Chapter 27

A few days later, James and Vixy came home with their new son, who they decided to name Fox James McCloud Jr. Not long after, mom, dad, and I had moved out so we could begin living on our own. While James and Vixy were still on-leave from having Fox, they also discussed wanting to move. One day while James and Vixy were at home, they were visited by both Bandit and Peppy Hare, as well as Pigma Dengar. Bandit and Peppy were being very thoughtful and wanted to see Fox, since they hadn't seen him yet. "Wow, James" Bandit said, "I know he's only a couple weeks old, but he looks so much like you."

"Kids tend to look like their dads when they're little though" Vixy pointed out.

"So, you want your son to look like you?" Peppy asked.

"Not too much like me" she denied, "just enough so that he resembles both of us."

"You know, James" Pigma started, "I was checking out your car as I was walking in and noticed it seems out of date."

"What are you getting at Pigma?" James asked.

"Well, I am a mechanic" he explained, "so if you want I can make some modifications to your car to make it more up to date."

"If I wanted an up-to-date car why wouldn't I just get a new car?" James asked.

"Well, that's certainly an option too" Pigma replied, "but that's so much more expensive than letting your mechanic friend make some changes to it."

James sighed, "Fine, I'll think about it, but I'm not making any promises."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for your family" Pigma stated, "think about how much safer you'll be when it's up to date."

Over the next couple of months, James and Vixy still hadn't settled on where they wanted to move. Vixy wanted to continue living on Corneria, while James was adamant about wanting to live off world. Since they didn't seem to be finding any equal ground, they remained living at Grandma and Grandpa McCloud's. They had also made mom and dad's room into a temporary nursery for Fox, since we had moved out. They had many items to keep him entertained and safe. James had told General Pepper that he was ready to come back to the work he had been doing before he went on paternal leave. "Are you sure about going back?" Vixy asked, that night.

"Absolutely" James replied, "it is my duty to the people of Corneria and the Lylat System to make my return."

"But aren't you worried he'll send you on some sort of mission right away?" she asked.

"If that's what he requests of me, then I'll gladly go" he smiled, "though Mav has been telling me that he hasn't been asked to go anywhere."

"He's your partner, James" she pointed out, "I'm sure Pepper understands by now that you two are a package deal."

"And because of that, we're almost never truly in danger" he countered, "we've got each other's backs."

"Except when Thanos and his crew shows up" Vixy stated, "that's when you guys struggle to get out in one-piece."

"Thanos and the Black Order haven't bothered us since Mav and Lana's wedding, though" he stated, "plus Corvus usually warns me if they're coming toward us."

"Okay" she said, "just let us know before you go, if you need to."

"You and Fox are part of my life now" he said, "I'm never going off world without saying good bye. Especially since I never truly know if I'll return."

She kissed him saying, "If you see that Andross guy tomorrow, just ignore him. You know he's only trying to get a reaction out of you."

"I'll do my best" he said, "I should get some sleep, I haven't been out doing these things in a while."

"Alright, sleep well, Love" she said.

The next day, when James arrived at the scientific division branch, dad was walking in together. "Hey, Mav, wait up!" James shouted.

"Oh, hey James!" dad smiled, "I didn't know you were coming back today."

"Yeah, I was ready to come back" he replied, "what have you been working on lately?"

"I've been trying to design some ships that we could pilot individually instead of using the Berserk for all of our missions" he explained.

"That sounds awesome!" James stated, "What are you thinking about calling these ships?"

"I don't currently have a name for the project" he stated, "I'm still in the beginning stages of the design."

"Would you like some help coming up with some ideas?" James asked.

"Yeah, now I'm not planning on being the one to physically create it when the designs are done" he stated, "I'll leave that for the mechanics to do, since they're more knowledgeable about those things than I am."

"That makes sense to me" James said, "so, what kind of weapons are you thinking about including in the schematics of the ship?"

"I haven't gotten that far just yet" dad said, as they approached their desks.

"Ah, there's my favorite duo" Theo said, "welcome back, James. How's Vixy and Fox?"

"They're great!" James replied, "Though Vixy was worried about me coming back."

"Why's she worried?" dad asked.

"She thinks that because I'm back that General Pepper will have us start going off world again" James explained.

"I mean we will need you guys to go on missions again in the near future" Theo pointed out.

"Of course" James nodded, "I'm waiting to go on those kind of missions again. But I'm okay with helping Mav out with his design in the meantime."

"That's perfect because until you guys finish the creation of those, you're staying on Corneria" Theo stated, "that's per request from the General himself."

Andross walked in, seeing the two canines talking to Theo and said, "I see McCloud's back from having that little brat with the beautiful Vixy. Does this mean he's taking O'Donnell out of this division?"

"Unfortunately for you, we're staying here for a little while longer" dad said, putting an arm in front of James.

