Star Fox: Providence

Chapter 1: Neo Star Fox

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With a mechanical whirr, the Arsuit that Marcus had hopped into buzzed to life. It was a bit of a standard model he'll admit, but it was better than being confused by too many functions that he couldn't keep track of. Besides, that's something Slick would do, anyhow… Or maybe Janet. Either way, he's got less things to worry about than his Arsuit. Duty was calling, as his team was waiting on him. Flipping a few switches to initiate the visual aid and the LLS, the Blue Fox then opened up his Comms. Instantly, his teammates' face cams would appear around the corners of his square visual aid screen. In the top right, Neo Star Fox's Ace Pilot, the reckless, if a little slow-on-the-uptake, Zachary. That's it. Zachary. No last name. Zac, for short. The Wolf Cornerian would notice the Blue Fox staring at him, before raising an eyebrow.

"You got somethin' to say to me?" The Wolf asked, an air of indignation around him. Marcus immediately took his eyes off his screen; He'd need to keep Zachary in a good mood if he wanted this mission to go smoothly. As soon as he took the focus off of the Wolf, the Pilot leaned back in his cockpit, as if to relax. Looking towards Daniel Toad, or, as they nicknamed him, 'Slick.' Or, well, it's less that they nicknamed him and more like he just gave himself the nickname. But, it seemed to stick, so they just went with it.

"Ya lookin' good there, pardner?" He'd ask in his heavily played up Cowboy accent. The Captain could only wish now that Slippy didn't let Slick watch so much TV; He's just imitating all those western shows that cropped up on the channels. Maybe he thinks it makes him look tough, but, in Marcus' personal opinion, the guy was about as threatening as a teddy bear. Adjusting his cowboy hat, the Fox finally brought his attention to Janet Hare. Though 'Tomboy' would be an exaggeration of her, she certainly is a lot more pushy and, even in some cases, reckless than Zachary. Of course, she is usually a lot more level headed than probably any of them combined, but that just seems to hide the veneer of someone who feels like they're the 'equalizer' of the group. Which, in many cases, she is. When Falco isn't there to break it up with his sheer presence, Janet usually uses her sheer brute force to calm everyone down. And, to her credit… It works.

"Well? It's not like we were called to sit around and do nothing, Captain." Janet reminded, scratching one of her floppy ears. Nodding, Marcus initiated the take off sequence, as the doors to the Fox Hunt's hangar opened up.

"This is Marcus McCloud in the AR-VULPES, about to take off!" Marcus announced, before his teammates weren't far behind.

"This is Zachary. Me and the AR-LUPUS are about to take off."

"Slick here! AR-BUFON is prepped and ready to rumble!"

"I'm ready- I mean, Janet Hare, piloting the AR-LEPUS, is ready for take off."

With an appreciative nod, Marcus finally pressed a few buttons signaling the U-ROB inside to activate the Arsuit launcher. After an affirmative was sent their way, the group felt a sudden jerk as they were then slingshot into the action from the bottom of the Class-Z Dreadnaught Ship they've called home for the past few months. The Foxhunt clearly shared similarities to the Great Fox in terms of model, but in terms of technology, it vastly outclasses the outdated Class-V Freighter.

The crew were nearly shot right into the action; Apparently, some fighters were detected outside the orbit of Titania, and when they were approached by the Cornerian Army, they opened fire. The battle was going fine until the Cornerian Fleet identified a Arsuit in their midst. Unknown model and make, presumably custom done. So far, though, none of the team could gain a visual on the Arsuit.

"Alright, Neo Star Fox, this is Marcus speaking. Clearly, this battle's looking rough. Slick, what do you think?" The fox brought up Slick's comms. The Toad was clearly analyzing the battlefield intently, despite the latent chaos going on in front of them. After a few seconds, Slick seemingly got something… Only for Zachary to charge in, pulling out two metal tubes from his suits' hips. With the squeeze of his metallic hands, the tops of the tubes would produce a short, if deadly light yellow plasma blade. Similar in length to a shortsword, both Plasma Cutters were instantly put to work, as Zachary began to plow through the enemy fighters. Though their plasma shots fired right at the AR-LUPUS, Zachary wouldn't seem to register it, as he was slicing through fighters faster than they could hit him.

