Soldiers of Lylat

by Vantage77

During an anti-piracy operation, Corneria attacks the Sphere Alliance and causes a huge intergalactic incident. Now in an attempt to secure peace Corneria has agreed to let a small group of humans into the prestigious Corneria Military Academy as a show of inclusion and cooperation. However, how will a peaceful Lylat react to soldier born for war? OCx Multiple, OCx Multiple.

6. Chapter 6: Arrival

Disclaimer: I do not own anything! Star Fox is licensed by Nintendo and was created by Shigeru Miyamoto. I do not own the rights to anything in the setting or characters mentioned in this work and all rights belong to their creators. This work is not meant for financial gain and is meant purely as a fun hobby on my part.

Chapter 6: Arrival

Russ was awakened by a jolt as the Edith class dropship left its moorings on the Archangel and began accelerating toward the Cornerian atmosphere. Across from him Jacob or Jake as he liked to be called met his eyes and gave a grin "First time entering atmo in a drop ship?"

Russ shook his head "First time doing it while not in the pilot seat" Rus said as he tightened his grip on the metal shoulder harness keeping him in his seat. He was currently wearing what he learned was the academies uniform of tan cargo pants and an emerald green jacket with black buttons and cuffs worn over a short red sleeve turtleneck shirt that clung tightly to his upper arms and chest. The outfit was complete with a black belt with a silver buckle and black high-top combat boots, altogether an outfit made for both casual wear while also allowing for physical activity for drills. Russ had added a pair of shades that were currently in his pocket that would help with the light change when they landed. As Russ understood it the silver buckle was to signify his status as a Senior in the Lylat Academy and upon graduation would receive a gold one as a gift. This tradition and many others like it where all included in the information packet sent by the Cornerians to the ESA for himself and Jacob to read and memorize. Russ had been hesitant to accept this assignment as the ESA's representative to Lylat especially when he learned it would include going to school for a year. He had no worries about learning the material since he had a look over it and determined it to be something, he already knew apart from Lylatian history and astronomy. No, the real worry for him was the proximity and high chance of interaction with the Lylat populace in the form of students and civilians. As a combat clone 'born' during the Clone War he had extraordinarily little interaction with civilians a factor which was not helped by his role as a combat pilot and humanity's dislike for combat clones in general. The only reason he had accepted this role was the paycheck and the person who requested him to accept.

X Flashback, six months earlier X

Russ could not think of a time he was more nervous in his life, which was saying a lot considering he had partaken in so many conflicts in his long but eventful life. However, as he stood in the ESA's grand throne room bowing before the most powerful man in all human space and surrounded by the most beautiful and expensive architecture humanity could conceive, he acknowledged that he was ridiculously out of his depth. Not ten feet in front of him sat Emperor Arthur Durham in his full golden armored and robed glory staring at him as if judging his soul. Russ had heard about the man's commanding presence and had experienced it firsthand during his service within the man's military fleet, however, that paled in comparison to a face to face encounter.

"Raise your head Russel 713, you emperor requires your services" the emperor stated allowing Russ to raise his head and stand stiffly before his emperor.

"How may I be of service my Emperor?" Russ asked knowing that when the emperor 'asked' something of someone refusal was not an option.

The emperor nodded before addressing him "As you know doubt heard during my closing speech of my marriage ceremony, I announced that I would be opening a dialogue with the peoples of Lylat, yes?"

Russ nodded "Yes I did my emperor and congratulations on your union with Grand Queen Cinder."

Emperor Arthur gave a small nod "Thank you, now the reason I have brought you here is that I wish for you to represent the ESA as its dignitary to Lylat. The duties of which would include engaging in dialogue with both political, military, and civilian entities while also and uniquely, in this case, attend the Lylatians Lylat academy. You would undertake the assignment with four other individuals and be caught up with Lylatian academics as part of your station. Would you accept this mission from your emperor?" the emperor explained before asking the combat clone for his acceptance.

Russ's mind was reeling at the responsibility thrust onto his shoulder but pushed on with the foremost question in his mind while also finding a way to correctly word it "My Emperor I will, of course, accept any task you lay before me as I did in the Clone War, but I must ask if there are not others more qualified for such a task. I am but a combat cloned created for the sole purpose of flying in combat. I am afraid my political skill would not meet up to your expectation and cast you in a negative light in front of outsiders."

Arthur waved away his excuse "Your worries while understandable is entirely unfounded as I have no intention of pursuing political talks with the Lylatians" the emperor revealed further confusing Russ. Seeing his confusion, the emperor explained his reasoning "You see my subject, I would rather the Lylatians rot in their little corner of space forever and indeed I would do so if not for three reasons. Firstly, the existence of the crystal resources of Lylat is something both our military and civilian industries could greatly benefit from. Secondly, while for the large part technically inferior to us the Lylatians do possess several technological pieces that would greatly benefit the ESA. Third and lastly, I will not suffer the Lylatians to believe themselves capable of standing against us" the emperor explained before Russ saw a look of contempt flare up in his eyes. "Even now our intelligence services pick up their populations calls for continued conflict with my people as if they cannot understand that their preconceived dominion over space has already been torn asunder by my fleets. As if the loss of life that happened didn't mean a damn thing!" The Emperor shouted before slamming his hand into the arm of his throne while the sound of the strike reverberated around the chamber as if punctuating his rage.

"Now dear what has gotten your ire up so high?" a new sultry voice asked from the two men's right. Turning Russ was met with the alluring visage of the new Grand Queen Cinder Durham formally Cinder Fall. The woman had long black hair that curled naturally down her left shoulder showing off her pale flawless skin and smoldering amber eyes that regarded the two men with an intelligence befitting the most powerful woman in the ESA. She wore a red dress with gold highlights that left her shoulders bare and highlighted her figure that Russ had heard was very distracting to those that met her and was the envy of many women and coveted by men. This was easily observed as she seemingly glided over to her husbands' side and laid a hand upon his arm before her gaze met Russ's with a presence that Russ likened to the emperor but altogether different at the same time.

