CHAPTER 3:
CEF's finest.
Spacelog Entry 20116-555:
Fana Fox was one tough vixen, with a personality much different from her brother, the infamous Fox McCloud. Some of our crew found it difficult to get along with her, but I found no trouble in a woman whose thoughts are well put in her job.
She often reminded me of myself when I was her age.
-Martyr Desertfox
Loud music.
Drunken males.
Hard liquor.
Disgusting drunken males.
Fanafox pondered which of these facts bothered her the most as she stared into her half-empty drink, losing track of time inside The Laughing Hyena, one of many pubs located at the edge of the city she was assigned into. She was wearing civilian clothing, a v-cut purple shirt with denim jeans and brown boots since it was her day off.
Her mind stated that she was not drunk, while her body indicated otherwise...especially when she was trying to tell her legs to take her home. Her visit to Fortuna was less than exceptional.
Especially since she wanted to be in outer space, exploring new star systems while handing Andross his ass if he attempted to interfere with her adventures. Her mood would get better if she could order another shot of beer and tequila, but she was short in credits by this time.
"Damn it all." the vixen sighed, resting her cheek on her left fist.
She heard the door open at the bar, followed by voices of young males walking inside, one an eagle, other a fox, with a gray-furred wolf leading the small group inside. They wore blue and satin-lined uniforms, all clean and neatly worn, it was apparent that these young males were midranks from the Academy here in Fortuna. Whatever that was the case; Fana didn't care in the least.
"Yeah man, I'm getting drunk and LAID tonight!" one of them said out loud...too loud as a matter of fact while his friends chuckled at his wishes. Fana rolled her eyes and took another sip from her drink. She looked from the corner of her eye that the boys were whispering to one another; all the while their eyes were fixated on her. Her gaze once again turned away once the wolf started walking her way.
Another sip from her drink.
The male wolf sat beside her, while ordering a round for himself and his friends. She could smell the sharp-musky odor of his cologne. It would seem that this kid kept spending his daddy's money on looks, rather than on books.
"May I see your Holo-ID, please." The bartender said, extending a feathered hand. The cadet complied quickly, along with his credits card. "Just put it all in my tab, good man, my friends will be waiting for his drinks on that table over there".
The bartender gave his Holo-ID back along with a cordial smile as he prepared to fill up the drinks. The wolf on the other hand, turned his gaze towards Fana.
"Rough times, huh?" He said in a friendly tone.
Fana turned her head towards the wolf, not changing her expression. She read his eyes; signs of him wanting to have a one-night stand were encrypted in them. Fana turned her gaze back to her own glass, resuming her contemplation. The wolf chuckled, sliding a bit closer to her while resting his arms on the surface of the bar.
"Hey princess, what's the matter? Life giving you a hard time? " His breath stunk even worse than his intentions. Fana sat straight, rubbing her neck with her left hand. The wolf raised his eyebrows; all the while laughter and mocking phrases were heard from his friends at a table behind him. He turned his attention to them, while giving them the finger. The bartender sided a mug full of beer towards him, which he caught with his other hand.
Before he could drink it, the wolf reached closer to her, his nose barely touching her cheek. Fana lowered her eyelids halfway, trying to ignore him the best way she could.
"...Oh man, he's going for the kill!" was what she heard before she felt a hand stretching on her left leg, caressing her blue jeans up and down. Fana's eyes opened again, her pupils narrowing to slits.
"So...how 'bout I buy you a drink, huh? Maybe that'll cheer you up, sweetheart?"
Fana turned her torso towards him with a smile this time. Her right hand reached over the wolf's mug.
"Don't mind if I do..." she said as she started downing the drink without pause. The wolf's eyes wide-eyed as so did his comrades who were as dumbfounded at the vixen.
"Whoa...you sure are a hard drinker...I like you already."
More snickers from the back of him.
Fana finished the last gulp of the beer...before smashing the glass on the wolf's face. He stumbled backwards, screaming in agony as his busy hands were now covering his bloody snout. No more laughter now.
His friends came to his assistance in a hurry, the fox being the first to stand up to face her.
"You bitch! What the hell is wrong with you, I ought to teach you a-"
Whatever was that he was planning to teach her ended up in a haze full of starry lights and sounds in his head as Fana uppercut him right under his chin. The knocked out fox fell behind, landing on the eagle just when he was trying to help up the wounded wolf. The eagle was pushed backwards to the darkness, and all what Fana heard was a crash and the sound of a male-a booming-drunken sound of a male- getting up and cussing at him.
Seconds later, there was cries of pain and heavy blows being landed all over the unfortunate young eagle, followed by another crash of glass from another side.
"BARFIGHT!"
