Star Fox Alliance: Chapter 3
"Wolf?" Fox whispered.
"Yes Fox." Pepper replied. "It's part of his punishment for his betrayal."
"Oh," Fox said snidely, "So rear command of my ship is his punishment?"
"Don't take that tone with me Captain McCloud, or I will have you placed under arrest for insubordination." Pepper growled.
"Fine. Arrest me. Because there is no way in hell Wolf will take command of my ship under any circumstance." Fox replied.
Wolf stepped out from a door on Fox's right. Leon and Panther followed.
"Sounds like you don't want me on the team, pup."
"Wolf, God knows I would have died without your assistance in the aparoid crisis, but it comes down to this: I do not trust you enough for you to fly on my side. My father died because of one of his team-mates betrayal, and I'll be damned if I make his mistake."
There was silence. What Fox had said was true, and everyone in the room knew it. Pepper broke the silence.
"Fox, what you have said is true. However, if Wolf and his team do not join Star Fox, they will be awarded the death penalty. Nothing else."
Fox thought about that for about a minute.
"Very well. Wolf can join, and have his command status, but any choice he makes in command must be run through Peppy, Falco or myself."
"Deal." Pepper said, glad the hostilities were over for now. "Now, on to funds. My colleagues in accountancy have said we can finance the refurbishment."
"I sense a 'but'." Falco said.
"But, the Great Fox must be official property of Corneria, and stay within one sector at all times."
"Forever?" Fox asked, puzzled.
"No, just for a year. Once you sign this, refurbishment can begin." Pepper said, sliding a form across the desk. "Slippy is quite welcome to oversee the repairs." Fox looked at the form, read it once, and passed it to Peppy.
Peppy read it thoroughly. "It's all in order Fox." Peppy took a pen off of the general's desk and signed one of theeight dotted lines. The pen and contract were passed around the room until the seven members had signed it.
"Excellent." Pepper said. "We just need Beltino's signature, and he promised to be here within the hour."
"Now. One final issue. It concerns each of you and your relation to the Cornerian military. I was wondering if you would join the army under the ranks you have now."
"So I'd be a commander?" Falco asked.
"Yes." Pepper replied.
"What would I be?" Krystal enquired.
"Lieutenant." Pepper said smiling.
"Wait a minute," Wolf intervened, "there's a flip side of the coin. If we are officers in the army, we have to take orders from Pepper and his commanding officers."
"We already do." Fox replied. "You have a deal General."
Fox, Falco and Krystal waked through the busy streets of Corneria's capital.
"There's a lot of changes going on Fox." Krystal said.
"She's right Fox," Falco added, "things are going to be very different in the upcoming year."
"Not really." Fox said. "We always took orders from Pepper, and the only difference is we cannot move too far from Corneria. Plus we can control a large amount of the army."
"We're sharing the Great Fox with Star Wolf, or had you forgotten?" Falco said, clearly annoyed by this.
"It won't be so bad." Fox replied. "I think they'll keep their distance."
A devastatingly beutiful female red falcon walked past them.
"Excuse me," Falco said to Fox and Krystal, "I have some business to attend to." They all smiled at each other and Falco ran after her.
"Just us now Fox." Krystal said. "What can we do here in Corneria while we're grounded?"
"Well…" Fox began, "I guess we could go…to…"
"You have no idea do you?" Krystal laughed.
"Umm… No not really."
"We could go shopping." She suggested.
"We could," he replied, "but there's a slight drawback considering we have no money."
They both laughed. "How about we go to the beach?" She asked.
"Er… You mean the only beach in Corneria?"
"Yes. Why?"
"That's where I crashed the Arwing." Fox winced.
"Lets just go for a walk." Krystal said, accepting that fate seemed to be against their afternoon out.
"Boss," Leon said to Wolf, "this is crazy! I can't be with the bird for a year! I'll go maf!"
"Did you just say 'maf', Leon?" Wolf smiled.
"See! It's already happening!" Leon shuddered.
"Ah…" Panther drawled, "A year with the lovely Krystal…"
"I'd stay away if I were you Panther." Wolf advised. "She's Fox's as far as everyone else is concerned."
"Well… Plenty more fish in the sea…" Panther sighed.
"Just go and get a date Panther." Leon said. "And stop your waffling."
"How exactly?" Panther growled. "If you hadn't noticed, we are handcuffed and in a maximum security prison."
"We're only here until the Great Fox is repaired." Wolf said, sensing a scuffle between the two in the not too distant future. "Then we are under normal army rules."
All around Slippy, technicians ran around the Great Fox, welding, hammering, smashing, clanging, repairing any slight problem. Slippy was delighted with the progress. At this rate, the Great Fox would be ready in two or three days. Four or five days maximum.
"Chief Technician?" A voice called from behind him. Slippy wheeled round. Beltino Toad stood behind him. "I'm very proud son! A chief technician at your age!"
"Thanks dad!" Slippy smiled. "It's gonna be great having you with us on our journeys!"
"It's going to be great being with you on your journeys son!" Beltino replied, happy that he would be spending far more time with his son. "Since your mother passed away… I've been looking for companions."
"Well, you have a fair few now dad!" Slippy said. He was smiling, but was sad. He had never got the chance to be at his mother's funeral. At the time she died, Fox had been on Sauria, on the other side of the galaxy, and no-one could get a transmission through to the Great Fox. Francesca Toad was buried not too far from James and Paris McCloud, and Fox and Slippy would always go when they had the chance.
At Corneria Cemetery, Fox looked over James's grave.
"I killed him Dad. Pigma's dead. It was his own doing, he was too greedy for power. I have had to put too many people where you are now Dad. In coffins." Fox looked down at his feet. He and Krystal had walked for about an hour, until they came to the graveyard. "I'll be back soon Dad," Fox said to the tombstone, "I love you Mom." He said to the one next to it.
One more visit to make. Fox thought. He walked for a while and found the stone he was looking for. Francesca Toad. Fox did not speak aloud to this one. He just thought. I'm sorry that Slippy never made it to say goodbye. It's my fault, I should have abandoned the mission on Sauria, or never took it. But then I wouldn't have met Krystal, and I'd have been doomed to just wander alone thrugh space. Slippy loves you more than anything, the same as I love my mother. I hope you understand.
Fox had always been a great believer, not in a God, but in the idea of heaven. A final resting place, where you were reunited with loved ones, and get to watch over the loved ones left behind. If he didn't believe in that, he felt he would be fighting without a cause.
I get the feeling that this chapter will dissapoint a few people, but don't worry! There's a huge fight in the next chapter, so tune in if you have the time! Many thanks to all the reviewers so far. Sorry about a few omissions in the last chapter concerning who was talking, I hope thats been resolved here. R&R -Cerberus