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The Great Fox Hangar
5:10 am
Traffic was never too busy at this time. It always made it an easy commute for Thomas to make. Not that waking up at this time was hard for him. For forty years Thomas McCloud worked as a maintainer for the CDF. Tom joined at seventeen when he, and his at the time girlfriend, found out an unexpected kit was on the way. Tom would never once say to others or himself that James was an accident, but he did arrive at an inopportune moment. The army seemed like the best option he had.
Tom spent years rising up the enlisted and warrant officer ranks before retiring at fifty-seven. He never saw combat or deployed on a ship but years of experience and grit earned him the respect of those who did. Many offered him a contracting position after he left yet he rejected them all for a time. A government pension had his name on it which was generous enough to not work.
Not one month into his retirement and his world was shaken to the core. James, his first of three children, went missing after a patrol with his mercenary outfit. He had always been fearful of something like this but tried to stay supportive of his son's decision to run a mercenary outfit. Growing up watching starships probably influenced James' decision to fly.
Tom watched in horror as his grandson, Fox, took up the mantle of James. Somehow he knew his grandson wouldn't let it go no matter how the odds stacked against him. Tom sought to help Fox in any way he could. He donated his time to Star Fox every morning to repair all that he could. The government paid well for freelance work but dried up as soon as repairs needed to be made.
Tom never asked for money from Fox either. As much as Fox tried to persuade him otherwise Tom never took a penny. It was something to do in retirement so he never much minded the work. The time he spent working in the hangar felt like catching up on years lost with James as well as bonding with Fox.
Tom pulled up to the long street that led to the Great Foxes hangar. Outside Tom saw Fox's and Falco's cars. The pair being gone for a day or two was normal. Tom parked and walked to the entrance. The first thing anyone would see past the door was an office with a reception desk. No one had ever sat there but it still had the normal things like a computer and a sign in sheet.
The elderly fox walked past a door to the back of the room. Behind it lay the Great Fox. Even when laying is disrepair it struck awe in whoever saw it. Tom liked to give the ship a walk around every morning to see if anything new needed attention. Calling the hangar large which held the Great Fox was an understatement. The land it stood on could be measured in the acres. The engines of the fox sat aimed at the doors to the space port. Its bridge stood over more offices Star Fox used for storage, an armory and a gym.
The Great Fox took up most of the hangar space leaving not much room for the Arwings. Normally they left the fighters inside the Great Fox's internal hangar then brought them out for missions or maintenance. Today he saw two were absent but that correlated with the two cars out front. Suddenly a noise in the makeshift gym stole his attention.
Surprise took him when he saw Fox alone with a punching bag. Fox working out early in the morning was normal but his strikes seemed less strategic and more erratic. His grandson seemed to be working something out with the bag. He couldn't help but notice the progress Fox had made in the past few months. He let himself go during and after his previous girlfriend Fara. Not to say he was overweight or even out of shape. A pilot needed to maintain a certain level of cardio or risk passing out in high G maneuvers.
Their breakup hit Fox pretty hard. He did break the McCloud family streak of having a kid before you could drink. "Long night?" Tom asked. Fox leapt at his grandfather's voice. Tom grinned in some self delight at frightening his grandson.
"Scared me pops." Fox reached for a towel that lay atop the punching bag. "Had a mission lined up and Falco took Katt before I got here." Fox answered with some anger in his voice. He began to wipe the sweat from his face. "Got a text while I was pulling up that he brought her to do the mission. One of the orbital colonies wanted us to take care of some asteroids getting too close."
Tom sighed. Falco pulling something like this wasn't all too uncommon. Falco most likely asked Katt to come along without ever telling her who originally had been tasked. She was a decent pilot and had a better track record for Star Fox. Technically she held more seniority than Falco which she held over him liberally.
Fox threw his towel over his shoulder. He wore a white t shirt that was completely drenched as well as a pair of black fighter's shorts. The younger McCloud then walked towards the door.
