The cockpit was filling with electrical smoke, Falco began to choke. The plan was to rendezvous with General Pepper and Command at the present blockade outside the asteroid field. He knew he wouldn't be able to jump with the Arwing's present condition. The smoke was burning at his eyes.
Status Critical!
"God damn it," He choked. "Fox, there's no way I'll be able to get past the atmosphere like this." He began turning the smoking fighter, "Go on, I'll get myself repaired and meet you up there. Just don't get yourself blown up while I'm gone."
Slippy interrupted Fox and suggested using his tools and equipment in the bay his Arwing was stationed.
Fox watched Falco's ship until it was out of view.
Peppy: "Fox."
Fox nodded, "Right, prepare for linking with Command. All ships?" His question was answered in the ship's HUD.
--
Falco's skills were impressive but the Arwing collided hard against the concrete and it scraped against the ground until it managed to come to a grinding halt, feet from the hangar. The sparks were still sizzling when Falco leapt from his ship – he fell ungracefully as he tried to catch his body with his broken arm. The arm gave way and Falco cursed then gasped for whatever air he could get into his burning lungs. He was on his back for an hour.
The hangar and base were empty and were still wailing its alarms to which Falco punched off with his working arm. His coughs filled the silence in the hangar.
He pulled his beaten body to the medical room. Awkwardly he created a splint with what he could find, supply was low – most of which was assigned to where Fox was headed. Falco took a deep breath and began his work. The ceiling provided cables to suspend Arwings – it took some effort to pull the cable to his ship. Once this was done, a switch was all it took to pull the ship into the air and fully into the hangar. The cable also provided uplink and display analysis through computer – Falco read through these while he enjoyed a soft-drink from a cooler. Slippy's programming made this process much easier, small hovering repair droids began their work.
I can't think like this. The noises of the repair began pounding in his skull. Falco stepped away from the terminal and began walking down the empty halls. He packed the tobacco into his cigarette box but stopped and placed them back into his pocket. He had enough smoke for today. Passing dormitories, and war rooms, he stopped when he reached Peppy's temporary quarters.
He had noticed that Peppy had left his file-cabinet unlocked and open. Falco thought that his teammate was far too careful to let this happen absent-mindedly; though the chaos of the attack must have been to blame. There, in the hare's files, Falco found star-charts, physics equations for space anomalies, schematics for an Arwing. Such things weren't of particular interest until he realized what all the papers were really about. Falco was not about to go into Peppy's personal life, so he made the motion of moving his journal to the top of the desk – a picture slid to the ground of James McCloud.
Falco had never seen him before. He could now see Fox in his father. Falco took the journal and walked back to his ship – the smell of smoldering metal and whirring of the little bots work had now filled the hangar to a higher degree. Though it no longer bothered Falco; he tilted the chair back and placed his boots on the terminal desk as he began to read.
James is gone and so is the pig. I am alone. James was last seen in
the attached quadrant coordinates. I never thought I would lose my
friend to a black hole. He might be alive – the hole could very well
be a sort of makeshift worm hole! If James survived the massive
crushing of the forces…
Falco skimmed as the material mentioned the physics of the black hole; but took notice as he reached the coordinates. "There's no way," he said aloud as he plugged the information into the computer – the screen displayed an asteroid field," he plunged into the journal further.
…If I ever get the chance to get close enough to the black hole I will
attempt to find James myself. If the Lylat system doesn't want to help
find someone who defended them before, then I will. Perhaps it is a
matter of pure will, I might lack the ability to find James but his son,
his son might be able to get me to James. Lylat needs its hero now
more than ever.
Had Peppy finally snapped? He had to get to Fox. If Peppy pushed Fox into the black hole it would kill him!
--
"Team Fox requesting link, we're home, General." Fox was worried but was trying to be strong for the others.
General Pepper replied, "Good to have you all back," he paused as he counted, "Fox you're missing a member of your team."
"Falco could not make the jump before making necessary repairs. He will be joining us when he's able."
The docking procedures began as the Arwings slowed their way into the Great Front – the asteroids were haloed in the light of the sun and the nebulae glowed brilliantly. It seemed quite a rigorous amount of defense ships made it as well creating a formidable-sized armada.