His crew watched from afar, kind of stunned at the sign of almost suicidal recklessness, even if it was commonplace for the wolf. Slick was the first one to react, as he began to growl in annoyance. Putting the thrust on his boosters, his suit rocketed forward. Despite not having as much armor as a standard Arsuit, the AR-BUFON more than made up for it with its incredible speed, as well as other qualities. Reaching towards it's back, the BUFON got a grip on the small Plasma Repeater, before getting a grip on the handle on it's side. Aiming down the sights, he began to let loose, the weapon spreading its plasma rounds into the fray of enemies. While it was a definite 'spray-and-pray' moment for the Toad, he didn't really seem to mind.

"ZACH, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STAND BACK AND LET ME PLAN FIRST BEFORE YOU GO OFF AND FUCK AROUND, DAMMIT!?"

"You took too long."

"YEAH! BECAUSE I NEED TO THINK!"

"Well, think faster." The wolf retorted, which only seemed to aggravate the toad. All the while, the two remaining crew mates were left behind to watch the battle progress. Marcus froze up a bit; He was supposed to be leading them, and, already, they've flown off without even acknowledging he was present. Feeling disappointed, he barely noticed the shaking of his Arsuit until it made his head hit the metal interior of his cockpit.

"Hey! Cap! I've got an idea." Janet yelled, shaking the AR-VULPES around for all it's worth. Turning to Janet's Arsuit, she'd hold a hand out.

"... A handshake, Janet…?" The fox reached his hand out, before Janet shook her head over the comms.

"No, stupid. Fastball special." She calmly stated, before Marcus blinked. Wasn't he supposed to be the ones making orders? Ah, it's too late for that now, anyhow. With a sigh, Marcus grabbed Janet's heavily armored hand, before he began to activate his thrusters, turning them sideways to generate torque between him and the rabbit. After a few rotations, he'd time it just right, before throwing Janet straight into the action! And into a few of the Cornerian fighters. Shit. The explosions and screeching of metal that accompanied the toss only made Marcus dread what Falco was gonna say about this. Man, this mission is not going good.

And it only got worse when a Cornerian Fleet member hopped onto the Comms.

"An enemy has been spotted." They said in a usual stilted demeanor. Grrrrreat. Marcus decided now was the best time as any to join the fray, and put his thrusters into high gear. Just in time too, as, from above, a pair of mechanical feet smashed into his Arsuit's back, disorientating the captain and thrashing him about his cockpit. Nothing serious, thankfully, just minor pain and confusion. Of course, the Arsuit that had appeared seemed to be of the 'SHOGUN' type. A bit primitive in terms of Arsuits today, but it seems to be severely modified to make up for it's technological inadequacies. Plasteel Armor was plastered over various bits of its usual Light Steel frame, along with a few G-Thrusters placed upon it's back. As well, the shield seems to have been replaced with a CPW-M-#042 Plasma Buckler. The Gun still remained the same, albeit, with an elongated barrel and longer clip. The ammo, however, seemed to be Cornerian Plasma Rounds. Unlike standard Fighter blasts, if one of those hits them, it can lead to some irreparable damage if they know how to aim.

