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Chapter 7: A Day in the Life of Starfox
I don't care what the others think – I like this base. I enjoy the silence personally, and everything is so high-tech. I just wish they would let me take a good look at those Arwings. - Slippy
Dawn broke slowly over the military base the next morning,
the lingering shadows taking their time in going away.
Even slower to get going was Fox McCloud, a gigantic yawn
plastered on his face for a few seconds before coming to an end. His sleepy
eyes roamed around the room, coming to rest on the digital clock on the wall.
Mind wandering, he finally came to the conclusion that it read 7am, and that
it was time to get up and get going.
Yawning again, Fox stumbled out of bed with one thing on
his mind - a shower. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he searched through his closet
for the essentials he had purchased the night before and wandered into the washroom.
A half hour passed before the washroom opened again, revealing
the vulpine dressed in another basic military uniform. He found the flight jacket
he had thrown onto a chair the night before, put it on, and then meandered out
of the room in a hunt for breakfast.
The walk to the mess hall was a short one, as the team had
been conveniently located on the same floor. Once inside, Fox gathered that
about half of the base's population was currently there, all enjoying the food
and company before starting another long day at work.
Grabbing some pancakes and eggs off the self-service bar,
he glanced around for his teammates. He found Peppy in one corner, a mug in
one paw and some kind of datapad in the other.
He sat down across from his teammate, who acknowledged his
presence with a nod. He smiled, noticing the smell of coffee emanating from
Peppy's cup instantly. "You know how bad that stuff is for you, old hare,"
he said.
"You get to my age and try to get going without a cup,"
he responded, putting the mug down on the table. He waved the pad in his other
paw as he continued. "This morning's news is rather interesting, Fox."
"Is that what that is?" he asked as he gestured
towards the pad.
"Yes, and it's an interesting little gadget as
well. It holds all the newspapers from around the system, and gets updated daily."
Peppy took another sip from his cup before continuing. "Did you know you
are considered a hero on two different planets already?"
Fox dropped his silverware onto his plate with a clang. "What?"
As if expecting the reaction, he touched the screen a few
times then spun the pad around so Fox could read it, talking as he did so. "The
Cornerian Globe has you in its 'News From Around the Galaxy' section. It seems
that someone had a camera on that transport we were on."
Fox glanced through the article, shaking his head as in disbelief
as he did so. He didn't need this, not now. "I'm no hero, Peppy,
and you know it."
The hare grinned, having heard the same speech from Fox's
father before. "Tell that to the Papetoon Times. You were front page material
to them." He grabbed the pad and changed papers with a few taps before
passing it back. "Amazingly they didn't inflate your heroics in the slightest."
He read the story in its entirety, munching on his breakfast
as he did so. "I'm impressed that the Venomian Military hasn't shut this
paper down by now."
"You know it's an underground paper, just like any
of the rebellion groups on the occupied planets. To them, any opposition is
published well. Getting the material out is another matter entirely."
"But I am not a hero."
Peppy shook his head. He had a feeling the vulpine was going
to say that. "Fox, you, and all of us for that matter, are the first hope
these people have had since the invasion. No matter what you think, you are,
or will be, a hero to them. Just accept it, and in time, you may even believe
it yourself."
Fox sighed as he considered a response. "I'm not going
to win this, am I?" Peppy shook his head again. "Fine then. To change
the subject, have you seen anyone else this morning?"
The hare nodded. "Slippy left a few minutes before
you came in, but I haven't seen Falco yet." He paused for a moment. "That
reminds me. Slippy wanted me to tell you that our reports are in from Gary on
our computers."
"Good to hear. What did your report say?"
"Nothing too much, other than telling me things that'll
be fixed with some additional time in the Arwings."
"I'll look over mine when I get back." Fox finished
the last bite of his meal before continuing. "Peppy, I've been meaning
to ask you - why did you suggest Starfox as our team name?"
