Knowledge

Peppy removed his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration. To ease his mind, he rested his gaze on the view from his office, near the top of the CDF headquarters. Corneria City's splendour lay beyond the blast- and laser-proof windows, made from the same material as an Arwing's canopy. Skyscrapers gleamed in the morning light, and further afield the water on the bay was still like a mirror reflecting the clouds.

Reluctantly, he put his specs back on and picked up the data pad from his desk to continue reading. The report discussed extrasensory perception, neural receptors, and other fancy topics, while listing hormones and drugs that had been tested and needed to be tested. It managed to be full of impressive words, yet saying very little. At the end was a list of required products and services with very vague descriptions yet large and precise costs.

The intercom buzzed. He pressed a button and a hologram of his secretary appeared.

"Mr. Jackson Peters is here to see you, Sir." The middle-waged doe hardly moved a facial muscle.

"Right on time, as always." Peppy sighed. "Please send him in, Gisela."

Peppy rose, straightened his back and adjusted the shoulder pads on his crimson uniform, assuming his role of General O'Hare. Seconds later, the poodle entered the room, carrying a tablet in one arm. His curly hair was immaculate as usual, brushed and shiny, falling like a jet black waterfall over his shoulders. With purposeful strides he crossed the floor of the general's vast office and sat down in the visitor's chair on the opposite side of the mahogany desk.

"Good morning, Mr Peters," said Peppy and returned the dog's salute, even though he formally wasn't an officer under the General's command, since officially, SIRIUS didn't exist.

"I trust you have read the brief on Operation Second Sight," Jackson replied. "You mentioned there were some matters you wanted to discuss before approving next year's expenditure."

Peppy frowned and sat back down. "Yes, well you see, Jackson..." He picked up the data pad again, and scrolled up and down the pages aimlessly. "It is a huge amount of credits, much more than it ought to be, and poorly itemised."

"I realise there is a certain lack of detail in the report." Jackson clasped his hands. "But it's for a good reason: deniability."

Peppy sighed and pushed his data pad aside. "Sorry, I cannot approve this. I have a responsibility to the taxpayers as well."

"I understand..." The poodle nodded. "I thought it might come to this, but I might have something that will please you. May I?" He pointed to his tablet and tapped a few icons before speaking, "Please connect the feed through to my device. Highest encryption level, of course."

Jackson placed his tablet on the desk and Peppy picked it up. After a few seconds, the image of SIRIUS's insignia was replaced by a face that made Peppy's whiskers twitch.

"Greetings, General," said Panther Caroso in an almost purring tone. "We have recently made significant progress, you may even call it a breakthrough. Would you care for a demonstration?"

Panther had a smug smirk on his face, looking like the cat that's got the cream, Peppy thought. The image changed to what seemed to be feeds from two cameras, each placed in a corner of a ceiling. In one room, a lean azure blue fox sat by a small table opposite a scruffy terrier. The other room was bare, except for a man tied to a metal chair. This fox was muscly, had cerulean fur and a ponytail, and seemed as large as a wolf. Wires were attached to his head and bare chest.

"My screen will show a countdown," said the terrier and pointed to a computer screen in front of himself. "You need to read my mind, and when the countdown reaches zero, you will have two seconds to press the button in front of you, else your friend will receive a small shock. If you press too early, he will also receive a shock. Is that understood?"

The azure fox glared with narrow eyes, but eventually nodded. The terrier pressed a key and the number 7 appeared on the screen, before the countdown started. For a few seconds, the fox just sat there with arms crossed. At 2, he reached out with an arm, at 1, he placed a finger on the button, and at 0, he pressed it without breaking eye contact with the terrier. The process repeated, each time starting from a random time, sometimes just a few seconds, sometimes approaching half-a-minute. The fox kept pressing the button with impeccable precision, still with a defiant look on his face. Although the scene disgusted Peppy, he found himself rooting for the Cerinian.

"Administer the gas," said Panther's voice.

"Gas?" Peppy long ears popped straight up.

"It's perfectly safe," said Jackson with a wave of a hand, as if flicking a fly away. "But observe the effect on the test subjects."

Test subjects? Is that all they were to SIRIUS? Peppy's gaze turned to a glare, but the poodle did not change his neutral expression. Peppy returned his attention to the screen, where a fine mist seemed to envelope the fox and the terrier. For a minute, nothing changed, but then the fox missed a countdown, and his fellow Cerinian jolted in his chair in the other room. He got the next couple right, but then stopped, hesitated with his finger over the button, while the other fox received another shock.