Chaos erupted; Fana dodged glasses, bottles, and the occasional drunk flying over the counter. In time, she joined as well, fighting off other customers.
"Aw, hell not again." The bartender said, while crouching behind the bar with a steel pipe on his hands. A chair missed Fana and end up hitting another male that was to knock her out with an electric taser on his hand. There was a leopard closing onto her, sending a wooden stick (which was the remains of a table nearby) down to her face. Fana parried with her right arm as the stick broke in half. The leopard looked at his broken weapon in confusion, seconds before Fana sent him flying outside a window with a punch from the same arm, which she defended against.
She felt a hand touching her shoulder and reacted by turning around, letting her right fist fly at the aggressor's face, but she roughly hit the chest of a massive bull that stared down at her smugly. The bull shoved her on the floor harshly, her body absorbing the cold pain of the concrete floor.
The bull cracked his knuckles, chuckling while his tongue ran over his lips with lust. A -very- disgusted Fana raised her left boot to kick him in the groin, changing his facial expression to that of a world of hurt. The bull doubled over, both arms sinking in his legs as he whimpered like a child in the dark.
The vixen jumped to her feet, avoiding yet another chair that aimed to hit her on the face. The party was getting lively.
Soon, the riot swat team entered the bar, knocking off troublemakers with their iron-embedded nightsticks and force shields that covered them from any harmful projectile being thrown. The authorities came in large quantities, outnumbering everyone inside the bar.
Fana raised her arms just as two policemen jumped at her, knocking her down with brute force. Both officers held her firmly against the floor, shields pressing uncomfortably against her body.
The last thing Fana heard was her right when she blacked out.
***
"...And not to mention the shards of glass on Midrank Geoffrey's face and snout. It took 25 stitches altogether to patch that kid up. His close friend and also a member of high honors in the academy, Tyko, had a broken jaw. Both will be out of duty for the next three weeks. And I am not even going to mention what midrank Frederick went trough. That poor eagle is lucky that his spine was spared from being broken. What do you have to say for yourself, Lt. McCloud?"
My fucking head hurts, Sir. was what Fana tried to reply. Instead, the reply came more or less like a mumble, which didn't made anything easier on her situation. She held a pack of ice over her head with her left arm, fighting a hangover while listening to the charges the "poor" young males filed against her. All of this while interrogated inside a cell of the local police station.
The general doing the interrogation was a mastiff canine with the name of Brokken. He sighed while dropping a massive quantity of paperwork in front of Fana. She looked at it with red-shot eyes, then up at him once more.
"These you have to sign, vixen. Along with the bills from repairing your cybernetic arm here. The academy refused to lend a hand with this, so it will be taken from your salary undoubtedly."
Another mumble and a moan.
"I will resume this case after you get over your headache." The Mastiff said as he got up from his chair and picked up his hat. Two other officers who served as witnesses followed him towards the door.
The mechanic did a good job on repairing Fana's right wrist, which got damaged when the swat team lunged at her at full force. The police station gave an apology, stating that it was much too dark inside to distinguish between a drunken thug and a member of the CEF. That certainly added a certain sting to her pride.
headache first. Chewed-out policemen later.
And a bath.
Fana was escorted out of the police department and to the parking lot, where a blue feline was waiting cross-armed while leaning on a black vehicle. He was wearing a black trenchcoat with a gray shirt and black jeans, which covered half his sleek black boots. The feline looked up at her, blue eyes reflecting the sunlight with a passive grin. Fana raised her right arm as a greeting, walking slowly towards him.
"Roo, you are my ray of sunshine."
Roo opened the passenger's seat to Fana, who was almost stumbling while sitting inside. He started the car and drove away from the parking lot, and away from the police station itself. Fana rested her head against the seat, letting a long and loud sigh. She closed her eyes while thinking of a way to knock out this hellish hangover.
"There's some aspirin inside the glove compartment." Roo persuaded, seemingly reading her mind. He drove around the empty streets of the city. Fortuna's cities had a very lively nightlife, not so in the mornings. Fana took a bottle of the miracle drug, a swallowed a couple of pills, without the need of drinking water.
"I apologized for not showing up in time, Fana." Roo said, frowning. "I ran late doing paperwork from the week before in the academy's archives. I should've called you in that bar before that mess started."
"It's alright, Roo." Fana commented without any resentment, she didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable than he was already. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. The night was boring before those horny bastards came by to cheer me up anyway."
She smiled tiredly, looking at him.
"It's still my fault for not showing up early, it could've save you all this crap." he stated with a sigh, "I just...hn." He motioned his head to one side, while trying to reach for more words that could make his apology company. Fana raised her left hand and moved it sideways, trying to dismiss this conversation.