The Emperor gave a slight smile "Ah, hello my dear I apologize if my shouting bothered you."

Lady Cinder smiled before replying with a slightly amused tone "A little shouting never bothered me, my husband. Now, who is this before you?" she said while looking down toward Russ's form and scrutinizing him.

"This is Russel 713, a combat clone I've called upon to be our representative to the Lylatian people" the emperor answered to his empress. "I was relaying my… disapproval of the Lylatians current attitude."

Cinder paused for a bit before seating herself on the arm of the emperor's throne "Dear while I know you want nothing more than to subjugate the Lylatians I think a more… subtle approach would be appropriate" Cinder stated with a soothing voice. Russ was not fooled however and could see the woman's cunning mind working behind her amber orbs.

The Emperor rose an eyebrow intrigued before replying "Oh, do tell me just what your concocting with that sharp mind of yours my love."

Cinder gave a wicked smile "Well my dear as you know the both of us have been looking for an opportunity for myself to prove my power to our people especially those that disapprove of me being your wife and empress. So I thought why not allow me to oversee this Lylat situation and instruct Russel here in his duties."

The Emperor frowned in confusion not seeing how Cinder having to defeat the Lylatians would showcase her strength but also knowing his wife played with a different rulebook than his usual military might. He did however acknowledge that his wife deserved to be in the mix of the political scene of the Empire as its Empress. "Very well then you may give Russel his instructions then. Russel 713" the Emperor switched his gaze from his wife to Russ who had remained at attention before them "you will treat any instructions that my wife gives you with the obedience that her station as your Empress is owed. Is that understood" the Emperor stated with a glare.

Russ bowed his head low "Of course my Emperor I am at her disposal."

The Emperor sat back seemingly satisfied with his answer as Cinder stood up before descending the stairs to were Russ stood with his head tilted down in respect and subservience. She circled him two or three times and Russ felt her gaze run over his form before he felt a hand trail over his shoulder before Cinder stopped in front of him. "Raise your head and look your Empress in the eye my subject" Cinder stated with a tone of authority that somehow also came off as alluring. Russ raised his head and locked eyes with Cinder and realized that the empress had closed the distance between them to where their faces were now only half a foot apart. Russ had to hold himself rigged and clamp down on his emotions to not step back in shock at their proximity but kept his gaze locked with Cinder's amber gaze. The air around him seemed to become stiflingly hot as everything else in the throne room faded away to a blurry background as his mind was focused on the predatory gaze of the woman in front of him that caused a chill to settle in Russ's spine but left his body with a tingling heat that felt both extremely alien and yet totally welcome.

Cinder held his gaze for a couple of seconds before addressing him while keeping the proximity to him "Like my husband Russ I also want Lylat to be brought under the banner of our empire but I won't be satisfied with crushing them under my heel. Oh no not satisfied at all" Cinder stated with a husky tone as her breath brushed over Russ's skin like a warm feather that left his nerves tingling in its wake. "No, I want them to come willingly. I want them to grovel at my feet while lick my heels to be brought under my banner. To promise their entire being to the service of myself and the Empire while begging me to forgive them of all their transgressions, nothing else will satisfy me" here words filling Russ's heart with ice even while his body was awash in tingling heat that he didn't understand. "I want this my dear Russel… and you will deliver them to me."

X End flashback X

Russ was shaken from his memories by a bout of turbulence as the dropship finished entering the atmosphere of Corneria before leveling out high above one of the planet's oceans. Once the aircraft was in the planet's atmosphere some of its panels shifted revealing small windows that allowed Russ to see the ocean beneath them as they sped through the air at Mach 2 heading west. As he stared out the window Russ heard a voice break over the ship's interior "20 minutes to landing at the Cornerian Airport" the voice of Emanuel Sebastian spoke from the cockpit.

Russ had not liked Emanuel from the first time he had met the young man. Firstly, as the only natural human among the group and an admittedly brilliant mechanic, Emanuel had a certain air of superiority to him that also slipped into his tone when talking to others. Secondly, during their introduction, Emanuel was rather outspoken at his discontent about having to work under a combat freak like Russ. It was only really resolved when he was assured that the Emperor himself had made this arrangement. Finally, Emanuel just rubbed Russ the wrong way with his constant and flagrant derogatory comments to the rest of their group. Emanuel was now flying the dropship to the Cornerian Airport to drop off Russ and Jacob for a meet and greet with High Admiral Pepper and President Tabby in front of the media before flying to the embassy and landing there to unload supplies.

Speaking of Jacob who sat across from him Russ felt the familiar bout of confusion hit him as he observed the other combat clone take a swig from a small silver flask that Russ knew contained high-grade alcohol before he pulled at the collar of the same Cornerian academy uniform Russ wore. Though Russ noted the uniform clung to Jacob's upper body and showed off his impressive physic that Russ understood was par for the course when it came to combat clones meant for ground combat, even Titan pilots like Jacob. Jacob had slightly longer brown hair than Russ that was slicked back at the front and still naturally curvy. His hazel eyes that were currently behind a pair of rectangular glasses, had a similar far off look to them that Russ had seen on many veterans like him but also a spark of mirth as he took in his surroundings. Jacob purposely left stubble on his chine as he 'liked the look' which combined with his carefree antics were most peculiar for a combat clone since emotions and personality were rare for them. Still, Russ had found that the six-foot Titan pilot was decent conversation and the two got along well knowing they were both combat clones with their roles to play on this assignment.

"Landing zone in sight, prepare for touchdown in 3 minutes" Emanuel announced as both combat clones felt the dropship begin a rapid deacceleration.

Russ adjusted his position and saw the green strip that represented the coast appear on the horizon. As they drew closure Russ made out the city of Corneria begin to prominently stand out. The first thing he noticed was that the city was split in two by a cove and two rivers that met and then fed into the cove with several bridges that spanned across both but none more prominent than a large red monstrosity that had series of twelve pairs of pillars holding it three hundred feet above the water. A series of cables spanned the bridge leading to the twelve large pylons spaced equally along its length. The bridge itself was out in the cove unlike the others that spanned the river and as their drop ship flew over it Russ saw the bridge was host to a six-lane highway on both sides with various hover vehicles speeding along above the ground. The second thing he noticed was that outside the city itself was sprawling suburbia and past that large tracks of farmland that's green and gold colors bathed the horizon in a warm glow.

Looking past that at the city itself Russ noticed that the city proper was separated into four different zones. The largest of which sat on the bank to the south and appeared to be some type of industrial zone that stretched from mid-way down the cove to its tip. The coastline around this area hosted a plethora of docks where shipping containers were being offloaded and loaded to and from cargo ships. On the tip of this zone and at the end of the bay facing the ocean was a large area with concrete landing zones that Russ first thought was some type of extremely oversized airport but then realized that the area functioned as a landing zone for large space vessels to drop off their cargo. Russ thought this odd for a space-faring civilization since the building would no doubt cost a lot and was limited in the number of ships it could have landed at once. Humanity had their ships dock with large space stations and delivered to the surface of planets with a series of drone controlled heavy dropships or an attached space elevator. Russ was assuming the Cornerians were either not familiar with the idea of space elevators or were unwilling to construct a space station that large in orbit of the planet. The rest of the industrial zone was a maze of warehouses, refineries, plants, and manufactories that no doubt brought with them plenty of jobs and provided the city with a rich economy. Russ even noted that other than a few steam stacks there was truly little contamination being put in the air telling him that the Cornerians were aware of their carbon footprint and were actively taking steps to eliminate or greatly reduce it.

Across the cove from the industrial district was an area Russ easily identified as a military district. Russ's military background identified a lot of barracks buildings, bunkers, offices, command and communication buildings, training yards, vehicle depots, and even the large airbase reserved for military use. Along the coast, which was fenced off from the rest of the coastline, were sporadic docks which housed smaller boats likely meant for coast guard and rescue activities to larger military naval ships that could provide some navel defense for the city and likely part of a larger navy that provided defense against invasion for the planet. Even from the air, however, Russ could tell that these ships were older with some having visible signs of rust and many looking like they were going through maintenance which combined with their sparse dockyards and minimal foot traffic made Russ conclude that this force was a token effort at best and likely hadn't seen much in the way of a budget or personnel. In contrast, the airbase and vehicle depots were a hive of activity with the airbase having a couple of aircraft out on the tarmac that Russ identified as a couple of older Cornerian Mantis bombers and even some of their brand new Arwings that were entering mainstream production.

The Mantis bomber functioned as Corneria's main strike bomber and had an arrowhead-shaped fuselage with a long tail that acted as a stabilizer for in-atmosphere missions. The craft was pained a dark blue with the Cornerian Defense Force emblem of the blue globe with a single ring around it and three red stars with a wreath on either side, a symbol that was shared by the Cornerian army pained on their tails. What set the C.D.F.'s emblem apart was the inclusion of a shield border that framed the image. From what Russ remembered the Mantis bombers were used to be large and slow heavy bombers with aging designs at the time of the Cerinia Incident and after which were radically overhauled from their previous designs to a more modern one that made them smaller and faster than their previous version. This step was in light of their grievous losses to human and Cerinian fighters that ripped apart the large and slow targets with laughable ease before any of them could get within range to deploy their weapons.

The Cornerian Arwing, in contrast, was an all-new acquisition for the Cornerian military seen a too expensive for mainstream production before the Cerinian Incident, the glaring technological difference between Corneria's old craft simply called the Cornerian Fighter and humanities fighter craft was too significant to ignore and so Corneria and much of Lylat had begun replacing their air forces with the Arwing design. From Russ's experience, the Arwings were much better aircraft with significant speed comparable to some older human fighters still being flown by mercenaries and maneuverability that no other Lylat craft could match even with its immense speed. The only faults Russ had found with them were their lack of weapon variety, rudimentary targeting systems, and lack of auxiliary maneuvering thrusters which were problems for any Lylat craft honestly. The new Arwings were painted all white with exception to the G-diffuser systems which were painted olive green and the C.D.F. emblem on the wings.

Turning from the military district to the area next to it Russ saw what he identified was Corneria Central District. This district was made up of large skyscrapers that were home to many company headquarters and a plethora of high-end shops. Toward the edges of this district along its border with the military district, the skyscrapers disappeared and were replaced by large government buildings, museums, and monuments that included the Cornerian Central Bank, the Lylat Stock Exchange, the Cornerian Congressional Assembly building, and the Office of the President. On the other side of the skyscrapers and more inland was the Cornerian Air and Spaceport that their dropship was currently en route to. This area currently had the most foot traffic of all the districts with no doubt a large collection of important business and government employee's going about their busy schedules.

Russ felt their dropship swing south of the sky scrappers as Emanuel vectored in by the airport controller and took a glance at the district they were passing over now. The last district was situated between the industrial district and the skyscrapers of the Cornerian Central District. The district was also broken apart by the two rivers that fed into the cove with some of the district being on the south side of the rivers, some on the north side, and the largest part of it situated between the two rivers on its own little island but connected by many bridges for both foot travel and vehicles. This smaller district seemed to be composed of a wide variety of buildings that confused Russ to their purpose before realizing that these building also housed a lot of shops, parks, eateries, and even having a theme park hinting that this area was primarily for social activities and judging by the neon signs that were powered off but large enough to see from the air also hosted a variety of clubs and a booming red-light district. Even from the air, Russ saw this area had a lot of foot traffic even if they avoided the red-light area with its scantily clad Doberman that was winking at him in red neon. Across from him, Jacob chuckled before speaking their shared thoughts out loud "suppose some things are just universal". As Russ looked back at the buildings, he noticed they varied in structural design and building material with some looing older and made of stone. Russ ran through what intel the ESA had on Corneria city and concluded that this was the area known as Old Town a popular area for civilians to socialize and shop on the weekends. The area had two smaller districts within it called uptown and downtown with a lot of the seedier and cheaper apartment areas in downtown known for its booming nightlife, while uptown was known for its more upscale apartments, parks, theme park, and shops but more famously for being host to the Lylat Academy that Russ and Jacob would be attending.

As the craft lowered its altitude Russ's attention was captured by two pedestrians on a footbridge they were passing by. Where the rest of the foot traffic was moving quickly across the bridge in various directions these two individuals had stopped to stare up at their aircraft. Russ couldn't make out to many details about the individuals other than one was primarily grey colored while the other was white with shades of grey and long silver hair, both however were wearing Lylat Academy uniforms like what Russ and Jacob had on. Guessing that they were fellow students on their way to the academy Russ tried to discern more about them but before he could the dropship turned again to the landing pad and Russ lost sight of them. Deciding that he may well meet them later at the academy Russ readied himself as the dropship maneuvered into a hanger at the airport that was somewhat separated from the others, likely for VIPs.

"Head's up looks like we have a welcoming comity. Looks like they wanted you two dropped off in the hanger as a PR move" Emanuel warned over the intercom causing Russ to look over to jake before they both gave a nod and stood up as the craft touched down on the hanger floor before Russ donned a pair of shades while Jacob's glasses suddenly polarized just as the back ramp dropped open with a hiss of hydraulics. Grabbing a suitcase each that held the possessions they wanted on them the two made their way down the ramp and were immediately hit by the morning sunlight coming through the hanger doors and the warm summer Cornerian air. Turning to their right they saw a crowd of people by the exit door mostly reporters and camera personnel that were filming them while the reports spoke into the microphones about the human's appearance and arrival. Jacob and Russ were both temporarily put off by the vast variety of species that this somewhat small crowd hosted from cats and dogs of varying breeds to jungle cats and wolves, to pigs and horses, to birds with vibrant plumage, to snakes and lizards of vibrant and dull scale color the conflicting colors and appearances were a stark difference from human space which had one species with a generally similar appearance. Standing apart from the crowd and closer to the two humans were a pair of individuals flanked by four armed Cornerian Army personnel that both Russ and Jacob easily recognized as President Tabby and High Admiral Pepper waiting for them.

Russ and Jacob exchanged a quick nod in agreement before the two of them approached the waiting feline and canine. When they got within five feet of the pair the two humans stopped even as they felt and heard the dropship piloted by Emanuel take back off and leave the hanger, likely heading to the embassy. The two pairs of individuals stood off from each other each examining the other, both sides representing two different galactic powers suddenly thrust into contact with the other.

As Russ took in the two influential figures he noticed that despite their separate backgrounds and professions both the civilian politician Tabby and the military man Pepper both regarded them with a sense of cautious trepidation that they tried to hid behind a polite front. Tabby wore a dark grey business suit with a yellow flower pinned to her left breast that Russ noted looked eerily like a daffodil found on Earth. She had a grey that ended just above her knees and a pair of black four-inch heels that were made for digitigrade, a feature shared by the many shoes worn by the press behind her. Her light fur looked like it was well cared for and brushed along with her black hair on her head pulled back into a neat bun with a single bang falling past her right eye helping to frame her face and the pair of rectangular glasses that highlighted her light blue eyes that regarded them carefully. Although both humans noticed that despite the species difference the female tabby cat had the curves of a woman that took good care of herself that only seemed enhanced by her feline anatomy, although Jacob took note of this more than Russ but stopped himself from blatantly checking her out.

Pepper in contrast almost seemed relaxed in his posture of parade rest until one decided to lock eyes with the middle-aged hound and saw the steely resolve and calculating eyes that regarded the two 'former' enemies before him. Pepper wore his red dress uniform which included a cap, white gloves, red dress pants, and black boots and was decorated with his many military accolades and gold braiding and buttons.

On Tabby and Pepper's end, they had been dreading this meeting not knowing what to expect other than the arriving dignitaries' names and a very vague background of both individuals. Tabby was inwardly glad that she had been present when the Emperor had sent his message as it allowed her to somewhat prepare herself for the general human form that while somewhat similar to Lylatian also had different leg structure, ears, nose, and a lack of fur or tail that caused a few gasps from the reporters behind them. Still despite her preparations both she and Pepper took note of a few differences between the pair before them and the Emperor. For one it appeared humans also had different varieties of hair color much like Lylatians and different skin tones like Lylatians had different fur colors.

However, the biggest differences were in the build, posture, and bearing compared to the Emperor. When she had first seen the Emperor, she had noted he had an aristocratically thin yet elegant build, a firm and poised, but also a commanding bearing that demanded obedience. The two humans in front of her had much more variety with the bigger one having a seemingly relaxed posture that Tabby's analyzing eyes revealed to be coiled like a spring about to snap at the first provocation. The males and that is all he could be from his appearance, had a heavily muscular build especially in the upper body and arms that any Lylatian male would kill for despite some of it being hidden by the academy uniform he wore. The pair of tinted glasses he wore did not hide the feeling of his eyes as Tabby felt them roam her figure. She felt slightly uncomfortable from the fact that an alien was checking her out but couldn't help the small boost of pride that she was attractive enough that even an alien noticed. The second human was more of an enigma in comparison to the larger one. The smaller of the two humans had a slimmer build compared to his counterpart put was still rather muscular from what she could see despite the uniform. Unlike his ally, the smaller one was stiffer in posture and regarded the two with the bearing of someone on edge whether from being uncomfortable or aggressive Tabby didn't know.

The staredown lasted for only a couple seconds before Tabby stepped forward placing on her politicians' smile that showed off her pearly white fangs but caring smile. "Hello to the both of you, I am President Tabby elected leader of the Cornerian Government. Next to me is High Admiral Pepper of the Cornerian Navy and head of the military. Despite our species' first interactions, I thank you for choosing to come to our system and planet as the representatives of Humanity and the UEG. I speak for all of Lylat when I say welcome and I hope that this will mark the start of more peaceful exchange between our peoples" Tabby stated in a voice designed to carry over to the reporters behind her. The two humans glanced at each other in silent communication before the shorter one took a step forward.

"My name is Russel Leonard, I am the head representative of the United Earth Government, next to me is my fellow representative Jacob Hunt. We would like to thank you for… allowing us to finish our education on your planet. We hope to learn much during our time here and look forward to what your world and people can show us" the human replied with a pause as he looked for a more polite way of saying that the Cornerians had accepted the arrangement at gunpoint. Tabby raised a paw to shake hands with Russ and felt the odd leather-like texture of his hands and calluses. As Russel and Tabby shook hands the media began snapping photos while Tabby gave a pleasant smile and turn of the head to the cameras while Russ remained faced toward her though his eyes behind the black shades glanced at Jacob and Pepper's silent stare down before focusing back on Tabby as the two finished the gesture.

Pepper coughed to attract the pair attention "While I wish we had more time for pleasantries I'm afraid that representative Leonard is needed at the academy. The placement tests are beginning for the piloting program and we need to get there for him to take and be placed in the appropriate class."

Russ was confused about this before asking the High Admiral "I was not aware of any tests I would have to take today. What do these placement tests entail?" he asked wanting to know just what he was about to be thrust into.

Pepper seemed to give a halfhearted shrug "Yes we apologize about the lack of forewarning, but the tests are a still relatively new procedure. Because of the restructuring to both our society and education system, all students take a test at the beginning of each new school year to determine what class level to be put in that is appropriate for their skill level. The test is a simulated battle meant to test the pilot's applications or tactics, reactions, decision making, and general fighting prowess to determine their strengths and weaknesses along with their overall skill in relation to their peers" Pepper explained calmly.

Russel listened carefully before he gave a nod in understanding "Very well, will representative Hunt also be undertaking a similar test?" he asked.

Pepper nodded "Yes though that test doesn't take place for another two days and is a simulated firefight in one of our urban combat arenas" Pepper answered while shooting a glance at Jacob. "Of course to be fair to all participants he will be given standard student training armor and weapons for the tests. This was insisted by the Cornerian Council" both Russ and Jacob had to hide a scowl while Tabby seemed to fidget awkwardly at the blatant attempt to handicap the two humans attempt at the test and bot humans made a mental note that this council might be a problem in the future for them.

Russel nodded "Very well then if you'll take me to the testing center and then drop off my partner at the embassy we can finish our business today as I'm sure we both have other duties to attend to." Russel answered diplomatically. Tabby nodded "Right this way then" and quickly led them toward the exit doors while their guards made a path through the reporters and cameras who tracked their movement the whole way.

X Corneria Old Town district, Devil's Ghetto, two hours earlier X

If one were to describe Corneria Cities Old Town district it would be called charming by many, with its small shop's eateries and varying architecture and parks many found the district to be a pleasant relaxation area. This was not the case for the area within the Old Town district called Devil's Ghetto. The Devil's Ghetto was a housing block within the outskirts of the district that took more of the 'older' architecture look but mixed it with poor maintenance and upkeep to create the run-down slums the area now resembled.

The buildings were all either made with concrete or brick that had decades or grim coating their surface only interrupted by bright colors of graffitied names or expletives covering their exterior. The fronts of shops and tenements alike were barred with iron and stores advertised their wears with cheap neon placed well above graffiti range. The smell of garbage still barely contained within dumpsters in the various allies wafted out into the street until the public health department finally sent a truck or five to collect it once a month. The few plants that managed to grow in the area did so through the gaps in the cracked streets and sidewalks their thorny and prickly weed-like and tough appearance perfectly reflected the people that called the ghetto their home.

The sidewalks were only sparsely populated at this point with the majority of pedestrians being minimum wage workers going to work or street thugs swaggering around their turf trying to exchange what money they had for cigarettes or drugs from dealers in one of the allies. Most of the people that lived in the ghetto were actually what the politicians had dubbed cultural refugees. When Andross's virus had swept the Lylat system many people had lost their families, money makers, or parents. Thus many had moved to the cities to find work but with few skills, many had been forced to do minimum wage jobs or rely on government welfare checks to pay for their food and rent, though with the damage to its economy from the sudden loss of manpower and the need for massive government spending on the military meant there was only so much the government could set aside for welfare aid. Still, many living in the ghetto were managing to scrape by much in thanks to the street gang that ran the ghetto called the Hell Hounds.

The Hell Hounds were comprised mainly of younger refugees that had traveled from other planets hit hard by the virus to the more prosperous Corneria to flee from their own planets unrest. When the refugees first started arriving in the ghetto some of the local gangs had started mugging the refuges or squeezing them for money and protection. This kept happening until the arrival of refugees from Macbeth arrived in the ghetto. Because of the failed civil revolt that happened on Macbeth many of the refugees that arrived in the ghetto had combat experience and soon had organized together to form their own street gang calling themselves the Hell Hounds. The Hell Hounds were able to push out all other gangs and now ruled the Devil's Ghetto like their own private security force. Thankfully for the other refugee's the Hell Hounds had strict rules about not attacking or hassling their fellow residents and often went to other districts to squeeze money from other gangs to avoid Hell Hound's wrath. This money was sometimes given to landlords to pay for the rent of some of their tenants who were suffering from hard times. The Hell Hounds were not angels though by any means and had their paws in the drug and weapons trade with also having multiple businesses that functioned as fronts for their illicit activities. Still, the people didn't care so long as the Hell Hounds kept up their protection of the ghetto and didn't hassle its residents, who went about their day either just leaving for their jobs or sleeping off the hangover from the previous night at one of the many bars.

It was one such resident that found herself angrily smashing her alarm off to stop the blaring pain in her skull caused by its incessant ringing. After successful silencing, the alarm the arm retreated to back before pulling the covers concealing the arm's owner in their warm cocoon. As the black comforter fell away the sunlight streaming through the rooms single barred window revealed a female husky as she stretched her hands above her head with an annoyed groan. The husky wore a large white t-shirt several sizes too big that was large enough that it revealed her left shoulder and ended a quarter way down her thighs almost concealing the pair of black spandex shorts that ended just above her knees.

Blearily looking over at the time displayed by the clock face the husky huffed as she lethargically stood up and made her way to the bedroom's attached bathroom while doing her best to avoid various cloths and beer bottles spread around the floor. When she reached the bathroom she turned on the shower to a hot temperature before quickly discarding her clothes and stepping under the flowing water allowing the hot liquid to finish waking her up and soothing her aching muscles and easing her headache. After a twenty-minute show and washing her fur and hair she stepped out of the shower and after turning off the water and drying off. As she finished drying off and finishing her morning rituals she walked back into her bedroom casting her gaze around the room to the single bed and wardrobe to the various cloths and bottles scattered around the room before finally resting on the full-length mirror resting on the far wall. Making her way over she took stock of her figure reflected at her. Her silver hair, despite minimal combing, down her back to just below her waist with tufts coming out in various places that gave her a feral yet elegant mane that shined in the morning light with a portion at the front being brushed down to the left side of her face that covered her left eye. The majority of her face and front fur were white with light grey fur lining the edges of her face upper shoulders that she knew wrapped around her back before becoming a streak of black that ran from the tips her ears down below her hair and along her back to the end of her long bushy tail. Little patches of grey fur rested around her eyes contrasted by her black eye shadow and mascara. The rest of her body was what many would describe as sinfully alluring with an hourglass figure, perky, c-cup breasts with light pink areola, and wide hips that led to a pair of long fit legs and mouthwatering thighs that attracted a lot of attention. Yes, she knew that she was a hot piece of tail and she did enjoy flaunting what she had going for her. However while she enjoyed the attention she received she didn't particularly care for the times when males would try and take liberties and feel her up, so much so that she had taken steps to discourage people from getting to close.

Usually, her attire was her main weapon, wearing apparel that was a mix of skimpy and goth. Her usual outfit top was a dark grey sleeved frayed tank top with cut up edges ended well above her belly button exposing a lot of her flat stomach while also leaving her shoulders exposed. The shirt also had a slight cut in the front to show off a little more cleavage and held to her neck with a series of thin strings connected to her collar in the shape of a pentagram. Over that, she wore a blood-red leather jacket with a popped-up collar and studded spikes on the shoulder that she left unbuttoned. On her waist, she wore a pair of cut-up black leather shorts that barely reached a quarter way down her thigh completed with a red belt that matched her jacket. She also usually sported fishnet legging that went up to mid-thigh and ending in a pair of knee-high black leather three-inch platform boots with eight silver buckles running down them with attached metal plates along the front that made them perfect for kicking some creep in the groin if they still tried anything with her. Completing her usual outfit was a pair of black fingerless gloves and two small hoop ear piercings on her left ear. This outfit along with her near ever-present scowl and annoyed glare usually was able to convey the message look but do not touch.

Her attention however went to the features of her that she considered glaring imperfections. Her right ear had a bit missing on the outside edge that she had gotten during a scuffle with a different district gang. The other imperfection was one that was, unfortunately, one of her defining features and one many found appalling, and unfortunately were the eyes that stared back at the in the mirror. The eyes that stared back at her had silted pupils which were unusual for a member of the canine species but also had all-white iris and red sclera that made them look near demonic. Unfortunately, she had one of the most unique eyes in Lylat that had been the result of her cells getting infected by a chemical used by the Macbeth police as crowd control before she had jumped that dumpster fire for a ship heading to Corneria City. These eyes were unnerving enough on their own that when mixed with her abrasive and competitive personality made her nigh unemployable much less well thought of by a member of the general populace when they saw her.

Sighing in disproval she stopped her self-examination and glanced over at the outfit she had to wear today. Unlike her usual outfit, this one was much more 'socially acceptable' which was a given considering it was the female Lylat Academy uniform with some minor personalized changes. The jacket was the same design as the males with the exception that it was cropped and worn over a red tank top that she had cut a slit in the front to show off a little more cleavage and 'covered' with red lace between both sides. A black skit with a green belt a silver buckle and black three-inch boots were meant to complete the outfit but again her pride influenced her to add thigh-high black socks made that left the toe and hele exposed, not that you could tell with the boots on, and a pair of black fingerless gloves that ended around her mid-forearm.

Quickly dressing and deciding at the last moment to add her two ear piercings she took one last glance at the mirror before grabbing her bone-shaped cellphone, apartment keys, red handbag, and academy id before walking out the door and locking it.

"Hey Loona" a rough voice called from down the dreary and rundown apartment hall.

Loona turned and gave a playful grin to the lupin walking toward her in the male academy uniform with a red book bag thrown over his shoulder. "Well, well, look at you, Wolf. All dressed up for a date or are you just trying to impress me?" she teased with a raised brow while leaning forward slightly and tilting her hips.

