Disclaimer: See the Prologue
Chapter 30 – New Allies
Falco sat on the cold ground of his cell, his back against the wall, his head as if he was sulking; which he practically was.
"Man, this sucks," he said, frowning, "Is this suppose to be some kind of zoo?"
"Tell me about it," Fox added, "Now we know how Jacques felt like when Liebowitz gave him crap."
"Don't worry, you guys," Slippy chirped on, "I'm sure Jac will get us out of here. He's got us out of far worse situations than this."
"Sure," Falco said in his usual cynical tone, "That is unless he figured that we're the cause of his 'eternal torment.'"
Everyone turned to him, alarmed. Krystal the most shocked at what the avian just said.
"What are you saying, Falco?" the vixen asked.
"I'm saying that now that Jacques is back with the Space Marines," Falco explained, "He might decide that we're no longer necessary for 'his continued survival in a system which hates and loathes his kind.' I can't put it any clearer, you guys."
Fox glared, "Do you even realise what you're saying, Falco?"
Falco walked up to him menacingly, "I do, McCloud. And I've known humans long enough to point out what they're like."
"And what are they like?"
"They're a bunch of evil, backstabbing, scheming, maniacal bastards who exploit everything and everyone they come across," Falco continued with immense vehemence, "And we've being suckered into putting up with one of them for three-and-a-half months."
"That is the most dumbest thing I've ever heard," Slippy cried, "Jacques would never do that. He's not like other humans, and I'm sure not every human is like that either."
Falco chuckled, "Obviously you're in love with the guy."
Slippy narrowed his eyes and gripped the bars, "Say that again, birdbrain. I dare you!"
"Alright!" Krystal exclaimed, "That's far enough!"
Peppy nodded, "Yes. Let's just relax for a minute."
"Whatever," Falco said, crossing his arms.
"Jacques will not betray us," Fox said firmly, "He is a member of this team and a member of Star Fox never turns his back on his friends or his responsibility. That's what my dad said."
"Your dad was two-timed by Pigma, remember?" Falco reminded him, "And the fatass porkster was with Star Fox at the time. Why don't you think about that?"
"Falco?" Peppy said again.
"What?"
"This is about Falconia, isn't it?" Peppy sighed, "You can't let your personal feelings cloud your judgement. If we're going to survive among the humans, we'll have to make a big impression on them. And that includes having faith in Jacques to get us out of here."
Falco rolled his eyes, "Fine. What's keepin' him so long?"
They then heard the sound of marching feet, before seeing Roland and three other Marine walking down the corridor, before stopping in front of Fox.
Roland smirked, seeing the vulpine grip the bars; "Today's your lucky day, McCloud. Calgur wants to speak with you and…"
He indicated Krystal.
"…the Cerinian vixen."
"What about my other crew?" Fox asked, "And where's Mortensen?"
"Lord Macragge wants to speak with the commander of this ragtag force and with 'Cerinia's last daughter.' And Mortensen is waiting for you as well," Roland answered
Fox nodded, "Alright."
His and Krystal's cells were opened, where they stepped through and before the Space Marines.
"Hey!" Falco exclaimed, "What about us then?"
"Don't worry," Fox said sternly, "We'll be back."
"Alright, let's go," a Marine said, jabbing his boltgun into Fox's side.
Fox almost cried out, but closed his mouth and just did what they said, him and Krystal walking out the brig and out of sight; leaving Falco, Peppy, Slippy and Beltino be.
For once, Slippy broke the silence…
"See, Falco?" the young frog said, smiling, "Jacques' hasn't turned his back on us."
Falco was sullen for few moments, before he shook his face and replied, "Whatever, Slip."
Slippy just sighed, seeing Falco's cynicism was never going to change. He turned around to face his father Beltino, who was sitting in the corner of his cell.
"Hey, dad?" he said smiling, "How are you holding up?"
Beltino looked up at him through the bars and replied, "I'm fine, son. Just…anxious…and a little excited."
"So I am. I…what?" Slippy queried, catching the last bit his father said.
"We're actually on board an Imperial starship," Beltino explained, "Think about it. We're among the first Lylatians to be riding along on a human space ship. It's quite fascinating. I must say that their construction of their ships looks rather Gothic and slightly medieval, if you ask me."
'It's official,' Falco thought, smiling slightly, 'He's completely off his rocker.'
Mean whilst, Fox and Krystal were being escorted through the battleship, taking in their second tour of the place, wondering at the slightly primitive, techno-Gothic décor of the insides of the ship. They stepped into a lift, which would take them to the main floor…all the while the Marines behind them still pointed their guns at the backs.
"What's with the heavy weaponry?" Fox asked, "It's only the two of us and we don't plan on getting away."