Both remained silent until Roo drove by Fana's apartment building. It was located around Fortuna's Academy campus, far away from the city and the bad influences. A 30-minute drive without any traffic. He pulled by the entrance, parking the car besides the sidewalk.
"Well, I guess I will be seeing you next time?" Roo said while turning his face towards her.
"Yeah, well...I guess so, Roo. Thanks for the lift, cat." Fana was closing the door behind her when she heard Roo whistle at her.
"Hey, I forgotten to give you something...my fault for not paying attention." He reached inside his coat and retrieved a brown envelope from it. He handed it over the window to her, stretching his arm to its extent. Fana received the envelope with a raised eyebrow, headache not as irritable as it was a couple of minutes ago.
"What's this?"
"Supposedly for your eyes only. I received one myself, but didn't open it just yet without handing yours here. I always save surprises for last." He grinned with such fanciness that made her smile in return.
"Of course. Thanks again."
"Yes ma'am." Roo got back to his seat and started the car, while Fana got inside the building. He drove out to the streets, leaving her with and envelope and a couple of beady eyes.
The door of the elevator opened to a hallway filled with blue doors side by side, with a red carpet dressing up the floor. She walked past anyone that was walking along, paying no attention to anything or anyone until reaching the door to her own apartment. Cinnamon and apple aromas filled her nostrils as she walked inside, feeling glad that the worst was left behind.
Yet, the 'mystery' that was carrying with her right arm kept telling her otherwise. She was not in the mood for any more surprise news. Good or bad. She left the envelope on top of a glass table while she headed on to the kitchen.
Fana fixed a chicken sandwich, which she headed inside her microwave oven, and poured some soda in a glass filled with ice. A bottle of aspirin was beside the meal, waiting to be swallowed before the rest of the food would be touched.
Fana looked over at the envelope, which seemed to be taunting her from the table. She looked at her fixed meal then at the envelope...then at the aspirin.
"Oh, give me a break." She swallowed another couple of aspirin with the soda this time, and walked towards the envelope.
Whatever this is, it can't be THAT bad...considering the night I just went trough...then again...
Her hands ripped open the envelope, emptying the contents all over the table's surface. Two message cards appeared from it, one encrypted as personal while the other had the CEF emblem on one side. Fana picked up the personal message card, sliding it trough the Holographic display that was placed at the other side of the table.
Static.
Then the image of Fox McCloud materialized in hues of green and black.
"Hello, sis. I hope you receive this message in good health." He bowed his fluffy tail swishing to the left, indicating that his cordiality was not to be taken seriously. Fana could've smile at this if she weren't so damned tired.
"I'm about to be dispatched at a planet called Dinosaur...planet. There was a distress signal not long ago, and General Pepper gave me orders to check it out. He also told me to go on by myself, which couldn't hurt me much. We have not had much activity over here in space for a long time."
Fox rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand, closing his eyes with a hint of annoyance.
"The General also asked me not to bring my blaster along. That was the most bizarre request I had ever. Outrageous." he shrugged, his arms almost vanishing out of view as more static appeared. "I hope things there are not as boring as they are up here. I miss you a great deal."
Fana rested her chin on both hands while letting out a sigh. If he only knew.
"For now I must depart. I will be sending another message to check up on you. Hope you reply soon, and stay out of trouble. I mean that, now."
Fox waved an index finger at her, lowering his head and raising his eyebrows. He later winked to end his joke. "Love you, sis."
With that, the message ended, image blurring out completely. Fana took out the disk and inserted the other message inside. The words CEF: CONFIDENTIAL appeared, shinning brightly on the holographic screen.
This time, the message itself appeared in text, rather than someone narrating it. Fana narrowed her eyes slightly, finishing up the message received. She turned off the holographic reader, getting ready to take a much-needed shower when her phone rang. She picked it up as soon as Roo's name flashed trough the video screen.
"Yeah? Yes. I read it as well, Roo. We will departure as scheduled, mmhm; I will be ready to be picked up. Thanks. You too, see ya then." The thought of showing Brokken a permit to leave the planet nudged her as she prepared herself for the shower. A sly grin made itself apparent on her muzzle.
He wouldn't believe her luck, no suspension, and a chance to leave this hellhole for a good while.
"Perhaps forever" she mused, while entering the hot pleasantries of the shower at full force.
At Fortuna's academy, Senior Officer Brokken felt a slight chill down his spine, all the while talking to the misfortunate (and badly beaten) cadets at the hospital.
***
"McCloud?" Said Jason while staring at Fana's holographic ID. "As in, Fox McCloud?"
"Yes," confirmed Martyr, "She is Captain McCloud's sister. She has been transferred to CEF's station in Fortuna as a way to keep her out of trouble in here. Her file record includes severe punishment on a venomian prisoner while interrogating him, as well as a series of complains from other male officers in hospitalized after they tried to make a move on her. She has ten arrest orders and two suspensions in the last three years."
