Chapter 23: Rendezvous with the Past

Their ship silently hovered over their former home base of Katina, only four years before, it was still a strong part in the Cornerian Alliance, but now it was ruled by an evil dictator, one that served a threat to the entire Lylat System. But for now, they continued to drift silently above the planet's brown surface.

The bridge of the ship was full of constant activity; several different animals were walking back and forth nervously across the bridge. For some, this would be the first time meeting the famous team of mercenaries, but for the ship's captain, it was more of a reunion than a meeting.

A voice rose over the constant noise the bridge held. It called out to its captain, "Sir, the Great Fox has appeared on our sensors." Their leader replied in a quiet voice, "I guess General Pepper really was telling the truth…" Another voice rose from the bridge, but this time from across the room in the opposite direction of the first, "Sir, we have the transmission codes to the Great Fox." Their leader hesitated slightly before facing the voice directly and responding, "That's great, let's get them online right now…"

It's been a while, hasn't it Fox…

(On the Great Fox)

Fox found himself standing in a highly familiar area, a seemingly endless blue void that had no sky, ground, air, nothing existed here, but yet somehow, he was. He watched the slow movement of the blue shroud that surrounded him as it swayed back and forth, as if being moved by the wind. For what seemed like hours, nothing else appeared to divert his attention, the constant sea of blue that flooded around him was the only thing in his view. Fox walked around on the non-existent ground that he seemed to stand on and tried to find a way out of the area. As he walked, he began to see two new figures standing off in the distance, causing him to break out into a gentle sprint. As he ran, he could see that the two silhouettes were battling each other, their faint voices echoing quietly through the area. He stopped abruptly as he came within a few yards of the two figures, who seemed to be engaged in fierce combat. One was using a long staff, one that had a large purple jewel imbedded into its golden head. The figure opposing the first wielded a large curved sword that was a dull gray in color. Even though the figures were only a few yards away from him, it was still hard for Fox to distinguish who they were, but upon recognizing their weapons Fox was able to quickly identify them.

That's Krystal's staff…and that sword…I've seen that in a dream, I think that cloaked guy used it…

As soon as he came to this assumption, the two figures let off a bright light, one that forced Fox to look away for a short time while it slowly died down. As it did, Fox was able to refocus on the two fighters. He took a step back in surprise as the two figures become perfectly visible in front of him. He could now see that it was Krystal who was fighting among the blue mist, and her opponent was the cloaked figure they had met on Kaltar. Fox seemed to be paralyzed with fear as he watched the struggle play out, each seeming to match the other in skill and speed.

What is this? Why are they fighting?

Almost as if Krystal's opponent had suddenly sensed Fox's presence, he leaped a good distance away from his opponent where he would no longer be in danger of her attacks. His attention then fully shifted over to the unarmed vulpine that was now standing only a few feet away. Fox took a few nervous steps backwards as he gazed into the glowing red eyes that now stared at him from under the cover of the figures dark hood. The figure then slowly began to drift over to Fox, which seemed to stun the vulpine from moving any further. He could hear the cries from Krystal off in the distance, but she seemed to be unable to move as well.

As the figure stood only inches in front of Fox, he raised up his arm, causing the loose cloak he was wearing to fall back, revealing the figure's hand, which was armed with five long, sharp claws. He then quickly thrust out his exposed hand and grabbed Fox tightly around the neck, raising him up slightly so that he was at eye level with the cloaked figure's shadowed face. Fox winced hard as the figure gradually tightened his grasp on his neck, which was now being cut in several places, due to the fact the figure's claws cut into his neck as it squeezed. As hard as Fox tried to fight the creature, he was unable to loosen its grip to any extent. The hold on his neck had become so tight, that he was no longer able to breathe, and he felt helplessness and despair course through him as his mind and vision began to cloud.