The first Cerinian blinked and shook his head, as if trying to concentrate. He raised his eyebrows, opened and closed his mouth, looking more and more bewildered, getting the countdowns wrong as often as he got them right. His friend squirmed in the chair with every jolt.

"Increasing voltage."

The first fox tore at an ear, looking distraught, while he pressed the button seemingly at random. The second fox tossed and turned, pulling at the restraint while baring his teeth. He looked from side to side while calling out in a foreign tongue, but the tablet translated for Peppy, who could only watch in disgust.

"Ryuga! Ryuga! Where are you? Can you hear me? Make it stop! Make it... AARGH!"

"This part is interesting." Jackson rubbed his chin. "They are quick to resort to vocal communication when their telepathic contact breaks down."

"ENOUGH!" General O'Hare slammed the tablet down with a force that made Jackson jump. "This is barbaric. I am shutting down this program."

Jackson looked at the cracked screen with disappointment. "But General, a few more months..."

"That's effective immediately. Understood?"

"Of course, Sir." The dog picked up the broken tablet and rose from his seat. He turned to leave the room, only to pause and face the hare again. "I am sure you know that my ancestors used to hunt and eat your ancestors."

Peppy couldn't believe his ears. "Is that a threat, Mr. Peters?"

"Just a historical fact," said Jackson in a neutral voice. "Genetically we are still the same as back then. Canines still have the physical ability to kill herbivores, without using weapons."

General O'Hare jumped to his feet so quickly that the chair toppled over behind him. Making himself as tall as possible, he sized up the taller poodle. "Do I need to remind you about the Freedom of Species, before I have my guards throw you into the nearest cell?"

"Ah, yes, Freedom of Species, the cornerstone of harmonious coexistence..." Jackson didn't flinch, looking down at the hare with indifference. "Did you know that I am a vegan?"

Bewildered, Peppy wondered what the canine was angling at.

"General, do you know how hard it is for a carnivore to live off an entirely plant based diet? It requires careful planning to make sure I get enough essential nutrients, and I have no issue whatsoever with carnivores who choose to eat meat. It is my personal choice not to eat any animal produce, even when it's from non-sapient animals." Jackson put a hand on his chest. "That's how strongly I feel about the Freedom of Species."

Peppy was still lost for words, his jaw moving without any words rolling over his tongue, as he watched the predator standing in front of him with a most sincere expression on his fang-equipped muzzle.

"I wanted to protect those values, and I still do. That's how I ended up in the CDF and eventually Cornerian intelligence." The poodle lowered his voice slightly, still looking at Peppy with no hint of scorn. "I am not perfect, I will admit that. I will go to great lengths to protect our freedoms, further than most. Yes, I am willing to bend the rules, so that others won't have to. I am willing to tamper with some freedoms, to protect the Freedom of Species." He cocked an eyebrow. "You are a popular Head of State, General."

"What does that mean?" Peppy glared at Jackson.

"The people like you."

Peppy raised an eyebrow. While General Pepper nominating him-a mercenary-as his successor had been frowned upon by other military leaders hoping for the position, the populace had liked him, at least until the Cerinian Crisis.

"I know you want to be the face of the freedoms of this world, but first and foremost you have a moral obligation to Corneria's citizens. You, of all people, know best what the Cerinians did to us last time, and they are still at large. We need to be ready when they come back, which they will, since Corneria has something they need." Jackson leaned a little closer. "But you can have your carrot and eat it. Let me be the ruthless one, so that you won't have to. I'm no angel, but I'm not pure evil either, and I am devoted to protecting Corneria."

Peppy slumped back into his chair in resignation, finding no arguments to fight the poodle with. He did know well; Kamuy had wrapped Peppy around her finger, albeit with the help of her psionic powers, which had played a large part in the near destruction of Corneria. "How?"

"We are so close." The agent slowly reached for Peppy's data pad and put it in front of the general. "Let us finish the program. We may have imprisoned the Cerinians, we may have caused them pain, but they will live. Once we've found a usable countermeasure to their psionic abilities, they will be released."

General O'Hare slowly exhaled through his nose. Reluctantly he picked up the data pad, scrolled down to the dotted line, signed it and left a fingerprint. "I hope I won't regret this."

"You won't, General."

Krystal woke up wrapped in a tangle of sweaty sheets. She was hot and cold at the same time, with a leg and an arm sticking out from under the comforter, and her tail wedged under her in an awkward way. It had been a restless night with much to think about.