While most males would fall for this taunt and take in the better view of her cleavage Wolf was by now used to her humor and did not even bother falling for the tease. Instead, he gave an annoyed huff before pulling at the collar of his red turtleneck "Yeah, right. I am forced to wear this stupid uniform the same as you. By the way, did you already grab a bite to eat?" he asked as he passed Loona who began to walk alongside him.

Loona gave an annoyed huff "Nah, just woke up from the bender last night. I will have to beat Teddy and Seymore's skulls in for throwing a party the night before the placement tests" she replied with an eye roll.

Wolf chuckled as they began to descend the stairs "I didn't see you complaining when you were on your fifth bottle."

"Hey, free booze is free booze!" Loona exclaimed while giving Wolf a playful shove with her elbow.

Wolf chuckled good-naturedly "Sure, sure, whatever you say sis."

"And don't you forget little pup" Loona gloated and slight grin before schooling her features as the two approached the door to the street "now let's get going can't be late and get put with rest of the slackers."

Together the two made their way outside their apartment before walking down the sidewalk toward the nicer part of town. Along the way, people gave them a wide birth until they crossed the road which served as a quasi-border between the Devil's Grotto and a more affluent part of Old Town where they were able to intermingle with the crowd. As the two walked Loona could not help but look around at the people surrounding them as they all made their way to either their jobs or one of the many stores or eateries that doted Old Town. She noted was the crowed was dominantly female but that was the case everywhere ever since Andross decided to turn all Lylat on its head.

Loona herself had been living with her parents on Macbeth when the virus hit. Before she had been going to an affluent high school like many other students whose families were like her father who had been working as a manager at a manufacturing plant. Back then Macbeth was a booming industrial center with admittedly poor pollution quality, but substantial workers benefits and salaries especially management. Unfortunately, management also was time-consuming and so Loona often only saw her father on the weekends and even then, only in the mornings before he left for a business conference. Her mother, bless her heart, had tried her best to raise her well by herself but with her job as a secretary at a law firm she too was often not home as much as she had wanted to be. These factors combined had led Loona to be very anti-establishment and hanging out with the 'punk' crowed at school.

Thinking back, she scoffed at how stupid she was back then thinking she and her friends were tough shit as the intimidated and bullied other kids at school and committed acts of vandalism to public and private property. Then Andross happened and everything she thought she knew was turned on its head. Her father and mother had both died from the start along with a lot of the predominantly male upper management. This led to many companies closing due to large portions of their management being wiped out, which of course then led to a lot of people that survived the virus to be out of a job and demanding the government for action. Loona had been out there with the protesters demanding action, she had lost her family and many friends so with no income and an already healthy hatred for the government it was no surprise that she stayed when the protests devolved into rioting.

The Macbeth government did of course than act, by deploying biological chemicals to disperse the crowds. From there it was anarchy as militant groups rose and began waging conflict against the government that had no issues responding by demolishing them with numbers and firepower. Meanwhile, the people who didn't take up arms against the government turned on each other in their desperation. Muggings and murder became commonplace as food and water became increasingly scarce. Loona had just recovered from the chemical attacks with her new eyes and was greeted by getting attacked inside her apartment in broad daylight by two guys who beat her to a pulp before raiding her pantry for her food and leaving. Loona had always believed she could handle anyone that came at her but she had not been prepared for the ruthlessness of the two men or the desperation of someone willing to die to beat her. That was when the reality of the situation hit her, she wasn't strong she wasn't powerful, she was just another bitch living alone that nobody gave a shit about.

This revelation caused her to gather what money she knew was around the apartment and her parents saving accounts and made her way to the spaceport to get the quickest ship off-world. Corneria was the obvious choice since it was both a major economic and industrial planet but also boosted a huge agriculture industry. On the way to the airport she had almost been attacked again but was aided by Wolf O'Donnell who was wandering the streets and saw her in a fight with the three attackers. Wolf had known her from school though they were not friends at the time still the Lupin had aided her and together they drove the three off. Loona and Wolf had caught up and Loona had learned that Wolf was homeless and both parents dead, his dad from Andross's weapon and his mom to conflict afterward. Loona had wanted to repay him and had asked him to come with her to Corneria. Wolf had agreed also wanting off-world and the two had stuck together ever since.

Loona had used her parents saving to get the cheapest apartment rooms she could find which happened to be in the Devil's Grotto and the two promised to watch each other's back. Wolf had managed to apply to the academy and convinced her to do the same when he revealed the academy was willing to give them a scholarship if they placed well enough in the placement tests. Loona had at first questioned Wolf what she should take before the lupin had convinced her to take the piloting program saying it had the best chances of getting her a decent career after graduation whether she went civilian or military. The two had then practically lived at a nearby civic center with a functioning simulator where Wolf had taught her as much as he could about flying. She still wasn't as good as him but they had discovered that she had a knack for flying and some good instincts that culminated in her placing within the top five percent of applicants to the academy freshman year and thus earning the full scholarship and some pocket money from a government that needed pilots.

Now here she was three years later about to take the placement tests for her senior year and walking next to someone who she considered her brother in all but blood. Many people had assumed over the years that she and Wolf were dating but the two had never seen each other that way but instead considered each other the only family they had. She was still somewhat a social outcast with her attitude, dress, and physical abnormalities still scaring many people off but she was one relatively good terms with some of the more open-minded people who understood her 'leave me alone and we have no problem' approach to social interaction. Wolf was also a social outcast though it was more with him disliking a lot of the student body for having 'easy' lives which while she believed was somewhat accurate she also knew that Macbeth and Corneria's situations were too different for it to be a fair comparison. Wolf had even found himself a rival in the form of Fox McCloud the son of the famous or infamous depending on who you asked James McCloud. The two competed to see who the best pilot was though both still had not reached the same level as their class president.