He opened his eyes one last time, but to his surprise, no longer was the pressure of the figures claws present against his neck. His eyes were instead met with an even graver sight. He was now the one under the cloak, the one who was crushing the life out of the one he held in his hand. He could feel the furry neck in his hand, as well as the blood that ran down it. Before Fox realized what was happening, he began to hear a stifled screams and grunts coming from in front of him. His eyes followed the trail of his arm and saw that it was not only he that had traded places in another's body. Instead of the cloaked figure holding Fox in his hand, it was now Fox in the cloaked figure's body holding Krystal's neck. He could only watch…and feel…in terror as the already strong grip became even stronger. He tried to resist and loosen his hold on her neck, but could do nothing but continue to tighten his grip even further. He was forced to watch as she screamed and yelled in agony, pleading for it to stop, but she her screams were not directed at the cloaked figure that had once been fighting her, she was now calling out in pain to Fox, the one who was now slowly choking the life out her body.

Fox…I…please…you must…remember…you cannot…forget…re…mem…ber…

Fox wanted to speak out, but his words instead were replaced by a familiar voice…

You see the power I hold, you cannot even feel yourself any longer…this is the power I hold, the one, true power. The power to infect minds, to cause unstoppable chaos. After all, my…stubborn friend…what good is a body, when you can't even control it?

"Fox…Fox? It's time to wake up." Fox's mind quickly snapped out of its imagery as he heard this voice. His eyes slowly and reluctantly opened as a small amount of beaded sweat ran down the side of his face. He raised one arm up to his face and carefully displaced the small amount of sweat that had accumulated on his face from his most recent dream. After clearing his face of any noticeable perspiration, he turned over slightly in his bed to be met by Krystal's smiling gaze. "Good morning." Fox shook the remaining sleep out of his eyes as he slowly sat up in his bed, "Morning?" Krystal nodded with a smile, "Yes, not only that, but Slippy wanted me to tell you that Katina is within view." Fox hesitated as he tried to readjust to the real world, instead of focusing on the dream he just had. Krystal noticed the strange look he wore and asked, "Are you alright Fox? You look troubled." Fox gave looked over at her in surprise, "What…? You mean…you didn't see it?" Krystal returned the confused glance, "What do you mean Fox?"

Well, this is the first time this happened, I had one of those nightmares and Krystal obviously didn't…but…why not? Why didn't she see this one and I did? Maybe I was just having my own little nightmare…

Fox shook his head and broke a smile, "Well, it's not that important. I was just…thinking out loud." Krystal hesitated for a moment before nodding in reply, feeling that he was hiding something from her, but she quickly decided to let it go.

Fox threw the sheets free from the top of his body and let his legs hang freely over the bed, allowing him to face Krystal directly. "So, we're almost at Katina, huh? I guess I should get up to the bridge. I bet the whole team is waiting for me again." Krystal shook her head and replied, "Actually, I haven't seen anyone since I woke up this morning. It's just been Slippy and myself for the past hour or so." Fox gave her a smirk in reply as he jumped out of his bed, "Really? Well, I guess I'll have to hurry before anyone can beat me up there…"

Fox was cut off by the sound of the intercom as it sounded above the two vulpines, "Incoming message from Cornerian Special Forces Cruiser: Ladekahn IV. Priority signal: Level 2. All Star Fox personnel, report to Great Fox bridge."

After the noise from the small speakers overhead cleared, Fox thought out loud, "Ladekahn IV? I've never heard of that ship before…wonder what it wants…" Fox turned back to see Krystal standing silently behind him. He smiled over at her and said, "Well, I'm not gonna keep them waiting, let's go."

(On the Great Fox bridge)

Slippy had been busy for the last few moments preparing to clear the incoming transmission from the ship that now drifted in view of the bridge window, but now that he no longer could do anything until the rest of the team arrived, he leaned both his elbows on top of ROB's computer and gazed down upon the floor that lay just below him. His eyes wandered across the silent bridge momentarily, but they abruptly stopped as they began to refocus on one of the chairs that sat just behind the large bridge window, the chair that would normally have been occupied by his former teammate and friend, Peppy Hare. For a long time, Slippy had considered Peppy to be his best friend on the ship, finding that, more often than not, he was the only one on the team that would take time to talk to him, as well as listen to what he had to say. Without Peppy, Slippy realized that he would probably have even more work than he was used to, not that he really minded this probability. His work was his life, he had always loved working around ships, but now he would have to readjust to doing his job without his lost friend.

