Shocks

Peppy woke from his slumber at the sound of the car door opening. I must've dozed off, he thought. It had been a long day.

"Welcome home, General." A uniformed canine stood outside.

Peppy replied with a quick salute and pulled himself out of the vehicle, stubbornly refusing to accept the bodyguard's outstretched hand. I'm not that old yet, he thought, but then again, there was a stab of pain in his lower back. Sitting still behind a desk as much as he did couldn't be good.

"And happy birthday!" A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of the guard's muzzle when he closed the limousine door.

"Thank you kindly," said Peppy. What was that about? He didn't need reminding that he was getting old, turning sixty in fact. He walked up the front steps to the Cornelia period style mansion that was the customary residence for Corneria's generals for the past two centuries. It was large and comfortable, immaculately maintained by a permanent staff of cleaners and gardeners. A lovely place that gave both prestige and privacy, but what mattered to Peppy was who currently stayed in it.

Lucy had taken some time off from her work on Fichina, and had come to visit with her husband and their daughter. Peppy was looking forward to a quiet birthday dinner, just the four of them together, and perhaps a cognac and a thick slice of carrot cake, cholesterol be darned.

"Long day at work today, Sir?" said the borzoi who took Peppy's overcoat when he entered the lavish foyer.

"Thank you, Dominik, and yes, it certainly has been." Peppy huffed. He had been held up in meetings with officers and government officials alike, as so many times before. "Why can't people stick to their allocated time?"

"Because people will be people, Sir, but hopefully you will enjoy supper, which will be served soon." The butler wore the same little smirk as the bodyguard, but Peppy didn't think twice about it. "Your family is getting ready, and if you wait in the lounge room, they will join you shortly."

The mere thought of it lifted Peppy's spirits, first some quality time with his family, and then a scrumptious meal. He entered the lounge room, but to his surprise found it nearly dark. Opening the curtains of the nearest window, he marvelled at the sun setting over Corneria City's skyline, the room bathing in its warm light.

"SURPRISE!"

He spun around and nearly fell back against the window, when he saw the crowd that had been hiding in the shadows behind him. There wasn't just Lucy with her jackrabbit husband Herman and their daughter Piper, but all the old Star Fox members were there with their immediate family and friends.

Barely giving him any time to recover, the children were the first to surround him-Piper, Marcus and the four Toads-eagerly handing over hand-drawn birthday cards, and wanting to know what he thought about them. There was no need to pretend; Peppy adored the colourful drawings with sprawling handwriting. Gemma Toad was the oldest of the children, and the probably the best artist, no matter that his teeth and ears looked comically large. But he also loved little Skippy Toad's card, because the stick figure hare didn't have all the pounds Peppy wished he could lose.

Dominik returned pushing a cart with tall glasses and bottles of sparkling wine. He opened one with a loud pop, letting the cork bounce off the ceiling to the children's cheer. Glasses were filled and clinked, and everyone milled about, wishing Peppy all the best with handshakes, hugs and backslaps.

"I'm so glad you're all here," said Peppy to the Toads. The four tadpoles, aged between three and seven, stood in front of their parents and grandpa Beltino, holding bunny shaped helium balloons in their hands.

"It was about time we had some holiday time together," said Amanda and put an arm around her shorter husband's shoulder. "Since Slippy was on Corneria for a project anyway, we decided to extend the stay, and the children are keen on going to an amusement park that isn't all water slides like on Aquas."

"I made sure to book myself for a science conference in town, but that's just an excuse." Beltino beamed a wide smile at Peppy and twirled his moustache. The hare and the toad had known each other for half an eternity, since before Beltino was a director at Space Dynamics, and when Peppy was just another Cornerian Army pilot. "I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world."

"Happy birthday, Sir!" Bill Grey stood at attention and saluted Peppy, a gesture at odds with his glare attire: a blue and white Aquaii shirt with a floral motif.

"I'll have none of that." Peppy let out an indignant huff and tagged at the bulldog's shirt, before pulling him into a tight embrace. "Today I'm your friend, not your commanding officer."

"Does that go for you and me as well?" Miyu grinned and glanced at her squadron leader, drawing a giggle from Fay.

"It does," said Bill with a smirk and took a sip of his wine before adding, "just for tonight."

Fara Phoenix was next in turn to congratulate him. "It's nice to meet you in another setting than an office, for once."

Peppy smiled. He had liked the fennec ever since they first met that time during the Lylat Wars when they had saved her from the clutches of Venomian hijackers. Her husband Yuri stood half a step behind Fara. Peppy had only met him a few times, but had come to know the yellow-furred steppe fox as a man of few words and sharp intellect, a valued scientist at Space Dynamics as he were. Their baby, sitting snug in a carrier on Yuri's chest, whined and yipped.

