I'm back! I've so far gotten over 50 hits, so I've decided to put up the second chapter of my story. Hope you all enjoy.
As before, I don't own anything relating to the Star Fox franchise. Nintendo owns the franchise.
Chapter One: Today's the Day
If there were any stars in the night sky, the ambient light from the mighty skyscrapers that made up Corneria City kept them from being seen. The lights of the city twinkled in the still darkness of the night, giving the appearance of thousands of fireflies. Throughout the sprawling metropolis, the citizenry were either asleep or preparing to go to sleep. Sleep wasn't coming to one such resident, however.
On the outskirts of the city, a solitary complex, like a small airport, sat in a large field. This was no airport, however. Sure, it had runways, a spaceport, and even a massive hangar big enough to probably store a battleship in, but this was in fact a residence. Next to hangar sat a rather ordinary looking, two-floor house, painted white with green windowpanes and roof tiles and steps leading up the front door. On the top floor of the house, a solitary figure fitfully tried to sleep. This figure, a russet-gold colored humanoid fox, was none other than Fox McCloud, leader of the famed Star Fox team, the heroes of both the Lylat War and the Aparoid Invasion. Right now, Fox was tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep. Desperate, he even tried the classic tactic of counting sheep, without much success. Finally, he gave up, and sat up in his bed, silently cursing. Fox, dressed in a pair of plaid sleeping pants and a white t-shirt, glanced over at his alarm clock. The red LED numerals gave the time as 2:00 am. Fox was rightly upset at this. Today was an important day for him, and one that was a long time coming.
He, Fox McCloud, hardened mercenary, was getting married in the morning.
During the whole war with the Aparoids, it would have truly taken a blind man not to notice his feelings for a certain blue fox. Ever since Krystal, the mysterious telepathic woman from the equally mysterious planet of Cerinia, joined the team, Fox had become a different man. Cool and collected most of the time, he practically turned to water when she spoke to him, blushing so much one could fry an egg on his face. Krystal, in turn, flirted with him every chance she got, so it was obvious to everyone on the ship that the feeling was mutual. However, when pressed about their feelings, both would deny any sort of affection. Peppy Hare, the teams official strategist and mentor to Fox, knew better. Finally, the day before they were due to hit the Aparoid homeworld, Fox came to Peppy late that night and confessed what had been obvious from the get-go, that he was in love with Krystal. Fox sighed again as he remembered that evening.
Fox stood by the window to the Great Fox's bridge, staring out into space. The team had just fought the Aparoids at the Orbital Gate, and was now en route to the Aparoid homeworld to deal with the menace once and for all. Fox was thinking, once again, about Krystal. Ever since he saw her trapped in stasis atop Krazoa palace on Saurian, he had been smitten with her. Of course, whenever one of his teammates questioned him about it, he vigorously denied having any feelings for her, but it was apparent that they all knew better. Fox had been thinking since the beginning of the invasion that every mission might be their last, and if he died, then his feelings died with him. So, he at long last decided to tell her the truth, but the question was, how? Fox desperately tried to come up with some way to tell her, but came up blank. Just then, he heard the hiss of the automatic door opening. He looked behind him to see Peppy Hare entering the room, dressed in a blue bathrobe and brown sleeping pants.
"What's going on, Fox?" He asked. "I figured you'd been asleep now." Fox sighed.
"I'm fine, Pep. Just… thinking." Fox replied. Peppy smiled, knowing full well what, or who, what Fox was thinking about.
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Peppy said. Fox looked at him and nodded.
"I can't get her off my mind, ever since the whole Dinosaur Planet episode." Fox said. "I know I've been denying it, Pep, but the truth is, I think I love her." Peppy couldn't help but smile.
"Well, I must say it's about time you fessed up." Peppy said. "No offense."
"None taken." Fox said. Peppy cleared his throat a little before continuing.
"Now, if I may ask, what exactly is troubling you about this?" Peppy asked.
"I want to tell her, but for some reason, I can't figure out how." Fox said. Peppy gave a chuckle. He had seen this before. A boy loved a girl, but got tongue-tied whenever he went to tell her. The boy's name was James McCloud, in love with a particularly beautiful girl named Vixy Reinard.
"I see." Peppy said. "Well, let me give you some advice. You, Fox, have nothing to be worried about. I think the best way to tell her would be to just say it, right to her face."
"But, wouldn't that freak her out?" Fox asked. Peppy chuckled.
"Not at all, Fox." He said. "I've seen the way she looks at you. I think she feels the same way, and is just waiting for you to make the first move." Fox gave it a thought, and smiled when he realized it all made sense. Krystal was smiling at him a lot, making excuses to talk to him, and even what seemed like flirting. It certainly seemed like she liked him.
"I'm gonna do it Peppy." Fox said with a smile. "I'm gonna tell her how I feel." Peppy smiled.
"Good for you, Fox. I really think she's the one for you." He said. "But, let's get some sleep first. I don't know about you, but I'm beat."
"Good idea, Pep. I could use some sleep, too." Fox said with a yawn. Peppy gave a chuckle before heading off to his room. Fox stood by the window for a few more minutes, before leaving the bridge and heading back to his room.
Fox smiled as he remembered the next day. True to his form, he kept his promise and, at the first opportunity, pulled Krystal aside. Fox was terrified, but as Peppy suggested, he told her about how he felt. Fox fully expected Krystal to slap him, or scream and run away, but got the shock of his life when she grabbed him and kissed him passionately. With tears in her eyes, she told him that she had felt the same way the whole time, and had been waiting for him to realize it forever. With their relationship finally able to come to fruition, the two of them were soon inseparable.