Slippy was tersely brought out of his thoughts as the sound of the opening bridge door distracted his attention. He turned quickly and saw the figures of both Fox and Krystal enter onto the bridge. Slippy greeted them with a smile and welcomed him with a friendly, "Hiya Fox." Fox gaze a slight wave in reply as he headed over to his seat in the middle of the bridge, "So Slippy, we got a transmission from another ship? What's this about?" Slippy nodded as he returned his attention to ROB's computer, "Well, It's Cornerian, and it's classified as a "Special Forces Cruiser," that's about all I know. It sounds like they really wanted to talk with you though…" Fox pulled up his laptop and scanned over the information Slippy referred to, Krystal doing the same, but from over the seated vulpines shoulder. Fox commented, "You're right, seems like it's a new type of ship. There isn't much information on it at all…you said something about them trying to contact us?" Slippy nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's right, they've been trying to get through for a little less than ten minutes." Fox hesitated as he scanned the room, noticing that only two other members of the team stood on the bridge, but soon responded, "Well, I guess we don't really need everyone up here for this, let them through Slippy, I wanna know what this is about." Slippy nodded as he quickly typed in a few commands into ROB's computer, "Alright Fox, I'm clearing the transmission now." In a matter of seconds, the large, holographic screen appeared from the floor of the bridge, emitting a perfectly clear image that shone dimly above the floor. The voice that followed shortly after caught Fox by complete surprise…

"Captain of the Great Fox, this is Ladekahn IV…nice seein' you again Fox."

Fox hesitated for a moment as he gazed into the holographic image of his forgotten friends face. "Is that you Bill?" His old friends face softened as he broke a smile at Fox's comment, "Ya Fox, I know it's been a while, it's nice you remember though." Fox rubbed the back of his neck as the shock slowly subsided and he replied, "You're captain of a ship? That's a step up from what you were doing last time I saw you." Bill smirked as he replied, "Ya Fox, well, seems like word got out about our operation a few years ago, apparently saving a planet is good enough for a promotion. But anyway, we can catch up later, we've got some business to take care of right now." Fox nodded and responded, "Ya, Slippy told me you've been trying to contact us for a while, what's up? And why are you out here at Katina anyway?" Bill raised his hands up in front of him and replied, "Whoa Fox, hold up. I can't talk about that right now; never know who might be tracking this transmission. Let's just say that Pepper has a plan to take out that facility that's shown up on Katina. Since it's not really a good idea to give you the plan over this transmission, I'm requesting that your team board my ship, Ladekahn IV, so we can go over our plans. Make sure you bring your blaster with you Fox, we've got Pepper online right now and we don't know if you'll have time to get back to the Great Fox before we start the operation. So just come prepared, alright Fox?" Fox smirked as he replied, "Well, I guess if it's Pepper's decision I can't really argue. I'll get over there as soon as I can Bill, it'll only be a few minutes." Bill nodded and responded, "Alright Fox, we'll be waiting."

With those final words, the holograph quickly retracted back into the floor. There was a short silence that followed, but Krystal managed to break it as she spoke from behind Fox, "I'm taking it that you know him from the past. Who is he?" Fox took a quick glance back at her before replying, "An old friend, he took classes with me back at the Academy. I haven't seen him for a long time." Krystal nodded and responded, "Another classmate of yours?" Fox smiled back at Krystal's response and replied, "Ya, I guess we all kind of…"