"You want to hold Lena?" Yuri asked in a thick northeastern accent, and gently passed their child to Peppy.

Careful to support her head, Peppy held the baby in his arms. The kit giggled, her pointy ears swivelling, and gave Peppy a toothless grin. Why does time pass so quickly? he thought. It felt like yesterday when he'd held Lucy in his arms like this.

"Ooh, she's gorgeous," Krystal cooed and clasped her hands.

Peppy's chest tightened. She was probably the one person he did not want to meet after what he had learnt this morning. Luckily, she seemed preoccupied by the little kit, who Fara handed from Peppy to Fox. The kit squirmed and kicked while gargling happily, reaching for Fox's whiskers. Marcus watched with eyes and maw wide open, his tail spinning like a propeller. Krystal gazed at her husband with a look Peppy had seen before, in the eyes of his late wife Vivian, when she suggested they'd start a family.

"Happy birthday, Dad." Lucy wiped a forming tear from the corner of Peppy's eyes and whispered, "Are you thinking of Mom again?"

Peppy could only smile as reply, a clump having formed in his throat. Lucy, Herman and Piper surrounded him for a family group hug. Vivian would have been so proud of them, he thought.

They moved over to the table, where a collection of cards and presents had amassed. There were some of the usual more or less useless knick-knacks and trinkets-new cufflinks, a "best grandpa" tea mug to add to the collection, a watercolour painting of a Cornerian countryside, and whatnot-and a dark, polished wooden box that caught his interest. Opening the lid, he found a card, a bundle of Fortunan cigars and a bottle of XO cognac. 'Extra Old, just like you,' read the card, signed Wolf, Leon and Panther.

"You better go easy on that." Lucy leaned over Peppy's shoulder and spoke in a low voice, frowning. "Your heart will thank you for it."

"A few simple little pleasures are to my heart's liking," he whispered back and sniffed a cigar.

"We're not done yet, old man. Look over here!" Falco had raised his voice. He and Katt stood in the room's far corner on either side of a large covered object. "And now, with the help of my lovely assistant"-with a crud eating grin on his beak, he motioned to Katt-"although I'm sorry to say that we forgot the bunny suit at home."

"It's his suit by the way," Katt deadpanned. In one fluid motion, she pulled the sheet off an armchair.

"Everyone chipped in to buy it," Lucy explained. "Have a seat. You'll love it."

Peppy wasn't so sure. The seat and backrest looked rather thin to him, not like the bulky and worn antique reading chair he liked to sit in for hours on end, but he did as he was told. There was a faint hum of motors as it adjusted to his body's contour and weight, and he found the chair surprisingly comfortable.

"Welcome, new user," said a synthesised voice. "How can I be of service?"

Peppy cocked an eyebrow, and Fara came to the rescue. "It's an ultrasonic massage chair, latest technology. Just tell it what to do."

"Lean back please," said Peppy. "Stop! Actually... my lower back is a bit sore."

Without a sound, a warmth spread from the small of his back, travelled up his spine, and radiated throughout his body. He sighed, feeling instantly relaxed, like he could fall asleep at any moment.

A sudden weight on his stomach prevented that. He looked down and found Piper grinning back at her grandpa. Then the pain returned in full force, as four tadpoles and a blue kit jumped on top of him, eager to try out the new toy.

He was saved by the bell, or rather, the butler. "Dinner is served!"

A long table was set in the dining room, plates and cutlery placed with military precision. Flickering candles provided realistic ambience, even though they were battery powered. There were several young children present, after all.

Peppy found himself seated at the head of the table, with Falco, Katt and Fara to his left, and Lucy with her family to his right. To his relief, Krystal was near the far end of the table.

First dish on the menu was a pumpkin soup with just the right amount of cumin to spice it up. It was followed by an assortment of Katinan entrées: poppadoms with mint yoghurt, onion fritters, and samosas, the potato and pea filled pastry pockets having a surprising kick.

"I hope they're not too hot for you, Dad?" Lucy cast Peppy a concerned look as he downed a glass of water.

"Not at all," he said. Although the heat lingered on his tongue, he savoured it, and shovelled another forkful into his mouth. "It's very nice, although it tastes very familiar."

Katt leaned in and whispered, "It's delivered from a restaurant in Baskerville that Bill says you like."

Peppy chuckled and had a sip of his syrah, the full-bodied wine a good match with the food. "That old dog knows me well. Say, I heard about your new ship."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it," Katt purred. "Just don't get Falco started."