With it's surprise attack done, the Shogun immediately aimed it's rifle towards Marcus' teammates and began to open fire. Luckily for all of them, the surprise attack alerted them to the fact that it had appeared when Marcus began to bounce around his cockpit like a bouncy ball on the comms. Immediately, Slick began to open fire, with Zac focusing in on the intruder. Janet, as well, began to fly forward, though her Arsuit was much more heavily armored than that of Zachary's. With the wolfs superior speed, the LUPUS managed to clash both Plasma Cutters into the Buckler, causing them to rebound, allowing the Shogun to press it's rifle up to Zachary's cockpit. Though the trigger was nearly pulled, Zachary was saved by Janet's suit ramming into the Shogun's, knocking it off balance, allowing for Marcus to get a few shots in with his Vulcan Handcannon. Though the opportunity was slim, a plasma round managed to hit its target, straight into its shoulder. Though it was off by a few inches, had it hit, his arm would've been done for. The Shogun boosted upwards, away from the crew, before hoping to open fire on them. Thankfully, Slick was on the case, and opened fire right at it's rifle, reducing it to a bunch of melted slag in seconds.

With its main weapon out of commission, the Shogun reached for it's back and pulled out a Plasma Axe. Booting the weapon up, the plasma exuded by it would soon take the shape of a blade, before it activated it's G-Thrusters straight at Slick. Though the AR-BUFON was known for its speed, the distance and the time didn't even give the toad a chance, as the axe cleaved right through the middle of the BUFON's waist. Seemingly satisfied, the Shogun turned to look at the other pilots, seemingly unaware of the subtle 'Click' noise that occurred behind it. Instantly, two metallic arms wrapped under the Shogun's arms, putting it in a Full Nelson hold. Struggling in vain, the Shogun dropped it's weapon in an attempt to pry the toad off of it, but, alas, it was too late, as Zachary's mech sped forward.

"Wait, Zac-!" Marcus yelled out, as Janet sped towards the both of them.

"Dammit Zachary, don't you dare do anything stupid! I'll beat the shit out of you if you do, I swear!" Janet yells, before Zachary scoffed. Activating the built in Pile Drivers he had on both of his arms, he'd rocket forward, arm held out in front of him, before he eventually strikes the chest of the Shogun with his fist first, before the steel spike would shoot forth. Impaling itself in the chest of the Arsuit, the mech would spark a bit, as Zachary's eyes would widen a bit.

"Shit, I think I hit the G-Engine."

"OH MY GOD-!"

"GODDAMMIT ZACAHARRYYYYYYY-"

"Mission's Complete, I guess-" The wolf shrugged, before the Shogun erupted into a gigantic ball of unstable energy. One of the many reasons why you should never strike a Arsuit in the engine. Marcus would watch the fireball envelop the entire battlefield, taking out a good chunk of the fighters, Cornerian and Not… Before slamming his head on the control panel in front of him.

"Son of a bitch, Zachary." He grumbles, before his screen goes black. After loading, the results finally pulled up.

SIMULATION ALPHA-GAMMA COMPLETE

MARCUS MCCLOUD

RATINGS:

TEAMWORK [3/5]

COMBAT EFFICACY [2/5]

LEADERSHIP [1/5]

TEAM RATING: 4/10

With a hiss, the Simulation pod opened from the top. The first one to hop out of said pod would be the wolf himself, already unzipping his Compression suit down to a comfortable level, around his mid-chest. Damn things were so uncomfortable. As soon as the others began to climb out, though, was when the shit started. Slick grabbed his cowboy hat and lobbed it at Zachary, who caught it with relative ease.

"Gods, you absolute tool! Do you even realize that if that were real life we'd be dead!? DEAD! As in, not coming back!" Slick berated, as the wolf rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, it's not real life. Get over it. If it wasn't for me, anyways, that Shogun probably would've escaped and you would've lost." Zachary retorted, as Janet hopped out of the pod, looking just as pissed.

"Yeah, but we'd be a lot less dead because of that! Do you even know where the G-Engine is!? It's! ALWAYS! IN! THE! RIGHT! SHOULDER! IN! OLDER! MODELS!" Janet clapped to emphasize her words more, which only served to annoy Zachary. Crossing his arms, Marcus finally emerged out of his pod.