"It's for our protection," Roland replied, facing the elevator door as they went up.
"From what?" Krystal asked.
He turned his head towards her.
"From you, Cerinian. In case The Warp tries to take you."
Krystal was about to protest when the lift doors opened, revealing a corridor lined with Space Marine Devastators and Terminators, all armed with heavy storm bolters. They turned their heads towards Fox and Krystal's, as if ready for them to make one wrong move.
"Proceed," Roland said.
Fox and Krystal hesitantly stepped out of the elevator, where they slowly begun to walk down the hallway towards a pair of double doors at the other side, whilst still being trailed by Roland and his escort.
They could feel the Marines' cold eyes stare through them and their slight breathing as they walked, where Krystal's hand grasped Fox's, who squeezed it gently and comfortably.
'Are we that dangerous?' Fox thought, then thought again as his eyes rolled toward Krystal, 'How is she that dangerous?'
The doors opened, revealing the large throne room, where almost a hundred Space Marines lined the sides of the room, as if this was a parade. Calgur sat on the throne, where he focused on the pair. He frowned slightly.
"Approach, Lylatians."
They looked behind themselves to find Roland and his escort standing by, before looking at one another. Fox nodded softly and they begun walking forward, seeing the many eyes of the humans gaze over them, their fingers tightening on their weapons including boltguns, heavy bolters, flame-throwers and plasma rifles.
"Krystal! Fox!" they heard a familiar voice exclaim.
"Jacques?" Fox cried out, "Where are you?"
The young Space Marine pushed his way through the crowd until he stood between Calgur and the pair. He smiled; relieved to see them alive, well and untouched. Krystal almost gasped at seeing the scar on his forehead.
Jacques then turned to face Calgur.
"My lord," Jacques begun, "Allow me to introduce to you: Fox McCloud, charismatic leader of team Star Fox, this system's main peacekeeping force."
They stepped forwards, standing behind Jacques, who stepped to the side, allowing Lord Macragge to look over them.
"And also may I present…"
"Crown Princess Krystal of the late Cerinian Royal Family," Calgur said, "Yes, I am familiar with her and her family. We made communication when I was forced to spare the 2nd Company to secure Cerinia. I took a glimpse of the entire family from my screen and I must say…"
He smiled.
"…you've grown, 'Your Highness'."
Krystal sensed the sarcasm in those last two words, but she shrugged if off. She then noticed Calgur looking directly at Fox.
"And you…"
He got up, revealing he was a massive being, even taller than Jacques.
Fox's eyes widened, 'Jeez laweez, he's freakin' huge!'
"…you look familiar. Don't I know you from somewhere?"
Jacques eyes widened, hearing that. As did Fox', Krystal's and several other Space Marines' in the room.
"I don't think we have," Fox said, "Unless…you're talking about my father, James."
"James McCloud?" Calgur said, looking down at the vulpine, "Oh, yes. You must be his son."
Jacques, for once in his life, was confused at his own Chapter-Master…and saviour.
"You know my own father?" Fox asked.
"I'm afraid this isn't the time to discuss history and family," Calgur said, becoming serious, "We must press the subject of how you came to have one of my own Battle-Brothers in your possession. From your point of view that is…"
He sat down on his throne.
"…Mortensen told me that you recovered his Thunderhawk transport and found him lying in Sus-an. That he owed you his life and you allowed him to join your force. He also said that you fought and destroyed an entire Ork WAAAGH! that was brought in by one of Lylat's enemies and that he might have access to Chaos-weaponry. Now…"
He looked at the pair, disturbingly…
"Is this true? You best tell the truth and not tell me you scrubbed his mind. Because I will know right away that you're lying."
Jacques was getting very worried now. Fox took a deep breath, seeing almost a hundred eyes stare at him and Krystal…
"It's true," Fox confirmed, "It's all true. We rescued him from Oikonny, as he had planned to clone him and create his own legion of Space Marines. We offered him to join Star Fox, where for the past three months we've be striking back at Oikonny's forces. Then he must have brought in the Orks, which we managed to destroy and kill their Warboss Gorgutz, thanks to him."
Fox eyes Jacques, who nodded slightly.
"Jacques mentioned he can sense the taint of Chaos in this system, especially in one of my…colleagues, Bill Grey..."
"I can sense it now," Jacques interrupted, "And it is massive."
"Papetoon," Calgur said, "That is why we are here. Our Psykers have detected massive Warp-infused energies circulating around the planet and we are here to put them down."
Jacques' eyes were wide once again. There was Chaos in Lylat, besides the daemon that had possessed Bill? And that was why Ultramarines were here.
"Anyway, McCloud," Calgur said, "Please continue."