Peppy smiled, his gaze becoming unfocused for a moment as
he remembered old times. "Your father told me some time ago that he always
wanted to have his own ship, his own command, and pilots working with him. He
wanted to call his team Starfox. Let's just say it's an honor to let the
name live on at least."
Fox was silent for a minute as he remembered his father and
his dreams. He wondered how different his life would be had he still had both
of his parents, or even just one of them. "Thanks."
"Anytime." Peppy glanced past the vulpine for
a moment, looking at the new arrivals in the mess hall. "Falco's here.
He doesn't look too happy either."
With a grin he responded, remembering the meal the team had
the night before. "After how much he had last night to drink, I'm not
surprised. That was some strong stuff."
"Ah, the wondrous side effects of alcohol. Another
reason why I tend to let the drinks pass me by." Falco spotted the duo
and wandered over to their table. "Good morning, Falco."
"Morning yes, a good one no," grumbled the avian
quietly as he took a sip of the coffee he brought with him, wincing at the loudness
of the voices around him. "Can you keep it down?"
"Had a bit too much of the General's best, eh, Falco?"
asked Fox jokingly, ignoring the request for the moment.
"Stuff it," he snapped back.
Fox laughed. "Well, I can see I'm not going to get
much out of you this morning." He picked up his plate and stood up. "I'll
see you two shortly. Remember, 8am sharp at my place. I'm assuming that the
General is going to meet us there." He dropped off his plate and walked
out of the mess hall in a much more jovial mood than he was when he entered.
Walking back into his room, Fox sat down at his computer
and began reading through the performance evaluations that Gary sent over last
night. As expected, he had the reports for his entire team as well. Overall,
his team did amazingly well considering that they had never flown the Arwings
before. He was pleased to read that, as he knew he only had the best under his
command.
Gary had left some personal comments at the end of the report.
"You have a rather talented team Fox, and they're all very quick learners.
I hope that they continue to show their excellence when you go through team
based maneuvers on your second day."
Fox smiled, knowing the compliments would be well received
by the rest of the team. He was going to take another look through the reports
when he heard the door open to his room, so he turned his chair around to greet
the visitor.
Peppy walked through the doorway, nodding in greeting as
he entered. The door was about to close when Slippy wandered in as well. "Morning,
Fox," said the toad.
"Morning you two. Take a seat anywhere. Peppy, is Falco
on his way?"
He nodded in response. "He said he would be right in
when I left." They all heard a knock at the door. "Must be him."
"It's open," yelled Fox. To his momentary surprise,
the General walked in. He glanced at the clock as he continued. "Good
morning, Pepper. What brings you here this early?"
"Time is meaningless when it comes to the defense of
your planet, Junior, and I can do as I please. Where's—" The door
opened, admitting Falco.
"Right on time, Falco," said Fox. "This
is becoming your standard." Falco glared at the vulpine but said nothing
with Pepper standing right there.
The General looked at the crew assembled in the room. "I
just have one thing to say and then it is time to get back to training. You
all had a very impressive first day in the simulators. If you continue to do
as well as you did yesterday, we'll have a serious chance against Andross. Now
let's get to work."
The group left Fox's room, eager to get back to training.
The second day went much like the first, but this time all
the training was group based. They practiced formation flying and learned how
effective the Arwing's firepower could be when combined as a team.
Combat training was much more intense as well. Instead of shooting down practice
dummies, they were firing upon more mobile targets, mainly computer representations
of the fighter craft they might go up against when they attacked Andross. It
also showed the effectiveness of flying as a team, as they could all watch each
other's backs in combat.
After a short break for lunch, their training continued against a simulation
of the battleship and a portion of its fighter compliment that was bearing down
on the planet. Although Pepper and Gary had not told the Starfox team of Andross'
imminent attack, it was a very powerful indicator of how well the team worked
together in battle.