"Well, if you ask me, then we need to work on our communication for sure. And, to be fair, if Zachary wasn't as… Fast on the draw, he probably would've hit a concise strike that would've stopped it." Marcus logically pointed out, which elicited a growl from Janet.

"Are you seriously siding with the guy who single handedly-"

"Completed the mission and took down the main threat?" Zach interrupted, which earned him a horrifying death glare from Janet. Even the wolf had to look away in fear a bit from the pure, murderous aura she put off.

"No, no, what I'm suggesting is some better coordination! I'm taking no one's side here, because there is no 'side' to take!" The captain refuted, but that seemed to make the situation worse, with Zachary snorting in laughter.

"'Coordinate Better' my ass! You tossed Janet like a goddamn baseball, you call that coordination!?" Zachary cackled, before Slick's head almost turned a tomato-red in anger.

"Well maybe some people should let me strategize before they charge in and start swinging because that's my job! Gods, you're so irritating! You're like a child!" The toad yelled, before Zachary bared his teeth. The toad was already getting on his nerves with his constant screeching, he didn't need him telling him what he is and isn't.

"Well, maybe you should just let me do my own thing, huh!? If you guys hadn't interfered, I would've-"

"Been reduced to swish cheese by the fucker, you ungrateful bastard!" Janet completed the sentence for Zachary, before the two of them hopped from their pods down onto the floor. Approaching each other, they literally and figuratively butt heads, as Marcus and Slick watch from the sidelines, terrified of what would happen if they interfered. The stand off lasted for what felt like hours, before Marcus finally had the chutzpah to finally say something.

"Can we please just calm down before Falco gets here…?" The fox suggests, though his plea fell upon deaf ears, as the two were sizing each other up, steam coming out of their nostrils. Before a full-on fight between the two could break out, though, the door into the training room would open up.

Falco Lombardi. Considered a legendary pilot, even more so than Fox McCloud, and that guy defeated Andross for the gods sake! After the Corneria-Anglar War had concluded, the blue falcon all but seemed to disappear off the grid, presumably to train his flying skills somewhere that wasn't just the Lylat System. Though it's unknown what had occurred during his time out of the system, it clearly left its mark on the Cornerian. Standing where his old left leg used to be was a brass prosthetic. And, hidden under his triangle shade glasses lies a rather nasty cut mark, from the bottom of the right eyebrow to the top of his cheek. Though his eye was impaired, it didn't stop him from being a fantastic pilot, even after all this time. So, it was surprising when he came down to Corneria of all places to the defense of Zachary during his trial. When it was concluded, however, Falco took the wolf under his wing, training him in secrecy. Until, however, Marcus McCloud somehow got in touch, and convinced the legendary pilot to mentor for their group. Much to the Cornerian Army's surprise, he took the offer, and soon after that, Neo Star Fox was formed.

What could Falco say? It was certainly a blast from the past for the bird to be in another Star Force for the Cornerian Fleet. And, to be given the chance to follow in that old bastard's footsteps and mentor for the new generation? He could barely contain his excitement. Though, even he had to admit that he wasn't expecting how much of a hassle it'd be. It figures, however. Star Fox in its early days weren't exactly the most stable group. And now the falcon knew how Peppy felt.

Looking over the Personnel files, Falco would look at Zachary's file. Reminiscing over how the wolf would become his apprentice, he remembered the first day when Katt managed to get a hold of him. He always joked that, no matter where he went, Katt would know, and she'd figure out a way to call him. She talked to Falco about this strange baby that was left at the front door of the academy, and, in all honesty, the bird of prey thought she was just pulling his leg: Making up some bullshit story to get his attention. But, as it turned out… No. It was not that. He soon learned that when she showed him the child.

'Well, just give it away,' He advised, before Katt shook her head.