The avian's head spun around and cracked up in a wide grin. "The Peregrine is going to be great," said Falco and went on a long spiel about the commissioned ship's features. "Actually, about the delivery date-"

He turned and was just about to start harassing Fara, when Katt reached out and clamped his beak shut. Further discussions were delayed by the main courses: vegetable korma, lentil curries and saag with spinach and potatoes. Peppy knew he was eating too much, but he didn't care; it was too tasty, and you only turn sixty once after all.

Yuri bounced up when there was a cry from Lena, who'd had a nap in her pram parked in a corner. He soon returned and passed the kit to Fara. "I think she's hungry."

"Excuse me," said Fara and turned to the butler. "Is there somewhere I could have a few minutes in peace and quiet?"

"The library is all yours, ma'am," said the borzoi. "Let me show you the way."

"Are you gonna have babies too?" Marcus's head popped up between Katt and Falco, the swirl of white hair hanging down between his eyes.

"Umm..." The base of Falco's beak turned red. "We can't."

"Why not?" Marcus frowned.

"Well, because... Katt, why don't you explain about the birds and... you know?"

"Don't you think he's a bit young for that?" Katt crossed her arms, a smirk playing on her lips. Marcus's head swivelled as his gaze went from Falco to Katt and back. To Falco's relief, Krystal sat down next to them, making Peppy uneasy.

"Hey, Krystal, help me out here," Falco pleaded.

She just chuckled and, ignoring him, turned to Lucy instead. "Do you mind if I ask you a sort of work-related question?"

"Is it about interstellar travelling?" Lucy smirked. "Yes, I've heard about your expedition. It must be exciting?"

"It is!" Krystal cracked up in a wide smile, but then turned serious. "I've... had dreams, memory fragments I think. One is about the star Cerinia orbits. It's a fairly ordinary yellow star, but occasionally it will go very bright, almost as bright as Lylat Prime, and also throw massive amounts of plasma."

"That sounds like a flare star." Lucy raised her eyebrows. "But planets in such a system would not be habitable, since they'd be regularly bathed in X-rays."

"Hence The Shield, until..." Krystal closed her eyes for a moment and shivered. Marcus crawled into her lap, looking up at his mother. "Anyway... There's also a red giant and a white dwarf. Surely there can't be many triple star systems like that?"

"No, it sounds quite unusual. You want me to help you find it, don't you?" Lucy rubbed her chin for a moment. "I have an idea, and I think I need to give you a private tour of the Corneria City Planetarium."

Krystal's face lit up as bright as a sun, while Marcus squirmed in her lap, trying to reach one of the faux candles. A lump formed in Peppy's throat. No doubt the detained Cerinians knew where their home world was, as well as the answers Krystal was desperate for; the answers that had been kept from her for years. He caught a glimpse of her looking at him with a cocked eyebrow. What if she still could read minds?

Something definitely didn't sit right in his stomach, and he stood up quickly. Lucy looked at him with furrowed brows.

"Just a little bit of indigestion," he said and tried to laugh it off, sweat drops forming on his forehead. "Probably too many onion fitters. You know I can't help myself with those. I'll just go and get my heartburn medicine."

Trying hard not to seem rushed, he left the table and headed upstairs, straight for his private office.

Pressing a finger against a hidden scanner under the desk, a drawer unlocked and opened, revealing a bottle and glasses rather than confidential documents. He poured himself a large cognac from the secret stash, leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes. After a long sniff, he took a little sip, letting the burning liquid run down his throat. Lucy as well as his doctors had told him to avoid alcohol, with his high blood pressure from the stress of being head of state and whatnot, but right now, he needed to settle his nerves.

"Is everything all right, Peppy?"

He startled, spilling the rest of the spirits down his chest. Krystal stood before him, a concerned look on her face. He hadn't even heard the door opening.

"Don't tell Lucy, will ya?" He laughed a nervous laugh, and looked at his glass. "The doctor's keep at me enough about my blood pressure anyway."

A memory from the morning's briefing session flickered through his mind, the two Cerinians in the experiment. He tried to push it away. He shouldn't be thinking about that, just in case she could see it.

Krystal's face hardened.

Oh spirits, she can, can't she?

Her eyes narrowed. The memory surfaced again. Knowing he shouldn't think about it, he couldn't help himself. She teased every detail out of him: Ryuga's despair, the electric shocks, and the agonising cries. Her muzzle turned into a snarl.