Jason's chest heaved slowly with a sigh. He crossed his arms while listening to Martyr, which in turn, looked back at him with a serious glance.
"You are wondering why we need a troublemaker in our team, aren't you?"
"Humor me."
Martyr smirked and directed her attention back to Fana's information screen.
"Ensign McCloud has been known to keep a cool head while in battle, despite her difficult temperament problems with most officials of the group. Her tactics in battle has won her various medals of honor, including the Silverfox, won during the run over planet Euforia a year ago."
"You mean the one where CEF managed to eradicate venomian forces using a squadron of five Arwings to lead the attack head on?"
Martyr closed her eyes and rubbed the left side of her temple with her index finger. "Kind of. Four of those Arwings were used as decoys to draw enemy fire away from the sole fighter that finished the run by attaching the commanding ship using everything she had at her disposal. After the commanding ship was destroyed, the rest of the venomian forces retreated into pseudo space, leaving behind their allies to be arrested."
"She?" asked Jason.
"Fana McCloud was the one responsible for the victory. The only reason why this was not included in the report is because she already was undergoing severe penalty issues with CEF itself. If her record would've come up after completing the run..."
"Then CEF would be ashamed that a troublemaker was the reason for their victory." Jason finished. The german shepherd rubbed his eyes slowly, trying to swallow another of CEF's biggest secrets. He started hating coming back a little bit more than before. Martyr typed in the keyboard and Fana's profile file changed into one with a blue-furred male feline. Moments later, the data on him was shown onscreen.
"Ensign Roo. CEF pilot graduate and expert pilot. A merchant who found him as a child wondering the streets of the city adopted him in Fortuna. There is no file of his origin, nor he remembers much of his early childhood. He resided in Corneria long enough for his graduation, then moved back to Fortuna."
The screen blurred once more, showing more of Roo's files and photos. One of them showing the feline holding a blaster aiming at the screen with a smirk on his face.
"Roo has a gun fetish, always calibrating his blasters without acknowledgement from his superiors. This hobby has cost him detentions, but nothing severe. He is quite the silent kind of guy, and easy going. Roo as his friends call him, has won the Hawkeye Shooting Expo five years in a row, and has also won several medals on the infantry division. His marksmanship is exceptional."
"Even to your own standards?' Jason asked and looked over at her. Martyr smirked at him.
"Roo and Fana live within the same neighborhood in Fortuna, and that they both graduated from the same school district before enrolling in CEF. There is also the rumor that they were childhood friends. Maybe that is why he requested to join the team."
"He requested his entry?" Jason blurted out in surprise, "but I though the Phantom project's cadets were hand picked by CEF itself."
"Yes well," Martyr replied after a short pause, "We could use someone with his qualities, you never know."
Jason rubbed his eyes in sheer disbelief, but decided not to comment on this. He blinked at the small note scribed in red lettering on the lower corner of the screen. It read -Confidential-, and he noted that FanaFox had one of them on her profile as well. He pointed at it and looked at Martyr.
"What is that note there for? It seems to be also on Fana's file."
Martyr frowned. "I don't know what it stands for, CEF never gave any specifications as to what is hidden in that part of the profile. However, Roo and FanaFox are the only ones with such notes," He turned back at Jason, "it sure isn't on the profile of our last member in the team."
More secrets from the CEF. Jason wondered if this would be revealed sometime later just like when he knew the motives behind CEF's newest Arwing models. He dismissed that thought for now and motioned Martyr to continue with a lazy arm. She shrugged and keyed in on the keyboard once more. Soon enough there was another profile appearing, this one had the face of a young german shepherd's face, but his facial features were a bit broader and the patches around his eyes were similar to that of a wolf's. Jason furrowed his eyes and his curiosity about this member of the team was a bit stronger than the last two.
"Who...?"
"Ramirez Denetsu Opacare," the coyote female replied, "leader of the 38th CDF squadron. Paperwork about him includes rashness in his actions, although he has done his job as intended. The only problem is that he is impatient, and that has almost cost CEF an entire fleet of the squad. By accepting this mission, CEF agreed to forgive his past actions, and to give him a chance in becoming a bit more responsible for his rashness."
"At the moment he is aboard the Emerald Valiant," she continued, "which will be our transport to Alpha 16. He has already been inscribed into the basic training that will allow him (and the rest of our group) to maneuver the new ARM-16 production bombers."
The screen faded and then recovered, this time displaying a magnificent image of the Emerald Valiant. Jason's eyebrows raised fully and his chin stood comfortably on his right wrist.
