodernberg, replied solemnly, "however, if you could take tonight and think your decision over, we would be most grateful. You can call us back tomorrow with your definite answer, Mister O'Riley. I am sure she would like to have you back in her team, however."
Jason raised his left eyebrow and looked at the Admiral with a question on his face. The lion raised his right hand and pointed at the exit behind the German shepherd. Jason turned and saw a black and white furred female coyote leaning against the doorframe. She was wearing a leather jumpsuit which shone against the pale lights of the room, and her arms were crossed n her chest. A smirk was on her face, her black eyes looking straight at him.
"Hey there Jason," she said. "What do you say we have a talk over a date for old time's sake?"
***
Ah yes, Martyr Desertfox. "Friend. Colleague. Lover." Jason had it hard to believe that she was still with CEF after the tragedy, then again, Martyr had a strong code of responsibility that would not let her quit her day job.
He also knew that she loved barking orders to cadets during training session.
The female Coyote had markings that were too sharp for one of her kind, let alone the colors that would make it difficult for anyone to consider her species. Her face bore a birthmark that showed trough her fur, on her left cheek, and her eyes were like black pearls that penetrated into anyone that looked into them. Her hair, even darker than her fur, was spiked almost to a Mohawk, and braided to her back. Her hair would give blue highlights when looked at from a certain angle.
She was transferred from planet Randross, located in the outskirts of the Draconis Empiria galaxy, five years ago. Her marksmanship and leadership skills amazed many superiors in CEF, and with good reason; the coyote's life only revolved around war.
Martyr has known war since she was 14 years old. In her home planet, there was constant war between all the continents, because fresh water was insufficient. Planet Randross was in the brinks of extinction due to the careless use of technology and waste of natural resources. Her father forced her to join the infantry under his command, and since then, she has not the pleasure of knowing carefree life, unlike many young cadets in CEF.
Her first assignment earned her high merits when she was 16 years old, but it also scarred her emotionally for life. The memory still blazes inside her mind like wildfire charring a forest, but she has managed to suppress it well. No one- not even her closest acquaintance, Jason, - has ever known about this.
They both sat on a bench outside headquarters; the air was filled with a spicy aroma that was present after rainstorm has stopped. By now, sunset was appearing, and the sun was sinking on the mountains far away from the city. The sky was turned from gray to a variety of orange and pink colors. Jason knew that Martyr would bring up the conversation about re-joining CEF soon enough, but he decided to forget about it until then. They spoke of times past, and everything that had happened in between. She told him of rookies and their behavior in training sessions, he told her about the latest match and how he survived eight rounds against a monster of a contender.
Both admired the afternoon spectacle for a short while, and this brought Jason solemn peace and relaxation. Martyr picked up his hand, and he felt the light grip that she pressed upon it. Jason turned his head and looked at her with a question that had yet to escape his muzzle.
"I know that you still burdened with what happened that time, Jason." she said, "I too, have been trough hell every night after our friend was lost. We need your help, however, I can't do this alone."
Jason noted her face, her fur colored by the afternoon sunset, her black eyes shining with the orange glow of the sun reflecting upon them. He found himself speechless, both about the whole situation and of the splendid image of the female besides him.
"I need time to think about this." He finally said, although these were not the words his heart wanted to blurt out. Martyr leaned close to him and kissed his forehead.
"Take the whole night if you need to." She said, and stood up, walking away from him as the last rays of the sun were vanishing from view. Her body formed a dark silhouette in the immediate darkness.
As the sun decided to call it a day, Jason prepared to make his decision before calling it a night.
***
The next morning Jason joined headquarters once again, confirming his comeback to CEF after years of absence. He was treated to a new uniform and the corresponding medals of Honor that represented his rank. Jason the boxing champion was now Captain Jason, and nothing else seemed to matter about it. The Captain entered an empty room and waited at the corner of the establishment. Moments later, Martyr walked inside, holding a few bundles of papers that were held together by means of a piece of wool.
He took an invitation given to her to sit down. The room itself seemed pretty much like the one they had visited before. Few plants were placed here holographic screen glared from a wall. He held on his hands various folders, but he was not permitted to open them up just yet. On the other side of the table where he was seated, Martyr held the same amount of documented files, and like him, she kept them closed. On the cover of each folder appeared the word "CONFIDENTIAL" in vivid red, but this did not made Jason any curious about them.
Martyr adjusted the screen with a remote control, and began displaying status of CEF officials who appeared simultaneously onscreen. Jason remembered some of the faces in there, but some others he had no recollection of ever meeting with them.
"Captain Riley?" said an old and frail voice. It was from an old chimpanzee whose face appeared on another vidscreen, this being at the left side of the room. This screen was separate from the one Martyr was using as well. Jason turned his head to the voice and perked his ears. Jason accepted his title the time he traveled with Martyr, but is uniform was still being transferred. Calling him a Captain was something he would have to get used to once more.
"Sergeant Martyr Desertfox shall introduce you hand picked members of the CEF. These individuals will be enlisted in your new squadron named StarDragon."
Jason turned his eyes to Martyr, who crossed her arms while paying attention to the screen herself.
"Furthermore," the ape continued, "you are to report to hangar 18 at 0800, your ships shall be waiting for your arrival. Make sure to read the manuscript written by CEF's engineering staff for any quick references about the MAR-16. Are there any questions so far?"
Jason hesitated. "Not at all, sir."
"Very well," the officer said with a smile that would make children run away in horror. "Sergeant, you may continue with the scheduled procedure, over and out."
The screen vanished with no noise whatsoever. Jason felt relieved. He had seen far too many faces in one day that he would in a boxing ring during a sold-out event. In fact, he was beginning to get bored with the whole thing CDF was planning for him. He still would not forgive them for their decisions; therefore he felt that they should not take his decision for granted.
Martyr picked up a remote control and pointed it to the giant holographic screen. After a few seconds, the words "STARDRAGON PROFILE SHEET" flashed with utmost eagerness. Another set of seconds and both their faces were visible onscreen. Jason noted the ranks on top of their photos: His named bared the assign Wingman rank, while Martyr was assigned the secondary chain of command of the squad. Other than so, there was nothing more on display besides holographic buttons that allowed the viewer access to more information on their profile.
"That's us," said the Coyote with a slight ring of amusement in her voice, "nothing much to say about our profiles, except that we both have the worst pictures ever taken by a photographer-in-training. I'll just skip our bios and proceed with our chosen children."
A few taps in the remote and the screen shimmered. A few moments later the screen pulled itself together once more, displaying the picture of a young vixen staring back at Jason. Her features were that of a red fox, markings neatly edged around her muzzle, her hair was full and neatly cared for. A small hint of a smirk appeared on her brow and mouth, her eyes glittering with the all knowledge of a mischief. Jason followed the written profile besides the photo, and noticed a familiar name.
"Fana McCloud." Martyr said.
Jason's eyebrows rose in wonderment.