"Alright, I'm here Fox, we can get on with whatever you wanted me up here for." Fox spun around in his chair and calmly jumped out, his body squarely facing Falco, "Too late, we're leaving the ship soon, so I'd get ready if I were you." Falco raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, "Excuse me? We're leaving the ship? And why in the heck are we doin' that?" Fox shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Pepper's orders, something about our attack plan to destroy that base on Katina." Falco responded, "Ya? And I'm guessing that Lady…whatever ship is where we're gonna get briefed? I don't see why we have to go over there instead of them comin' over here." Fox sighed, "Well, they already have Pepper on standby…plus it looks like Bill's gonna be helping us on this mission." Falco hesitated as he tried to place the name in his mind, "Bill? You mean, Bill Gray? The one from the Academy? What the heck is he doin' out here?" Fox shook his head and replied, "Well, the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll find out." Falco raised his hands slightly off his chest and replied, "Ok, ok, I'll get my stuff together…but before I go, there's something I want you to clear up for me." Fox shot him a faintly confused glance as he responded, "Alright, what?"

Falco slowly closed the distance between Fox and himself, seeming to eye a particular spot on Fox's body. As he came into arm's length of the vulpine, Falco reached out and grabbed the small green gem that hung loosely around Fox's neck. He smirked as he gave it a slight tug, "I was just wondering what's with the sudden fashion flare of yours. I didn't know you were the kind of guy to wear stuff like this…So Fox, why?" Fox hesitated as he also looked down at the small stone that was imbedded inside a small golden crest. "Well…uh, Krystal gave it to me…yesterday." Falco suddenly donned a much lighter expression on his face, "Oh, I see…that was nice of her, huh McCloud? …Well, if it's from her, is it supposed to…ya know, mean something special?" Fox hesitated again as he heard Falco's question, but just as he was about to articulate a vague answer in response, another voice chimed in from behind him, "It is a custom that is common among the Cerinian people. It is intended as a symbol of the affection that we feel for each other." Falco nodded with a large smile as he let the small gem fall back against Fox's chest, "Oh, I get it, so you're…" Falco hesitated as he spoke, giving Fox a indicative glance, but quickly continued, "Ok, I think I get it, thanks for the clarification. If you don't mind, I've got some prepin' to do. Later you two." With those words, Falco walked out the bridge door with a smirk that could almost be seen through the back of his head.

Fox could only shake his head as the sound of the sliding bridge door, along with the stifled giggles emitted from a certain toad that had been silently observing the whole time, filled the otherwise quiet room. "I guess some things never change…" Krystal leaned over slightly so that she was barely visible in Fox's peripheral vision, "Was Falco's remark intended as a joke?" Fox nodded as he faced her directly, "If it comes out of Falco's mouth, you can always expect some sarcasm." There was a short silence, until Fox placed both of his hands behind his head and musingly looked up at the ceiling, "I wonder if he's right though…I've never really worn anything like this before. It probably does look pretty weird on me…" Krystal smiled as she quickly replied, "Nonsense, I think it looks quite good on you Fox." As she said this, Fox returned his attention to the vixen, which caused her to reply after studying the gem for a few brief seconds, "It matches your eyes almost perfectly." Fox smirked and responded, "Hmm…think so?" Krystal nodded as she gingerly moved closer, still looking into his eyes, "Yes…they both seem to be quite…moving." Just as the two vulpines where closing in on each other's muzzles, a fairly loud gagging noise broke the serenity of the moment. They hesitantly stopped their slow approach and looked over to see Slippy having what looked like a heart attack behind ROB's computer. As soon as the couple saw this, they burst out laughing, watching as Slippy tried to regain his composure. As soon as they had finished laughing and Slippy had, for the most part, regained his breath, Fox commented, "We've gotta remember not to do that around Slippy again." Krystal laughed back at Fox's comment as Slippy spoke over the bridge, "Ya…no joke."

(Meanwhile in Katt's room)

Despite the fact that the sun was already fully enveloped within her room, the pink feline refused to move from her bed. Even when the announcement rang loudly over the intercom, she forced herself to stay in bed. Not that she was having a very peaceful sleep, most of her night was spent tossing and turning as her thoughts continued to dwell on the one insecurity she seemed to have in her life. It was hard for her to constantly have her mind focused on that singular point of her past, making it difficult for her to be able to concentrate on anything else. Even though she had figured out during her stay on Xavix-Yuan that she did still have feelings for the falcon, her mind was filled with more thoughts, despite her newfound conviction.

