Corneria City's a funny city. The more you live in it, the less like home it feels. I had walked those streets back and forth, up and down, left and right for nearly two decades and yet, it still felt like I barely recognized this city. Like a lady you see on your morning walk always wearing a different dress every day, Corneria City was a beautiful mysterious, yet familiar, stranger.
Biking through these streets was something I had to get used to early. Dreams of having my own car still toyed with my brain plenty back then. Dodging these automated taxis and buses had become less of a worry and more like a game to me, to see how many I could count before I reached my destination. Vehicles sometimes sped past me, the gap between life and death always in full display when I see my reflection shining against the bodywork of a sports car for a split second as it zooms past me, the wind blowing my clothes and my fur, the chill breeze of danger sending chills down my spine. It was scary. It was thrilling.
Soon enough, I had reached downtown. Big, colourful holograms hovered over my head there. Brands that had become part of my daily vocabulary ever since the day I had learned how to talk. Powerbox Soda, Winston's Chocolate Bars, Tyrex Automobiles and so many more. First, there were the billboards. Then, screen displays. And now, these holograms, contrasting against the look of these gray, dull high-rise buildings. The perfect allegory for capitalism. Dakota Stewarts Convention Center was within my view, with a convienient bike rack for parking right next to it. Those were starting to become a rarity.
The rack was completely empty, so my bike was a fine temporary addition to it. I placed the front tire in one of the available spaces of the rack and it was locked into place by a metal clasp going around it. Typing my name and my security number into the console next to it guaranteed my bike's safety - every hour with it being there, I'd be charged credits straight from my bank account. If anyone were dumb enough to try to yank it out of there anyway, they'd be receiving a warm visit from the Corneria City's finest before they could even change their mind. Having myself be charged at least fifty credits per hour did put a bitter taste in my mouth, but I'd rather have this than getting my bike stolen and needing to take public transportation for the next six months yet again.
A huge line was right in front of the Dakota Stewarts Convention Center, which was expected considering the type of event they were holding. Even still, I had expected this line to be just a little longer. It barely would cross a block or two like whenever the next big blockbuster hits the theaters. The effect ten years of Star Fox's absence was evident. With a jog, I got my spot in the line, standing just behind a couple made of two lynxes, talking to each other. Now, I'm not a fan of eavesdropping, but I didn't have much else to listen to besides horns, tire screeches and whatever weird hissing sound was coming from the nearby manhole, so I let my canid hearing pick up what they were saying.
"Ten years, hun!" The female lynx said to the other one, "I'm so excited! Last I saw them, I were a little girl!"
"Yeah, you've told me." The male responded, dryly, no expression in his voice, "...Wish I could share that excitement."
"Oh, come on, Dave, smile a little. These guys saved Corneria more than once. You probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for them!" She responded, "Yeah, they've been gone for a few years, but it's not like we can just blame everything that Corneria's going through on them!"
"Mhm." A dry response, once again.
"They're mercs, you know? I'm sure they've had other business to get to." She continued, "Can't make a living sitting in Corneria all day soaking up all the glory and having tea time with General Pepper!" She'd laugh, tugging on her boyfriend's shoulder, "Oh, stars bless him...sometimes I really wish he were still in charge. Things were better with him around."
"Sure were."
That's where I tuned out. Awful talk show, co-host has the personality of a boulder from Macbeth. Zero outta ten.
The line moved a little. It'd shuffle forward every five minutes or so. Mix that with the increasing cold wheather and at least thirty-nine people desperate to get inside and soon enough the complaints began being thrown around at the receptionist and the single security guard by the door. Combine that with the sudden increase of traffic in the area and horns being blasted like an orchestral car symphony and things were starting to get pretty heated.
"What's the hold up over there?!" A gator shouted just in front of me, "What, Fox havin' trouble puttin' on his makeup or somethin'?!"
"Y'all wanna hurry this up?! I got a job interview in three hours!" Another one yelled.
The receptionist got the message loud and clear and decided to hurry things up. Checking ID became a thing of the past as he just started waving people inside. Though the security guard argued that he still needed to frisk people as they went in, the receptionist waved him off. Bold and dangerous, but hey, it's not like anyone had missed Star Fox enough to wanna kill them over it, right? At least I hoped so.
The change of atmosphere from a cold, gray city to the warm insides of the convention center was immediate. All the noise outside was drowned out as beige walls and a polished and reflective marble floor welcomed me in. A stage was set up right in front of very long lines of metal chairs. On the stage there was a large table with several chairs behind it, with the banner "WELCOME BACK STAR FOX!" proudly displayed above. Not exactly what I had in mind for a big get-together event with an advertised party afterwards, but, it was something. I just looked for the empty seat closest to me.
The convention center was old and didn't seem to be touched up often. The floor was clean and polished, but I could make a game out of counting the cracks and general imperfections on the walls. I was expecting a lot more for the return of the Star Fox team and I wasn't alone on that. As people sat around me, I could hear comments from fellow bothered fans about the look of the walls, the flickering lights above and the overall cheap feeling of the enviroment. One wondered if the mics were even going to work.
A good dozen minutes or so passed after the doors were closed and people had taken their seats. Things were awkward to say the least. No communication whatsoever was coming to us, we just sat there fiddling with our thumbs awaiting the show to begin. Just when the complaints were starting to pick up steam again, out suddenly came a cheetah holding a microphone from a set of double doors by the stage. Her hair was green and she wore one hell of an expensive looking dress.
"Hello, hello, Star Fox fans!" She yelled into the microphone. The crowd was taken by surprise, some getting startled and even jumping from their seats, "How's everyone doing?!"