Gary was up in the command center, looking over their training with a watchful
eye. "Pepper, two things - this line is secure, and the results are coming
in on the latest test." He paused, waiting for the final result, laughing
once he saw it. "The team's overall rating is a whopping 115%. I knew
that test was too easy."
The General was once again in the simulator room, watching their progress as
before. "It isn't that the test is too easy it's because they are very
skilled."
"That could be true. Remember the challenge we had passing this when we
designed it?"
Pepper laughed, thinking back. It had not gone well for them at all, as combat
was clearly not their forte. "Ah yes, those were the times. Do you have
anything else to throw at them today, or do you think they are ready for the
real thing tomorrow?"
"I'd like them to have more experience in the simulators personally, but
we just don't have the time."
"Shall we give them the final exam then?"
"Sounds like a plan. This will give them a true test of their flying skills."
Gary flicked a switch on his headset. "Starfox team, Gary here. Impressive
flying out there once again."
"Many thanks," replied Fox. "I have only the best on my team."
"Good. This will be an interesting challenge then. I'm changing the program
you are running. You'll now be above Corneria City, with each one of you basically
starting in a corner equidistance apart."
After a brief fade to black the view outside of Fox's Arwing switched to one
high above the city. He smiled as looked over his hometown, wondering how detailed
this simulation was. "What's our goal?"
"Simple. Last pilot flying takes the win. No rules other than that. Also,
the citizens of this city won't mind if you do some creative reconstructing,
if you get what I mean. Your Nova Bombs will be disabled however, as I don't
want to see half the city go down in a single shot."
There was a small uproar from the team before Fox got them calmed down. "So
you want us to shoot at each other. Why do I think that this is a bad idea?"
"Actually, Fox, this allows you to experience your team's strengths and
weaknesses, and it tends to be a great way to get pilots to improve. Remember,
you can learn from getting shot down here, but you can't do so when you fly
the real thing."
Pepper had the final word before the fight. "Keep in mind that this is
only a game, and only for fun. Don't hold a grudge if you are shot down. Enjoy
yourselves. May the best pilot win!"
Fox listened for any other helpful hints from his superiors, but upon hearing
nothing else, he said, "I still say that this is a bad idea."
"I disagree with you, Fox," said Peppy. "Remember your Academy
days - there were quite a few combat tests against each other."
While he knew that what was being said was true, it didn't mean that he had
to like it. "I guess you're right. I have one additional rule then - since
there are so few of us here, no ganging up on each other. Let's get at it."
Fox kicked in his boosters sending his Arwing high above the city, planning
to let his opponent come to him. Flipping his Arwing upside down, he scanned
the city below, keeping an eye on his radar as he did so.
His computer picked up two other Arwings as they sped through the city below.
From the ID signals that the craft gave off, it seemed like Falco was chasing
after Slippy. Fox grinned as he watched, knowing that while Slippy's odds weren't
good as he dodged Falco's shots, he would give the avian a decent challenge.
Fox looked through the city below, trying to find where Peppy flew off to. He
suddenly realized where the hare was as an alarm blared and his craft shook
from blaster fire. He dove towards the city, missing another barrage of fire
as he did so. "Well, old hare, you think you can take me on? I relish
the challenge."
"The teacher always wins, Fox," said Peppy, following him into the
dive.
"We'll see about that." Fox leveled his craft a few feet off street
level, and began to weave through the city, daring Peppy to do the same.
The hare continued to follow, firing off his blasters whenever he had a chance
of hitting. The other Arwing was much too maneuverable though, as most of his
shots struck the buildings instead of his target.
Fox enjoyed the chase through the outskirts of the city, buildings passing by
in a blur, but he grew tired of just dodging. Eying the downtown district, and
the huge skyscrapers within, he punched the boosters, heading up towards the
larger buildings.
Peppy chased after the vulpine, scoring a few hits against his shields. "You're
making this too easy, Fox," he commented, expecting far more out of the
other pilot.