Fox stumbled around in the dark, looking for the light switch to his room. He finally found it after nearly tripping over his wastebasket and banging his shin into his dresser. He flicked the light on, revealing the layout of his bedroom. His room, like his old quarters back on the Great Fox, the team's mothership until it's destruction during the final battle against the Aparoids, was simple. It had a bed big enough for one person, set off with a white comforter and flannel sheets. To the left of the headboard was a plain desk, which held a black laptop computer and a silver PAD (Personal Access Device). Slightly behind the bed was a white dresser, containing his clothes and a few personal items. Sitting on top of the desk was a silver and orange colored boombox. The solitary little window above the head of the bed looked out at the brilliantly lit skyline of Corneria City. Fox stood in place for a moment to get his bearings and allow the brief headache from the lights turning on to subside, and decided to head downstairs to fix himself a glass of warm milk. When he was a kid, warm milk always helped him to go back to sleep, so he figured it should help him this time. Stumbling slightly in his exhausted state, he hobbled down the stairs to the houses little kitchen. The kitchen itself was a simple affair, with a plain wooden table with four chairs in the center of the floor, and wooden cabinets and drawers lining the right left wall. The wooden countertop was touched off with a plain metal sink and faucet with two knobs, one for cold water and one for hot water. Fox stumbled over to the plain white refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk. He then walked over to the top left cabinet and pulled out a small glass. He poured some of the milk in the glass and then hobbled over to the sleek black microwave, placed the glass inside, and set the microwave for thirty seconds, just enough to get the milk warm. He slumped down into a chair at the head of the table and put his head in his arms, his eyes still stinging from tiredness.
As Fox waited for his milk to finish heating up, he heard a sharp ringing from the living room. That ringing was coming from his telephone. At two in the morning, somebody had the nerve to call him! It was probably some punkass teenagers doing prank calls. Growling, he stood up and grabbed his milk from the microwave, and then trudged angrily into the living room. Like the rest of the house, the living room was simple. The walls were covered with plain white wallpaper, and hugging the floor was light blue carpeting. The windows were set off with drapes that matched the carpeting exactly. In the middle of the floor stood a velvet green sectional couch with room for up to six people, a giant bigscreen TV, and a mahogany buffet table in front of the sectional.
Fuming over the early morning disturbance, Fox angrily grabbed the phone from its cradle and held it to his ear.
"Unless this is too important to wait until morning, you'd better hang the hell up and quick." Fox snarled into the phone. He about had a coronary when a cheerful, elderly voice answered him.
"I'm sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number." The unmistakable voice of Peppy Hare quipped over the line. "I'll try again in the morning."
"Wait, don't hang up!" Fox practically shouted into the phone. "I didn't know it was you, Pep." Peppy chuckled.
"Relax, Fox, your reaction is understandable." Peppy said. "If it had been me, I probably would've reached through the phone and choked the guy at the other end, if such a thing were possible." Both he and Fox gave a laugh at this remark.
"So, what's up Pep?" Fox asked, getting straight to the point. "What couldn't wait until the morning?"
"Ah, straight to the point. Just like another McCloud I used to know," Peppy said, "though if you want to be technical, it is the morning." Peppy joked. Hearing Fox moan slightly, Peppy cleared his throat before continuing. "I just called to tell you that Krystal got back."
"She did?" Fox asked. "When did this happen?"
"About an hour ago." Peppy answered. "I got a message from her over my PAD."
"I figured she would've been back earlier." Fox said. "She did say this ritual lasted for eight days, right?" Peppy gave an unnoticeable nod.
"Right you are, Fox. As of now, she had been out in the woods for eight days and nights, as Cerinian Scripture demands." Peppy said.
"I hope she'll be okay for the ceremony tomorrow." Fox said, quickly gulping down his milk. "She said this ritual was one of the most taxing in her people's religion."
"Well Fox, I imaging being out in the woods for eight days and nights, living off of class C field rations and doing nothing but meditate would take a lot out of you." Peppy said with a chuckle. Fox winced when he heard this. Class C field rations were emergency rations, the most meager of meager, certainly not something to live off of. "But don't worry, Fox, she told me she was just fine, and that she was ready for tomorrow." Fox smiled.
"Thanks for calling, Pep, but I need to get back to sleep. It's big day tomorrow." Fox said.
"I'll let you catch your forty winks, then." Peppy said. "Or, at least as many as you can before nine." Fox gave a little laugh.
"Bye, Pep." Fox said.
"Bye, Fox. Have a good night's sleep." Peppy replied before hanging up. Fox hung up the phone, then walked back into the kitchen and put his glass in the sink before heading back up to his room. He lay back down in his bed and pulled the covers back over him. Strangely, he found himself not overcome with fitfulness like before. Whether it was the milk, or the knowledge that Krystal had returned safe and sound, he didn't care to know. He simply closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.
the next morning
Fox was awakened the next morning by the shrill blaring of his alarm clock. He growled and fumbled around until he located the off switch for his alarm. He wasted no time in flipping it to the "off" position. He pulled the covers off of himself and sat up in bed, giving off a yawn as he did so. He glanced over at his clock and saw that the time read 9:00 am. He had about three hours to get ready for the wedding. He rubbed the remaining sleep out of his jade green eyes before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom at the end of the hall. He opened the door to the bathroom and flipped on the light switch, revealing a simple room with white wallpaper, and a simple sink, shower and toilet. Fox walked over to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror.
"Blech." He muttered when he saw his reflection. His eyes betrayed his tired state, and he could see the slightest hint of yellow crust around the edges. His fur was ruffled and slightly moist from sweat. Fox turned on the faucet and cupped his hands under the cold stream of water that poured from the faucet. When there was a sufficient amount pooled in his cupped hands, he threw them up and splashed the water onto his face. He grabbed a towel from a nearby towel rack and wiped the water from his face and muzzle. When he looked back in the mirror, the eye crust had disappeared, and he looked more awake and alert than before. He immediately disrobed and stepped into the shower, turning the water to a gentle eighty degrees on the digital temperature gauge. Despite the low temperature, he still yelped when the hot water touched his fur. After his body had adjusted to the hot water, he grabbed a nearby bottle of fur soap and squeezed a dollop onto an outstretched paw. He then lathered the soap all over his body, careful to get everything, and rinsed it off, careful not to get any in his eyes. Once this was done, he turned off the water, and grabbed another, larger towel from the towel rack to dry himself off. He rubbed himself down thoroughly, making sure his fur was soft, something he knew Krystal would appreciate. Once he was finished, he wrapped the towel around himself and went back to his bedroom to get dressed for the ceremony.
Fox walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. Sitting inside and to the left was a neatly pressed black tuxedo and bowtie. Fox pulled this, along with a pair of boxers, white dress shirt, and black dress socks, out of the drawer and laid it out on his bed. Fox let the towel drop the floor and quickly pulled on his boxers. He then picked up his dress shirt and put it on, making sure to match up every button exactly. After he finished buttoning up, he pulled his tuxedo pants on, tucking his shirt in before doing them up. Finally, he picked up his tuxedo jacket and slipped it on over his dress shirt. He then picked up his bowtie and walked over to the mirror located in the corner of his room to put it on.