"I'm going to take a shower to cool off. I'll come help you after." Said Fox. Tom watched him walk off towards the Great Fox which held the facility. Tom walked back to the hangar to work on an engine he had been overhauling. Fox was mostly up the dreadnaught's gangplank when he remembered something.
"Oh Slippy called me last night. He's bringing a new vehicle to the hangar. Didn't say much but that it will help us with a few contracts. It may be here while I shower so call me if it arrives." Tom flipped Fox the bird in response. He couldn't hold a sour face and grinned while flipping him off. Fox grinned and returned the response.
Some many minutes later Fox walked back down the gangplank to help his grandfather teardown an engine. Star Fox numbered it spacecraft by numbers as most PMCs would. Airframe number 3, Fox's preferred Arwing, reached it's time and now had to be overhauled from top to bottom. A job like this could take a few weeks of work. Four of Star Fox's eight airframes always remained on standby for quick deployment. Soon airframe 3's maintenance became sluggish. Work was slow even with two working on one craft. The pair worked together until Slippy finally arrived.
A loud horn accompanied by a red light signaling that someone was at the delivery entrance. Fox's phone then began to vibrate and show Slippy's face. "Hey Fox. My dad's outside with the prototype. He wants to meet up so you can get trained on it." Fox thought that was just a little weird. Usually when Beltino brought weapons prototypes to Star Fox for testing. Almost all required no more training than reading through a manual.
Up to this point everything brought to Star Fox had been something mounted to an Arwing. The younger McCloud walked outside to see something big on the back of a flatbed semi-trailer. Whatever it was lay covered up so no prying eyes could even determine whatever sat beneath. His mind started to run wild with possibilities of what lay underneath. One hint he had were four wheels barley sticking out of the bottom.
Fox knew they needed to bring the truck inside before the prototype could be uncovered. He lifted the delivery door up the rest of the way so the semi could drive into the hangar. Slippy hopped out of the cab to guide the truck into the hangar. The two said a quick hello while Slippy walked to the truck's front. Beltino sat inside the cab but not at the wheel. A female tiger drove the truck inside with Slippy's guidance. Fox had stayed near the door trying to catch a glimpse beneath the canvas until after the long trailer became entirely enveloped by the hangar.
Beltino climbed out of the cab once it came to a stop. He walked over to Fox who still looked at the trailer curiously. "It's been a while Fox. How are you?" The toad hadn't changed in the few months that had gone by since last they met.
"Been doing good Mr. Toad. I am a little surprised that you came here yourself." Fox answered. He noticed that Beltino held a large manual under his arm. Printed on the manila cover was M1790A1 Landmaster in the standard military font. Landmaster sent Fox's mind racing with possibilities. Hopefully it involved a new ground pounder for the Arwing.
"Yes well, I'm going to have to train you on some new features you're not going to be familiar with." Beltino said. The driver of the truck leapt out herself and began unclipping carabiners which held the canvas down. Slowly the figure of a massive wheel near the front became uncovered. "This is something you haven't dealt with before, but Space Dynamics thinks that you can handle it." More of that canvas started to fall reveling a long body that appeared to connect to a rear wheel. All at once the canvas fell to reveal something Fox hadn't ever anticipated.
A tank. A tank on wheels. Fox looked at Beltino. "This um…definitely is something." The toad seemed to expect this.
"Yes well… we had envisioned another group but had some complications." Fox raised his eyebrows. "Don't worry it had nothing to do with the Landmaster. The other group had their license pulled for illicit activities." Fox laughed slightly. Mercs selling weapons, drugs or anything illegal wasn't uncommon.
"You know you're not supposed to tell your date she's the backup." Tom said walking up to Beltino and his grandson. Beltino chuckled at the older foxes' remark. Fox began to walk around the tank as Beltino began talking again.
"Yes, well we have pre-approved an extra payment for springing this on you. We need two people for its operation, but we have a plan to narrow it down to one. All that needs to happen is some time down range." Fox reached the backside of the tank while the toad finished speaking.