"Follow me if you can," he replied as he wove around a building.
Suddenly he punched the G-Diffuser system, twisting his craft around and sending
it the opposite direction, ignoring the feeling in his stomach as the simulator
tried to compensate for the maneuver.
Peppy wasn't ready for that trick, and the two craft passed by each other
harmlessly. He swung his craft around to follow Fox, but was unable to find
him. His radar was clear as well, due to the skyscrapers reflecting or dissipating
the signal.
Fox on the other hand had turned off his radar system entirely, making it harder
for the hare to find him. He sped above the rooftops hoping to catch sight of
his target. Luck was on his side as he caught a glimpse of the other Arwing,
and dove towards the craft.
Peppy was about to go vertical and escape the confines of the city when his
radar locked onto his opponent. Unfortunately by that time, Fox was already
firing. His Arwing shuddered as the blaster fire clashed with his shields. Cursing,
he pulled his craft into a barrel roll combined with a G-Diffuser powered turn
halfway up.
Fox followed Peppy's every move. "Now the hunter becomes the hunted,"
he said quietly. He continued to fire, connecting with his target far more than
the other did before. He was pleased with his success so far, even if he was
shooting at one of his teammates.
The hare's years of experience ended up being little help against an opponent
that you couldn't shake long enough to fire upon. He tried every maneuver he
knew, every tactic he had been taught, he even did tricks that he wouldn't dare
try if he weren't in a simulator. In the end it didn't matter. Once his
shields failed, it didn't take much longer before his Arwing was crippled beyond
flight. He grimaced as he unlocked and pulled the ejection handle, sending the
main capsule of his craft high into the air. "Nice work there, Fox,"
he said as the simulation ended for him.
Fox smiled, knowing that his win was a well deserved one. "You fly well,
Peppy, but I had to finish you off. No hard feelings I hope, old friend."
He never paid too much attention to the response though, as he spotted Falco
in the distance.
Falco's first target had been Slippy due only to the fact that the computer
had locked onto his craft first by pure luck. He grinned, knowing that while
the toad had some decent flying skills, he was no real match for himself in
the cockpit without some serious training. After downing him, he found that
he was left with only Fox to go after. Spotting the vulpine, he sped off after
him.
"So it is just you and I, Falco," said Fox, readying himself for
the fight ahead. "This should be interesting."
"More like a slaughter. I'll take you down as easily as I did Slippy."
He laughed, knowing that there was no way that he'd allow that to happen. "I
highly doubt that."
The two Arwings sped towards each other, both craft firing then spinning out
of the way. The pilots pushed their craft and their stomachs to the limit as
they each spun their ships around, attempting to get behind the other.
Fox grew tired of all the dodging around, and he knew that his stomach couldn't
take much more either thanks to how the simulators were set up. Pouring on the
speed, he hurtled through the city, changing directions constantly to avoid
the firepower that was impacting on the buildings around him. "You couldn't
hit the broadside of a base," he taunted.
Infuriated, Falco unloaded another barrage of blasters that once again missed
its target, causing a nearby building to explode in a shower of metal. "Sit
still so I can blow your ass out of the sky!" he yelled.
"You have to catch me first." Fox knew he couldn't wear down Falco,
and his only real chance of winning like this would be complete luck. Eyeing
an open parking garage in the distance, he decided to do some creative reconstruction
of his own. Taking careful aim over multiple passes, he destroyed a few of the
main support struts holding up the building. Realizing that its collapse was
imminent, he pressed his luck and flew through the crumbling structure.
Falco was confused as to why Fox was shooting at the garage, but his building
anger quickly overruled any common sense he had. Firing his blasters the entire
time, he charged after the other Arwing. It wasn't until he was halfway inside
did he realize that he had been tricked.