Fox, being to leader of his own squadron, was a master at coming up with complex tactical plans and maneuvers, so one would think that something as simple as putting on a tie would be easy for him. However, the tie proved to be as fickle as General Pepper's personal aide. Try as he might, he simply couldn't remember how to tie the thing on.
"Stupid piece of crap." He muttered under his breath. "I can reduce an Venomian base to cinders, but I can't do this damned tie up. What else could possibly go wrong?" He thought to himself. He quickly shoved that thought out of the way, hoping he wouldn't jinx everything. He quickly focused back on trying to do up his tie. His mind became so focused, he didn't hear the sound of someone knocking on his front door, nor did he notice the sound of said front door opening and footsteps coming up the stairs to his room. He was finally jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of someone knocking, this time on his bedroom door.
"Fox, you in there?" Fox smiled when he recognized the voice as none other than Peppy Hare. He opened the door, to be greeted by the aforementioned hare, already dressed in his tuxedo. "Ah, there you are. For a second I thought you were still asleep."
"What time did you get up, Pep?" Fox asked. Peppy gave a chuckle.
"Actually, not much earlier than you did. Need help with your tie?" Peppy said, noticing Fox's tie hanging off of his neck.
"Could you?" Fox said. "The thing is driving me insane." Peppy laughed as he reached over and began adjusting Fox's tie. Much to Fox's chagrin, Peppy did it up in practically seconds. Peppy gave another laugh at the crossed look on Fox's face.
"So Fox, you ready?" Peppy asked, turning his attention away from the tie.
"About as ready as I'll ever be." Fox said. "But to tell you the truth, I'm nervous as hell." Peppy smiled.
"That's a funny thing, Fox." He said. "Because I remember a certain other McCloud saying that exact same thing to me on his wedding day." Fox smiled, knowing instantly who it was Peppy was talking about.
"And I guess the next thing your going to say is 'And everything turned out alright with them', right?" He said.
"Well, obviously. You're here, aren't you?" Peppy said with a chuckle. Fox couldn't help but laugh as well. Fox then straightened out his tuxedo and grabbed a pair of black dress shoes from near the door. After putting them on, he turned back to Peppy.
"Well, what do you say we get this show on the road?" Fox asked.
"I couldn't agree more, Fox." Peppy said, gesturing towards the door. Fox walked out the door, down the stairs, and through the front door with Peppy in tow. Peppy's car, a black Cemara 200 Sedan, sat in the driveway of the spaceport-like dwelling that the entire team shared. The car was shaped like a stereotypical sports car with smooth, curving lines along the body, except that it had four doors and seating for four people, one driver and three passengers. The interior of the car had tan upholstery and leather seats. The dashboard had all digital gauges for speed, RPM, fuel, and so forth. Fox opened the front passenger side door and sat down, careful not to wrinkle his tuxedo with the seatbelt. Peppy sat down in the drivers seat and started the vehicle. The engine idled to life with a dull rumble, followed by Peppy pulling out of the driveway and driving off down the street in the direction of Corneria City.
The entire ride into the city took less than ten minutes, which surprised Peppy and Fox. Normally the roads leading into the city were crowded with motorists headed into town to work. They reasoned that the extensive repairs the city needed following the Aparoid attack was still being done, meaning that many people still had yet to go back to work. This was confirmed when the reached the downtown area, a place once bustling with myriads of shops and colorful holographic ads but was now occupied by massive cranes and countless numbers of construction workers repairing and rebuilding the structures. Fox gaped at the size of the reconstruction efforts.
"You'd think that after six months, they'd be finished with most of the rebuilding." He remarked as they passed a construction crew putting up a new store.
"Yes, you'd think they would be." Peppy replied. "I guess the Aparoids did more damage then we were aware." Fox nodded, remembering that they were absent during the time when the Aparoids attacking Corneria were upping the ferocity of the attack. They had gone off to attack the Aparoid Homeworld, leaving the Cornerian Defense Force soldiers to fend for themselves. The Aparoid attackers, from what the surviving soldiers told them, simply charged into their lines head on, fighting with both laser and claw. By the end of the attack on the homeworld, where the queen was infected with the apoptosis gene and destroyed, the normally ivory white buildings of Corneria City turned red with the blood of hundreds of soldiers, who despite the odds, stood their ground and fought the Aparoid invaders, many making the ultimate sacrifice to protect their homes and families. It was said that the CDF, and indeed all of Corneria, had never seen a finer hour. Fox's musings were cut short by the sound of Peppy's voice.
"Wake up, Fox. We're here." The elderly hare said. Fox shook himself out of his thoughts as the Corneria City Chapel came into view. The chapel was a marvelous piece of architecture, even for a place like Corneria City. The main body of the chapel was trapezoidal in shape. Both sides of the massive structure were lined with equally massive stained glass windows, depicting various religious images and quotes from Scripture. Seven massive, cone-shaped spires topped the roof of the chapel, each containing a loudspeaker that blared out bell tones every Sunday at 8:00 in the morning, calling the faithful of Corneria City to worship. The entire structure was painted a brilliant ivory white, so bright that it stood out even amongst the skyscrapers that stood beside it. The intricateness and beauty of the building's design, along with the buildings sheer size, mesmerized Fox as they parked right in front of chapel gate. As the two of them exited the vehicle, Fox took one last look at the downtown area. Despite the rebuilding that was still going on, life had returned to the city. The holographic ads that made this section of the city famous had once again been lit, now more brilliantly than ever before. The myriad of lights and sounds blended together to create a rainbow of color that rivaled anything nature could produce.
"Fox." Peppy interrupted while tapping Fox on the shoulder. Fox turned around. "You coming?" Fox nodded, and the two of them turned and entered the front gate of the chapel.
Some people said that the Corneria City Chapel was like a geode rock. It's true beauty lay on the inside. When one saw the inside of the chapel, this saying turned out to be true. The floor was covered in rich velvet carpeting, which highlighted the polished oak pews, which were assembled in rows of eight on either side of the chapel. The light from the early morning sun shone through the stained glass windows, bathing the immense room with a palette of blues, reds, greens, and other colors. At the front of the room stood the centerpiece of the entire affair, a massive golden altar, polished until it shone like the rising sun, capped off with a giant four-pointed star crafted from gold. In the middle of the star was set a massive ruby, rumored to be the largest in the entire Lylat System. The morning light made the great jewel shimmer and sparkle, as thought the light of the Messiah himself had entered the jewel, and was now radiating out from it for the faithful to see and revere.
