Chapter 8 - Scavengers

Over the passing weeks, Fox settled into a routine to help him through the days. Rising early at dawn, he walked around the neighbourhood, learning more of his surroundings. He'd return to the house in time for breakfast. Next, he helped to fetch water for the day, even if he could only carry a small pail in his right hand. Fox would practice his Cerinian on the way with whomever he accompanied. Slowly, he became more confident in making small talk without his phrasebook.

After meeting their water needs, the last of the Sharrde family would set off for work, leaving Fox alone at the house. Krystal and her mother served as 'lythans' at the shrine where Fox first awoke in Kezamat. Their profession didn't have a Cornerian translation as far as Andross could determine. The simplest explanation that his book gave was that lythans are elite guardians who practiced medicine and magic. They spent their days training their bodies and psychic gifts so that they could protect their people in times of danger.

It was much easier to understand what Thalse did for a living. He was a high-ranking officer of the city guard; their second-in-command if Fox understood correctly. He often left home at first light to issue the day's orders to his subordinates. Thalse's job was long and demanding, yet he always came home to greet his wife and daughter with a loving embrace.

While their family was gone, Fox spent his solitary hours of the morning teaching himself how to read and write in Cerinian letters. Most days, Krystal came home to eat lunch with him. If Fox had come across a written sentence that he struggled to decipher, he'd ask for her help. She was always happy to lend it. After she left again, Fox retired to his room for a two-hour nap. That was the only thing enabling him to keep up with Cerinia's longer days.

In the afternoons, Fox studied Andross's phrasebook. As soon as Nomar got home, they practiced the new words that Fox had learned. She also picked up a few pieces of Cornerian in the process. They'd share a light afternoon meal and walk to the markets together to buy ingredients for dinner. Nomar would then teach Fox about her people's customs whenever they came across examples in the streets.

On the days when he was off duty, Thalse took her place in this role. It seemed odd to Fox how they each kept track of everything they had both taught him. He never received the same lesson twice. It almost felt like they were the same person wearing different skins, yet their personalities were obviously distinct from each other. Maybe it was just a telepath thing…

In the evenings, Fox spent his time relaxing until dinnertime. The Cerinians were a close-knit people, and mealtimes were important social activities. Fox rarely ate alone anymore, especially since it disappointed his hosts whenever he did so. Still, dinner was the only time that Fox spent with Krystal's family all at once.

If Fox allowed himself to forget that he didn't belong to their world and looked past the language barrier, it almost felt like he was one of them. It had been so long since he had last been part of a McCloud family dinner. Sharing these moments with Krystal and her parents made Fox feel closer to his own mother and father again; like they were with him in spirit. What he wouldn't give for the chance to introduce James and Vixy to these wonderfully kind people. It would make Fox happier than he could ever dream.

Fox had been in the middle of his reading session one day when the front door knocked. A second, impatient knock rattled it as Fox descended the staircase. "I'm coming!" he called in Cerinian. "Jackass," he then muttered in Papetoonish.

Perhaps he should have shouted both statements in Cornerian, for it was Andross whom Fox found defiling the front step. His assistant, Thene, stood behind him. Both were kitted with large packs over their shoulders. None of them wasted time with pleasantries.

"It's time to go," Andross stated.

"Didn't think to call ahead of time?" Fox grumbled. "I'm in the middle of something."

"Your reading lesson is not an urgent task," Thene challenged evenly. Fox glowered at her. The woman must have read his mind before they showed up to bother him. 'Great. The one Cerinian who knows a language that I fully understand, and she's in cahoots with the man I most want to throw off a cliff.'

Andross threw a spare pack at Fox's feet. It was smaller than either of theirs. "What's in here?"

"Water and food rations. You're welcome," Andross huffed. "Now come along. We need to find your ship while we still have daylight."

'Oh, yes,' Fox fumed. 'Today's the day we butcher my Arwing. How lovely.' He glanced suspiciously at Thene. How much of his mind was she reading right now? For all he knew, she could be relaying his every thought to Andross telepathically. "Give me a minute to leave a message for Krystal."

"I have already prepared one for you." Andross pulled a scrap of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Fox. He could only read three quarters of the words. Fox did not mask his disdain as he went to place the note where Krystal would find it in an hour's time. He then slung the pack of supplies over his shoulder and followed Andross.