"And I assume Slippy will be coming with me for this." Slippy's face cringed a bit at what Fox said. The look on Beltino told Fox he hit a chord. Slippy had been at odds with his father ever since he joined up with Star Fox. Eventually the split between them grew too big so Slippy went part time at both Star Fox and Space Dynamics. Somewhere deep down he knew Slippy wanted to get back into full time work with Star Fox but so far hadn't said anything.
Beltino crossed his arms before he spoke. "Um… no. I'll need him back at the research station analyzing the data." Fox looked at Slippy to see if he'd stand up for himself but said nothing. "Anyways he will be showing you how to operate the Landmaster. In two weeks, we want your team to have this rolling into a combat scenario." He looked around quickly. "Where's Falco or Katt?"
The older McCloud spoke up. "Asteroid killing." The pair looked at him. "And I'm out too. No way am I going into a combat scenario at sixty."
That last remark made Fox think of something. "Yeah, wait where is this combat scenario?" Both Toads looked uncomfortable.
"It's on the Sanes station." Now the McCloud's looked uneasy. Sanes had been the site of infighting and a small civil war. At its core the conflict was a proxy war between Corneria and Venom. Many fled the conflict region and became refugees on surrounding planets. "Don't worry we just want to show the military that the Landmaster can easily traverse the narrow streets of a space station. No actual combat required." Fox let out a sigh of relief. He felt he couldn't pass up an opportunity to earn some extra money on the side. Especially when Space Dynamics would foot the bill for transport.
Space Dynamics' prototype contracts usually proved to be lucrative. Star Fox would receive three thousand credits for every successful mission completed. The only caveat was they only wanted a three-month contract running one mission a week.
Most of the morning was spent learning the technical specs of the tank and how to drive it. Luckily it drove just like any other car if not a bit more top heavy. The turret was an entirely different ball game. The walls of the turret were lined with screens showing a three hundred sixty-degree view around the tank. Not even the body of the tank could be seen below the gun. A green HUD followed the operator's eyes similar to the HUD of the Arwing.
After about a full twelve hours Fox could say he was getting the hang of it. Although he could also say he felt no brain activity after that much time trying to learn something new. Soon Beltino and the tiger woman left but Slippy stayed behind to catch up with Fox.
The pair eventually found themselves together tearing down the Arwing from earlier in the morning. "So, Fox, um…who do you think you'll get to help you?" Slippy asked. That question from him specifically boiled Fox's blood a little bit.
"Well, you know there is this really cool amphibian I'd like to ask but I hear he's too involved with his other job to help." Fox said a little angrily. Soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted some of it. "Sorry I just..." words became a little hard to find, "I need you here more man. We see you here less and less."
"Sorry Fox. Really, I am but my dad pulls me away for a lot of projects. Some could help Star Fox, but I know. I am working on something big though. Can't say much but you have been asking for a new AGM for the strike Arwing." Slippy said.
Fox's ears perked up at that. "We'll finally get an update to the old war horse." Fox's voice sounded a bit better at Slippy's last remarks. The strike fighter sat vacant most days and only got out for minimum flight time so as not to seize up the engine. It remained the only two seat craft they operated.
Slippy looked at Fox. "Exactly but, please don't quote me. Literally because it's still classified." Fox laughed.
"Don't worry man I'll keep your secret." It still upset Fox that he'd see his friend less but if any good came from it, he'd take it. He knew it'd be better for Slippy to spend more time with his father.
The two kept talking as they tore down the rest of the airframe. Tom would have to look at it later but had left at some point earlier today. Seeing nothing else to do, the pair decided to leave for the day. Slippy needed a ride home which Fox didn't mind giving.
Getting in his car it started playing from FM radio and his clock had reset. "You probably need a new battery Fox." Said the frog. He knew Slippy was right but hadn't gotten around to it just yet. For a moment he paid attention to a news announcer warning about a robbery spree committed by a canine.
'As if canine narrows that down any.' Thought Fox. The vulpine tuned the radio to his phone and began driving to his friend's apartment. The ride to Slippy's was uneventful enough. The two talked and laughed a bit about nothing and soon said goodbye to each other. As he drove back, Fox drove past the gas station he was at two weeks ago where he had awkward small talk with the cashier. An energy drink on the way to work tomorrow sounded good and he pulled into the parking lot.