The sheer beauty of the worship room was not lost on the few people who now stood at the altar and sat in the pews. Standing at the altar were three men, all dressed in black tuxedos. One was a blue falcon with red markings around his eyes, who fidgeted around, as if his tuxedo made him uncomfortable. That was not a far off assumption. This falcon was none other than Falco Lombardi, Star Fox's ace pilot and all-around badass. Right now, he was thinking about how ridiculous he looked in a tuxedo, and longing for his normal day wear, which consisted of a plain jeans, t-shirt, and black leather jacket, stereotypical biker wear which reflected his past as a bike club member back on Zoness.
To Falco's left, a short figure stood, clad in the same black tuxedo, this time with a red flower stuck in his left breast pocket. The early morning light that filtered in through the stained glass windows caused his deep green skin to shine. Yes, that's right, green skin, for the figure that stood next to Falco was none other than Slippy Toad. He was, as his surname suggested, a toad, short and squat, with the great bulging eyes that characterized his species. In addition to his tuxedo, he sported his signature red baseball cap, his "lucky cap" which he was never seen without. Right now, he simply stood in place with a massive grin on his face.
On Falco's right was another figure, this one dressed in unique attire. Rather than the usual tuxedo, this one wore a blue military uniform jacket over a standard white dress shirt and bowtie, along with a pair of blue uniform pants with a gold stripe going down each leg on one side. On his uniform coat, he sported an array of colorful ribbons and medals, some with gold and silver stars and letters on them, an pin above the medals shaped like a shield with a golden starburst insignia on the shield, capped off with a pair of arching eagle's wings, and gold colored epaulettes on his shoulders. On his uniform collar, two pairs of insignia, looking like four overlapping pentagons with stars in the center, were pinned. Rounding off this attire was a pair of expertly polished uniform shoes and uniform white gloves. Held in these gloved hands was a blue uniform cap with a black brim, upon which were lines of silver cloud shaped markings with lightning bolts punching through them. The figure had the visage of a wolf/husky cross, with a pair of piercing yet gentle blue eyes capping it off. This figure was none other than Fox's old classmate from the Lylatian Military Academy, William T. Grey, known simply as "Bill" to his friends. He had been granted time off from his duties as Commander of the 8542nd Space Fighter Squadron on Katina to be Fox's best man at his wedding (he suspected that General Pepper himself had called his Machiavellian Brigadier, Harold Cartwright, and threatened him with a transfer to a Venom security detail if he didn't let Bill go). So, he now found himself at the Corneria City Chapel, dressed in full CDF mess dress, standing on the old megachurch's altar waiting for Fox and Peppy to arrive. As if on cue, the oaken front door to the church opened, and Fox and Peppy entered. Falco turned his head to the doorway with a grin on his face.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in." He said with great amusement. "Welcome back to the land of the living there Sleeping Beauty." Bill and Slippy snickered.
'You're a riot, Falco." Fox said as he and Peppy made their way down the aisle to the altar. "Oh, and by the way, you might want to fix your tie. The clips falling off." Bill and Slippy snickered again, this time joined by Peppy. Falcon simply grumbled and reached down to adjust his tie. Fox climbed up to his spot right in the center of the altar, right in front of the great star, and turned to Bill.
"So Bill, Old Man Cartwright finally gave you some leave, huh?" Fox said with a smile.
"Yeah." Bill replied. "But I think Pepper had to tell him he'd send him to Sector Three on Venom unless he gave me time off." Fox cringed. Sector Three was the area where Andross had placed most of his industry during the Lylat War, thus making it the most polluted area on the whole planet. The air was choked with smog and gas, and the once pristine blue lakes of the region were transformed into toxic sludge pits. These conditions made it a detail most officers would take over their cold, dead bodies. "Oh, had Krystal gotten back in yet? Peppy said this thing she was doing was eight days, right?"
"Peppy says she got in last night around two." Fox replied.
"It must be rough, having to spend eight days and nights out in the wilderness alone, doing nothing except meditating." Slippy chimed in. "If it was me, I would have gone crazy."
"Or starved to death." Falco quipped. Slippy scowled.
"Stop joking my weight, Falco!" Slippy shouted. Falco just laughed, while Fox, Bill, and Peppy just rolled their eyes. Just then, they heard the sound of cars pulling into the church parking lot.
"Alright guys, places." Peppy said. "The guests are arriving." Falco, Bill, and Slippy got back into their places on the altar, whilst Fox just stood in place. Peppy went over to the doorway so he could greet the guests as they arrived. Just as he got there, the doors opened, and the first of the guests stepped into the chapel. Peppy instantly recognized them as Patrick and Elena Phoenix, Fara Phoenix's parents. The two fennecs were elegantly dressed, Patrick wearing an expensive black velvet tuxedo, and Elena going with a jade green formal gown with matching dress heels.
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Phoenix, what a pleasant surprise." Peppy said with a smile, which Patrick Phoenix returned warmly.
"Well, old friend, you didn't think we'd miss dear Fox's wedding now, did you?" Patrick, a russet-gold, slightly heavyset fennec with piercing yet warm gray eyes replied. "Besides, our daughter is the maid of honor. We didn't have much choice." Both he and Peppy chuckled lightly at this. Peppy knew that the Phoenix's wouldn't miss the wedding for the world. They had known Fox practically since the day he was born, through their dealings with his father during Star Fox's early days, and had come to see him as an sort of adopted son, especially after the deaths of Fox's parents.
"We were wondering where the bride was." Elena, a light brown, almost tan fennec with emerald green eyes that radiated kindness, chimed in. "Fara was going to take her to get herself done up for the ceremony."
"She's just returned from her umaikara. I heard from her just last night." Peppy replied. Elena nodded.
"Is it true she spent eight days in the wild alone?" Patrick asked.
"Oh yes." Peppy replied. "It's the one of the most arduous rituals in her people's religion. It requires her to spend all eight days meditating, and she has to go without much food." Both Patrick and Elena cringed at hearing this.
"Perhaps I should tell the caterers to prepare extra meals." Patrick quipped, soliciting another chuckle from Peppy. Just then, Fox walked over from the altar to greet them.