His chest tightened, the pressure making it hard for him to breathe. The pain spread, down to his abdomen, and up to his neck, through his left shoulder out into his arm. He imagined seeing a faint purple glow in her irises, before he fell out of his chair and everything went black.

"So, we hitched a ride from Papetoon to Corneria on a freighter, and I mean as stowaways." Fox waved his hands over the table, trying to show the spaceship taking off, excited as he was to retell the yarn to Bill and Yuri. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Krystal leaving the dinner table, following Peppy.

He's acting odd, she thought to Fox. I'm worried. What if his disease has returned?

"General Pepper really should have sent us star-liner tickets," Slippy complained.

"Pfft, you were hanging out in the cryo-mud baths." Fox sneered at Slippy. "Peppy, Falco and I were crammed into a cargo capsule."

"Wow, how was the acceleration shock?" Bill scratched an ear.

"Nearly as bad as Fox's smell," said Falco with a chuckle and slumped down next to Fox, receiving a glare from his friend.

"No offence, but foxes have a strong scent." Bill pointed at his nose.

Fox rolled his eyes but continued, "Anyway, after a couple of hours, we snuck out and found the ship overrun by imperial troops."

"But what would Andross's forces want with a civilian ship?" Yuri cocked an eyebrow.

"They were after a certain passenger, daughter of a famous spaceship magnate."

Yuri's jaw dropped. "Fara?!"

"Bingo!" Fox smirked. "I assume they wanted Mr. Phoenix to hand over the Arwing blueprints in exchange for his daughter. What they didn't factor in was three mercenaries from Papetoon."

"Who had experience with raising hell with imperial ships." Falco beamed. "We made short work of the lizards, until one took Fara hostage. They were about to get away when Slippy jumps out of a cistern-"

"I was just taking a bath," Slippy chirped.

He knew. Fox's mood darkened. But he didn't do anything.

"Then Slippy slams the lid down on the lizard's head." Falco nearly broke a plate, reenacting the story. "Yep, Mr. Toad here saved your future wife's life."

Fox scowled. He just watched their suffering.

"Mr. Phoenix was so grateful that he would've given us anything." Slippy giggled. "But Fox only asked for first class tickets."

"You could've asked for a moon!" Falco turned to Fox with a wide grin on his beak.

"And what would we have done with that?" Fox snapped, frothing at the corners of his maw.

"Whoa, easy Foxie!" Bill was aghast. "Where did that come from?"

"I..." Fox shrank in his chair. "I don't know..." Where had the anger come from? Suddenly he realised, recognising the feeling. Krystal! "I must've eaten too much. I think I need to..." He sprang to his feet, toppling the chair over. "I'll be right back."

He rushed out of the dining room, clearly sensing the direction of Krystal's fury. Knowing the layout of the house from previous visits, he ran up the stairs two steps at a time towards Peppy's study.

Bursting through the door, he abruptly came to a halt. Krystal stood over the hare, who was on the floor by the desk, clutching his chest.

What's going on? he thought to her, receiving no response, only waves of wrath washing over his mind. He took her by the shoulders, shaking her lightly, and she spun around, fixating her glowing eyes on him.

The pain hit him like he'd been run over by the Forever Train. He couldn't breathe. Is this what she was doing to Peppy? Stop Krystal, you're giving him a heart attack!

Visions flowed through Fox's mind-of Panther, of captive and tortured Cerinians, and of Peppy watching it all-as she linked three minds together. That's no excuse to kill him, Krystal! But could she, and if she could, how could he stop her? With the pain paralysing him, unable to draw a breath, he tried to remember what she'd explained to him. Her telepathy couldn't actually hurt someone physically, just plant thoughts, subliminal coercion, sensations the subject imagined were their own.

Distraction had worked before. He needed a more powerful thought to throw her off. Krystal, I love you, and so does Marcus. He imagined them sitting behind a transparent screen, with her on the other side, in an orange jumpsuit. Sobbing, Marcus pressed his hand against the glass. She tried to reach for him as best as she could with her hands cuffed together.

Krystal yelped when her hand touched Fox's. Her eyes opened wide and the purple glow disappeared in an instant. She slumped to the floor, crying and shaking, but Fox had more urgent matters to attend to. He fell to Peppy's side, checking the hare's pulse as there was a commotion outside and the other dinner guests barged in.

Lucy was haggard, with one ear dropping, red eyes, and streaks of dried tears on her cheeks. Still, there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes every time she glanced at Fox. It was in the small hours of the night, and the other dinner guests had gone home, or rather, been promptly ushered. Medics and another security detail had arrived within minutes. Peppy had recovered quickly, refusing to go to hospital, and instead being tended to in his own bedroom. Outside, Lucy and Fox sat on a chair each on opposite sides of the corridor, with guards at their sides, waiting patiently for news.