Inside the gas station stood a very bored Krystal. Every day here blended together after awhile with very few times ever sticking out. She passed the time by reading news on politics or technology. Sometimes someone would come in and talk a little but that was rare. When she saw the fox from before her heart picked up just a bit. Fox picked up one can but saw that it was buy one get one free. He picked up a second can and walked up to the counter.
"The brave captain returns." Krystal said with every hint of sarcasm. Fox smiled in return.
"Surprised you remember me." He said placing his drinks on the counter. At some point another person walked into the store. Krystal rung up the cans.
"Trust me you're one of the more interesting people I've met here." Krystal briefly thought about giving a flirtier response but went against it. "So, been anywhere interesting lately?"
Fox thought about it for a moment. "Nowhere I'd say you had to go. Mostly just space stations on the asteroid belt. Even then I never spend enough time to find anything of note." Krystal was a bit dispirited by what he said but she still considered hearing anything outside her routine exciting. What person wouldn't think traversing the stars wasn't exhilarating.
"Couldn't be that bad." Krystal typed away at her register. Some system glitch kept his drinks from being buy one get one. The problem had been happening all day with discounts and offers. "I hear most captains have a paramour in each port they visit." Krystal teased. Fox looked down to conceal his burning red blushing cheeks and a smile. "Might explain why you haven't seen anything of note." If he looked up, he'd see Krystal blushing a bit as well. If either of them paid attention, they would have seen the other patron waiting in line patiently.
"I think you listen to rumors too much." Fox answered. The machine finally rang up his drinks correctly and presented a total. The canine man behind Fox seemed a bit relived.
"Three fifty Fox." Fox pulled his debit card out of his wallet. Krystal looked at the man behind Fox who seemed nervous. Krystal's telepathy sensed an agitated aura to him. She couldn't help but take a look into his mind.
'Just pay already man. She'll give me everything behind the counter so long as you're gone.' Krystal's demeanor changed instantly. She knew what was about to happen. She could sense him touching the grip of a handgun tucked in the front pocket of his oversized hoodie. What could she do though. If she got Fox to keep talking then he would probably get annoyed and pull it out anyway. If Fox left, then she'd get robbed but who knows what could happen after that.
'Tell Fox telepathically.' The rational side of her mind said. 'He's a fighter pilot. He can definitely handle himself.' A card reader error sounded off making both the men in front of her annoyed.
'No I can't reveal myself to someone I don't know. Would he even think it was me in his head?' Fox reinserted his card and entered his pin. 'No I can't tell a stranger the secret.'
The card reader went off and he pulled his card out. 'But even if it might mean my life?" Fox picked up his drinks.
"Well thank you Krystal. Have a good night." Fox said beginning to leave.
"Yeah Fox you too." Krystal said it so fast it sounded like she didn't separate any of the words. This caught Fox's attention. Unfortunately, it caught the attention of the other man as well.
"Krystal are you alright?" Fox said with concern in his voice. The other man too looked a bit more nervous.
'Tell him something.' Her mind pleaded yet couldn't find anything to say. Time stood still. Krystal now had a chance to get help but how could she? "I'm fine Fox." Her voice didn't convey confidence. 'Anything! Say anything!" Fox took one step towards the door to leave.
"Sir is that a gun in your pocket?"
Both Fox and the man seemed surprised. The man went into a panic and pulled the handgun from his hoodie, but the slide got caught on his front pocket. Fox acted the second he saw the gun. The man looked down to see what his gun was stuck on only to met one of Fox's energy drinks punched straight to his face. He fell back a foot but managed to unstick the gun from his hoodie. The man tried brining up the weapon to Fox before the vulpine struck his foot into the side of his abdomen. The gun left his grasp and landed on the ground near Krystal.
"You're unarmed now. Give u…" The man charged Fox and tackled him to the ground. He then began delivering blow after blow on Fox. Most were blocked, which still hurt Fox, yet he knew he couldn't stop.