"Ah, Fox, my boy." Patrick said, shaking Fox's hand. Elena came up and wrapped him in a hug.
"How are you, Fox?" She said. Fox smiled.
"Never better." Fox said with a smile. Elena smiled and released her hug on Fox before going back over to her husband. "Oh, and thanks for those shield upgrades on the arwings. They really saved my life, more than once." He added, remembering Star Fox's recent missions.
"It was no trouble, my boy." Patrick replied. "We're always glad to help you out." Fox nodded and smiled, as other guests began to filter into the church. The church began to fill with an array of colors as people in various tuxedoes and formal gowns entered the church and filled the pews and aisle, idly chatting and waiting for the ceremony to begin. Fox recognized a few of them, teachers from his school days, instructors from the academy (retired), and even a few of his old neighbors and classmates. The highlight, however, had to be the entrance of Krystal's bridesmaids, who had shown up early because Cerinian marriage traditions said the bride must enter the temple alone, with only flower girls preceding her. First to enter was none other than Fara Phoenix, Fox's closest friend and former love interest. A beautiful young woman, with her father's russet-gold fur and her mother's kind emerald eyes, she had served as a test pilot for her father's company, Space Dynamics, before attending college to earn a masters degree in aerospace engineering. It was her research into artificial gravity that led to the development of the Gravity Diffuser, or G-Diffuser for short. This device, the famous "blue wings" which were mounted on the back of the team's spacecraft, generated a field of artificial gravity around the craft, which enabled it to perform extremely aerodynamic maneuvers and accelerate to nearly 5 the speed of light without harming the pilot. This ingenious device proved to be a lifesaver on many of Star Fox's missions, as the team was forced to push the Arwings to the very limits of their performance capabilities, and usually ended up performing maneuvers that would kill a pilot in a ship without a G-Diffuser system. The main drawback to the system was that it utilized advanced mechanics that were devilishly difficult, even for a mechanical genius like Slippy, to maintain.
Following closely behind her was a most unusual young woman, in the form of a pink-furred cat with dazzling blue eyes, short blond hair, and a soft country accent. This woman was the aptly named Katt Monroe, a former street rat-turned mercenary, and Falco's current ladylove. A soft-spoken woman from the Zoness resort city of Crystal Glen, she first became acquainted with the Star Fox team during the Lylat War, when the team was sent to Zoness to destroy Andross' bioweapon labs on the many islands poking up out of the planet wide ocean. In order to make their run on the labs, the team first had to launch a coordinated strike against the bases "searchlights", the code name given to the massive sensor arrays Andross had erected to detect and destroy attacking aircraft. Fox, Slippy, and Peppy destroyed their targets without much difficulty, but the targeting system in Falco's Arwing malfunctioned, causing the Nova Bomb he launched to go off target. This in turn caused the base to go on full alert, and scramble fighters to intercept him. Falco would have been roasted then and there, if not for the pink fighter that swooped in and destroyed the offending fighters, allowing Falco to destroy his target. The pilot of the fighter was none other than Katt, who had been harassing Andross' forces on Zoness, forcing him to erect the sensor arrays in the first place. Katt, who was furious over the horrendous pollution that Andross bioweapon research had scoured the once-beautiful oceans of Zoness with, offered to aid the team in their mission on the planet. Falco, who had known her since his early days on Zoness and knew she was an extremely skilled pilot, heartily agreed that she should help. To make a long story short, the team allowed her to help, and reduced the labs to cinders. Fox, impressed with Katt's piloting skills, offered her a spot on the pilot roster, but she turned it down, saying she preferred to work solo. She left soon after the team finished mopping up the remainder of Andross' forces on Zoness. It was to find her that was Falco's motivation for leaving the team shortly after the end of the war. Katt sauntered into place next to Fara, winking at Falco as she did so. Falco returned the wink, and even blew her a kiss, something that surprised the rest of the team, as Falco was rarely so open in public.
Bringing up the rear was a vixen who, with her russet-gold fur and jade green eyes, could have been Fox's clone. In a way, she kind of was. She was Fox's twin sister, Marie McCloud, who he had just recently found. Like Fox, she had a love for adventure and for flying, plus an warm and loving attitude that could warm the heart of anyone. Like the rest of the bridesmaids, she wore a pink strapless formal dress with a light pink, almost white, rose pinned to her chest, and was carrying a bouquet of white forget-me-nots, a traditional symbol of love and faithfulness. Like her mother, she had lovely, long black hair that shined in the sunlight filtering through the windows. She smiled at her brother, who walked over and hugged her.
"Thanks for coming, sis. It means a lot." Fox said.
"My brother's getting married. How could I not come?" She said. Fox laughed lightly and released his hug on her before stepping back. Katt likewise walked over and hugged Fox.
"Aw, Fox, how are ya?" She said. Fox smiled and returned the hug.
"We're all fine, Katt. It's good to be home." Fox replied. Prior to returning to Corneria, the team had been on patrol in Sector X, helping the depleted and beleaguered CDF fleet safeguard the area's busy trade lanes. With the casualties they suffered during both the Venomian Uprising under Andross' nephew, Andrew Oikonny, and the Aparoid Invasion, they had greatly appreciated the help Star Fox gave them while they rebuilt the fleet.
"It's good to have you home." Fara chimed in. "We've all missed you guys. Especially Marie over here."
"Aw, shucks." Falco said in return. "I don't know what to say." The vixens all giggled in response.
"Well, I'll assume with all the giddy voices in the air, that we're nearly set to begin." A voice chimed in from behind them. They all turned around to see the priest, Father Timothy O'Mally, standing in front of the altar. A tall Labrador retriever with hazel eyes and a gruff, strong voice, O'Mally was dressed in a set of rich emerald green robes, a purple sash depicting the star emblem of the Messiah on the right side, a book of Scripture on the left. In his hands he held a brown leather book, containing all the Liturgies of the Church. The book was currently opened to the page depicting the Liturgy of the Sacrament of Matrimony, the second most holy in Church belief, next to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or Holy Supper.
"I just a few minutes, Father." Fox said. "We're still waiting for the rings to get here, and of course the bride."
"Good." O'Mally replied. "Tell me, how is she? Krystal, I mean."
"Well Father, we've got good news and bad news." Peppy said. A look of concern crossed O'Mally's elderly features.
"The good news is she returned safe and sound." Fox said.
"And the bad news?" O'Mally asked, slightly confused.