'I tried, but I can't find anyone around here who has the budget to fit another kid in their life. And the ones I did find, well, they don't look exactly trustworthy.' She bemoaned to Falco. He remembers it clearly. For months, she'd keep talking about how she'd find him a family, before she seemingly gave up and just took to raising the kid on her own. He didn't think much of it, other than the fact he found it a bit humorous. Every now and then, she'd give updates, but, again, Falco didn't really take many notes. Of course, that was until Zachary was apparently put on Trial. According to Katt, she had given the kid an Arwing to test his driving capabilities. They were in a clear field on Corneria, but, predictably, Zachary managed to swing his Arwing towards the main city, and, after flying around for a minutes within the city, was brought down by the Cornerian Law Enforcement, before being detained. Remarkably, he didn't damage any of the buildings or structures there, and was arrested for Reckless Endangerment and Driving without a License. Hearing this definitely sparked Falco's interest, and, a quick visit to Corneria later, he found a way to pardon Zachary. Of course, the whole ordeal really seemed to irritate the wolf, and it didn't help the fact that Fox McCloud was at the trial, arguing against the kid. Of course, he was responsible for his reckless flying, but on the other… He was just a kid. Probably 15 or something. He's not going to make the best decision, Gods know that Falco did. The kid's plight really spoke to Falco. So, he agreed to take him under his wing and to 'discipline him' along the way, which seemed to please the Cornerian Judge. And, at the age of 20, Zachary became one of the younger students to receive his Pilot's licence.

A remarkable feat for some, but Zachary seemed to consider it almost irrelevant. He just wanted to fly and test his skills in a practical sense. And, thankfully, he got the chance when Marcus pleaded for the falcon to join Neo Star Fox. Though, he didn't realize that Zachary was a bit of a stickler when it came to listening to orders.

". . . nd fuck off, rabbit!"

"Go fuck yourself, you self-absorbed prick!"

Speaking of which, it seems the old married couple have begun to argue again. Putting the files up with a huff, Falco would make his way to the Training Room. And, of course, opening the door, he seems to have found the two usual suspects in the middle of another argument. Letting out a bit of a chuckle, he couldn't help but remember his first few months with Fox and how he and his captain constantly fought. He supposed that it was his time to step in and stop the conflict before it became physical, if he really had to. He wanted to see who was stronger: His own Apprentice, or the anti-social rabbit. Unfortunately, he didn't want to send those two to the medical bay, so he finally made his presence known with one word.

"Wow," He started, he scanned the room. Instantly, Zachary and Janet would let go of each other's collars, and stood at attention, same for Slick and Marcus. "You guys are really worked up, eh?" He asks, adjusting his glasses. Almost instantly, Slick pointed towards Zachary.

"W-Well, only because he won't work with us! You know? As a Team!?"

"And you don't think fast enough as a strategist, and Janet didn't even analyze the make and model of the Arsuit. Don't even get me started on Marcus; Apparently, instead of taking charge, he just let his own crewmates walk all over him. Not really Captain-like material, if you ask me." Zachary retorts, putting his hands on his hips.

"Oh, so you're suddenly absolved of all sins?!" Marcus yells, completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah, actually. If my team wasn't functioning properly, then it's within my rights to do what I want."

"SO IT'S OK TO PERFORM A SUICIDE CHARGE INTO A BATTLEFIELD THEN KILL EVERYONE?!"

"Well, maybe you guys should've just moved out of the way!" Zachary snaps back, baring his fangs once again. Everyone looked stupendously at the wolf, who seemed to think that was a satisfactory answer to the conundrum presented. It took everyone a second to process what he said, before Slick finally opened his mouth.

"How?! That thing exploded in a millisecond! How were we supposed to move out of the way of the epicenter of a goddamn explosion!? Walk me through that one, since you seem to have all the answers here!" The tactician yelled, before Janet pushed him aside.

"It's funny how you think you're smarter than everyone here when I saw you struggling to use the damn coffee machine in the kitchen!" The hare goes for a low-blow ad hominen, to which Zachary verbally growls.

