Duty Calls

Damn it, Fox thought to himself. It had been about five months since the Star Fox Team's nigh-apocalyptic encounter with the Aparoid menace. They had returned to the Lylat System and helped with the rebuilding process. It turned out, due to a last minute abnormality with the warp gate, General Pepper's flagship didn't get in on time. Of course Peppy was alive and kicking, as was Rob 64. During the rebuilding of Corneria, the Star Wolf Team also returned, miraculously unscathed. They were caught by a gracious Cornerian populous, who threw them a celebration alongside the Star Fox Team and the surviving military personnel following the reconstruction (whether they wanted it or not). After that, they disappeared into the void of space, probably to find a new base of operations. Though—oddly enough—invitations were sent out to them for the wedding of Fox and Krystal, they didn't show. Since Falco was not present due to yet-unknown circumstances, Bill was Fox's best man. Afterwards, Fox had taken up advice he had received from a friend earlier, and Fox and Krystal's honeymoon was on Sauria. Several small misfortunes had befallen the newly weds, ranging from pest control to dinner fiascos. Finally, just as everything was perfect, an "urgent" call was sent to Fox from General Pepper.

Now, Fox was in the command room of the new-and-improved Great Fox. The others—Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Peppy Hare—were there as well. The man of honor that was General Pepper came up on the screen. Addressing them all, he sighed, "Star Fox, thank god you are there!"

Failing at controlling his current temperament, Fox groaned, "What is it this time, General?" He caught himself too late as Krystal and Slippy gasped. The General looked somewhat offended, and Falco was shaken from his usual disinterest with surprise in his eyes.

"What's with the attitude, Fox?" Peppy demanded disappointedly.

"Sorry, everyone," Fox shamefully tried to explain, "I was kinda… caught off guard by this." Then, turning to the General with his usual politeness returned, he said, "You were saying, General?"

"Yes, well," Pepper continued, "there has been a tragic incident on Kantina." The screen opened a sub-segment showing the Kantina outpost in flames. "An unknown group came in, completely destroyed the base, and took all undamaged supplies. The only individual surviving the incident was your friend, Bill."

"Is he okay?" Fox gasped.

"Yes," Pepper sighed heavily. "He is getting the best medical attention, but he remains comatose."

"No…" Fox sighed deeply. His head aimed towards the ground, and his eyes shut in sorrow. Krystal sympathetically put her hand on his shoulder.

"This, Star Fox," the General concluded, "is the reason I called you. We have our scientists searching for clues, but I want to make sure this mystery is solved. Your mission, if you accept it, is to find the culprits to this atrocity and bring them to justice."

Fox's gaze met the General's, now filled with determination. "You can count on us, General. Star Fox is on the case."

"But where do we start?" Slippy interjected. "Wouldn't you guys have found any clues on Kantina if they were to be found?"

As another sub-segment popped up, Pepper stated, "We've already looked into that." The segment showed pictures of a seemingly abandoned outpost on Titania. "Since there are no clues to be found, I figured you would need the assistance of the best reconnaissance team out there, so-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Falco interrupted, "if they're supposed to be a better recon team than us, then why not just send them?"

"We're not leaving anything up to chance," Pepper explained. "The public is already crying out for justice after the whole Aparoid incident, and we aren't about to set them off. Now, getting back to where I was, you'll need to go to Titania and obtain the help of the reconnaissance team Coyote Star."

"Great," Falco mocked, "Star Fox, Star Wolf, and now Coyote Star. Original…"

"That's enough, Lombardi," the General warned. He then went to explain further. "The group is headed by its namesake, Coyote Bill. Coyote is a veteran of the old wars, before intergalactic travel became commonplace. In other words, the warp gate hadn't been invented yet."

Peppy whistled and said, "Wow, that really dates him."

"Not as much as you think," Pepper explained. "Coyote was only fourteen when he led us to victory against the Sectoid invasion of '72."

"Still, that would put him at 87 years old," Peppy remarked. "Shoot, that makes him older than me."

"Don't let the age fool you," Pepper cautioned. "He may not that good at piloting anymore, but on foot his technique is superior even to that of Fox's."

"Wow, that's gotta be tough!" Slippy chimed. "Still, if he can't pilot that well, he can't be all that good."

"Which makes your cooperation with him all the more vital," Pepper stated. "Though the other three members of his team are considerably younger than him, his weakness at spacecraft will make him an easy target for any enemies in your way."

"Enough talk," Falco chimed. "Let's get this show on the road already!"

"You're right," Fox agreed. "We're on it."

"Good luck, Star Fox," Pepper saluted, "and be careful." The screen went blank.

"You know what to do, Peppy," Fox commanded.

"You got it," Peppy confirmed. "Rob, set a course for Planet Titania." The ship went into hyperspace almost immediately.