It's strange, but when Falco first arrived, I thought I'd never want to get back together with him, and…I've been like that for the last eight years, so why did I change my mind all of a sudden? Is it because I finally took the time to stop and think about why it all happened? Well…if that's true, then why didn't I stop and think earlier? It's not like I'd forgot about him when I was going solo for those few years…maybe it's just…the fact that I've got to see him again, to be around him…even if he never could take me seriously during these past few days, I can still see the old Falco in him…but really, none of that matters. Even if I still feel the same way…if Falco doesn't…well, that ends that. I'd like to believe that he does, but…well, I can't control what he thinks…but who knows, maybe we still have a shot at getting back together, at least, I hope we do…

Katt's thoughts were abruptly cut off as the door to her room quietly slid open. She half expected it, or rather, half hoped, that it was Falco who was coming in to wake her up, and quickly found the answer as the voice spoke from the open doorway, "Katt? You still asleep?" Katt remained silent as the figure slowly approached the side of her bed, "Didn't you hear the announcement over the intercom? You were supposed to be on the bridge a little while ago." Katt replied as she turned over to face the voice, "Sounds like something I've been letting you get away with recently McCloud." Fox smirked as he replied, "I can't really argue with that, but you really need to get ready, we're gonna be boarding another ship before we head down to the planet's surface." Katt slowly sat up in her bed as she replied, "You mean that Special Forces ship, Ladekahn IV, right?" Fox nodded as he asked, "Actually ya, but how did you know about…" Katt smirked as she swung her legs over the side of her bed, "Come on Fox, you know that before I joined up with your little group, I was stationed on that ship. But I don't really appreciate that kind of work, not a lot of action." Fox replied, "Ok, well, we're gonna head over there in a few minutes, and I don't think we're gonna have the chance to get back to the ship before we begin this attack Pepper has planned. So just don't forget anything." Katt nodded as she walked over towards her private bathroom and replied in a sarcastic voice, "Hey, don't worry McCloud…and by the way, nice necklace, it's pretty cute on you." Fox rolled his eyes as she closed the door behind her, "Thanks…"

(On the Ladekahn IV)

It had been almost a half an hour since the transmission with the Great Fox had ended. And now instead of being seated on the bridge of his large Special Forces Cruiser, he and a few of his higher ranking crew members stood inside the docking bay of the Ladekahn IV. They all stood in anticipation of their guests, who were running slightly behind schedule.

A voice rose from the small group of animals, effectively breaking the silence that had previously been held, "It seems your friend Fox McCloud is taking his sweet time getting over here. Was he always like this?" This voice was quickly followed by other, which was emitted from almost the exact same place on the docking bay floor, "It's fine, he'll come when he's ready Ayme. He's probably just having a hard time preparing…I mean, it was on pretty short notice after all." The young female canine nodded in reply, and listened as he continued, "It takes you long enough to get ready in the morning. Knowing you, it'd take you at least an hour to get here if you were Fox, so cut him some slack." Ayme let out an abrupt sigh and gave the gray canine she stood next to a soft punch on the side of the arm, "At least I can actually wake up in the morning Bill." The gray canine nodded with a smirk, "Just trying to make a point."

A short while after they finished their friendly argument, a voice called over the ships intercom system, creating a slight echo as the words escaped from the hidden speakers, "We've spotted four small space crafts departing from the Great Fox. They are currently en route to the Ladekahn docking bay. Estimated time until arrival is under two minutes. Standard docking procedures will be followed as scheduled."