"Not my fault they made the thing so confusing! Why does it even need that many buttons, it makes coffee! Coffee, for God's sake!" He yells, baring his claws as the two butted heads again. All the while, Falco observed on, nodding his head to the ensuing argument, hand on his chin. Marcus seemed to notice this, before walking up to the two.

"Er, guys, I dunno if we should really be doing this in front of Falco please-"

"You know what?" Falco raises his voice, overpowering the constant bickering between the three crewmates. Instantly, their attention is turned to their mentor, who, with a smile, claps his hands together, before gripping them.

"I think you guys need to blow off steam-" And, with that phrase, Neo Star Fox was placed on high alert. They knew that, with something like that, there was only one place he could go. In terms of mentor, Falco may have relaxed over the years, but with his wise age, he only became more cruel. Before they had a chance to plead with their advisor, he continued.

"So, tell you guys what! I want you all to run 15 Miles in this ship. Which, with all the halls and rooms, will be a bit of a challenge… But, since you've proved to me that you're just so rarin' to go, I think you four will be fine." Falco commanded, before everyone but Zachary let out an anguished cry of pain. Zachary, however, just gave a salute and got down in a sprinter's pose, before jogging off.

"... Well, what are you three doing? Go on." He motions towards Zachary, before the gang, grumbling to themselves, pick themselves up and follow after the wolf. Falco watched with the biggest shit eating grin as they all booked it after their more physically fit comrade.

God, he loved this position. This must be how Peppy felt.

Two hours passed from him issuing his command to the group, and Falco found himself sitting in his designated chair within the control tower of the Fox Hunt, leaning back and watching the stars pass by. It was a favorite pass by of his when he was aboard the Great Fox. Of course, that was, when he wasn't training and probably doing Dust- But, that's a different story for a different day. Now, though, he can't help but think of Peppy. It's funny. It was years ago when he died, and yet, the old fuckers death had still eaten away at his heart. Falco never really had a dad. His mother was about the only parental figure she got, and she wasn't exactly going to win mother of the year. She didn't lay a finger on him, no. Quite the opposite. She practically let him run the house, and run it he did. He invited parties over there, trashed it, pretty much did everything aside from set it on fire. And yet, nothing. Not even a single bit of resistance was held. Of course, she also didn't talk, feed, or even acknowledge the falcon, which, as you can imagine, wasn't exactly the most uplifting thing in the world. As such, Falco almost felt like it was his goal in life to trash the place, just to show his mother that he was alive. Unfortunately, none of that worked. Eventually, he got his pilot's licence and the rest was history. But, he was a little shocked to see how… Parental that old bastard was. He almost treated the Star Fox crew like his family. Well, maybe not exactly, but he handled as if it were so. In a sense, he was really the only fatherly influence on his life. And, for that, he almost had a debt to him. A debt that he was repaying now. Speaking of which…

The doors to the Control Tower opened up, as Zachary dragged his team mates in, all of them, save for the wolf himself, looking like they were on death's doorstep. Haggard and tired, the crewmates flopped onto the ground after Zachary dropped Janet and Slick, and shrugged Marcus off of his shoulders. An amused look painted Falco's face as he regarded his team.

"Sir. We've completed the 15 miles in an orderly fashion, sir." Zachary formally reported, standing at full attention.

"Somehow, I have the sneaking suspicion that when you say 'we,' you actually mean 'me' and you just dragged those three along with you." The falcon regarded his comrades, the comment getting a snicker out of Zachary's snout. Meanwhile, Slick would flop onto his back, pointing towards the ceiling.

"You… Have… No proof…!" The toad declares, before the rabbit simply let out a pained, hollow groan.

"Hey, I… Made it further than last time…!" Marcus yelled, before Zachary would let out a laugh.

"Yeah, about a single step. Maybe if you all joined my training schedule, you'd all be in the condition to at least bare more than 5 miles."

"But we'd be dead Zachary…!" Marcus yelled, before the wolf would shrug. Doesn't sound like his problem.