"The bad news is she hasn't eaten much in eight days, so it doesn't look like anybody's gonna get any cake." Falco quipped. The entire assembly erupted into laughter. After the laughter had died down, O'Mally cleared his throat.
"Let me make sure I understand this." He said. "Krystal will be entering alone?"
"Well, almost alone." Peppy replied. "She'll be preceded by flower girls, but that's it. The rings will be in Fara and Bill's safekeeping." O'Mally nodded.
"I also understand that there will be a person singing during the service?" He asked.
"A request by Krystal." Fox said. "Her people had a song that was sung at weddings. It tells the story of a God and Goddess who fell in love and established the tradition of marriage, I forgot who their names were."
"Of course." O'Mally replied with a smile. "Who will be performing the song?"
"I will." Fara replied. "Krystal taught me the song, in Cerinian." Just then, the church doors opened, revealing two forms. One was a grey-furred vulpine with deep brown eyes, and the other was an eight year old mix of vulpine and fennec with russet-gold fur and brown eyes. Both were wearing black tuxedos, and the boy held a large, velvet-covered box in his hands. Fara smiled as the two of them made their way up the aisle to the altar.
"Cutting it kinda close, aren't you." She said to the man, who smirked in reply.
"Well, better almost late than never, right?" He said with a laugh. Fara simply rolled her eyes at her husband, Ted Phoenix, before turning to her eight year old son, Kevin Phoenix and scooping him up into a hug. Kevin squeaked as his mother squeezed him.
"Stop it, mom! You're squishing me!" He squeaked as Fara squeezed him.
"Aw, you look so handsome." Fara cooed. "Just like your father." Kevin just tried to wiggle his way out of his mother's embrace.
"Well, he won't be if you kill him." Fox joked from behind them, getting a laugh from the rest of them. "Isn't that right, little buddy?" A smile crossed Kevin's face.
"Yeah!" He yipped as Fara released her hug on him. "I won't be if she kills me!" Fox chuckled and ruffled Kevin's head affectionately. One couldn't help but love little Kevin Phoenix, and indeed, Fox had come to view the kid as a nephew. Kevin had even begun to call him "Uncle Fox", even though the two had no blood relation. Fara couldn't help but smile. Fox was always so kind with Kevin, and it pleased her to no end that the two had such a close relationship. He would make a wonderful father.
The sun had risen over the city skyline, giving the sky it's traditional azure blue color. White puffs of cloud filled the sky, like cotton balls stuck onto a blue painted diorama for a schoolchild's class project. The presented scene was beautiful to the middle-aged kangaroo that stood on the front stoop to the chapel. His piercing gray eyes scanned the horizon, watching the hover vehicles zip their way through the city like a trail of ants. The man was the wedding planner. He had just returned from overseeing the final preparations for the reception following the ceremony, and had stopped on the stoop to have himself a cigarette before heading back in to attend the service. He reached into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a windproof lighter. In practically one motion, pulled out a cigarette and lit the lighter. As he brought it to the cigarette in his mouth, he noticed a hover van pull up. The side door to the van opened, and a cadre of little girls in formal gowns pulled up. It didn't take the planner long to figure out who they are. They were the flower girls who had volunteered to participate in the wedding ceremony. If they were here, than that meant only one thing…
"Well, looks like it's time to get this show on the road." He said. An adult poodle climbed out of the car behind the kids, dressed in the same blue formal gown that they were wearing. The planner dropped his cigarette on the ground and put his lighter back into his pocket before walking over to the adult.
"Am I to assume that this means the bride is on her way?" He asked the woman. The woman hurried the girls over to the entrance, handing them baskets of pink flower petals on the way.
"Not on her way." The woman replied. "She's already here." The woman then gestured over to the rear window of the van. The planner gasped at what he saw. Sitting in the back was none other than the soon-to-be Krystal McCloud, her face partially obscured by the white veil over her face, the jewel on her tiara sparkling. She smiled and waved at the planner, who simply cursed under his breath.
"Shit!" He muttered so that the flower girls couldn't here his dirty language. He than turned to the woman. "I need to get everyone ready. Keep everyone out here until I give the signal, okay." The woman nodded in agreement, and the planner rushed back into the church to inform the congregation that the bride had arrived.
"And when I reached to center of the complex, all hell broke loose." Fox said, narrating to everyone his latest mission, to capture a gang leader who was wanted by the Cornerian government for involvement in drug trafficking. "It turns out the guy had his own private army. Somehow, he managed to get his hands on some old Venomian fighters and weapons and taught his thugs how to use them. Well, lucky for me, half the stuff he had I had fought before, so I knew exactly what to do…" Fox was interrupted by the front doors suddenly opening and the wedding planner rushing into the church, panting from all the running.
"Whoa, dude, slow down!" Falco quipped as the planner rushed in. "Where's the fire?" The planner simply stared at him.
"I'll tell you where the fire is." The planner replied. "It's sitting in a van outside, waiting for this show to get on the road." The rest of the assembly instantly knew what, or rather who, the planner was referring too. Fox's eyes shot wide open, to the point where one could half fit a half-dollar in them.
"She's here!" He shouted in shock. The planner nodded.
"Well then," Peppy said, "It's time to get this show on the road. Kevin, the rings." Kevin opened the felt covered box he was carrying and pulled out two rings, both gold. There were not gems on these rings. They were the wedding bands, two plain gold rings, which served as a symbol of the couple's final union. Kevin took the precious rings and handed them to their respective holders, Fox's to Fara, and Krystal's to Bill. After this had gone down, the planner clapped his hands.
"Alright! Places everybody!" He called to the assembled congregation, who all promptly sat down in their pews. Bill, Falco, and Slippy took their places on the steps leading up to the altar, while Fara, Katt, and Marie took theirs on the other side. Peppy said down in the front row directly in front of the groomsmen, while Fox and Father O'Malley took their places upon the altar. The wedding planner smoothed back his rapidly graying headfur before making his way back to the door. After looking back to make sure everything and everyone was in its place, he leaned out the door and beckoned to someone outside. Almost immediately, a slew of flower girls entered the church, split into groups of four and tossing flower petals down in the aisle as they made their way to the altar. Once they reached the altar, they split into two groups and went to opposite sides of the field. The wedding planner leaned out the front door again and again beckoned to someone outside the church. Everyone readied themselves for the bride's entrance. Fox was beginning to sweat bullets. The only time he could remember feeling so nervous was when he was flying into the heart of Venom to face Andross himself, and to be honest he would have been more comfortable doing that than what he was doing now. He looked briefly down at his paws, which were shaking violently and practically dripping with sweat. He tried to wipe them off in the pockets of his trousers, but it wouldn't be long before they were soaked again.
