Chapter 15

The trip back to Corneria was a somber one. Though Fox, Slippy, and Amanda were extremely relieved to have escaped from Venom, it had come with the price of Robert's life. They all felt bad about it, and none of them spoke much on the way to Corneria.

Unfortunately, they were all riding in enemy ships, so they wouldn't be able to simply go to the Cornerian Army Center; they'd be shot down before they could reach the ground! They'd have to find a quiet, isolated area to park the ships at. After a very long period of silence, Fox mentioned this over the intercom at one point, when they were getting fairly close to Corneria.

"Since we're in these ships, we'd better land somewhere quiet, or we're going to get shot down," Fox said to his teammates.

"We could just tell 'em it's us over the intercoms," Slippy suggested. "They'd recognize our voices, right?"

"Uh, I'm not willing to take that chance; they might not even give us the chance to talk," Fox replied.

"Good point," Slippy agreed, sighing. "At least we'll finally be able to get back home for a bit."

"Yes; it's been too long," Amanda added. "Our friends might think we're dead by now…"

"Probably; we've been gone for days," Slippy said sorrowfully. "I didn't know if we were ever going to get out."

Fox and Amanda agreed. The circumstances had been totally hopeless, and there wasn't any reason for their friends to think they were doing well. Fox wanted to see Falco, Peppy, and his other friends again, but most of all, his beloved fiancée – Krystal. She was always the biggest concern on his mind, and he hoped his absence hadn't hurt her too badly. He yearned to be back with her and happy again, even if it was only for a day before returning to battle.

When they arrived at Corneria, the three were very careful to stick to their plan and avoid the main city area. Luckily, when they entered the planet, they seemed to be nowhere near the city, the view consisting of some plains and lots of water. It seemed to be one of Corneria's uninhabited areas, which was a rare sight. What fortune that they didn't have to worry about being shot at for a change!

When Fox, Slippy, and Amanda landed on a flat part of the plains, they got out of the enemy ships and huddled together. They had gotten to Corneria without being killed, but had no idea how far they were from the city. What was next?

"So, what do we do now?" Slippy asked.

"Should we just start walking?" Amanda suggested.

"Who knows how far away we are from the city…" Fox said. "I guess we should just walk anyway. If we fly too far by mistake, we'll be shot..."

Suddenly, the Star Fox members were startled when they heard a voice shout at them, "HEY - WHO'S THERE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON MY PROPERTY?!"

They looked around, not noticing any house close by. They did notice the stranger who had yelled at them, who was running toward them. The stranger was an older fox, who had a mixed look of panic and anger on his face.

"Don't you know this is private…!" the fox began to lecture, but suddenly stopped when he took a look at Fox. His facial expression changed from panic and anger to surprise.

"I don't believe it… Fox McCloud…!" the fox said, his mouth agape.

"Yup, it's me; we're in sort of a jam, and we had to stop here…" Fox started to explain.

"No, you don't understand," the fox said. "I knew your father… James…"

"You did?!" Fox asked, now his turn to be surprised.

"I'm Jason… Jason Black… your father never mentioned me?" Jason asked.

"Hmmm… I don't think so; I'm sorry. Who are you, exactly?" Fox asked Jason.

"I was a friend of your father's," Jason explained. "We went to the Academy together, and… well, we used to be close, anyway…"

Following a pause in the conversation, Fox spoke again, "Well, we're sorry about landing here. I can explain everything; we used enemy ships to get to this secluded area, and didn't want the army to shoot us down. We have to get back to the city."

"Please, let me give you all a lift back!" Jason offered happily.

"Really?! You have a ship?!" Fox asked excitedly.

"You bet! It's big enough for all of us, too!" Jason said. "Come on, it's right nearby, at my house! I was just taking a walk, you see, and then I bumped into all of you!"

"Nice! This is awesome, mister!" Slippy gleefully said to Jason.

"Thank you so much for this, sir!" Amanda said, also pleased.

"No trouble at all! Let's go!" Jason said.

The four quickly made their way to Jason's house – which was rather small and plain-looking – and found a beautiful semi-large, silver ship next to it. The contrast between the ordinary house and the gorgeous ship was extreme! Fox, Slippy, and Amanda were all impressed by it, especially the great quality it was in.

"Nice ship!" Fox said, speaking his and his teammates' minds.

"Thanks!" Jason said. "This will get you all to the city in no time! I use it to go to the city whenever I need to stock up on supplies… and sometimes when I just want a joyride, too!"

Jason, Fox, Slippy, and Amanda got into the ship and got ready to take off. The interior was simple but comfortable, and though not as impressive as the exterior, was still very nice. It was no Great Fox, but still had enough seats for as many as six passengers on the bridge. There were only a couple additional rooms, but the ship wasn't meant for long voyages like the Great Fox was. Jason swiftly turned the ship on and got it off the ground, determined to get Fox and his teammates to the city as soon as he could.