The team descended from their fighters, Gen. Pepper and some others were waiting to congratulate the three on the excellent job they'd done earlier. Pepper was quick to point out that a counter-attack would be immanent and that it would be best to strike preemptively. Their armada would be quick to offer support, but there has been suspicion that Venomian forces were hidden about the asteroid belt. The enormous fighters could not handle asteroids and hordes of fire for too long. When the old general had finished speaking he granted the three time-to-themselves before they would be sent into the asteroid field.
Slippy extended a thumbs-up to the others as he left for the mess-hall.
Peppy was anxious and it could be seen. He was pacing and fidgeting. He built up the courage to share some words with Fox.
"You did really good out there, Fox. I just wanted you to know that. James would've been pleased." Fox wasn't convinced.
"Hardly, he wouldn't have waited for permission." Peppy's ears lowered sadly.
"Fox," he looked about to see if there was anyone listening, "I might know of a way to bring him back."
Fox closed his eyes and thought back to the bodiless funeral ceremony they had – he swallowed his stomach and it churned inside him. He recalled everyone there, countless Cornerians, even more from Fox's home planet. Fox had no intention of originally going; Peppy had insisted he attend the funeral but his words fell on deaf ears. I left the planet that day; it was Falco who convinced me to go back. When he opened his eyes Peppy extended some papers. "What is this?"
"They're plans apprehended by your father. They're to a space-graveyard where Andross was experimenting with who-knows-what. He'd been doing it for quite awhile – James, your dad, realized what a threat this could hold for the system. Pepper didn't allow him to go, James wanted some support, but Pepper didn't grant him this either."
Fox knew the rest of this story, but not the details. "How long have you kept this from me?"
The rabbit expressed his surprise, "I had my suspicions but I had no idea! I had Slippy get the details through his expertise with machines, from Pepper's files. He kept it from you, Fox."
"He thought I would chase my father."
Peppy nodded and looked down, "Was he wrong?"
"Of course, not."
"You're a good pilot, Fox – but he didn't want to lose you both. No one really knows what is in there."
"Is he alive, or isn't he, Peppy?"
"I don't know, Fox – but I'd like to believe he is."
"That's not enough, Peppy!" Fox was shouting now, "Why didn't you go after him? If you really had any inkling you should've told me!"
"I didn't know if you were ready," he said in defense. His shoulders were grabbed and pressed into a wall; Fox's eyes struck him just as hard.
"My Father could very well be alive, and you wait years to tell me this! He could be out there dying or be dead and now making this clear to me now, why?" The rabbit began shaking.
"Because Pepper plans on imploding the anomaly through detonation. He intends to seal it permanently, any proof of your father with it." Fox released him and he slid to the ground.
Slippy's chicken and Peppy both hit the ground, "Guys?"
"Suit up, Slippy – we're going to take a trip."
--
Falco landed his Arwing and was greeted in similar form by Gen. Pepper. "Welcome back, Mr. Lombardi. Good to see you alive."
He said rushing immediately moving past, "Yeah it's mutual. Where's Fox?"
"Last time I saw them they were headed to the dormitories," Pepper began with the briefing he gave Fox and the others, but Falco was already marching out of earshot.
Please tell me you haven't left. Where the heck are you? Falco was frantic, moving from area to area, floor to floor, halting people to ask for the location of his team – "Has anybody seen Fox!" He stopped when he found Peppy. You. "What have you been planning, where's Fox!" Fear for his own safety Peppy tried to limp away. He pressed him into the same wall, held him there with his working arm, "What did you tell him?"
"Falco, stop! You don't know anything about that's going on."
"I read a good book, you swine, where's Fox?"
"He and Slippy left," he understood now that Falco knew exactly what he meant, "To the black hole."
"You are no different than Pigma – you've sent Fox to the same place that killed your best friend! You're delusional, there's no way anybody could survive anything like that!" He bashed the old rabbit against the wall. "Pepper will know about this, you're going to be placed in the brig and if you don't rot, you can consider Starfox a thing of the past because you're history!" Peppy was allowed to fall to the ground again, it was clear he was in pain. Falco dashed back to his Arwing – he would just have to hope that the repairs would be enough to hold against the Asteroid Field.
"Falco, your arm! You're not fit to fly!" But Falco was gone, he was alone again. He sobbed quietly to himself.