She glanced sideways, but Fox was not there, so she turned the other way and waved a hand over her communicator on the bedside table. The holographic display showed that it was past eight o'clock. Her ears swivelled, picking up a faint sound, probably from the television. She vaguely remembered Marcus coming into their bedroom early in the morning, and sent Fox a thankful thought for entertaining the energetic kit.

After labouring her way out of the cocoon of bed linen, she stretched and yawned. Wrapped in a soft dressing gown, she pedalled her way downstairs to the kitchen, following the scent of coffee. There were two pots on the bench, prepared and ready. She smiled and reached for her brew, only to hesitate, tempted to have a cup of Fox's stronger brew. But knowing the caffeine would send her psionic senses into overdrive-she was wired enough anyway-she settled for her own decaf. Having a sip of the hot, fresh brew, she tried to collect her thoughts, wondering what the day would have in store.

There was a loud crash.

She jogged towards the downstairs bedrooms, and found Kayuq fumbling with a small table outside the guest bathroom. The old vixen sniffed the air and her ears turned towards Krystal.

"I'm so sorry, Krystal," she said. "I didn't remember the table being here."

"It's okay. It doesn't matter." Krystal looked at the scattered fragments of porcelain on the floor. While the vase had been inexpensive, she had quite liked it. "You could've just reached out to one of us, and we'd help you see, you know."

"Oh, I didn't want to wake Hope up," said Kayuq and smiled as Krystal took her hand. "The journey was quite the ordeal for her, especially with me in her head more often than not. Also, it's awfully tiring for me."

"It is?" Intrigued, Krystal led Kayuq towards the kitchen. "I think I've noticed that too."

"Oh yes, using your psionic abilities is very draining, at least when you do it actively." She squeezed Krystal's hand gently. "Last night was the best sleep I've had in ages. I could finally relax, knowing that another telepath-you-would look out for us."

"You have a lot of faith in me." Krystal wasn't sure she felt the same, still suspecting that the old vixen kept a few things to herself.

"I met you on a few occasions after you returned to the Vixon, about three years before the..." Kayuq sighed. "...you know what. You came across as headstrong but steadfast. So, yes, I trust you. I know you don't trust me-" She raised a hand when Krystal started protesting "-and I don't blame you. I've turned my coat before, but I'm too old for that now."

They reached the kitchen, and Krystal helped Kayuq to a stool by the kitchen island.

"Yesterday, you implied I might be some sort of noble." Krystal bit her lip, while adding tea leaves and hot water to a plunger, wondering how to word it gently, but she needed to know. "Is that why you want to take me to Cerinia?"

"You are smart, I like that." The old vixen laughed softly. "I can't go back to Eldey, and I can't live alone. The last few years have been hard, and my energy levels are not what they used to be. I'd like to grow old in peace, contributing to society as best as I can." She put her tail around herself, resting it in her lap, and fingered with the matt fur. "If it turns out that you in fact are a person of significance, and if there still are Vixons near Cerinia, my punishment might be lighter."

"And if I don't want to stay there?" Krystal poured a cup of tea and handed it to Kayuq.

"Then it might be a first step to establish a more friendly relationship between Lylat and Cerinia than what would have been possible with Kamuy." Kayuq took a sip of the beverage, and a smile spread across her muzzle.

There was so much Krystal wanted to know, about Cerinia and about herself, but where would she start? Her stomach rumbled, giving her a subtle hint. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Don't make yourself trouble for my sake. I'm not that hungry. Although..." Kayuq gave her lips the quickest of licks. "Something fresh would be nice. I've lived on space rations for ages."

"Coming right up." Krystal opened the fridge and inspected its contents. "Can you tell me a bit about myself in the meantime?"

"I don't know much about your childhood. You said you were young when your village was destroyed and you were adopted by the... Wolven." Kauyq lowered her tone ever slightly, as if speaking the name with reluctance.

Krystal's ears perked up. "Was that a bad thing?"

Kayuq shifted on her stool and fidgeted with her cup. "There is a lot of bad blood, a feud that has been going on for generations, often escalating into outright war. The wolves are brutes. On average significantly larger and physically stronger than us foxes, and fearless warriors."

"Physically stronger?" Krystal put natural yoghurt in two bowls and started adding fruit: fresh strawberries and plump blueberries. "Does that imply not as mentally strong?"

"They're headstrong enough," Kayuq scoffed. "But not telepathic. Mind you, they have some psionic powers. While they can't read thoughts, they know when you're reading theirs, and they're virtually impossible to lie to. They're also very attuned to emotions, even more so than the average Cornerian canine."