"So, you live out here all alone?" Slippy asked Jason.

"You bet," Jason answered. "I've enjoyed the quiet life for several years now. You could call me a hermit, I suppose. I've just enjoyed time alone, you see. I wanted something different, after life in the city grew to be… well, not as meaningful."

"I could never live alone!" Slippy said, giving Amanda a warm hug and smile. She hugged and smiled back.

"So, you said you knew my father," Fox said to Jason. "Please, I'd like to know more about that."

"Sure! As I said, James and I went to school together," Jason said. "We hit it off immediately, him and I! James, Peppy, and I were all very close in those days…"

"I don't understand," Fox said. "If you were so close, why did I never know about you? And why didn't you stay close? No offense, sir – it just seems kind of strange to me."

"Yes… well, I suppose there really was no reason for James to mention me. You see, before he started the Star Fox team, I fell in love with the most wonderful vixen – Kara. The thing was, she would always worry about me going to battle since it was always a risk, and it strained our relationship. Though I loved flying, I loved Kara more, so I proposed to her and told her I would quit being a soldier. So we were married, and my flying days were over. I certainly don't regret it; I loved her so much…"

Jason went quiet for a moment, a sad look in his eyes. Fox took notice, and assumed that something bad must have happened to Kara. He didn't ask though, and just let Jason continue when he was ready.

"Sometime after Kara and I were married, James contacted me, and asked me if I wanted to be in his Star Fox team. I told him I couldn't – that I was married and settled down. He understood, and so he had to look for another teammate. He had already picked Peppy, of course, but they wanted a third member. They settled for Pigma Dengar, as you know, and the rest is history… It just seems such a shame. If I had never met my Kara, I would have fought along with James in Star Fox, and without Pigma… everything would have been different…"

Jason paused again, glumly mulling over the alternate reality. He suddenly felt guilty in Fox's presence, feeling like he had deprived him of his father. Fox didn't put any blame on Jason, but Jason still felt bad anyway.

"I'm sorry, Fox…" Jason said. "If I never knew Kara… you could still have your father, probably…"

"It's not your fault," Fox said assuredly, not feeling any contempt for Jason. "Don't feel bad about it. It's no one's fault but Pigma's… and he's gone now."

Jason made a slight smile, showing Fox he appreciated his feelings about it. Fox smiled back. Jason had been a close friend of his father's, and Fox could tell by the way he spoke and acted.

"I am glad I could help you and your friends in some way," Jason said, sounding a little livelier. "Is there anything else I can do for you – anything at all?"

"I don't think so; we just needed the ride back," Fox replied. "We really appreciate this."

"No problem at all," Jason said. "It's the least I could do, really… I'm glad I finally got to meet you!"

"Likewise," Fox said, giving the older fox a smile. "If there's anything I can do for you, just say the word. If you ever want to move back to the city we could help you with that."

Jason returned Fox's smile, and said, "I appreciate the gesture. Fox, I have total confidence you and your friends will win the war. You're a great pilot like your father before you. And you've never failed before!"

"I came awfully close this time…" Fox admitted to Jason.

"How's that?" Jason asked, surprised to hear Fox's response.

"Well, the three of us were captured by Bowman. We were stuck in jail for days. We could have been killed at any time. One guard who was secretly against Bowman freed us and helped us escape… it cost him his life," Fox explained. "It's a miracle we were able to get out. That's how we got to your home."

"I see… that is a close one," Jason said. "Fate brought you back, though. I believe in fate, and I believe it brought you back so you could go on to win the war. I see it like this: people come into your life at certain times to make some kind of impact on you… that guard saved your lives… James was in my life for a time and helped me become a better pilot, and a better person. And now I've met you, Fox. It's been a long time since I've gotten to know someone new, living alone and all, but I don't believe it's a coincidence that you came to where I was. I know you're a strong, determined leader like your father. I hear about it plenty when I go into the city, and now I know for certain just being with you! You're exactly like James… I mean that in the best way…"

"Thank you," Fox said sincerely. He not only appreciated Jason for complimenting him, but for speaking from his heart so passionately.

All these years of living alone must have bottled up his emotions… Fox thought to himself.

"We'll be at the city very shortly," Jason said to everyone.

"Thanks so much, sir!" Slippy said excitedly. "It's really awesome you could do this for us!"

"Thank you; this means a lot to us!" Amanda said.

"The pleasure has been all mine!" Jason replied with a smile.

Fox was very happy to have met Jason. Though he had never known about Jason before today, it felt as though he had known him for years! Fox figured this was because of his connection to James. Fox was truly grateful to know he had another link to his father.