With nowhere to dodge as he escaped the crumbling building, the vulpine watched
as his shields collapsed from Falco's desperate shots. Alarms blared as the
armor around his engine and G-Diffuser system began taking hits. The blaster
fire suddenly stopped as he heard the avian yell, "You scheming pile of—"
Fox laughed to himself as he escaped with only a little damage.
"Interesting tactic there, Junior," said Pepper suddenly. Fox could
hear the cheering of his teammates in the background, quickly stopping when
he assumed Falco came out of the simulator. "Nice work."
"Thanks. Tell Falco that he was a most challenging opponent. Should I..."
Fox suddenly noticed another ship pop up on his radar screen. "Pepper,
who just entered the simulation?" He heard nothing but silence on the
other end, which worried him greatly. "Pepper? Gary, what's going on here?"
Once again he got no response.
Suddenly concerned, Fox hurriedly checked over the status of his Arwing. His
shields had only recharged up to 50%, and the computer indicated that his booster
system had been damaged, but was still functional. He tried to contact the new
ship, attempting to figure out who or what he was up against. "Identify
yourself unknown craft."
He heard an odd sounding computer generated voice respond to his inquiry. "Most
interesting fighting tactics, Fox McCloud. Nothing quite that simple will work
against me however. As for my identity, I'm your final challenge." The
voice paused for a moment before continuing. "Good luck."
Fox grew even more concerned when the computer identified his opponent - another
Arwing. He smiled though, knowing that his suspicions were correct. There was
an additional pilot on his team. Either that or this was somebody's sick idea
of a joke.
The two Arwings clashed in a blaze of firepower a few seconds later. Fox knew
instantly that he fighting his equal, if not his better. The unknown pilot flew
with complete knowledge of the capabilities of their craft, while he only had
his natural flying talent to back him up. A minute passed, then another, neither
pilot able to do any kind of damage to the other, nor giving up on position.
The vulpine debated on breaking off and letting the newcomer chase him around,
but he didn't dare take the chance.
In the end however, it was the other craft that finally broke away first. "Catch
me if you can, Fox McCloud," it taunted, suddenly shooting off through
the city. Fox kept chase as they dodged around and through buildings, but as
they reached one edge of the city, he grew curious at what plan the other pilot
had.
His questioning thoughts vanished as they came upon a gorge on the outskirts
of the city. He wondered if there was such a place near the real Corneria City,
but he didn't have much time to think about it as the pilot dove right
in. With a flick of a switch he turned on the light at the front of his craft
and followed.
The two ships sped through the chasm in total darkness, their way lit only by
their lights up front and the engine glow from behind. The occasional blaster
fire from Fox illuminated the cave walls oddly as well as they sped through,
as if there were minerals or something buried just underneath the surface. Unable
to hit his target at all in the winding cave, he decided to strike up a conversation
instead, trying to learn what he could about the pilot. "Interesting caves
we're flying through. Come here often?"
The voice laughed. "Yes, yes I do." Entering a larger chamber inside
the cavern, the Arwing suddenly cut its engine and spun around, both pilots
bearing down upon each other. The reverse thrusters fired up just as quickly,
continuing its flight away from Fox, and with deadly accuracy began firing at
his craft.
Completely caught off guard by the sudden attack, the vulpine had very few options
available. Desperately he sent his craft in a twisting spiral towards the ceiling
then flipped his craft over and did the same thing towards the cave floor. The
blaster fire ended as quickly as it began, plunging the cave back into near
darkness.
Angered by his loss of concentration, Fox kicked in his boosters to continue
the pursuit, dodging stalagmites and stalactites as he did so. Looking towards
the ceiling, he suddenly had a plan. Hoping that his opponent would be foolish
enough to try that rather effective stunt again, he decided to continue his
little banter as he drew nearer. "Now where did you learn that little
trick from, unknown one?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out, Fox McCloud. I'm quite impressed
that you escaped it as well."
"Let's just say that I'm a quick learner." Fox glanced down
at his shield gauge, which now read only 30%. Taking a quick look on his radar,
he saw a small chamber up ahead - another perfect place for an ambush.