"Suit yourself." He responds, before looking to Falco.

"At least I have a better suit…" Janet snidely remarked, before Zachary looked to her.

"Well, now, that's just plain wrong."

"Oh yeah…!? You wanna say that to my face…!?" Janet staggers to his feet, before Falco cleared his throat.

"Ladies, Ladies, you're both pretty. Can we focus on the mission at hand?" The advisor announced, getting the attention of the entire crew. Mission? They haven't had a mission yet! Well, at least, a serious mission that wasn't just 'scout this area' or 'help this ship from a bunch of punks.' Nothing really testing their actual skills. With their attention gathered, Falco would turn to the console his chair sat in front of, and began to type away, bringing a screen up to the front. A commercial demonstrating that 'The Cornerian-Venom Peace Embassy' was about a few days away, and that they'd meet at the Orbital Colony Station around Macbeth. Apparently, it was also supposed to be hosted by the Providence Faction.

Falco remembered the founding of that little Political Faction. Apparently, their entire goal was to 'restore the broken parts of the Lylat System after all the warfare and create a unified, whole Lylat.' The bird distrusted it, but, then again, he's naturally distrusting of many things. Like this embassy. Falco trusted Dash, but anything to do with Venom, in his opinion, was naturally dubious in nature. Whether it be Andross, his nephew, the Anglars, anything, really. But, this wasn't his place to speak.

Apparently, not only was Dash Bowman supposed to attend personally, but Fox McCloud himself. Seeing this, Marcus would shrivel up a bit. His dad was supposed to attend…? Of course. It made sense, the ruler of Venom and the hero of the Lylat War making amends for the past transgressions. But, that wasn't what Marcus was focusing on. If Falco is bringing that up, then it only means that they'd be doing something with it. And… Marcus wasn't ready to face his father, just yet. It was a childish thought for a 20 year old, yes, but he didn't feel as if he was 'ready' yet. Especially with how his crew was pretty much in disarray. His father would probably be really disappointed in him… And the last thing he needs is to disappoint him. He was his role model! His whole reason for even being here! And yet, whenever he thinks of meeting him, all he can think of is the look of disappointment on his face when he can't even be a captain correctly-

"Hey! Marcus! Are you paying attention?" Falco would yell, tossing a paper wad at Marcus' head. That certainly caught his attention, as he looked to the avian, who simply regarded him with a smirking scoff.

"Can't do the mission if the Captain doesn't even know what to do, can we?" He chuckles, before bringing up a schematic for the Great Fox. Marcus' Dad's old Flag Ship. The fox almost instinctively shrivels up again, but takes a deep breath, and tries to untense his muscles.

"Apparently, General Mint has received intel that a group of Venom Radicals were planning to ambush the Great Fox while it transports the Ambassador and Fox- Er, Mr. McCloud to the Macbeth Orbital Colony. Where they got this info, I can't say, but it's enough to make General Mint enlist our help." Falco would sigh, before standing up.

"After reviewing your guys' simulation results, though, I'm sad to say that I don't think I can trust you guys to do this on your own. So! Slick-" Slick immediately deflates at his name being called. If his name was being called, then it can only mean one thing…

"You're to stay in the Fox Hunt and give us strategy and advice. I will join you guys on the way to the Great Fox, so you all have nothing to worry about." Falco would smirk, before the toad would fall onto his back again, disappointed. He wanted to be on TV, just like his father, but, noooooo… Fate just can't help but laugh at him today. While Slick laid on the floor, muttering to himself about how the situation wasn't fair, Janet would finally pitch in.

"Er, sir, I dunno if you want me to come along, but… AR-LEPUS isn't made for Space Travel. I only used it in the Simulation because the other options it gave me were absolute trash- Maybe I should sit this one out?" She states, before Falco seemed to consider it.

"'Fraid not, Janet. You're the Granddaughter to Peppy Hare, a member of the original Star Fox team. You're too important to just be left behind- Which reminds me, after we're done escorting the Great Fox, we're gonna have to attend the embassy. Thrilling stuff, I know, but it's to symbolize the fact that Star Fox is passing the torch on, I guess. I dunno, I'm not in charge of this kind of stuff." The falcon shrugged, before looking to the crew.

"So, the big question here is 'how are we gonna bring Janet with us?'" Falco raised his hand to his chin, thinking of any possible solutions. While Marcus and Janet would brainstorm, Zachary would shrug his shoulders and bury his hands into his pockets.

"An Arsuit cockpit can probably fit two people if they squeeze in there. I dunno, just throwing it out there." Zachary pondered, before Falco looked to the wolf with a mischievous grin. Something about it made him feel like he'll regret bringing that fact up.

"Good idea, Zac! Why don't you carry her with you in your cockpit? Think of it as punishment for such bad scores on the simulation." The avian smiled, before Zachary would freeze up. Ok, even for Falco, that was cruel. He knew the two of them would probably kill each other given the chance, and the idea of them sharing a small space together for at least an hour? They'll have to tear apart the Arsuit to get to them! It's going to be an absolute blood bath within the cockpit!

"Sir, we both know that is a terrible idea! I can barely stand her, and she can barely stand me! What makes you think I am going to stand being around her for at least a few hours?!" He yells, before Janet rolled her eyes. Ok, even if she hated him that much, she knew better than to pick a fight when he was driving. Then again, if he managed to, say, insult her suit again, she may lose any and all inhibitions when it comes to letting him drive and knock him right out there.

"Hey, listen, Zac, I get it. It's tough. Not everyone can be a ladies man like me. Really, I understand you. So, if you want, Marcus can take up the mantle of escorting the missus to the Great Fox." With a Shrug, Marcus nodded his head.

"Fine by me. Just as long as she doesn't mess with anything, It's whatever." The captain scratched the back of his head, unknowingly taking a giant stab at Zachary's pride. Lowering his head, he'd try to think what was more important: His life, or his pride. Using all two cogs in his head, Zachary finally made a decision.

"I am not letting Marcus of all people get one over me." Zachary said with a fiery determination, before standing at attention.

"SIR! IT WILL BE MY UTMOST PLEASURE TO ESCORT JANET HARE TO THE GREAT FOX, SIR!" He yells with military-like passion, eliciting a chuckle out of Falco.

"Well, calm down there, buddy. We've got a few days until we have to depart. This goes to all of you- Except for Slick- prepare for the mission. Get your Arsuit prepped, modded, I don't care. Just get it done. We want to be on our best when doing this, seeing as how millions are gonna be watching this embassy." Falco announces, as Slick let out another disappointed groan. He seems to just be stationary on the ground, his Cowboy hat covering his face. Seems he wasn't taking this particularly well, but then again, he always seemed to be addicted to the camera. The crew practically had to drag him off when they first formed Neo Star Fox due to all the Paparazzi around, so I guess this opportunity for fame and glory being rejected really got to him. Whatever, he'll be fine soon anyhow. With that out of the way, Falco dismissed the crew, before he sat back down, staring back out at the stars.

He was wondering what his former crew were up to. And how he missed them. With a slight chuckle, he couldn't help but see the similarities in his current crew and the one he was in previously. Seriously, stuff like that just seems to happen all the time. What you think is something new turns out to be the same old shit again, just with different faces. Maybe it's cosmic irony- Woah, where'd that come from? Man, was this how Peppy felt?

. . . It sucks being old, Falco realized.

A/N: Two chapters in two days? And this one is longer than the last? How does he do it?! Simple, I have nothing better to do in my life.
Jokes aside, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter of Providence. My writing schedule will probably be super inconsistent; May post a 3 chapters in a single week, then post a single chapter in a month. It just depends.
As always, reviews are welcomed and thank you for reading!