The massive front doors to the church once again opened, bathing the entire room with an almost heavenly light. Fox's attention, and that of everyone in the church, was set on the figure that stood in the middle of the doorway, partially obscured by the sunlight. Almost immediately, Fara began belting out the Cerinian wedding song she had learned, flawlessly singing each and every note.
"You know, I never noticed before how good a singer Fara was." Fox said to himself. "But then again, I never notice such… dude, not now! Concentrate!" Fox scolded himself, forcing himself to focus on the aisle, where Krystal was now beginning to make her way up to the altar.
Fox's thoughts about Fara's singing were quickly pushed aside when he saw her. The sunlight coming in through the doorway gave the appearance that she was surrounded by an angelic aura. Her strapless wedding gown was pearly white and covered in tiny, sparkling rime stones, further enhancing this appearance. The dress was cut just enough for one to see the branded tattoos on her thighs. She wore her golden tiara with ruby setting, and a set of golden bracelets etched with Cerinian letters, and her signature golden necklace with large emerald setting, giving her a sparkle that was only enhanced by the joyous glow that was emanating from her eyes. Fox simply stood there, his mouth agape at the scene that presented itself to him. All Krystal needed was a pair of wings sprouting from her back, and she could have passed for an angel. Hell, she was an angel, as far as he was concerned.
Krystal made her way up to the altar, stepping in tune to Fara's singing. She moved so delicately, she appeared to float her way along the aisle. Fox's nerves began to make themselves known even more. His nervous jittering had become violent, and he was sweating even more. Peppy noticed this, and gave the terrified vulpine a reassuring smile. Fox noticed, and smiled back. Peppy had the ability to calm anyone with a simple look, and it was definitely helping now as Krystal stepped up to her place on the altar, turning to face her husband-to-be. Like Peppy, she noticed Fox's nerves, and gave him a smile of her own. As if by some magic spell, Fox's nervous jittering disappeared, replaced by a calmness he rarely experienced. By then, Fara had wrapped up her song, and Father O'Malley cleared his throat and prepared to speak.
"And so it begins." He whispered before he began the ceremony. Fox took one of Krystal's hands in both of his, looking at her with eyes full of the deepest love and affection.
Science Station K-45, Orbiting Planet 44619, Sector P
Far away from the bustling worlds of the Lylat system sat a lonely science station. The station itself was not unlike any of the countless other stations that were positioned around newly discovered planets. Steel gray in color, the station almost resembled a dinner plate, with a cylindrical stability unit, stabilizers glowing fiery red, positioned underneath the structure, and giant solar panels soaking up the sunlight from the planet's star spinning slowly around the structure. Stenciled on the side of the saucer, in bold block letters, was the designation "K-45", the station's official designation number, and below that was a circular field of stars with a flying starburst emblem orbiting it, the symbol of the Aeronautics and Space Research Bureau of the Cornerian Science Department. The structure was orbiting a planet that at first glance appeared to consist only of ocean, but when one looked at the side being illuminated by the sun, one could see the outline of a single massive continent, set into the middle of the great ocean like a multicolored gem. The beautiful scene below the station stood in stark contrast to the inside. The bowels of the station were to same bland steel gray color of the rest of it. Fluorescent lights lined the metal corridors, bathing them in harsh light. The empty corridors made for a bland, uninteresting scene. This all changed when one entered the control room in the center of the structure. Though illuminated by the same harsh fluorescent lights as the rest of the station, the bland interior was replaced by a vibrant display of lights and colors from the myriad of computer terminals and sensor readouts covering the walls. On one wall was a large mural depicting the ASRB logo, painted in vivid color and detail. The room was filled with a soft orchestra of beeps and whirs from the racks of computer banks taking in and storing all the data coming in from the sensors aimed at the planet's surface.
At one of the computer terminals sat one of the researchers permanently attached to this backwater research station, a graying, middle-aged coyote with dark brown, almost black, eyes and a thin figure. A cigarette was permanently jammed into his thin, graying muzzle, a bored look plastered on his face. The scientist was Dr. Rod Dahlgren, a biologist specializing in planetary ecology. Right now, he was watching the planetary sensor arrays, looking for signs of life forms on the planet. K-45, a special moving science station that could be sent to new planets via warp jump, was designed to monitor newly discovered planets for signs of life. The ASRB was constantly on the lookout for new life forms, to study and increase their knowledge of the universe and it's many inhabitants. But so far, Planet 44619 had proved to be a dead rock. Sure, there was plenty of plant life, but nothing interesting had appeared on any of the land-based sensors scattered about the planet's single continent. Plenty of readings had come in from the underwater sensors on the seabed, but so far nothing on land. The strain of nearly ten hours of watching the sensor displays was beginning to take its toll on Dahlgren. He was currently nursing his fifth cigarette, and he still had another couple of hours to go on his shift.
He sighed as another negative reading came in on the screen in front of him. The station had been running scans of the planet for the past couple of days, and now they were nearing the end of the planetary survey. That was small comfort to the scientists working on the survey. For them, each day was another spell of monotony in a series of such spells. Dahlgren himself was about ready to fall asleep at his console, he was so bored from the endless series of negative readings. He felt his eyes begin to droop, but just as he was about to fall asleep, the computer chimed in.
"Alert, unidentified signal detected." The computer's bland voice announced over the intercom. Dahlgren was immediately shaken out of his torpor and turned to where an indicator was blinking on the monitor. Dahlgren got up from his chair and walked over to the offending monitor. He clicked a few keys on the computer screen and brought up an image of the detected signal. The computer graphed the signal as a blue wave signature, similar to a communications signal. But there was something strange about this signature. The frequency of the signal was too low to be any known communications signal, and it had peaks in areas that were atypical of standard communications frequencies. Dahlgren was, to say the least, puzzled by this strange signal.
"Computer, on what band is this signal traveling?" He asked the computer. The computer beeped a few times as it analyzed the signal's bandwidth.