After leaving the city, Andross unrolled a map of the region. Fox did his best to recall where exactly his Arwing fell. Unfortunately, he had trouble spotting the clearing he landed in on the chart. He should have thought to bring Krystal along. She'd have known which path the Cerinians carried him after saving his life. Rather than go back for her, Andross instructed Thene to pull the memories from Fox's mind.

"I recognise the clearing," she told them. "The ship landed north-north-west of it."

They followed a game trail through the forest. Fox felt stupid as his eyes darted fretfully around them, looking for any sign of an ordus like the one that attacked him when he first arrived on this planet. The most dangerous scientist in the galaxy was walking barely five feet in front of him, and Fox was more afraid of a bear with psychic powers. It was ridiculous. Yet, Fox held his fingers to the grip of his blaster and his gaze firmly to the trees.

'Damn it, Fox! Get it together!' Even Andross couldn't be crazy enough to risk them falling prey to wild animals. He probably had his assistant surveying the area with her mind. 'Hopefully, she knows how to use that staff as well as Krystal does.'

"There is no need for you to handle your weapon, Mister McCloud. I assure you that I'm more than capable of driving off an ordus."

Fox flinched as he heard Thene inside his head. She leered over her shoulder with a narrowed eye. In it, he saw confidence in her abilities, as well as the threat to his life should his blaster point anywhere near either her or Andross. Fox frowned. He slowly released his weapon.

After an hour, the trail led them to the clearing. The seat from Fox's Arwing still dangled from the tree where he left it. "I see that you had quite a rough landing," Andross remarked.

"Wasn't my best," Fox grumbled. "How was yours?"

"Worse, I'd say. I lost consciousness after my ship landed in a river. Some hunters barely pulled me out through my broken windscreen before I drowned."

'Should have left you in there,' Fox thought. "Is any of this useful to us?"

"The parachute, perhaps. The seat, itself, remains to be seen," Andross scratched his chin. "We'll come back for it all in due time."

From that point onward, they walked off from the beaten track and pushed into the wilder forest. Branches scratched at Fox's arms and legs as he pushed through. His new clothes seemed to hold up against the onslaught without tearing on anything. The light material felt like cotton. It was strong, breathable, and comfortable on Fox's fur. Krystal had done well to pick it out for him.

Since they still didn't know the Arwing's precise location, they relied on Thene's abilities yet again. Fox wasn't sure how she planned to find the ship, and neither she nor Andross showed any intent of explaining it to him. It made him wonder what the point of him coming out here was. All that he had done so far was lead them in the correct, general direction.

Fox spent his time glaring at Andross's back. Something tickled in his brain, eventually making its way to his tongue. "How did you survive on Venom?"

Andross glanced over his shoulder without stopping. "I beg your pardon?"

"When you were banished there, you should have died from exposure. How did you survive long enough to build an army?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose from Corneria's perspective, what I achieved should have been impossible. It certainly did earn the respect of many of my soldiers. Made them believe that anything was possible if they followed my lead."

"You haven't answered my question," Fox growled.

Andross made a contemptuous noise. "Very well. Since our working relationship needs to be built on trust, I shall tell you. Normally, a typical mammal is expected to survive on Venom for up to four hours without life-support equipment. Some species can last for more or less than that, depending on various factors. Only lifeforms native to Venom can breathe there without concern. In all other cases, exposure to the planet's atmosphere can adversely affect the body from as early as the first hour."

Fox hadn't asked for a science lesson. Where was Andross getting at with this? "How long were you actually on Venom?"

"Four hours, 37 minutes. The Cornerians gave me an oxygen mask when they dropped me onto Venom. They waited for the three-hour supply to run out and then left. After they were gone, a lone ship slipped behind them and rescued me."

"Who flew it?"

"My sister, Anna. She and her husband abandoned their lives on Corneria to save mine. They took me to MacBeth, where Corneria's influence was weaker, and cared for me while I recovered. Were either of them still alive to this day, I would not be telling you any of this."

Fox chewed on this information briefly. The explanation was more mundane than he expected. "Why did you go back to Venom after that? Why build your army's home base on the planet that almost killed you?"

"Perhaps I saw it as ironic justice against Corneria. Honestly, I can't tell you the answer for certain." Andross breathed a sigh that Fox thought sounded anguished. "I believe that being exposed to Venom's toxins permanently altered the chemistry of my brain. I cannot say how much of my thoughts were sound or fuelled by sickness. After uploading my mind into this clone body on Titania, where the air was clean… I've felt my thoughts become clearer than they'd been in many years."