The few cheers from the crowd followed by the overwhelming silence quite summed it up. At this point, it was hard to tell if this crowd was more mad at the con or Star Fox.
"Who's ready for the return of the heroic Star Fox team after ten years?!"
Now that one got a few more cheers; some guy to my left going ballistic screaming "YEEEEEEEEEAH!" at the top of his lungs. I could feel the excitement growing within me, getting a smile out of me. Ten years for this. Not the way I had dreamed about it for all those years, but, hey, it was finally happening.
"I know you all waited a long time for this! You're all very tired and you've been...heh, complaining, trust us, we know..." She let out a little giggle, "But erm...if you lovely folks could wait just a little more, the Star Fox team will be here shortly!"
Stars above...
As expected, the crowd quickly descended into a bunch of boos and insults being thrown around. I crossed my arms and rested my back against that uncomfortable metal chair. This was getting embarrassing. I closed my eyes and tried to just drown out the noise around me. Difficult, but, I didn't wanna let myself descend to their level, as much as I really, really, wanted to.
I could understand the frustration. Like a sneeze that wouldn't come, we had waited so long for this and it was being denied over and over again. It wasn't just that we had problems waiting a couple more minutes. It was that we had waited for ten years and the wait was getting insufferable. When heroes disappear, people don't know who else's examples to follow. Their standards lower. Not mine, though. For me, Star Fox had never truly disappeared.
Then, what were boos turned into crazed cheers. My eyes open and I direct my attention to the stage. This blue, feathered frame had emerged from behind the cheetah girl. He takes the microphone right off her hand, puts it up to his beak.
"Enough waiting!" That familiar voice shouted. The crowd went wild. That voice, live, present, after only listening to it only in podcasts, interviews and documentaries for the past ten years. Finally, my ears could experience it coming directly from the man himself, standing right before me, like an idol.
Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, Falco Lombardi, "Let me show you how it's done, gir!." He cleared his throat, then, ran across the stage, "HOW'S EVERYONE DOIIIIINNGGG?!"
Ten years, huh? In retrospective, it felt like a small amount of time, but, things had changed so much. The last time Corneria had officially seen him, it was right after the defeat of the Aparoids. We showered him and the rest of the team with praises, compliments, gifts and overall incessant adoration. Saviors of our home, men who braved the cosmic horrors of Lylat almost entirely on their own not just out of greed, but out of respect and care for us. Far more dedication than any merc team had ever shown to the Cornerian nation. It never was just about the money for them.
Seeing him there brought me back memories of catching up on all Star Fox related media as a child. It was like seeing the action figure you had so many adventures with when you were younger come to life. To put it simply, I was starstruck. My maw hung agape, a smile painted over my face. Falco didn't even know me at the time, but him and his comrades had influenced so much in my life like they were there guiding me and telling me what to do every step of the way. The confidence I strived to have. The sense of leadership I dreamed of possessing. I felt like a child again.
"That's what I like to see!" Falco shouted as the crowd lost their mind. Fox stepped onto the stage, followed by Slippy and Peppy. It was non-stop ectasy, just a constant barrage of screams of pure mania, cheers and whistles, lungs never running out of breath. They saw us and we saw them. A reunion of long lost friends.
Slowly, one by one, they sat down at their respective spots at the table. Their mics were already set up before them, one for each. "Wow, heh..." Fox laughed, "...Seems like we have a lot of catching up to do, huh?" The crowd laughed, me included, "Man, I think I recognize some of you guys, still! Last I saw some of y'all, I'm pretty sure y'all were still kids! Hope I'm not looking too different!"
Age gets to all of us and they were no different. The fur on Peppy's face had grown into a majestic moustache. Fox had a little chin beard puffing out, not too long, but noticeable. Falco didn't look all that different, but I did notice this massive scar descending down his eyebrow, although his eye looked unharmed. Slippy, funnily enough, looked exactly the same, not having grown even an inch taller.
The cheetah girl got her microphone back from Falco after he had his seat. She sat just to the left of Fox, at the left end of the table, "Gee, guys, it's been such a long time since we last saw you four! Before we start with the questions, let's start with some introductions! You know, just in case our fans haven't forgotten which one is which."
Laughs echoed around the room.
"This one is Fox McCloud!" She pointed to him, Fox waving his hand to the crowd with a grin, "The one next to him is Falco Lombardi!" He stood up, waving both hands at the crowd, showing off as per usual, a standard for him, before sitting back down, "The one over there is Slippy!" There was a brief pause, "Slippy...Uh, Slippy-"
"Slippy Toad." He responded to her calmly.
"Slippy Toad!" Finally, he got to greet the crowd with a single, somewhat awkward wave, "And finally, Peppy Hare!"
Peppy just at there, writing something on his notepad, until Slippy gave him a bump with his elbow. Confused, Peppy waved at the crowd with his pencil in hand, but with a somewhat startled look on his face.
For each individual member, the crowd cheered, and I cheered along with them.
"Alright, alright, alright!" The cheetah exclaimed, "And now that we've had our minds refreshed, we finally come to the moment we've all been waiting for! The long awaited Star Fox QnA!" She stood up from her chair, "And now that my job of introducing you all to this moment is finished, I no longer have any reason to be here anymore!"
And just like that, with a smile, she dropped her microphone onto the table and just stormed off toward the double doors, the room in complete silence except for a few giggles. Huh. Jeez, well...okay, then?
Fox cleared his throat, putting his mouth up to his microphone, "Alright, friends! Just raise your hand and ask away to your heart's content! Just uh...please keep the more personal and explicit question to yourselves, okay?"
Within two seconds, the whole room had their hands raised.
"...Oh boy..." Fox's eyebrows jumped, "...This'll be an interesting day."