"Hey Theo, we could use the help of an engineer on this project" James said, ignoring the ape "do you have any suggestions?"

"Uh, yeah, Peppy Hare is an engineering prodigy" Theo replied, "if there's anyone I'd consult with, it'd be him."

"You fools" Andross stated, "that fat furball doesn't know shit about mechanics. If you want your new battleship to be put together the correct way, you should get Pigma to help. If not him, call up Corvus to help you. I know for a fact he like talking to James."

"Was that some actual advise you were giving us?" James asked, "Like on purpose?"

"Believe it or not, you two are still technically my adopted brothers through Thanos" he pointed out, "as much as all of us despise each other, I'll still try to be civil."

"What do you think, Mav?" James asked, looking at the wolf "It is your project, you should be the one to choose who helps us when the time comes."

"I don't like Pigma much, nor do I really trust what Andross says" he began, "but from what I've noticed here is that Pigma is a great mechanic and Peppy is crazy smart and might serve better to help us come up with weapons to use."

"What about Corvus?" James questioned.

"He has been helpful in the past, so perhaps we could reach out to him to get advise on what kind of weapons we should include" dad said, "though it might be smart if you were the one to ask him, since you're the one he was in love with."

James chuckled, "I'll give him a call and see what he suggests. Thanks for the advice, Andross."

"Don't get used to it, pups" he said, walking away.

It took over four months for James and Maverick to finalize all the details for, what Maverick decided to call, "The Arwing Project." They agreed that since the idea was to make the ships that were big enough to only fit two pilots, at most, that the Arwings they'd make would be sleek and minimalistic. When they walked into work the next day, they were greeted by Theo who said, "Hey guys, I know you were planning to finally start constructions for your Arwing ships today, but dad asks if you could go on a new mission."

"Our first job is to be the intergalactic voices of Corneria" James said, "if the General needs us to go somewhere, we'll go."

"Where does he want us to go?" dad asked.

"All the General told me was that he got a call from someone on the planet Tuter, in the Fingerprint Star System, saying it's a distress signal" Theo explained, "we can send you more information when you get closer."

"When do we need to head out?" James asked.

"Anytime you're ready to" Theo said, though we'd prefer it be before the end of the day today."

"Sounds like a plan" dad said, "we look forward to hearing more information about the mission."

They went and found their loved ones and said good bye. As they were heading to Tuter, the canines would talk about the Arwings they were working on, "do you think we'll get the prototype finished before the end of the year?" James asked.

"I don't see why not" dad said, "I mean we haven't gone on many missions lately. I get that your being gone to help Vixy with Fox got them to not send me on any missions, but there can't be that much happening out there in the vast unknown."

"Yeah, you're right we'll get the prototype made and functional, without the weapons, before Fox's birthday for sure" James said.

When they got home from their mission, dad and Uncle James got back to working on the prototype Arwing. Over the next couple weeks General Pepper got sick and had to be kept in bed. One day at work, James askes Theo, "Hey, how's your dad?"

"I believe he'll pull through" Theo said, "it's just a cold. He's a tough old dog, he's been through worse."

"Well, we hope he starts feeling better soon" dad said.

Over the next three weeks, General Pepper still hadn't made it back from his illness. "I have a feeling this is more than a cold" James said, "most animals aren't sick for this long if it's just a cold."

"You don't think he could be dying, do you?" dad asked.

"It certainly is possible" James stated, "if that's the case, shouldn't Theo be getting prepared to take over as the next general?"

"Well, he's been preparing for this since he finished with the Academy" dad pointed out, "but I don't think any amount of preparation can make anyone ready for the death of a parent."

"I know you never talk about it, but do you ever think about your birth parents?" James asked.

Dad looked at the fox, surprised by the question. "Uh, no, I don't think about them" he said, "because if I do that won't do me any good aside from wondering why they didn't want me."

"You never thought about trying to fine them?" James asked.

"No, why would I?" dad responded, "I already have a great family."

Two weeks later, James and Maverick had learned the unfortunate news that General Pepper had passed away from, what they had learned was Pneumonia. The funeral for the General had a huge gathering. It seemed as though half the Lylat System had shown up for this service. You could tell how many lives General Pepper had some kind of part in. After the service, Theo was bombarded by thousands of animals, asking him questions about the future of the Cornerian army. Dad and James pushed their way through the crowd and shouted, "Alright guys, that's enough questions for our new general. It's been less than a week since his father passed away, please let him mourn in peace."

The crowd of animals left some grumbling to themselves about these young canines getting involved. "Thanks guys" Theo said, "it's rough having all this pressure and responsibility thrust upon me."

"I can imagine" James said.

"I hope you know we'll be here for you" dad added.

"I'm glad I'll always be able to rely on the two of you to have my back" Theo stated.