"Nice." He said after a long pause of admiration.
Spacelog Entry 20116-555:
Fana Fox was one tough vixen, with a personality much different from her brother, the infamous Fox McCloud. Some of our crew found it difficult to get along with her, but I found no trouble in a woman whose thoughts are well put in her job.
She often reminded me of myself when I was her age.
-Martyr Desertfox
Loud music.
Drunken males.
Hard liquor.
Disgusting drunken males.
Fanafox pondered which of these facts bothered her the most as she stared into her half-empty drink, losing track of time inside The Laughing Hyena, one of many pubs located at the edge of the city she was assigned into. She was wearing civilian clothing, a v-cut purple shirt with denim jeans and brown boots since it was her day off.
Her mind stated that she was not drunk, while her body indicated otherwise...especially when she was trying to tell her legs to take her home. Her visit to Fortuna was less than exceptional.
Especially since she wanted to be in outer space, exploring new star systems while handing Andross his ass if he attempted to interfere with her adventures. Her mood would get better if she could order another shot of beer and tequila, but she was short in credits by this time.
"Damn it all." the vixen sighed, resting her cheek on her left fist.
She heard the door open at the bar, followed by voices of young males walking inside, one an eagle, other a fox, with a gray-furred wolf leading the small group inside. They wore blue and satin-lined uniforms, all clean and neatly worn, it was apparent that these young males were midranks from the Academy here in Fortuna. Whatever that was the case; Fana didn't care in the least.
"Yeah man, I'm getting drunk and LAID tonight!" one of them said out loud...too loud as a matter of fact while his friends chuckled at his wishes. Fana rolled her eyes and took another sip from her drink. She looked from the corner of her eye that the boys were whispering to one another; all the while their eyes were fixated on her. Her gaze once again turned away once the wolf started walking her way.
Another sip from her drink.
The male wolf sat beside her, while ordering a round for himself and his friends. She could smell the sharp-musky odor of his cologne. It would seem that this kid kept spending his daddy's money on looks, rather than on books.
"May I see your Holo-ID, please." The bartender said, extending a feathered hand. The cadet complied quickly, along with his credits card. "Just put it all in my tab, good man, my friends will be waiting for his drinks on that table over there".
The bartender gave his Holo-ID back along with a cordial smile as he prepared to fill up the drinks. The wolf on the other hand, turned his gaze towards Fana.
"Rough times, huh?" He said in a friendly tone.
Fana turned her head towards the wolf, not changing her expression. She read his eyes; signs of him wanting to have a one-night stand were encrypted in them. Fana turned her gaze back to her own glass, resuming her contemplation. The wolf chuckled, sliding a bit closer to her while resting his arms on the surface of the bar.
"Hey princess, what's the matter? Life giving you a hard time? " His breath stunk even worse than his intentions. Fana sat straight, rubbing her neck with her left hand. The wolf raised his eyebrows; all the while laughter and mocking phrases were heard from his friends at a table behind him. He turned his attention to them, while giving them the finger. The bartender sided a mug full of beer towards him, which he caught with his other hand.
Before he could drink it, the wolf reached closer to her, his nose barely touching her cheek. Fana lowered her eyelids halfway, trying to ignore him the best way she could.
"...Oh man, he's going for the kill!" was what she heard before she felt a hand stretching on her left leg, caressing her blue jeans up and down. Fana's eyes opened again, her pupils narrowing to slits.
"So...how 'bout I buy you a drink, huh? Maybe that'll cheer you up, sweetheart?"
Fana turned her torso towards him with a smile this time. Her right hand reached over the wolf's mug.
"Don't mind if I do..." she said as she started downing the drink without pause. The wolf's eyes wide-eyed as so did his comrades who were as dumbfounded at the vixen.
"Whoa...you sure are a hard drinker...I like you already."
More snickers from the back of him.
Fana finished the last gulp of the beer...before smashing the glass on the wolf's face. He stumbled backwards, screaming in agony as his busy hands were now covering his bloody snout. No more laughter now.
His friends came to his assistance in a hurry, the fox being the first to stand up to face her.
"You bitch! What the hell is wrong with you, I ought to teach you a-"
Whatever was that he was planning to teach her ended up in a haze full of starry lights and sounds in his head as Fana uppercut him right under his chin. The knocked out fox fell behind, landing on the eagle just when he was trying to help up the wounded wolf. The eagle was pushed backwards to the darkness, and all what Fana heard was a crash and the sound of a male-a booming-drunken sound of a male- getting up and cussing at him.
Seconds later, there was cries of pain and heavy blows being landed all over the unfortunate young eagle, followed by another crash of glass from another side.
"BARFIGHT!"
Chaos erupted; Fana dodged glasses, bottles, and the occasional drunk flying over the counter. In time, she joined as well, fighting off other customers.
"Aw, hell not again." The bartender said, while crouching behind the bar with a steel pipe on his hands. A chair missed Fana and end up hitting another male that was to knock her out with an electric taser on his hand. There was a leopard closing onto her, sending a wooden stick (which was the remains of a table nearby) down to her face. Fana parried with her right arm as the stick broke in half. The leopard looked at his broken weapon in confusion, seconds before Fana sent him flying outside a window with a punch from the same arm, which she defended against.
She felt a hand touching her shoulder and reacted by turning around, letting her right fist fly at the aggressor's face, but she roughly hit the chest of a massive bull that stared down at her smugly. The bull shoved her on the floor harshly, her body absorbing the cold pain of the concrete floor.
The bull cracked his knuckles, chuckling while his tongue ran over his lips with lust. A -very- disgusted Fana raised her left boot to kick him in the groin, changing his facial expression to that of a world of hurt. The bull doubled over, both arms sinking in his legs as he whimpered like a child in the dark.
The vixen jumped to her feet, avoiding yet another chair that aimed to hit her on the face. The party was getting lively.
Soon, the riot swat team entered the bar, knocking off troublemakers with their iron-embedded nightsticks and force shields that covered them from any harmful projectile being thrown. The authorities came in large quantities, outnumbering everyone inside the bar.
Fana raised her arms just as two policemen jumped at her, knocking her down with brute force. Both officers held her firmly against the floor, shields pressing uncomfortably against her body.
The last thing Fana heard was her right when she blacked out.
***
"...And not to mention the shards of glass on Midrank Geoffrey's face and snout. It took 25 stitches altogether to patch that kid up. His close friend and also a member of high honors in the academy, Tyko, had a broken jaw. Both will be out of duty for the next three weeks. And I am not even going to mention what midrank Frederick went trough. That poor eagle is lucky that his spine was spared from being broken. What do you have to say for yourself, Lt. McCloud?"
My fucking head hurts, Sir. was what Fana tried to reply. Instead, the reply came more or less like a mumble, which didn't made anything easier on her situation. She held a pack of ice over her head with her left arm, fighting a hangover while listening to the charges the "poor" young males filed against her. All of this while interrogated inside a cell of the local police station.
The general doing the interrogation was a mastiff canine with the name of Brokken. He sighed while dropping a massive quantity of paperwork in front of Fana. She looked at it with red-shot eyes, then up at him once more.
"These you have to sign, vixen. Along with the bills from repairing your cybernetic arm here. The academy refused to lend a hand with this, so it will be taken from your salary undoubtedly."
Another mumble and a moan.
"I will resume this case after you get over your headache." The Mastiff said as he got up from his chair and picked up his hat. Two other officers who served as witnesses followed him towards the door.
The mechanic did a good job on repairing Fana's right wrist, which got damaged when the swat team lunged at her at full force. The police station gave an apology, stating that it was much too dark inside to distinguish between a drunken thug and a member of the CEF. That certainly added a certain sting to her pride.
headache first. Chewed-out policemen later.
And a bath.
Fana was escorted out of the police department and to the parking lot, where a blue feline was waiting cross-armed while leaning on a black vehicle. He was wearing a black trenchcoat with a gray shirt and black jeans, which covered half his sleek black boots. The feline looked up at her, blue eyes reflecting the sunlight with a passive grin. Fana raised her right arm as a greeting, walking slowly towards him.
"Roo, you are my ray of sunshine."
Roo opened the passenger's seat to Fana, who was almost stumbling while sitting inside. He started the car and drove away from the parking lot, and away from the police station itself. Fana rested her head against the seat, letting a long and loud sigh. She closed her eyes while thinking of a way to knock out this hellish hangover.
"There's some aspirin inside the glove compartment." Roo persuaded, seemingly reading her mind. He drove around the empty streets of the city. Fortuna's cities had a very lively nightlife, not so in the mornings. Fana took a bottle of the miracle drug, a swallowed a couple of pills, without the need of drinking water.
"I apologized for not showing up in time, Fana." Roo said, frowning. "I ran late doing paperwork from the week before in the academy's archives. I should've called you in that bar before that mess started."
"It's alright, Roo." Fana commented without any resentment, she didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable than he was already. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. The night was boring before those horny bastards came by to cheer me up anyway."
She smiled tiredly, looking at him.
"It's still my fault for not showing up early, it could've save you all this crap." he stated with a sigh, "I just...hn." He motioned his head to one side, while trying to reach for more words that could make his apology company. Fana raised her left hand and moved it sideways, trying to dismiss this conversation.
Both remained silent until Roo drove by Fana's apartment building. It was located around Fortuna's Academy campus, far away from the city and the bad influences. A 30-minute drive without any traffic. He pulled by the entrance, parking the car besides the sidewalk.
"Well, I guess I will be seeing you next time?" Roo said while turning his face towards her.
"Yeah, well...I guess so, Roo. Thanks for the lift, cat." Fana was closing the door behind her when she heard Roo whistle at her.
"Hey, I forgotten to give you something...my fault for not paying attention." He reached inside his coat and retrieved a brown envelope from it. He handed it over the window to her, stretching his arm to its extent. Fana received the envelope with a raised eyebrow, headache not as irritable as it was a couple of minutes ago.
"What's this?"
"Supposedly for your eyes only. I received one myself, but didn't open it just yet without handing yours here. I always save surprises for last." He grinned with such fanciness that made her smile in return.
"Of course. Thanks again."
"Yes ma'am." Roo got back to his seat and started the car, while Fana got inside the building. He drove out to the streets, leaving her with and envelope and a couple of beady eyes.
The door of the elevator opened to a hallway filled with blue doors side by side, with a red carpet dressing up the floor. She walked past anyone that was walking along, paying no attention to anything or anyone until reaching the door to her own apartment. Cinnamon and apple aromas filled her nostrils as she walked inside, feeling glad that the worst was left behind.
Yet, the 'mystery' that was carrying with her right arm kept telling her otherwise. She was not in the mood for any more surprise news. Good or bad. She left the envelope on top of a glass table while she headed on to the kitchen.
Fana fixed a chicken sandwich, which she headed inside her microwave oven, and poured some soda in a glass filled with ice. A bottle of aspirin was beside the meal, waiting to be swallowed before the rest of the food would be touched.
Fana looked over at the envelope, which seemed to be taunting her from the table. She looked at her fixed meal then at the envelope...then at the aspirin.
"Oh, give me a break." She swallowed another couple of aspirin with the soda this time, and walked towards the envelope.
Whatever this is, it can't be THAT bad...considering the night I just went trough...then again...
Her hands ripped open the envelope, emptying the contents all over the table's surface. Two message cards appeared from it, one encrypted as personal while the other had the CEF emblem on one side. Fana picked up the personal message card, sliding it trough the Holographic display that was placed at the other side of the table.
Static.
Then the image of Fox McCloud materialized in hues of green and black.
"Hello, sis. I hope you receive this message in good health." He bowed his fluffy tail swishing to the left, indicating that his cordiality was not to be taken seriously. Fana could've smile at this if she weren't so damned tired.
"I'm about to be dispatched at a planet called Dinosaur...planet. There was a distress signal not long ago, and General Pepper gave me orders to check it out. He also told me to go on by myself, which couldn't hurt me much. We have not had much activity over here in space for a long time."
Fox rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand, closing his eyes with a hint of annoyance.
"The General also asked me not to bring my blaster along. That was the most bizarre request I had ever. Outrageous." he shrugged, his arms almost vanishing out of view as more static appeared. "I hope things there are not as boring as they are up here. I miss you a great deal."
Fana rested her chin on both hands while letting out a sigh. If he only knew.
"For now I must depart. I will be sending another message to check up on you. Hope you reply soon, and stay out of trouble. I mean that, now."
Fox waved an index finger at her, lowering his head and raising his eyebrows. He later winked to end his joke. "Love you, sis."
With that, the message ended, image blurring out completely. Fana took out the disk and inserted the other message inside. The words CEF: CONFIDENTIAL appeared, shinning brightly on the holographic screen.
This time, the message itself appeared in text, rather than someone narrating it. Fana narrowed her eyes slightly, finishing up the message received. She turned off the holographic reader, getting ready to take a much-needed shower when her phone rang. She picked it up as soon as Roo's name flashed trough the video screen.
"Yeah? Yes. I read it as well, Roo. We will departure as scheduled, mmhm; I will be ready to be picked up. Thanks. You too, see ya then." The thought of showing Brokken a permit to leave the planet nudged her as she prepared herself for the shower. A sly grin made itself apparent on her muzzle.
He wouldn't believe her luck, no suspension, and a chance to leave this hellhole for a good while.
"Perhaps forever" she mused, while entering the hot pleasantries of the shower at full force.
At Fortuna's academy, Senior Officer Brokken felt a slight chill down his spine, all the while talking to the misfortunate (and badly beaten) cadets at the hospital.
***
"McCloud?" Said Jason while staring at Fana's holographic ID. "As in, Fox McCloud?"
"Yes," confirmed Martyr, "She is Captain McCloud's sister. She has been transferred to CEF's station in Fortuna as a way to keep her out of trouble in here. Her file record includes severe punishment on a venomian prisoner while interrogating him, as well as a series of complains from other male officers in hospitalized after they tried to make a move on her. She has ten arrest orders and two suspensions in the last three years."