The dropped handgun quickly found itself in Krystal's grip. She aimed it at the aggressor beating down Fox. She gripped it with all her might and pulled the trigger. Nothing. 'Safety,' She realized, 'Where's the safety?'
Fox brought his knee up to his opponents rear offsetting his balance just enough to get out from under him. Fox pressed himself up to send the man over to the floor with one hand pinned beneath himself. Now Fox lay on top where he was able to strike him. Unbeknown to Fox the man had a back up plan of sorts. While taking punch after punch he reached for a pocketknife in his back pocket.
Fox planted one more hit to his chest which the man couldn't block. "Are you done?" The man stayed silent. Krystal stopped fiddling with the gun once Fox spoke. "I can keep this up forever man so give up. You couldn't run away even if you tried now." Still the man stayed silent. Suddenly his arm became free, revealing the small knife. He plunged it into Fox's shoulder hitting the collar bone.
Fox's body spasmed back and he yelped feeling the sharp end stab into his flesh and hit the bone with all the might the man found. Krystal went back to the gun. She spied what looked like a switch near where the slide and the grip met. A promising red dot revealed itself behind the switch.
The man stood up as Fox lay down nursing his shoulder. Krystal brought the weapon up to meet the aggressor. The man didn't pay any attention toward Krystal. He instead looked at Fox laying on the ground. The man made one step toward Fox. Krystal didn't think but instead acted.
BANG. Her first shot aimed straight at his center mass. BANG. She pulled the trigger again near her first aiming point. BANG. She stopped looking down at the sights and shot in his direction. BANG. One more shot rang out hitting the refrigeration section in the back of the store hitting a few liters of soda.
Krystal stopped firing. Now she just stared at the man who just attacked them. He lay still not even breathing. Both foxes knew he was dead. The gravity of what happened hadn't really set in just yet for Krystal though. Fox then slowly stood up startling Krystal.
"Hey just me." Fox said calmly while holding his shoulder. Krystal unknowingly brought the handgun up to meet Fox but quickly set it down once she realized it. "Are you alright?" Fox asked with sincerity.
"Are you?" Krystal responded aggressively. "You were stabbed! Are you alright?"
"I don't feel anything yet but that might just be adrenaline. I also can't see it." Said Fox. Krystal placed the weapon on the counter and walked toward Fox. She moved Fox's hand away from his wound and checked it. Truthfully, she didn't know what to look for besides bleeding or hemorrhaging. Thankfully it just seemed to be skin deep but still had to see a doctor. Now however she needed a way to stop his bleeding.
"It's not too bad. Stay here." Krystal said while walking to an aisle with health-related products. His cut seemed far too big for a band aid and the store didn't carry gauze. Krystal grabbed the only thing she could think would help pack the wound. Soon she returned with a pack of feminine pads and pulled one out for his shoulder. "Here keep pressure on this. If it gets too…used grab another." Fox did what she asked. For a moment the pair stood in silence. "Thank you. For helping me."
Fox looked at Krystal. "You're the one who saved me." Now Krystal looked at Fox.
"You wouldn't have been hurt if I hadn't said anything." Krystal looked down at the fallen man. A sudden unshakable feeling of guilt came over her for both men.
"But then you would've been robbed…or worse." Both foxes shuddered slightly at the thought. "Don't worry about it either. This isn't the first time I've risked my life this month. It's almost weekly for me at this point." The vulpine ended his statement with a hint of pride.
"You're not a cargo pilot, are you?" Krystal asked. Fox's eyes went a little wide. "You just seem more built than most freight haulers. Braver too." Krystal thought maybe she could push him to tell her his real job. She wasn't sure why but went with her gut.
Fox seemed surprised by her accusation. She was right but how could she be that perceptive. "Yeah. I fly fighters in a contracting group. We usually get into dogfights with drones pretty much every sortie. Even against them I've had a few dozen close calls." The pain started to set in so Fox sat down on the floor. Krystal helped him down to the ground softly. Krystal then looked at the gunman.