The other pilot saw the same thing and didn't disappoint Fox in its actions.
With expert precision the craft spun around in midair once again, firing as
soon as it had a clean shot. He responded by sacrificing what shields he had
left to make sure that he brought down a number of stalactites that were over
his target. Alarms blaring, his shields collapsed from the abuse he was taking,
so he spun out of firing position desperately, trying to limit the hits his
armor absorbed.
What Fox missed seeing was how effective his strategy was. The other Arwing's
shields held for only a few seconds from the falling rock before failing completely.
Engine flaring, the pilot attempted to escape the debris when a stalactite landed
on the right wing, ripping it off in a shower of sparks and a screech of metal.
The G-Diffuser system compensated for the lack of a wing as the pilot flew out
of the cave as fast as it could go.
Fox whipped his battered craft around and followed, attempting to destroy his
opponent in the process. The alarms finally quieted down as his shields regenerated,
but a glance at his computer indicated that his opponent wouldn't have that
luxury, as the shield system was damaged from the sudden stress. The vulpine
smiled to himself at his abrupt change of luck as he said, "Nice try back
there, but you'll quickly realize to never try the same trick twice against
me."
The other pilot laughed. "You think it's over? I haven't even begun to
fight."
"If you insist." Fox watched as he grew nearer to the speeding Arwing,
his shots coming close to their mark. Without warning his craft lurched, his
damaged boosters failing in a blaze of warning sirens. Cursing, Fox brought
up a detailed analysis of his problem. According to the computer, the cooling
systems for his boosters had failed, only allowing him short bursts before the
whole thing overheated, bringing the boosters offline automatically.
Now both craft were badly damaged, leveling out the playing field once again.
Fox watched as his opponent got farther and farther ahead of him, helpless to
do anything but fire off the occasional shot. By the time he got to the cave
exit, his target was nowhere to be seen visually or on radar.
With a beep his booster system reactivated, but it was useless to him at the
moment as he casually flew around the city, hoping to catch what he guessed
was the powered down Arwing on radar by chance. Guessing that communication
still worked between the two craft, and hoping that his computer might be able
to track down the source of the signal, Fox contacted his pursuer. "Running
off and hiding are you? I guessed you were the daring type."
It took a moment, but the other craft responded, sounding like the pilot was
concentrating on something else. "Daring I am, Fox McCloud, but not stupid.
Even without your boosters, I won't chance myself with no shielding."
Fox's computer displayed some possibilities on where the other Arwing might
be, but he needed to keep the other person talking. "So, you think you
can just hide until you can get your shields back online again? Besides, the
simulator isn't that detailed, is it?"
The voice laughed. "As for hiding, this city is more than big enough for
myself to bury myself in. For the repairs, the simulator is rather detailed
- just mess around with some of the more advanced functions on your computer
display. I won't be that long as you didn't do anywhere near as much damage
as you think."
Fox smiled as his computer locked onto the source of the communication. Turning
off his radar, he sped towards his target. As he neared, he saw the nosecone
of the other craft sticking out from underneath a commercial transport hangar,
giving away its position. "I have you now," he said, bringing the
full firepower of his Arwing to bear.
The hull of his opponent sparked as he landed shot after shot on the unshielded
craft. He slowed down and aimed towards the engine, continuing to fire as he
did so. His accurate shots pounded on the hull, the armor plating yielding quickly
from the firepower. With a blinding flash the Arwing's plasma engine exploded
in a ball of flame, the hangar collapsing on the destroyed craft as it did so.
Fox cheered to himself in the cockpit, wondering if he would see or hear another
message from his opponent. "I do have to say, I've seen some impressive
stunts in my years, but whoever you are, you definitely know how to fly. Nice
work out there. No hard feelings?"