Bill looked over at the smaller female canine that stood beside him with a smile and said, "See? I told you they just needed some time." Ayme rolled her eyes and replied, "Ya, well try explaining that to the General. I don't get the feeling he'll be on the same page as you." Bill shook his head as he looked out the open docking bay door, "Don't worry about it, as long as he get the job done, Pepper will have to bear with us. Besides, there's their Arwings right there, we'll get our meeting together soon enough." She nodded as she spotted the quickly approaching ships as well, "That's good, I didn't think the great Fox McCloud would be the type to turn down work like this." Bill added, "Nah, not McCloud, not as long as I've know him anyway. I don't think we'd have a chance without him anyway. If there's one thing that crew has that we don't, it's experience, especially in pressure situations like this." Ayme nodded in response and agreed, "I know, most of our recruits were just a bunch of no-names looking for work, even a large force like we have on this ship can't compare to the value of first-hand experience. I'm just hoping this isn't the time where he fails to live up to his reputation." Bill smirked as he watched the Arwings as they slowly glided closer towards the docking bay.

-

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Right, so here we are at the end of my latest chapter, well, not that I don't think you didn't notice, but anyway. So, I guess people from the Academy on Corneria just kind of magnetically attract to each other after a while, I think I got all of the grad's together, and I don't know how many of you think it was a good idea to bring Mr. Gray into the picture, but he's there no matter what you say so…deal with it. Oh, and the Ladekahn is pronounced kinda like this… "lady" as in woman, and "kahn" which I guess isn't really a word, but it's (intentionally) the name of that Klingon guy from Star Trek II. So ya…I don't know how to spell Klingon, so if there are any Trekies reading my typo, please set phasers to stun, I know so little about your kind.

The General's Plan (tentative title)

Hey, at least I could think of a title before I even started this section, that's pretty good considering I usually title my chapters after I finish them…but whatever. Pepper will go over his plan to take care of some business on Katina. I'd expect this one to be on the shortish side, so don't blame me when I can only manage to get 6 or 7 pages of type to the website. I'm tryin' my best over here…

EDITOR'S NOTES: The moment I know you all look forward to so very much is nigh. My highly-acclaimed and hard working editor has once again come forth with yet another brilliant installation in the EDITOR'S NOTES saga. Let's listen in and see what words of wisdom he shall impart to us today…

"ok it was good and all lbut i think flaco needs to lighting up round fox ya know what i mean everbody but other then that i dont see any thing worng with it "Oh and Gray Fox 2510 if u say in ur reveiw that ur editor missed some things i am going to be pissed just tell me what they are this is my im and e-maill name (see p.s.) thank u for taking the time to read my notes please enjoy the rest of the story ok good bye for now"

Oh my, it seems like my editor is getting kind of edgy about what a select few of you have to say about his skills…I didn't expect him to retaliate like this…heh, but it is pretty funny.

p.s. His e-mail is Kingaruther17 at America Online dot com (typed out because this site eats any of my html…oh well.)

MAIL CALL:

Gray Fox 2510:
Ack! Sorry it took me so long to read/review. Mumbling Stupid projects that take half a day...

Anyway, I guess I can say this for everyone when we saw Peppy's decision coming, but we'll just have to wait for you to see how that affects the story...
And... No, wait, that was all. XD - Lies, I forgot this: "Keep up the good work!"

FoxMC: Well, I didn't think it'd be that much of a surprise, seeing as how he kept saying that he would leave…but I didn't really intend it to be a big surprise either…By the way the quotation marks around the "Keep up the good work." What is that supposed to mean? It's like saying, Keep up the "good work." As if to say that, in reality, it sucks…so thanks for the encouragement buddy!

Ben Stylin:
heh... that is true. I am everywhere on this website.

I will keep this review serious... I like this chapter. I just plain love your story. I like every f-ing chapter you've written!

FoxMC: Wow, your review is so overwhelmingly powerful and inspiring that in my own self-congratulatory celebration I seem to have misspelled a certain word that particularly makes it clear that you, indeed, greatly enjoy every chapter I've written. Along with my sincere and deepest apologies for this inconvenience, I also thank you for providing me with such a high level of commendation.

Bloodredfangs:
really enjoyed reading the entire story which took 5 hours so it was good i really liked this story and chapter

FoxMC: Five hours? That's some kinda dedication you got there. Well, I guess you wouldn't do that if it sucked, so I'm glad you liked it.