"I guess Kamuy didn't appreciate a planet full of dogs."

Kayuq shook her head. Krystal added some granola and a drizzle of honey on top of the yoghurt, and placed a bowl and spoon in Kayuq's hands. The old vixen put a heaped spoonful into her mouth.

"Mmm... bitter and sweet." She sucked on the spoon. "The Wolven had taught you well. I am certain you had learned mind-blocking techniques from Randorn, but you were also a promising fighter, very handy with the battle staff." Kayuq paused to put a helping of blueberries in her maw, and sighed with content while chewing. "You were a good student, very disciplined and eager to learn, but you were especially drawn to The Protectors-"

"Who are they?" Krystal's brow furrowed. "Kamuy's followers?"

Kayuq shook her head. "For want of a better word, they're our defence forces, or equivalent to the CDF, if you like."

"I remember getting a tattoo." Krystal unconsciously touched the small of her back. "You gave it to me, and Kamuy was there... and someone who called me a Protector."

"That would have been the Matriarch herself, the Vixon tribe's head of state. It was the official induction ceremony. You were ready after only three years of studies, which is quite extraordinary. Kamuy was there, of course, in her position as The First of The Protectors, I suppose what you would call a general." Kamuy chewed in silence for a moment, before waving her spoon in the air. "Something happened between the two of you, but I don't know what. Allegedly, you left in a hurry just before The Doom, and Kamuy was quite agitated about it."

Kamuy... Emotions welled up inside Krystal's soul, rising like a brewing storm cloud of guilt and anger. She grasped the edge of the counter top, needing to hold on to something, but afraid her hands would break anything more fragile than the granite. 'I should have killed you when I had the chance,' was what Kamuy had said. Krystal had sensed the loathing coming off Kamuy's mind, seen it in her enemy's snarling muzzle, but why had Kamuy hated her so much?

"I can feel the conflict in you," said Kayuq in a low voice. "What's on your mind?"

Krystal shared a memory, at least she thought it was a memory, but was it hers or Kamuy's? Images flickered past, of herself, Kamuy, and Randorn. There was fury and despair as battle staffs crashed into each other, heat from projectiles of fire, and a massive column of light surrounded by a spiralling structure-the Shield emitter-which shattered when struck by a massive ice blast. The mere vision of the resulting shockwave knocked the breath out of Krystal.

"Was it Kamuy who did it?" Krystal panted heavily. "Did she mess with my memories?"

"...It is possible, if the subject is receptive."

"I need to know!" Krystal snapped.

Kayuq only took another spoonful before answering. "Telepathy is no exact science."

Krystal let out a deep breath and hung her head. "I know, I'm sorry..." She fought back the tears that kept coming back when she least expected it. "It's just... I won't find peace until I know what happened, whose fault it was. Please, can you help me remember?"

Kayuq sat in silence, sucking on her spoon, her unseeing eyes darting around the room. "I will help." She sighed. "But first we need to strengthen your mind. You have gone for too long without training. The Cerinian mind is powerful, yet so fragile. People have died from broken minds, people who lost all their loved ones in war or disaster, their brains shutting down, leaving an empty shell of a body to wither away."

She reached out with a hand, holding it at head height over the kitchen island. Krystal hesitated at first, but then slowly leaned forwards, letting the old vixen touch her face. Kayuq stroke Krystal's cheek, and her fingers scratched behind Krystal's ear. It felt... comforting.

"Disasters are usually the cause of a long chain of unfortunate events," Kayuq continued. "Whatever small part you might have had in that, isn't what you do with your future more important? You have so much to live for now, even without the memories."

With impeccable timing, Marcus tore through the kitchen like a greased lightning, holding an action figure in his paw, tail fluttering in his wake.

Moments later, Fox appeared.

"Where'd he go? I don't want him to wake up our guests." He looked from side to side, and only then realised Krystal wasn't alone. "Oh, good morning, Kayuq!"

The three foxes turned towards the sound of Marcus chatting. Soon, he reentered the kitchen pulling a confused Hope along, who was wearing a dressing gown that was slightly too small for her ample curves. She had rings under her eyes and tufts of loose fur all over her face and hands.

"You're moulting." Marcus spoke with the clarity of the child he was. "Can I brush you? I help mommy brush sometimes."

"I'm so sorry about the mess," said Hope in her own tongue and looked at the trail of hairs behind her.

"Don't worry about it." Krystal switched to the Quango language and waved her thumb in the direction of Fox. "I'm already used to cleaning up after that guy."

