XXIX

Agents of Disappointment

The Citadel rotated along an axis just like any celestial body. It was designed to complete a rotation every twenty-four hours to simulate a normal Earth day. Outside the large window, the sun fell towards the horizon bathing the inner chamber of the council in the soft yellow glow of late afternoon. Soon, the Citadel would rotate towards the moon and it would fall dark. Fox and Mario stood shoulder to shoulder waiting for a response from the council. Fox looked straight ahead like a professional, while Mario fidgeted and studied the ground.

"Preposterous!" cried Booregard. "Lady Bow is of exceptional character. I should know. I appointed her, myself." There was a lot riding on her success. He had gone to bat for her. It took a lot of persuasion for the council to approve her and he had hoped it would be the first step in repairing the galaxy's relationship with his people.

"Councilor," said Fox matter-of-factly. "She fired at us. With intent to kill."

Adam Malkovich sighed and shook his head. "We should never have trusted a boo."

"What?" scoffed Booregard, taken aback. "Adam, that is an obscene sentiment from you."

"The boos caused irreparable harm to the House," Toadette offered gently.

"That was a long time ago," growled Booregard. Toadette had the uncanny disposition to mediate in arguments. Normally, this was a benefit since it kept the council center but now, Booregard found her bothsidesism to be timid and irritating.

"Their judgment is compromised," said Adam simply. He stiffened his bottom lip as if his perspective was the absolute and undisputed truth.

The combination of confidence and a concerted attack from the other two sent Booregard over the edge. "That is a bigoted sentiment, Councilor," he shouted. "I would watch your words." He thrust a pointer finger at Adam from across the table. They fell into silence for a moment with shock from his outburst. He was normally such a composed gentleman. In fact, he took pride in it. He was once the doorman of the House, after all. But he couldn't allow his people's reputation to be dragged through the mud due to fear and misinformation. His only option was to take a stand.

Funky Kong cleared his throat after a long silence. "Not so, Boo-brodie," he started, choosing his words carefully. "We've known for some time that the boos are unusually responsive to the waves of the Mass Relays. The bending of space-time causes shifts in their vaporous composition."

"She said as much when she went through the warp pipe," Mario chimed in, but they paid him no mind. This conversation was far above his station. His cheeks flushed when they ignored him and he returned to studying his feet.

"It is not uncommon for these shifts to cause a dissociation of self," continued Funky. "In essence, it makes them coo-coo nutty."

"So you're saying she's lost it," asserted Fox. It wasn't a question.

"I'm saying that she is a vulnerability," Funky corrected. "One that the koopa king seems eager to exploit." Mario felt a pang of embarrassment that the council took Fox more seriously than they did their own agent. That old feeling of being a fraud began to rear its ugly head. He looked at Fox, who stood at attention with his head held high and his arms crossed behind his back. He struck an impressive figure. That was how a soldier was supposed to act, not fumble with his gloves and avoid eye contact.

"If there even is a koopa king," said Booregard. It had been fifty years since the end of the Air Raids, which was just long enough for some troublesome theories to take root in the younger generations. One such was that Bowser wasn't banished at all but rather destroyed completely. Some doubted that he ever existed in the first place. It was all nonsense, of course, and Booregard knew that all too well. He wore the evidence of the Air Raids on his back, ever since the flesh was torn from his bones.

"True," said Toadette in that neutral and placating voice. "There is no proof that the koopas are still alive. After all, who could survive out there in the cold of the Deep Dark."

"I've seen them," said Mario, taken aback. He slammed his gloved fist on the table and they turned towards him reluctantly. He had stepped outside of his station but at least he made his voice heard. Fox kept his head up and eyes forward but a small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. Pico, who resigned himself to an observatory role, gave him a small nod. Mario noticed and it seemed like validation. Pico spoke rarely but when he did it was for the little folk, people who have long lived with their voices silenced or erased.

"You saw a vision, Mario," said Toadette. "It could have been a manifestation of the warp pipe. But I agree with Councilor Funky Kong, until we know for certain, we prepare as if the koopa king is out there and preparing a strike.

"After all, he was banished but never actually accounted for after the Air Raids," said Funky.

"Wait a minute," said Fox. "You told him to get lost and took his word for it that he would oblige?"

"It was a chaotic time, McCloud," said Malkovich. "The decision was made to focus on rebuilding what was lost instead of tying up the courts with expensive war tribunals. I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that that was long before the current members of this council. Most of the records of those conversations were lost in the data purge from the server collapse so we can't know all of the details that went into making those decisions. But soldier, I will caution you against speaking to this council with disrespect. It is unprofessional and could be taken as insubordination. Frankly, I expect better of you."

Fox withered. Mario's mouth dropped open. The image of his role model was shattered before his eyes. But, really, what had he done? He called out an injustice to power and power was offended. Was that really so bad? Perhaps, he should have shown more restraint or chosen his words more carefully but as far as Mario was concerned, his intent was sound. Still, it was a mistake to draw the ire of those they served. If an old dog like Fox could make such a mistake, then perhaps, he should give himself more slack as he grew into his new leadership role. He made an attempt to move the conversation along and said, "Okay. So what do we do now?"