Jason's chest heaved slowly with a sigh. He crossed his arms while listening to Martyr, which in turn, looked back at him with a serious glance.
"You are wondering why we need a troublemaker in our team, aren't you?"
"Humor me."
Martyr smirked and directed her attention back to Fana's information screen.
"Ensign McCloud has been known to keep a cool head while in battle, despite her difficult temperament problems with most officials of the group. Her tactics in battle has won her various medals of honor, including the Silverfox, won during the run over planet Euforia a year ago."
"You mean the one where CEF managed to eradicate venomian forces using a squadron of five Arwings to lead the attack head on?"
Martyr closed her eyes and rubbed the left side of her temple with her index finger. "Kind of. Four of those Arwings were used as decoys to draw enemy fire away from the sole fighter that finished the run by attaching the commanding ship using everything she had at her disposal. After the commanding ship was destroyed, the rest of the venomian forces retreated into pseudo space, leaving behind their allies to be arrested."
"She?" asked Jason.
"Fana McCloud was the one responsible for the victory. The only reason why this was not included in the report is because she already was undergoing severe penalty issues with CEF itself. If her record would've come up after completing the run..."
"Then CEF would be ashamed that a troublemaker was the reason for their victory." Jason finished. The german shepherd rubbed his eyes slowly, trying to swallow another of CEF's biggest secrets. He started hating coming back a little bit more than before. Martyr typed in the keyboard and Fana's profile file changed into one with a blue-furred male feline. Moments later, the data on him was shown onscreen.
"Ensign Roo. CEF pilot graduate and expert pilot. A merchant who found him as a child wondering the streets of the city adopted him in Fortuna. There is no file of his origin, nor he remembers much of his early childhood. He resided in Corneria long enough for his graduation, then moved back to Fortuna."
The screen blurred once more, showing more of Roo's files and photos. One of them showing the feline holding a blaster aiming at the screen with a smirk on his face.
"Roo has a gun fetish, always calibrating his blasters without acknowledgement from his superiors. This hobby has cost him detentions, but nothing severe. He is quite the silent kind of guy, and easy going. Roo as his friends call him, has won the Hawkeye Shooting Expo five years in a row, and has also won several medals on the infantry division. His marksmanship is exceptional."
"Even to your own standards?' Jason asked and looked over at her. Martyr smirked at him.
"Roo and Fana live within the same neighborhood in Fortuna, and that they both graduated from the same school district before enrolling in CEF. There is also the rumor that they were childhood friends. Maybe that is why he requested to join the team."
"He requested his entry?" Jason blurted out in surprise, "but I though the Phantom project's cadets were hand picked by CEF itself."
"Yes well," Martyr replied after a short pause, "We could use someone with his qualities, you never know."
Jason rubbed his eyes in sheer disbelief, but decided not to comment on this. He blinked at the small note scribed in red lettering on the lower corner of the screen. It read -Confidential-, and he noted that FanaFox had one of them on her profile as well. He pointed at it and looked at Martyr.
"What is that note there for? It seems to be also on Fana's file."
Martyr frowned. "I don't know what it stands for, CEF never gave any specifications as to what is hidden in that part of the profile. However, Roo and FanaFox are the only ones with such notes," He turned back at Jason, "it sure isn't on the profile of our last member in the team."
More secrets from the CEF. Jason wondered if this would be revealed sometime later just like when he knew the motives behind CEF's newest Arwing models. He dismissed that thought for now and motioned Martyr to continue with a lazy arm. She shrugged and keyed in on the keyboard once more. Soon enough there was another profile appearing, this one had the face of a young german shepherd's face, but his facial features were a bit broader and the patches around his eyes were similar to that of a wolf's. Jason furrowed his eyes and his curiosity about this member of the team was a bit stronger than the last two.
"Who...?"
"Ramirez Denetsu Opacare," the coyote female replied, "leader of the 38th CDF squadron. Paperwork about him includes rashness in his actions, although he has done his job as intended. The only problem is that he is impatient, and that has almost cost CEF an entire fleet of the squad. By accepting this mission, CEF agreed to forgive his past actions, and to give him a chance in becoming a bit more responsible for his rashness."
"At the moment he is aboard the Emerald Valiant," she continued, "which will be our transport to Alpha 16. He has already been inscribed into the basic training that will allow him (and the rest of our group) to maneuver the new ARM-16 production bombers."
The screen faded and then recovered, this time displaying a magnificent image of the Emerald Valiant. Jason's eyebrows raised fully and his chin stood comfortably on his right wrist.
"Nice." He said after a long pause of admiration.