What she did started to set in. Fox immediately knew what she was going through. "You did good you know. You stopped someone who was willing to hurt others. It's going to feel bad for awhile but, you did something good." His words were comforting but she was still conflicted about what just happened.
'She held herself well today. Didn't freeze. Didn't run. Just held her own and fought. Maybe I just found my tank driver.' Fox thought. Now he needed to figure out how to word it. "Why didn't you run Krystal? You could've run to get help." At that moment she realized he was right. Also she realized no one was one the way to help now.
"I wasn't going to leave you to leave you behind." She said. Krystal stood up and reached over the counter to hit the silent alarm.
"You didn't run. You didn't freeze." Fox pulled off a pad to replace it with another one. "How much do you make here? If you don't mind me asking." Not a question Krystal thought he'd ask.
"Why do you wanna know?"
"Someone who knows how to work under pressure like that would do well on a team like mine. I have a temp job for three months as a driver. Thousand a week if you're interested." That was the last thing she expected.
'A job? He wants me to be a merc.' The immediate thought was yes but she had to think of what that meant for her family. She'd have to tell her father at least of her decision who'd certainly advise against it. "I'll have to think about it Fox." At that moment a police siren could be heard getting closer. "But it is tempting."
Fox pulled out his phone. "Trust me I understand needing to think it over." He brought the phone up to Krystal. "Here let's trade contacts if you want to take me up on the offer." She met her phone up with his and pressed the trade contact's button. James Saber McCloud Jr. came up asked to trade contacts. She remembered him saying Fox was just a nickname.
Then a police car pulled into the gas station. "I'll definitely let you know." A hyena woman leapt from the car with her weapon drawn and sprinted for the door. She entered the gas station and took hold of the scene in front of her. The Hyena ignored the deceased man and went to help Fox who was holding his shoulder. Soon more people showed up to get statements and details. The two were separated by the officers.
Fox was brought into an ambulance where a paramedic gave his shoulder stitches. They also confirmed he didn't have more bleeding underneath which relieved him slightly. Krystal was interviewed by a detective who determined her actions qualified as self-defense. Ergo no trial needed or any further action. One officer offered her a ride back to her home which she accepted. Krystal learned the man who tried to rob her had been on a spree with her store being the fifth in a week. It gave her some solace to know how this man didn't have the highest morals.
A text from her boss came sometime on the ride back which just said to call him when she got the chance. That worried her. The officer was quiet the whole ride making her a bit more uneasy. Soon enough she was home. She stared at her phone for a bit before calling her boss. Eventually she couldn't pull it off any longer and pressed the call button.
It rang uncomfortably wrong. Then finally a voice. "Krystal are you alright? I got a call from the cops about what happened." He said quickly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered. "Shaken but I'm fine." She heard an exhausted sigh through the phone.
"Thank the gods." He spoke. "Listen. I don't want to be the one to tell you this but, corporate fired you. I had no say in it or anything." Krystal felt her heart break. She got fired for protecting herself and the store for that matter. "They found out about it before I did. I really am glad you're okay but I'm so sorry about this." She knew her boss meant it but that did little to help the pain in her heart. "If you need any help, I know people who need workers, and I will gladly give you a recommendation."
"I… thank you. I…sorry this is a lot to process." Words became a little harder to find with the news. "I'll manage but thank you." Her boss thanked her again and wished her good luck. Krystal sat inside the courtyard for a little while longer. She gave her second job a thought for a while. Hairdressers and barbers were always in demand somewhere. A three month stint at another job might be exciting. She pulled up Fox's contact info.
'I'll take the job.' A one line text she sent to him. Almost immediately he responded.
'I'm glad to hear it. Meet me at this location tomorrow at 8 am.' His next text was a pin dropped with an address. It looked like it was on the space port. Now she'd have to ask Tane to borrow his car or at least for a ride. She may have been fired and was about to quit her other job but, somewhere deep down she felt that she was doing the right thing.
A/N: Sorry for the fashionably late update. The Army stuck me in God's least favorite state of Louisiana for the past four months so I haven't had much time to write or even get into the headspace of writing. Gonna try to get another update out sooner so let's hope.