"Is that supposed to make me believe you've changed?" Fox clenched his fist. "New body, new me? Is that how you think it's supposed to work? Well, it doesn't! You committed horrible crimes before you were exiled. That's the whole reason you were sent to Venom in the first place! Or are you going to tell me you weren't thinking straight, either, when you blew up half of Corneria City and let your bioweapons run loose?!"

Andross stopped and turned suddenly on Fox. His incisors ground together inside a livid snarl. "What happened on that day was an accident! The Catalyst was not my fault!"

"Liar!" Fox shouted. "General Pepper ordered you multiple times to stop your experiments, but you didn't listen."

"Every single one of my research projects was fully sanctioned by the military!" Andross refuted. "My creations were supposed to benefit the Lylat System, not destroy it! But a malfunction in the containment cells set them all loose before we could fix their behavioural defects."

Andross turned away from Fox. His breath vented heavily. "We were testing our warp gate prototype. The creatures broke into the laboratory and charged into the gate. It scattered them across the system. The gate was then damaged in the chaos and overloaded, causing the explosion. That was what actually happened that day."

"You seriously expect me to take your word over General Pepper's?" Fox crossed his arms.

"Of course, Pepper would give the version of events as you've heard it!" Andross scoffed. "Do you really think that the army would admit that a pack of unfinished experiments rampaged across the system all because of an accident? That millions of people were killed, and entire cities destroyed, because of a single mishap? No! The government wanted to protect their own asses! They needed a scapegoat, and I was the one they chose!"

"And because of that, you started a war that killed even more people?!" Fox raged.

"After I was then poisoned on Venom; yes!" Andross shouted back. "I dedicated my entire life to improving the lives of our people. I cured diseases. I ended famines. I even transformed Fichina into a place that didn't snap-freeze a man the second he stepped outside! But after I was blamed for that disaster, everyone forgot about all the good I've done for them. To them, I became as you see me: a madman; a murderer; a monster!"

He stepped closer to Fox, jabbing a finger in front of his nose. "Put yourself in my shoes for five seconds and tell me that you wouldn't have been furious. That you wouldn't have wanted revenge for having everything taken from you, including your family, your success, and your dignity! Because that is exactly what I have had to live through for the last twenty years!"

Andross seethed. "I declared war against Corneria because their selfishness destroyed my life. I swore to burn down everything that was broken in our system and build a better one over the ashes. Now that my mind is clear again, I am not proud of some of the methods that I used. But I am never going to apologise for trying to punish the regime that betrayed me first."

It surprised Fox that he was unable to speak. Andross huffed. "Still don't believe a word I've said? Ask your lady friend. She can read my mind for you." With that, Andross walked away. He brushed past Thene, who witnessed without expression from a short distance.

For the next few minutes, Fox could only follow in silence. Andross's words rumbled around his brain. If there was any truth to his claims, what did that make of the Lylat Wars and the events that led up to them? Fox's thoughts centred on his father's murder. Twisted beyond a reasonable mind or not, Andross was still responsible for that sin. Fox's hatred for the man was unchanged in that respect. Yet for so much else… Fox was no longer sure. If cloning himself had erased the damage done by Venom's air, what kind of man did that make Andross now? Fox didn't have a clear answer.

"Why did you come here to Cerinia?" he eventually asked.

Half a minute passed before Andross gave a response. "After the war, Corneria kept a close watch on Venom, as well as our strongholds on other planets. My remaining soldiers were forced into hiding to avoid capture. It became apparent that I couldn't rally a new army under such surveillance. So, I left the Lylat System to continue my efforts elsewhere."

"You just gave up and abandoned your troops?" Fox bared his teeth in disgust.

"It was a strategic withdrawal. I haven't given up. My goal is to bring the entire galaxy under my one rule. It doesn't matter which solar system I start from. Lylat will become mine eventually. I've entrusted my followers to hold the line until I returned."

"But you ended up stuck here. You still haven't told me why you picked Cerinia of all places to run off to."

"Rumours of the planet reached me during my career. I was researching terraformation at the time, so I became intrigued. The Balven System's aversion to Cerinia also made it an ideal place to continue my work in secret. I thought the planet's unique dust particles could be useful to me."

"Let me guess. You got sucked in while you went fishing for it?" A cruel smirk twisted Fox's lips. Andross grunted tersely. It was close enough to an admission for Fox. "I'm surprised you didn't make one of your lackeys risk their necks for you instead."