Not seeing any kind of response, Fox was about to shut down the simulator when
he heard a response. "It's all fun and games as General Pepper would
put it, so no hard feelings. Congratulations. Although I do have to ask - how
did you track me down so easily?"
"You'll hate me for saying this, but I got you talking to track
you through your communication signal."
The voice laughed. "Why you stinking little punk. And here I thought you
were trying to get to know me."
Fox laughed back, hoping he could get on the good side of the other pilot, getting
it to reveal who it really was. "Well I was to a point. Who are you anyway?
Are you the extra pilot our team believes we have?"
The other person was slow in responding. "We shall see, Fox McCloud. I've
talked too long as it is. I gotta go."
He heard Gary's voice come through his headset, shocking him for a moment. "Do
you intend to bask in your greatness the rest of the afternoon, or do you plan
to come out of there anytime soon?"
Shaking his head, Fox shut down the simulator and popped the hatch to be greeted
by cheering from the rest of his team. Smiling, he waved to the group as he
said, "You don't need to cheer. I didn't do anything fancy."
"Look at him," grumbled Falco, clearly upset over his performance
in the simulators. "He kills two people, cripples a third, and says that
it wasn't anything fancy."
"Falco my friend, you know this was nothing more than a simple game,"
said Peppy, trying to restore the calm the room held before. "Besides,
you now know what not to do next time against Fox."
"Hey, Fox, who were you talking to at the end anyway?" asked Slippy.
The vulpine looked confused. "You didn't hear the other side of my conversation?"
"Not from where we were. Pepper was real quiet the entire time as well."
Fox sighed, coming to the conclusion as to what was going to happen next. "Lovely.
Something tells me he won't be saying who that was either."
Pepper stood up and walked over to the team at that point, somehow knowing he
was being talked about. "Rather fancy flying there, Junior. Nice work."
He paused for a moment, listening to the headset still covering one ear. "Gary
and I would like to congratulate you four for passing flight training. While
both of us would like you to spend more time in the simulators, you are free
to fly the real thing. As it is, your training will continue in the Arwing itself
starting tomorrow. May you do as well in the real thing as you've done so far."
The team cheered at the announcement. "Thanks, General," said Fox.
"I hope we make you proud out there." He paused, his face growing
more serious as he tried to get some answers. "However, I want to know
who that pilot was I just faced, and why he isn't here with us."
Pepper's face remained neutral, not giving the pilots any idea what he knew.
"Yes, those are good questions aren't they. Your answers will be revealed
soon."
Fox grew furious at being brushed off again, hitting the side of the simulator
to show his anger. "General, let me put it this way. It's awfully hard
to do simple things like planning strategies, battle tactics, and practicing,
without knowing simple answers like how many people are on your team. Do you
see what I'm getting at here?"
"I see your point exactly, Junior. However, I've learned that it
is far easier to train a group of people when they are all at the same skill
level. Now that you have advanced as quickly as you have, you'll find
that your questions will be answered. Tomorrow. You are dismissed for the evening.
Go get yourselves a hot meal and be ready to get back out there again bright
and early at 08:00." He turned and walked out of the simulator room, not
giving anyone a chance to stop him.
The team watched the door close behind Pepper, leaving the four in the near
silent room. Peppy was the first to speak. "All things aside, Fox, I agree
with what the General is saying."
"As do I," said Slippy, deep in thought. "How does the saying
go…always group those of the same skill level together for greater effectiveness."
Fox threw his arms into the air, silently muttering a few curse words under
his breath. "You know, you two make it so hard to start an argument when
I know you'll disagree with me." He looked over at Falco, noticing
the silence. "What, no comments from you?"
The avian grinned, shaking his feathered head. "I'm still ticked
at you for taking me down like that."
"Sorry, Falco, but I have no intention of fighting against you one on
one. You're quite good you know." He looked over the rest of his team
as he continued. "Let's go get something to eat. I personally intend
to come back here afterwards, so for me, time is wasting."