"Signal is traveling on a low E-band." The computer replied. Dahlgren was puzzled even further. The e-band was a range of electromagnetic frequency that was never used as a communications format because the frequency was so low. He knew that collapsing protostars sometimes emitted e-band emissions, but there were no known protostars in the vicinity of the planet, and the signal was coming from the planet's surface, which did not occur in nature.
"Computer, try to localize the source of the emission." Dahlgren ordered. The computer beeped in response as the analysis began. Dahlgren, in true scientific fashion, became completely focused on the mystery at hand. He stared, face displaying no emotion, as the computer calculated the signal's location.
back at the church
"And if any of you should have reason why these two should not be wed, please speak now, or forever hold you peace." Father O'Malley spoke to the assembled congregation. Not surprisingly, the church was as silent as a tomb, no one wanting to split up what practically the entire system saw as the perfect couple (no thanks to the endless mass of magazine articles and television specials devoted to the topic). Father O'Malley silently chuckled.
"Why am I not surprised?" He asked himself, before clearing his throat and continuing. "Then please present the rings." Bill and Fara, who were holding Krystal's and Fox's rings, respectably, walked up to the two of them and handed them their respective ring. Once each ring was in hand, Bill and Fara both went back to their respective places on the altar.
"Fox McCloud, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love her and cherish her, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both draw breath?" Fox stared lovingly into his bride-to-be's eyes before answering.
"I do." He replied. O'Malley then turned to Krystal, who was smiling with deepest affection at Fox. If one looked closely, one could see tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"And do you, Krystal, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love him and cherish him, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both draw breath." Tears, which were barely noticeable before now, began to slide their way down her slender face.
"I do." She answered in a somewhat shaky voice. O'Malley smiled, before shutting the liturgy book and wrapping up the service.
"Then by the power vested in me by the almighty Messiah, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Without hesitation, Fox and Krystal embraced each and locked into a passionate kiss. The world around them became and empty void, the thunderous applause that had erupted throughout the church became inaudible. In that moment, their world consisted only of themselves and the feelings of deep love and passion that invaded their beings. They would have stayed in this blissful state forever, but a cough from Father O'Malley brought them out of their passion.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I believe you have a reception to attend." Fox and Krystal both gaped in realization, and then turned to the assembled honor attendants.
"Well, what do you guys say? You all ready for a party." Big grins crossed the faces of the three males upon the altar.
"Hell yeah!" Falco whooped. "Let's kick this shindig off right!" The others all whooped in agreement. Fox and Krystal simply laughed, and took their traditional trip down the aisle as newlyweds, showered by a seemingly unending torrent of rice grains tossed at them by the guests. Fox turned to look at his new wife, who stared at him with a look of the purest joy on her face. They were, at last, together, and nothing on Corneria or in Heaven was going to separate them.
Science Station K-45
Dr. Dahlgren focused his attention on the display that had appeared in front of him. A 3D map of the planet had appeared, and as Dahlgren watched, the computer zoomed in to an area on the northwestern side of the massive single continent, an area known for it's sprawling rain forests and great freshwater lakes. A red, blinking blip appeared in quadrant C-23, marking the area the computer had determined to be the location of the mysterious signal. The signal was originating in an area of thick jungle, with a large lake located dead center in the middle of the quadrant. The location of the signal puzzled Dahlgren even further. If it had originated in an area with geologic instability, such as a fault line, it might have provided a possible explanation for it. But he signal was originating in an area far from any active fault lines, and besides, geologic activity did not produce e-band emissions. Dahlgren was at a loss as to what was causing this signal. He decided to call his superiors at the ASRB Headquarters in Corneria City.
"Computer." He ordered. "Search signal database and attempt find a match to the signal detected on the planet's surface." He then got up, smoothing out his white lab coat as he did so, and went over to the communications panel on the side facing the plexiglass window. He punched in the code to the ASRB headquarters. The unit beeped and displayed a message indicating that his call was being patched through. After a couple of minutes, the face of the ASRB director, a grizzled old bear in his mid-fifties, wearing a pressed black suit, appeared on the communications screen.
"Ah, Doctor Dahlgren." He said in a tired voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"The sensors picked up a weird signal on the planet's surface." Dahlgren replied. "Believe it or not, it's an e-band emission." The Director's eyes popped wide when Dahlgren delivered the news.
"E-band! But e-band emissions only come from space, from collapsing protostars. What's one doing coming from a planet?" He asked, flabbergasted.
"I'm not sure. I'm having the computer run a database scan to see if any known signals match." Dahlgren replied. As he did so, the computer chimed in.
"No match found to detected signal." The computers monotone voice announced. Dahlgren was shocked. The database contained a record of all known artificial signals, so this meant that the signal they detected was natural in origin. But, as they all knew, planets did not generate these kinds of signals. Just then, Dahlgren had flash of inspiration.
"Computer, are there any know signatures which match this one, natural or otherwise." The computer beeped a little as it processed Dahlgren's request.
"The signature of the detected signal is consistent with a Lylatian brainwave." The computer replied. Dahlgren, who had been puzzled before, was now downright confused by this latest development.
"A brainwave, hmm?" The Director chimed in. "I must say, that's a peculiar explanation." Dahlgren nodded in agreement. "Well, what's your next move?"
"We'll have to send someone down there to figure out what the hell's going on." Dahlgren replied. "Trouble is, all the planetary survey teams have gone home on vacation." The Director nodded in agreement.
"That doesn't leave us with much." He said. 'Wait, I do know of somebody. Are you familiar with the Star Fox Team?" Dahlgren turned back to the monitor.
"The mercenaries who repelled the Aparoid attack? Yes sir, I'm quite familiar with them." Dahlgren replied. "Why?"
"Word on the streets is that they haven't had a job in a while." The Director replied. "What do you say we see if they can come and check the planet out?"
"Aren't they still in the CDF's employ?" Dahlgren asked. The Director shook his head.
"Not as of recently." He answered. Dahlgren nodded.
"I guess it's worth a shot." He said. The Director smiled.
"Then it's settled, we'll give them a call in the morning. See you later." With that, the communication link was cut, leaving a blank screen on the monitor. Dahlgren decided to call it a day. He ordered the computer to go into Autoscan mode, which allowed to computer to take over the sensor reading process, and then walked out of the room to head to his quarters, turning off the light as he did so.
Finally, Chapter Two is finished. Sorry it took me so long, but I wanted to make sure it was my best work before I posted it. Hope you all enjoy this latest chapter. Remember, read and review. As always, constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames!