Great Fox II
Cornerian orbit
Fox sat in a command chair on the bridge, eyes glued to a data pad.
Staring back at him was a mugshot of a reptile with both iguana and crocodilian features.
Eugene Roger Clegg
Wanted: Murder, Kidnapping, Extortion.
The vulpine was brought out of his thoughts by Peppy setting a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't get me wrong, Fox. As much as I would like to flay that bastard alive for what he did to your mother, he's the least of our problems right now."
Fox let out a huff and set the data pad aside.
"I know."
Two weeks had passed since the events on Kew. In that time, aside from a few dissenting votes, the Cornerian Senate had decided that the planet needed to rearm. And the sooner, the better. Along with whatever ship the Navy could spare, Star Fox had been hired to patrol the planet's orbit in case of an attack by the Remnant.
Fox's attention was grabbed by the communicator beeping. Answering it, the vulpine was greeted by General Pepper's hologram.
"Greetings Fox. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Not at all, sir." Fox replied.
Pepper nodded in response.
"Very good. I need you to come see me at General Headquarters. There's a small matter we need to discuss."
"I'll be right there, General. McCloud out."
Standing up from the command chair, Fox turned to his old friend.
"Peppy, you have the bridge until I get back."
"See ya soon, Fox." the hare replied as he sat down in the chair.
Not long after Fox had left the bridge, Peppy heard the communicator beep again. Seeing the ID of the caller, Peppy smiled and answered, being greeted by the hologram of a pink furred hare in a yellow and green jumpsuit.
"Lucy. How's university life treating you?"
Peppy's daughter shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I'm up to my eyeballs marking astrophysics tests. Same as usual, Dad."
The doe's expression turned more somber.
"Times are going to get hard again, aren't they?"
Peppy nodded solemnly.
"I'm afraid so, Lucy. As long as Marshal Koates still breathes, then it will be a question of when, not if, there will be a Second Lylat War."
After letting out a breath, Lucy stated, "I hope that you guys are able to catch that bastard."
"So do I, Lucy."
Elsewhere, within Fox and Krystal's quarters, the cobalt vixen was seated at a desk, glancing at an individual's file on the computer.
Renata Alexandra Mouradian
Ever since their encounter over Thayern, Krystal had looked into the Venomian pilot known as the Green Devil. While she had determined that Rena had fought for the Macbethian Insurgency in the years prior to the Venomian invasion, that was about as far back as the records went.
Krystal let out a sigh as she felt a stab of regret. The knowledge that Mouradian was likely still alive disturbed her, for the vixen had no doubt that the coywolf would seek training for her abilities.
But just who would train her with Cerinia being destroyed? The more Krystal thought on that, the more likely the answer seemed.
"Cain."
There was no doubt in the vixen's mind that the Dark Mage would come out of hiding sooner rather than later to avenge his nephew. And what better way to do that than to train another telepath?
Krystal tightened her hand into a fist.
"Let them come. I'll be ready."
Corneria City
Fox landed his Arwing on a landing pad near General Headquarters. Opening the cockpit and climbing out, the vulpine was greeted by a trio of CDF soldiers.
"Welcome, Mr. McCloud." one of them said.
Having been here before, Fox handed his ID card to the soldier and let the other two pat him down. Once they were finished, the lead trooper handed Fox's ID card back.
"Go on in. The General's expecting you."
"Thanks." Fox replied.
As he entered the HQ building and headed for the elevators, the vulpine caught sight of Art.
"Fancy meeting you here." the Labrador Retriever remarked.
"Same." Fox replied as they boarded the same elevator.
On the way up, Fox gave Art a sidelong glance.
"Pepper didn't fire you?"
Shaking his head, Art replied, "He wasn't pleased about my side project. But with everything going on right now, he understands the reasoning behind it."
As the lift continued on to it's destination, the canine added, "Although, if this ever leaked to the press or the Senate, I'd be as good as canned."
The lift came to a stop and Arthur got off. Looking over his shoulder, he said, "Good luck, Fox."
"You too, Art."
The doors closed and the elevator resumed it's ascent, finally stopping at the top floor. After getting off, the vulpine walked up the hall a bit before being shown into General Pepper's office.
At the moment, the bloodhound was gazing out at the skyline of the Cornerian capital, his back to Fox.
"Reporting as ordered, sir." the vulpine said as he sketched a salute.
Pepper turned around and waved Fox at ease.
"I'll make this as quick as I can, Fox. I want you and your team to take a leading role in the hunt for Marshal Koates. To that end, I will spare you what resources I can."
Fox put his hand on his chin, thinking about the General's offer.
"Is Lieutenant Grey available?" he asked, to which General Pepper nodded.
"Yes, he's on the planet. I will send for him at once."
Fox also thought of someone else he should call.
"It'll drive Falco nuts, but we need all the help we can get."
…
Some time later, Fox was flying back to the mothership with two fighters behind him. One was a standard Cornerian fighter and the other was a modified Invader prototype, stolen during the three year standoff that preceded the Lylat War.
"I can't believe I'm actually going on a mission with you guys." Bill Grey, a brown furred bulldog, said over the comms.
"Glad to have you." Fox replied.
Bill's image was replaced with a pink and white furred cat.
"I can't wait to see the look on Falco's face."
That was Katt Monroe, Falco's partner in crime from his days in the Hot Rodders gang.
"Me neither." Fox chuckled.
The trio eventually reached the Great Fox II and landed in the hanger bay. As they dismounted their fighters, Fay and Miyu walked up to the group.
"Bill, is that you?"
Meeting the spaniel's gaze, Bill grinned.
"Fay, Miyu. It's been a long time since the academy."
The bulldog walked up to his old friends and gave them hugs. Katt meanwhile, took a moment to introduce herself to the girls.
"Could one of you tell me where Falco is?" Katt asked.
"He's in the rec room." Miyu replied.
"Okay. Thanks, hon."
As soon as Katt was out of earshot, Fox snickered, drawing looks of confusion from his old classmates.
"What's so funny?" Fay asked.
The vulpine crossed his arms and gave them a sly grin.
"It's a long story."
In the rec room, Falco had just taken a sip of sofa when he heard a sultry voice.
"Hey hon."
Falco almost choked on his drink. Turning around and facing his old partner in crime, the pheasant sputtered, "Katt, what…."
"Fox asked me to help you guys find that creep Koates."
Hearing Slippy, Amanda, and Fara chuckling nearby, Falco shot them a glare.
"Laugh it up, guys. Laugh it up."
CDF Impoundment Lot #64
Carmen ducked behind a stack of crates as a pair of Cornerian guards walked past. Once they were gone, the dingo peered over her cover and spotted an aircraft hanger.
Looking left and right for guards, Carmen took a breath and then vaulted over the crates, running in a low sprint towards the hanger. Reaching a side door, she pressed herself against the wall and listened.
No alarms, no footsteps coming towards her. She was in the clear, at least for now. Taking a lockpick out of the pocket of her grey vest, Carmen set to work on getting the door open.
Eventually succeeding, the dingo entered the hanger and gazed upon a black and crimson fighter.
The Wolfen that had once belonged to Andrew Oikonny. It would now be hers, provided that she could get it out of this impoundment lot and back to Star Wolf's new hideout on Zoness.
"One step at a time." she thought as she set about removing the clamps on her ship's landing gear.
Once that was done, Carmen hit the open button for the doors and then dashed back to the Wolfen and opened the cockpit.
As klaxons began blaring, Carmen strapped herself in and began running her preflight checks. Finishing up with those, Carmen took off and flew out of the hanger.
Although a couple of guards opened fire on the Wolfen with their rifles, Carmen was able to fly away from the impoundment lot without incident. As she headed towards the ocean, the dingo keyed her comm.
"Wolf, I did it."
"Good work, babe."
A short time later, another Wolfen appeared on Carmen's wing.
"Well, you're able to keep her level now." Wolf commented with the toothy grin Carmen had come to adore.
Carmen responded with a nervous grin. The first couple of times Wolf had let her take his fighter into the skies, after several days of having her memorize the controls, Carmen had quickly demonstrated her piloting experience, or lack thereof.
"I still have a lot to learn." she finally said.
Before Wolf could respond, two hostile signatures appeared on the radar.
"Damn!" Wolf exclaimed, "I thought that it would take them longer to scramble fighters."
The lupine's image was replaced by a husky in Cornerian pilot attire.
"Attention, members of Star Wolf. You are to follow us back to our base."
"As if." Wolf growled.
Both of the Cornerian fighters fired lasers over the Wolfens, something that Carmen quickly determined to be warning shots. That was only further confirmed when they were contacted by a tabby cat.
"Last chance, Star Wolf."
In response, Wolf veered off towards them, causing Carmen to feel a little concerned.
"Wolf, I thought we weren't killing anyone on this job."
"Just trust me."
Carmen kept flying straight while Wolf boosted towards the Cornerian fighters and opened fire. Both of them quickly spewed smoke and began spiraling towards the ocean. Carmen sighed in relief when she saw that the two pilots were able to eject safely.
Wolf rejoined his girlfriend and the two of them began to fly out of Corneria's atmosphere.
Zoness
Within the vast ocean that covered the planet, back to it's blue colour now that the last of the pollution from the Venomian occupation had been cleaned up, there was a seemingly inconspicuous island, just one of many in the sea.
However, within the caves in the cliffs, there was an old military base that dated back to long before the Lylat War. These days, this base, and others like it, were a haven for outlaws on the run.
Star Wolf included.
At the moment, Panther and Leon were carrying a large, rectangular object. After setting it down, the two of them rested on top of a pair of supply crates.
"Well, that was a hell of a heist." Panther remarked while stretching out his arms.
"I sure hope that the rookie takes her training seriously. We nearly killed ourselves getting this thing." Leon replied.
Panther put a hand on his chin.
"Judging by what I've seen, I think she'll be a fine addition to the team."
"Yeah." Leon grumbled.
Glancing over at his teammate, the jungle cat raised an eyebrow.
"Are you still sore about her tricking us on Kew?"
Leon narrowed his yellow eyes.
"She has a long way to go before she earns my trust."
The sounds of approaching fighter engines got Leon and Panther's attention. The two of them stood up as Wolf and Carmen landed their Wolfens in the hanger.
After the two canids dismounted their ships, Carmen caught sight of the flight simulator.
"Thank you guys. When do I start?"
"Right now, if you like." Wolf said.
The quartet were interrupted by the rumbling of thunder outside. Walking up to the button for the base's blast doors, Wolf stopped, hand hovering over the button.
Knowing what was on her boyfriend's mind, Carmen walked up and set a hand on his shoulder.
"Storm's coming." she said.
Wolf pressed the button and then draped an arm over Carmen's shoulders.
"Yeah." he replied, "And we all best be ready when it hits."
Fortuna
He could see Venomian bombers entering Corneria's atmosphere. He could see them dropping their deadly payloads on the capital.
All while a panicked female voice cried out over a comm frequency.
"Emergency, emergency! Incoming enemy bombers! Emer…."
The voice was cut off by a burst of static. Meanwhile, in the distance, there was a massive explosion and Corneria City was engulfed in a white light.
"Corneria's best hope lies in a former enemy."
Randorn Glidewell's brown eyes shot open. After taking a few breaths to calm himself, the red furred wolf glanced about his quarters aboard the spaceship that he and his grandson had crash landed on the planet eleven years prior.
Clothing wise, the lupine was dressed in a green tank top and khaki shorts, as befitting a tropical climate.
A knock at the door got Randorn's attention.
"Is everything alright, Grandfather?" a voice asked from the other side of the door.
"Come in, Sabre. I need to talk to you."
There was a quiet whir as the door opened. A brown furred wolf dressed in a white tank top and green leggings entered the room and took a seat across from Randorn.
"What is it?" Sabre asked, "What have you seen?"
Randorn let out a long sigh.
"If the events of today continue to run their course, than Corneria will fall."
Sabre developed a concerned look on his face, something that did not go unnoticed by his grandfather.
"Sabre, I also heard that Corneria's best hope lies in a former enemy."
Raising an eyebrow, Sabre asked, "What could that mean?"
"I don't know, but I do know this. The time for hiding is over."
The younger wolf's green eyes seemed to light up.
"I'll start asking around town about starship parts."
"I think I'll join you." Randorn replied with a smile.
Papetoon
The stars shined down on a cemetery in the town of Drummond. Walking along the path was a brown and white furred primate carrying a bouquet of flowers in one of his hands.
His name was Darren Van Zant. Or at least, that's what he had thought of himself for the last ten years.
Unknown to the primate, a figure watched him from the shadows. A Southern Long Nose Armadillo to be exact.
Nikos Nalchik, the one-time Venomian General, watched as the primate kneeled before a pair of gravestones and set the flowers in front of them. The armadillo could hear words being spoken, but couldn't make out what was being said.
Maybe he was simply saying how much he missed them, or maybe he was asking for guidance in these uncertain times.
"Maybe it's both." Nalchik quietly mused.
After a time, the primate stood up and began to leave the cemetery. Once he had gone some distance, Nalchik left his hiding spot and walked up to the two headstones the primate had visited.
The names on them were Rodger Van Zant and Joan Van Zant, but he had known them by their actual names.
Putting his hands into his jacket pockets, Nalchik stared at the tombstones.
"Eric, Renee. I promised you long ago that I would watch over Dash. Especially now, with another war on the horizon."
The armadillo let out a breath.
"I swear to you two, Dash will survive. I'll make sure of that. Even if it costs me my life."
From there, Nalchik turned around and set off in the same direction Dash Bowman had gone.
Corneria City
A German Shepard with the usual black and tan fur pattern of his species leaned back in his chair as he received a secure communication. The canine was greeted with the image of his commanding officer, Colonel Randall Burns.
"Greetings, Agent Cyan."
The dog inclined his head.
"Colonel."
I'm reassigning you to Katina." the orangutan stated in a business-like manner, "An old friend of Marshal Koates is in need of your skills."
"I'll be on the first transport out." Agent Cyan replied.
After giving a nod, Colonel Burns said, "On a different note, my condolences for your brother. He was a fine agent."
The canine shifted in his seat.
"Thank you, sir. Long live the empire."
"Long live the empire."
After Colonel Burns ended the call, the German Shepard let out a sigh.
He had been reminded of his name. Not the one he'd been living under for the better part of fifteen years, but the one he had been born with.
Brad Varner.
Pushing the thought from his mind, the canine stood up.
"Time to pack."
….
In another part of Corneria City, Robert and Simon Zimmerman were within their office in a high rise. The eldest of the two was seated at his desk while the younger stood behind and beside his brother.
After the secure connection was established, the two grey foxes were greeted by the image of the nine banded armadillo who was now known across the Lylat system as Andross' Successor.
"Robert, Simon." Marshal Koates said in a somewhat warm tone.
Robert inclined his head.
"Kalman."
The Venomian leader grinned at the two vulpines.
"An old friend of mine on Katina needs your help. Can I count on you two?"
"You sure can." Simon said.
"Very good. I also have another job for you two on Papetoon. It will be going down in a few months time. I cannot stress enough that there is no margin for error."
"We'll get it done." Robert replied.
Seemingly not satisfied with that answer, Koates moved his gaze between the two vulpines.
"Robert, Simon. You understand what I mean when I say that there is no margin for error."
The Zimmerman brothers exchanged a look before Robert said, "We do."
The armadillo raised an eyebrow.
"For your sakes, I hope that's true. I'll be in touch."
After Marshal Koates' hologram disappeared, Robert poured himself a shot of bourbon.
"You better start making some arrangements, Simon. I have a feeling that we're going to be very busy these next few months."
"I'm already moving, Robert."
Astropolis
Not for the first time that day, Algy had to restrain himself from going for his cigarettes. Months of being able to smoke wherever he pleased on Kew meant that the sportive lemur often had to remind himself that wasn't the case aboard the Venomian space station.
Least of all in the medical wing.
Algy wasn't alone on this particular day. He was flanked by Zeke Cairns, a vulture in a purple flight suit and a black flight jacket, and Heinrich Zoll, a Giant Armadillo dressed in a khaki flight suit and black flight jacket.
Much like Rena, the two of them were childhood friends of Algy's from Macbeth.
As the trio boarded an elevator, Heinrich put a hand on his chin.
"Rena told me that she was having tests done on her, though for what, she didn't say."
"Well, it ain't for a baby." Zeke put in, "Not with these new contraceptive implants."
For his part, Algy remained silent. Ever since the battle over Thayern, he had a gnawing suspicion about his old friend's abilities. It was to the point where Algy figured that these so-called tests would only confirm what he already suspected.
The sportive lemur was brought out of his thoughts by the elevator dinging. From there, Algy, Heinrich, and Zeke got off and walked up the hall a bit before entering a medical room.
Within, Rena was seated on the edge of the bed, head resting on her hand. The coywolf looked up and smiled at the sight of her old friends.
"Boys." she said.
The four of them spent the next few minutes reminiscing about old times and about their recent missions until they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat
"Am I interrupting anything?" asked an iguana in a white lab coat.
Rena shook her head.
"Not at all, Dr. Kurtz. Come in."
The lizard walked in and glanced at a data pad.
"Well, Miss Mouradian, it appears that your DNA is a close match to that of known Cerinian telepaths."
Zeke and Heinrich stared at the iguana dumbfounded while Algy and Rena exchanged a knowing look. Dr. Kurtz, meanwhile, continued to speak.
"According to your personnel file, you were raised by a single mother."
Rena bobbed her head up and down.
"She never talked much about my father, but she did say he was an offworlder."
"Well you know what that probably means." Algy stated, "Rena's old man might have been a Cerinian telepath."
Zeke raised an eyebrow.
"But who would teach you how to use it properly with Cerinia being taken out by that asteroid?"
The vulture's question made Heinrich shift uncomfortably, something that Algy quickly took note of.
"You good, man?"
Meeting his gaze, Heinrich replied, "I'm fine, Algy."
His tone and facial expression told the lemur not to press the issue.
Rena, in the meantime, had developed a convicted look on her face.
"There's only one man who can help me."
Her friends all stared at her.
"Who?" they all asked.
"Valen's uncle."
Eladard
In a forest far outside of the capital city of Tarnis, a black furred jackal walked towards a wooden shack. Suddenly, the earth all around him shot up in clumps, and skeletons and corpses in varying states of decay rose from the ground. All of them were brandishing swords, axes, spears, and various other melee weapons.
Even so, the jackal stayed calm and stood his ground. Soon enough, a male voice called from the shadows.
"Be gone!"
The army of undead warriors returned to the ground from whence they came. After that, the jackal could see a figure walking out from the shadows. The man was soon revealed to be a hyena in black and purple robes and carrying a wooden staff.
Patches of the wild dog's fur were turning grey from old age, but he still carried himself with a youthful vigour. As he got closer, the jackal could make out that the older canine had heterochromia, with his left eye being yellow and the right being orange.
"My apologies, Charles." the hyena spoke, "But one can't be too careful. Especially these days."
Charles Warren shrugged his shoulders.
"It's no trouble, Mage Davros."
Cain Davros smiled, showing off his sharp teeth.
"I presume that Marshal Koates is in need of my services again."
"He is." Charles replied.
Cain waved his hand.
"Then let's not keep him waiting."
As the two began walking away, Charles eyed up Cain.
"My condolences for your nephew."
Cain made an angered noise.
"Charles, I swear. That brat will know the true meaning of suffering when I get through with her. You just wait."
"I'm sure she will." the jackal replied.
Astropolis
Marshal Koates, Grand Admiral Payne, General Hightower, and Dr. Edward Gaines were gazing out of a viewport at a warship that was currently under construction. Perhaps the most striking feature was the large cannon on her bow.
"Magnificent, isn't she?" the black furred rat remarked proudly.
"She will be, when she is finished." Grand Admiral Payne responded.
That prompted a series of nods from the assembled Venomian commanders.
"Corneria will agree to any demand we make when this baby's finished. Or else, they will suffer the same fate as Cerinia!" boasted General Hightower.
Koates glanced at the crocodile.
"Right you are. Corneria will bow down before us, or they will be destroyed."
The four men watched as a panel was fitted and welded onto the ship. They took note of the name on the panel.
VIS Vindicator
The End