Although Fox wasn't so sure he wanted to know. One half of his exhausted mind desperately wanted to sleep, the other couldn't stop fretting, the thoughts spinning around in worn-out circles. Had Peppy realised what Krystal had done to him, and if so, what would he do? Fox doubted Peppy would put a friend before the safety of Corneria, or at least, a General shouldn't.

But security hadn't taken Fox into custody yet, so that must be a good sign, right? No one had gotten much sense out of Krystal, and after answering some questions from the medics, they had let her go, on the condition that Fox stayed, since he had found them. With him stuck and Krystal ill, Bill had kindly offered to take her and Marcus home... but Bill was with the army... so he might've driven them to the nearest CDF station instead, for all Fox knew. Fox tried in vain to listen for any sort of telepathy contact from Krystal.

Finally, the door opened and Peppy's personal doctor stepped out. The elderly snow leopard carefully pulled his long, bushy tail out of the way, before closing the door after him.

"Good news first." He adjusted his reading glasses and faced Lucy and Fox. "I have run a full set of tests, and there are no signs of stroke or heart attack."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, doctor."

"The bad news is that all symptoms are consistent with angina, which still is serious." He put a hand on Lucy's shoulder to comfort her. "But it can be managed. We need to keep an eye on his cholesterol and blood sugar, and he needs to manage his stress levels."

"Maybe the surprise party wasn't such a good idea." Lucy bit her lip.

"Don't fret about it." The leopard gave Lucy a genuine smile. "Family and friends are essential for mental health. One has to live a life as well, I understand as much." He turned to Fox. "Actually, the General is awake and wants to see you."

The doctor turned on his heel and left, followed by the security detail. Lucy stopped Fox just as he was about to enter the room.

"What actually happened before?" There was a hint of a glare in Lucy's eyes. "What was Krystal doing in there?"

Fox thought for a moment, wondering how much to tell, since his main concern was to keep Krystal safe. "Can you keep a secret?"

Lucy looked concerned for a moment, before nodding.

"Her powers seem to be growing back." Fox decided that a partial lie would sound believable enough. "She is very sensitive to emotions, and must've sensed that something was wrong that Peppy didn't tell."

"But... why didn't she help?"

"She's in a bit of a shock." The truth, thought Fox, just far from the whole truth. "Honestly, she's got some pretty severe PTSD since the Cerinian Crisis, and whatever happened to her homeworld before that."

"I'm sorry..." Lucy's ears flopped. "I'm just worried that's all. I'm thankful that Krystal was there."

Fox just nodded, grateful that Peppy was alive at all. It could so easily have ended in disaster.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light as he entered the room. Peppy was half-sitting in the bed, fingers fidgeting with the edge of the comforter, still wired up to a vital signs monitor that fortunately had been put on silent. Fox was sure that CDF medics kept a close eye on it from a control room nearby.

"I'm so sorry, Peppy." Fox pulled up a stool by the bed. "Krystal's quite upset. She's been going through some tough times and-"

"Cut the crap, Fox." There was sorrow in Peppy's eyes, not scorn. "I presume she never lost her abilities, and that she's told you what she saw." Fox nodded, and Peppy gazed out the window with a thousand-yard stare. "I'm to blame. I should've shut that program down as soon as I heard about it. I tried too hard to be a strong leader, and lost focus on what's important. I'm not Pepper."

"You don't need to be. You're a good man."

"Good doesn't cut it for the leader of Lylat." Peppy huffed. "The army thinks I'm too soft, while the elected government thinks I'm too hard, but I don't have it in me to be a ruthless dictator."

"So... Where do we go from here?" Fox scratched his neck, simultaneously worried about what Krystal could do to people, and what the authorities could do to her. He recalled once when she had taken control of his body, although only after he let her. But to his relief, it didn't seem like Peppy realised what she'd done to him. "For years, she thought she was the only survivor of her race, her whole planet. I can't even begin to tell you how much it would mean to her to meet other Cerinians."

"Don't do anything foolish, Fox. I know you want to, but SIRIUS is an organisation you should not mess with." Peppy glared at Fox for a moment to drive the point home, then scratched his chin in thought as he looked out the window again. "I think I can use your forthcoming excursion to search for Cerinia as an excuse to free them. Leave it to me, I'll work something out."

Trivia: Lucy's husband is named after the Norwegian skier Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen.

Shoutout to Erold for beta-reading and the bunny suit joke.