Loona shook her head to get herself out of memory lane and focused on the road in front of her as the two reached a bridge. Today's placement test needed her full attention since it was the most important test of her life. Not only was her scholarship at risk if she did not do well but everyone knew that the people in the top-level classes would get better-paying jobs. This was why everyone in this test would be putting their full effort into getting the top positions more so than any other test before. Loona had taken the placement tests for her other classes and done around average in many with ground combat being the exception thanks to her natural athleticism and fighting experience.

As they were halfway across the bridge Wolf suddenly looked up and left before stopping "What is that?" he asked in confusion as his eyes locked on something in the sky. Loona stopped as well and turned her head to look at what her friend was talking about and immediately located the object of his attention. Usually, the sky was busy with the traffic of both civilians heading to the spaceport or the industrial district and military craft heading to the airbase nearby. However, both Loona and Wolf were familiar with many types of both civilian and military craft which allowed them to know that the craft soaring through the sky above them toward the airport was something not made by any manufacturer they knew.

The craft itself was military in nature with an all olive-green paint job and some black markings that were too far away for them to make out. The craft itself was around the size of a dropship and bulky looking with armor along nearly every surface with multiple engine intakes along the top of the fuselage and near the wing base. The vacant weapon pylons and sensors at the front told them that while this craft was not armed it most certainly was made as a transport/gunship hybrid in mind. The ship had a unique engine noise based on the hum it was making which differed from what they were used to hearing from other similar designs.

As the two watched the craft line up for the spaceport both noticed an insignia along the tail that many in Lylat had become familiar within the last couple of years. The insignia was a golden eagle with two heads and wings outspread. The Imperial Eagle glinted in the sun before the craft lowered altitude and the two lost sight of it as it dipped below the city skyline.

Wolf suddenly spoke up "Oh yeah, they are joining us this year." Loona tilted her head in confusion before she remembered the news of Humanity sending representatives to attend the academy. Wolf nodded his head coming to some conclusion before turning and resuming his walk toward the academy. "This year is going to be interesting isn't it Loona?" he asked.

Loona retook her spot next to him and nodded "Yeah, it sure is."

AAAAAAAaaannnnnnnnndddddddd done! Man, that took forever to write but hey you guys get around nine thousand five hundred words of the story with no combat. So, in this chapter, I introduced almost all of the human dignitaries and some other characters from the Empire and Lylat as well as give some description of Corneria's capital. I know this likely does not match up to what's canon, but I like this version so deal with it. Also, yes some of you may recognize Loona from Helluva Boss and Cinder Fall from RWBY, as a heads up there will likely be other characters from outside content, I bring in so keep an eye out. Another reference is the dropship that the Humans use is the Pelican 77 from Halo version with no weapons. The Imperial Eagle is the same as the one from Warhammer 40K used by the Imperium. Don't know if any of you picked up on it earlier but yes, our main character of Russ is a combat clone of the Russel series.

So a quick thing about clones for any that are confused is that there are four types of humans in human space.

Pure humans are humans that are born naturally and have pure human features though they do have some genetic engineering to make them healthier and more physically appealing and powerful. Pure humans are rare since the wars have wiped out a good number of them and are mostly contained within the Sol System and the Corporate sphere.

Altered humans which haven't made too much of an appearance yet are born naturally like Pure humans but are given extra features through genetic modification either at birth or later in life. These features can be relatively minor like elf-like ears and animal ears to extensive to the point it barely looks human. They are for the most part a way of expression and are prominent in the outer colonies and corporate sectors from the wealth as the procedures are expensive to do. These people are regarded as slightly lesser than Pure humans but are still rather well thought of by everyone.

Clones make up the vast majority of the human population and of which there are two types, combat clones, and regular clones. Regular clones are meant to do menial tasks and function as general laborers. Normally regular clones have little to no personality until later in life and even then, those of the same clone series will have nearly the same personality. Clones such as these are not seen as people by Pure and altered humans but as laborers, though they can form families and have a life so long as they do their intended work. A Clone series is a way to describe clones created by a certain genetic sample and alterations. An example would be a car maker designating a certain make of their vehicle as an Extera and the year being 2017. Clones have similar designations with the make being the name Russel (often derived from the name of the individual the DNA was taken from) and the year is the number 713. The 7 would detail the batch of clones made by that genetic sequence and would be indicative of what genetic changes they did with that sample as they change it up based on technological advances and combat needs. The 13 would be when our Russ was created in the sequence of 100 clones of that batch. So the Designation Russ-713 is saying Russel variant, Seventh batch, unit 13. Combat clones have batches of 100 while Regular clones can have batches in the tens of thousands.

Combat Clones on the other hand are created for the sole purpose of a certain aspect of warfare and are a result of the staggering casualties taken by humanity and the need for better quality troops. Combat clones vary based on their intended purpose but generally all have enhanced strength, speed, agility, reaction time, and senses compared to a pure human and most altered. Like regular clones, combat clones have a little personality when first created but can rapidly develop diverse personalities the longer they live due to their vastly differing experiences. Many combat clones still have a hampered personality due to their professions and lack of social situation because of the populace distrusting of combat clones in general. Combat clones are viewed as clones with no purpose that can be a major threat to pure humans and altered who know that physically a combat clone shatters their superiority and worry of the potential of a clone uprising.

So about the government of Humanity in case, there was some confusion about it is that while technically the Earth Sphere Alliance or ESA is a republic of nations with the Emperor as its figurehead in practice the Emperor in question has so much power and recognition amongst the people he effectively is the ESA's dictator being able to control the ESA and outward territories to a lesser degree to his whims.

Anyway, until next time remember to stay frosty and don't forget to review.