"I came to the Balven System alone. I could hardly remain inconspicuous with armed soldiers at my back."

"Oh, really? So, what do you then call the Venomian dreadnaught that my squad found lurking around the planet's orbit?"

Andross raised his brow at Fox. "I know nothing about that. If my men followed me here, it was on their own volition. It has been years since I've last made contact with the outside world."

"You couldn't have radioed for help?"

"The dust in Cerinia's atmosphere insulates the radio waves; and my subspace communicator was destroyed by its radiation. I have no way to repair the device. I'm doubtful it would even work through the cloud cover. We're completely cut off from the outside."

"I see." Fox stared off into the trees. His ears drooped. "It… must have been lonely down here."

"The first few months were… challenging…" Andross said in a quiet voice. "But I have since made do with the company that I have found." Thene looked towards Andross as he spoke. A tender smile touched her lips.

There became a change in the forest around them. Trees laid against their neighbours with broken trunks. Shattered branches littered the ground, leading towards a deep scar carved into the soil. Fox discovered broken wings of steel semi-buried amongst the destruction. A pit opened inside his heart. It knew what laid ahead. Fox wasn't sure if he was ready to see it.

Thene led them to the corpse of Fox's Arwing. Earth caked its dented hull. Its afterburners were shattered and scorched. Only a single wing remained attached to the body. Fox wept at the sight of his beloved ship. It once again drove home the fact that he was trapped on Cerinia. Any other vessel that tried to rescue him would end up just like this.

Without its canopy, the cockpit became filled with half a tonne of soil from the crash. Andross unhooked a shovel from his pack and began digging the debris out. He soon brushed his hand over the control panel. The surface was cracked. Most of the monitors were broken.

"Just as I suspected," Andross hummed. "We're going to need to repair some of the hardware, but we should be able to recycle everything."

Fox peered in from the other side of the ship. "You think we can get her up and running again?"

"Not without replacing the G-Diffuser parts. The Cerinians haven't discovered the required elements for that yet." Andross removed the dashboard with a screwdriver. An acrid stink wafted out as he pried it off. Andross then held a light crystal over the wiring. Fox saw melted circuit boards among the mess.

Andross moved to the back of the Arwing. "Engine appears to still be mostly intact. If we modify it to use another fuel source, we could make a generator out of this."

"Doctor, have a look at this," Thene called. She indicated for Andross to inspect the ship's hull. Fox looked down at a section near himself. All he saw was dirt and scratches in the paint.

"There is dust all over the body," Thene explained. "It's not the colour of that you would find here on the surface."

Andross nodded. "You're correct. It's pink. This must have come from the upper atmosphere." He returned to his pack to retrieve a brush and glass jar. "Here," he said as he handed both to her. "Collect as much of it as you can into this. Don't waste anything." Thene promptly set to sweeping the dust into the bottle.

"Should I be doing something?" Fox asked as he began to feel ignored.

"Just stay out of the way until we're finished," Andross waved him off without looking in his direction. Fox glowered. However, with one arm still in a sling, there wasn't a whole lot he could practically do here. He went to sit upon a nearby rock, where he watched the other two work.

After a tedious and boring hour, Andross and Thene each had an inch of pearl dust in their jars. Andross put them both away carefully. Then he pulled out his map and marked their location. "That will have to do for today. We'll take back some of the electrical wires and return for the rest when we have more people."

"You didn't bring more along for this today?" Fox criticised.

"Chief Gylis owes me a favour for the work I've done for him. He will lend me men to transport the parts, but only for a few days. I preferred not to waste any of that time until we found the ship and I could assess its condition."

"I hope you don't expect me to help when I've got this to deal with," Fox said flatly. He held up his broken arm.

"Don't worry. You've served your purpose to me for now. Feel free to spend your time focusing on your recovery. I'll call on you again when you're no longer dead weight to anyone."

"Go to hell, Andross. And stay there."

Fox sat with Krystal's family around the low dining table. A pot of stew stood in the centre for everyone to help themselves, alongside bowls of roasted vegetables and fluffy couscous. Fox had helped prepare the latter of the lot. Tonight, he finally managed not to ruin it with clumps or too much seasoning. He had joked to Nomar that he could now make the dish with one arm tied behind his back.