"What are you talking about?" Fox looked at Krystal and then turned to Hope. "Oh, you don't speak Lylatian, do you?" He was oblivious to the fact that he was still speaking in a language Hope didn't understand. "I have an idea. Wait right here!"

With a bewildered look, Hope looked at Krystal, who just shrugged. She offered a cup of coffee, which the snow fox accepted with slightly trembling hands. An awkward silence fell in the kitchen, apart from the sound of Hope slurping her drink. Within a minute, Fox reappeared with a device in his hand and a wide smile on his muzzle, looking as excited as his son.

"This is my old communicator, which I used when I visited Kew." He grasped Hope's left hand and started fitting the contraption. Krystal noticed Marcus watching with interest, his little blue tail wagging with vigour. He seemed to have latched on to the snow fox, as children sometimes would do when they found a person of interest.

"It should still have the old translation files on it." Fox fiddled with the communicator interface. "Now, if I can only reverse direction..." The device came to life, speaking when Fox did. "There, can you understand me now?"

"Yes, yes I can," said Hope and smiled.

"Then I can show you my toys." Marcus thrust the action figure into the snow vixen's hands. "This is Hero Hound! His real name is Tony Lupo and during the daytime he's a businessman and space anti... ante..."-he struggled with a difficult word-"entre-pre-neur... but at night puts on his mecha-suit and keeps Corneria City safe from criminals and villains. I also have..."

Hope struggled to keep up as Marcus dragged her towards his room. Fox's eyes followed them, his gaze wandering downwards and then up again.

I can see what you're doing. Krystal scowled at him. Checking out her tail, you dirty old fox.

I'm sorry, just male instinct, Fox replied and smiled. But you know my heart belongs to you.

You think smooth talk is gonna save you? Krystal rolled her eyes. You haven't put two and two together yet, have you?

His brow furrowed as he looked at her. His whiskers twitched as he thought, and Krystal could imagine the cogs slowly churning in his mind. His eyes widened and his maw fell open. "Is she your...?"

Krystal flashed Fox a memory, a vision of her own hands cupping the ample bosom of her former lover. The blush shone through Fox's facial fur, but the thought made him excited, and to Krystal's chagrin, she could feel the beginning of an arousal herself. She closed her eyes and shook her head, as if trying to shake the memory off. There could be no ménage-a-trois; It would be too awkward, and not fair on Hope.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a chuckle from Kayuq, and she glared at the old vixen. "Don't eavesdrop."

"I didn't have to." Kayuq emptied her cup. "The emotions coming of you both are quite strong."

"You knew, didn't you?" Krystal crossed her arms. "It's not fair to put Hope through this."

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't have," said Kayuq in a solemn voice. "But I was exhausted and could not have made another interstellar journey on my own. I had spent months on Arctos when I finally found someone who knew about you, a dog you had sent there years earlier."

Krystal racked her brain. "...The journalist. So he's okay?"

"He and his family were doing just fine." Kayuq nodded. A stone Krystal didn't realised she had carried fell from her chest. "For a bounty hunter you seemed to care a lot," Kayuq mused. "Anyway, I learned from him about Kew, and when I arrived there I met Hope by chance."

"If you're tired, you'd better rest up, because we have another big trip coming up soon," Fox interrupted. "But first we need to know exactly where Cerinia is."

"We need a plan B, in case Ryuga is not-" Krystal stopped herself when she saw the pinned-back ears on Kayuq. "Is there anything you can tell us about Cerinia?"

Fox refilled Kayuq's cup and she took another sip before speaking. "Our home planet is in a triple star system. Apart from Alpha Kandesca, there is Beta close by, which is a massive red giant. Its gravitational pull is what makes Alpha unstable, causing the flares. Both are in turn orbited by the white dwarf Omega."

"A flare star, a red giant and a white dwarf..." Fox rubbed his nose. "That sounds like an unusual combination. We're good friends with General Peppy's daughter Lucy. She teaches astrophysics, so she might be able to help us find a system like that."

"I also know she's planning a surprise birthday party for Peppy." Krystal tapped her temple with a finger. "I could use the opportunity to check if he knows anything he hasn't told us about Ryuga and Mitsuru."

Fox made fresh batches of coffee and tea, and they continued making plans. Krystal felt good, really good, since they were finally doing something concrete about the journey to Cerinia.

Trivia: 'Freedom of Species' is from the Nintendo Power Comic, featuring Star Fox, by Benimaru Itoh, volume 45, page 55.