Fox nodded, "Just now, one of our space station were attacked by what I believe are remainders of the Ork WAAAGH, and they must be still on Oikonny's payroll. We've traced them to Papetoon and we've come to finish Oikonny off once and for all."
The entire hall was silent, and Calgur himself was rubbing his chin, nodding gently.
"I see," he said, "And do you have proof of what you just said?"
"I do, my lord," Jacques said, turning to face him.
He pointed to the golden Star Fox insignia just above his winged-skull chest plate, "I am the Heavy Weapons Specialist of Team Star Fox. And if you seek proof of them finding me, you could check the flight recorder of my Thunderhawk. And this I tell you now…"
He frowned.
"If you plan to kill the Crown Princess of Cerinia, you might as well kill me too," Jacques said, "I swore to defend the Cerinian royal family and I will see no more purpose in my life if she, the last of her kind, was to die."
Krystal turned to Jacques, hearing him out with immense surprise, happiness and somewhat devastation, hearing that he'd die with her.
Calgur's eyes widened, seeing one of the children he managed to rescue almost a lifetime ago make a stand against him with these aliens. He knew the Ultramarines were honourable individuals, but Jacques had to be the most courageous of all; and that he would stand alongside even aliens.
Even though that was the reason for his family's…nigh…home world's demise.
Lord Macragge simply nodded and stood up again.
"I will take your word for it," he announced, "You have never failed me before, Brother Mortensen."
"And I never will, my lord," Jacques said
Calgur then turned to his com.
"Recover the Thunderhawk that is adrift near the fleet," he ordered, "And we will see if what McCloud and Mortensen says is definitely true."
Immediately, my lord, the other side of the line replied.
He then turned to Fox and Jacques.
"I have to know for sure," he said with finality.
Five minutes later, holographically projected footage of thirteen years ago, with Jacques rushing onto the bridge, carrying a seven year old Krystal. He placed her on one of the seats, before pushing buttons and setting a course for somewhere far away from the doomed world of Cerinia. He then looked out the window, before turning to Krystal, then rushing off the bridge, in order to fight the Orks that were trying to stop them.
Next they saw Fox, Falco, Slippy and even Bill on the bridge of the Thunderhawk, which was present day. Every human on the bridge was silent as they watched as Fox turned the chair to reveal a Sus-an sleeping Jacques; how Bill struck his head with the butt-end of a Blaster Rifle and how they managed to get him off the ship: With a remote-controlled operated hover-mover.
Calgur watched, rubbing his chin in thought. He nodded, stopping the footage.
"Now I am convinced for sure," he said, "Star Fox will help us to put an end to this evil. But this husky Cornerian…"
He frowned, seeing that he struck a comatose Jacques, who luckily had wore a helmet.
"…will not be welcome among us."
"He won't," Fox said, "He's being possessed by a daemon."
"Mortensen told me about him being possessed by the daemon possibly released from the confines of the mecha-Bloodthirster Oikonny built," Calgur said, then frowned, "That ape will pay for trying to wield the power of Chaos. I suspect he had found this technology you speak off in a Chaos Temple on the planet Papetoon, respectively."
"Temple?" Jacques almost cried, "There is a Chaos Temple in Lylat?"
"There were two other Temples dedicated to the Blood God Khorne in this system, built by the wretched Chaos Cults thousands of years ago," Calgur explained, "On the planets Evergreen and Falconia."
Krystal nodded, "Go one."
"The foolish populations of those two worlds unwisely broke into them, releasing immense Warp-infused energies, corrupting most of their minds and making them submit themselves to Chaos, forming maniacal blood cults. They then set up killing and sacrificing all that lived. We were…forced to cleanse those two worlds those ten years ago."
"You mean destroy them?" Fox corrected, frowning.
"Yes, McCloud," Calgur said, "We destroyed them. Afterwards, believing that Chaos was finished for good in Lylat, we decided never to come here again. Obviously, we were wrong."
'Obviously,' Krystal thought.
"But this time, we do not plan to destroy Papetoon," Calgur said, "Rather, we will only purge those who are under Chaos' grip and burn whatever technology then wield. And we want you…"
He looked over Fox and Krystal.
"…to aid us, seeing as you are now valuable to this task's success."
Fox smiled, "Count on it! Oikonny will never threaten the universe again."
With what the vulpine just said, every Space Marine in the hall cheered, raising their fists into the air and what they said next reverberating around the entire hall, and possibly most of the ship.
"FOR THE IMPERIUM!" they chanted, "FOR THE EMPEROR!"
Fox and Krystal had surprised looks on their face, especially when they saw Jacques joining his 'brothers' in praising their Emperor.
'Ok,' Fox thought, 'Things are getting really interesting now.'