However, his jovial mood fell away during dinner. As the others talked among themselves, Fox's thoughts turned back to his conversation with Andross. Nothing that ape had said made Fox forgive him for his actions. Yet, hearing Andross's side of the story behind the Catalyst disaster left an uncomfortable feeling inside Fox's gut. He couldn't get rid of it.

"Fox," Thalse spoke, startling him. "Is something bothering you?"

Fox realised it had been a long time since he had last taken a bite. "It's nothing. Please don't worry about it." He shoved a spoonful of stew into his mouth.

"Does it have something to do with the time you spent with Doctor Andross today?" Nomar asked.

Swallowing, Fox let out a sigh. 'Fighting a losing battle here, McCloud.' He decided to just get it out and over with. "Andross and I talked while we were out in the forest. I asked him how he survived his exile on Venom. We ended up talking about why he was sent there to begin with."

"And?" Thalse prompted when Fox stalled.

"I always thought Andross caused the disaster on Corneria by disobeying orders. Everyone thought that he put his own ambitions before their safety. But… it turns out that Andross didn't do anything wrong. He was just blamed for an accident."

Thalse nodded in understanding. "It must be hard to believe something for so long and then learn that the truth was something else."

"It doesn't change what Andross did later, though," Fox stared into his food. "It doesn't matter if he was innocent or not. He still chose to go to war with Corneria. He is still guilty of the crimes he committed. And yet… Knowing that Andross didn't start down that path by his own choice… and lost everything he loved… I feel…"

Fox squeezed his eyes shut, thinking hard. "What's the word for it?" Nomar gave him the translation for his emotions. "Pity… I feel pity for Andross."

"Pity is a sign of compassion," Krystal said beside him. "It shows that you now understand Andross a little better."

"I'm not sure if it's right for me to pity him, though," Fox sighed. "He's caused so much pain and destruction during the war. I still can't forgive him for killing my father." He looked to Nomar. "Is any of what Andross said true?"

"It was Randorn who examined Andross's mind," she answered. "I'm afraid you would need to ask him."

That didn't help Fox right at that moment. "It doesn't matter," he sighed. "Feeling pity for Andross feels like I'm insulting my father's memory. It doesn't sit right with me."

Krystal and her parents looked to each other sadly. Thalse crossed his arms, closing his eyes in deep concentration for a few minutes. "Fox," he said at last. "I have thoughts on this, and I'll try to explain them so you can understand. Please forgive me if what I say is not clear."

Fox nodded. This whole conversation was pushing his Cerinian vocabulary to its limit. "Andross's actions during that war were evil, I agree," Thalse continued. "However, since he arrived here, Andross has done us no harm. Instead, he has helped us. Our city now runs clean water to more homes every year. Andross also taught us how to build strong houses that keep us warmer during winter."

"And he has taught us new ways to treat illnesses," Nomar added.

"Even though we know he has done terrible things, Andross has also done many good things while he has lived in the city," Thalse went on. "Do you think, Fox, that Andross is only able to destroy?"

Fox's gaze hung low. "When you say it like that… No, he isn't."

"Do you think, then, that Andross is able to change for the better? That he might one day choose to continue helping people instead of harming them?"

"I don't think he plans on changing," Fox muttered. "He said it himself. Once we return home, he wants to try taking over the galaxy again."

Thalse nodded sadly. "I see. Perhaps that might change one day. It could be that what you are now feeling can be used to find common ground with Andross. I'd like to hope that being appreciated for his efforts might persuade him to reconsider his goals. He might then become able to let go of his pain and seek peace instead."

"And if he doesn't, I'll be there to stop him." Fox turned his attention back to eating. They did not speak further about Andross. Soon, Fox felt a tap inside his thoughts.

"May I talk with you?" Krystal asked.

"Sure."

"Are you okay?"

Fox had to consciously think of the Cerinian words to answer her. A small smile formed on his face. "I'll manage. You don't need to worry about me."

"You can always talk to me if you want to."

"Thank you. I just need to think about this some more. There's a lot that I'm not so sure about right now."

Krystal's tail flicked to briefly brush Fox's. "Okay. I'll be here to listen whenever you need me."

"I appreciate that, Krystal."

Her gentle touch brought a small amount of peace to Fox's troubled thoughts. He looked at the faces of the family around him. His worries slowly began to recede. Communicating with them was getting easier; and talking about things with them made his problems easier to deal with. Once again, Fox was grateful for their kind hearts and ears. He'd have probably gone as mad as Andross by now without them.