Star Fox v. 2.1, 8/17/97 (mm/dd/yr) by Theodore P. Perrotti ---------------------------------------------------------------- WARNING: This story has been written and posted free of charge solely for entertainment purposes. Star Fox, Fox McCloud Jr, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, Venom, Corneria, Fara Phoenix, General Pepper, Andross, and all other principle characters, places, and other indica created by Nintendo are TM and copyright (C) 1993 Nintendo of America Inc. Used without permission. Vessic and all other characters, places, and other indica created by me, Theodore P. Perrotti, are copyright (C) 1996 Theodore P. Perrotti. (However, feel free to use all of this story's characters, events, and places as you wish as long as you abide by the conditions described in the next paragraph.) This story may be redistributed, stored, or archived in any way just so long as it is unaltered, this entire disclaimer remains with it, and such action is taken free of charge. In short: DON'T SELL OR ALTER THIS STORY! Also, please ask my permission before using any of my creations (any characters or events I've created) and give me credit. Parts of this story were based on characters, places, and events in both the Star Fox video game and the Star Fox comic which appeared in Nintendo Power. This story has also been influenced by the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Defector", as well as the movie "Star Wars" and the TV series "Babylon 5". Those of you who are familiar with the comic and the backstory established in the game's instruction booklet will probably notice that, in some places, my version deviates from the "cannon" version presented by those sources. I tried to keep the basic story intact, and made only changes that I felt would result in a better story. You can think of this story as an alternate version of the events that led up to the attack on Venom. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor. WARNING: Recommended for mature readers only. Contains some adult subject matter. (Seriously, this story is darker than its predecessor, Star Fox: Armageddon) I welcome your comments. Please e-mail them to me at author@galaxycorp.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Star Fox by Theodore P. Perrotti prequel to Star Fox: Armageddon by Theodore P. Perrotti Acknowledgements I'd like to thank E. C. Lide for his legal advise, and my friends Curt Hartung, Chris Paulin, and Yusef Albader for their technical advise during the writing of this story. Finally, I'd like to thank all my friends who allowed me to bounce ideas off of them (or, in general, who put up with my obsessing about this story). Note-Some words in this story appear not in English, but in the "Venom" language with an English translation in parentheses to their right. Such words are not understood by non-Venom characters in the scene in which they're spoken, unless otherwise specified. Words shown in English are understood by all, unless otherwise specified. Chapter 1: Age of Innocence Cornerian Flight Academy: 21 years prior to Alternate Invasion Fox Jr strode quickly across the compound. It had been a tiring week, between the classes, simulations, and test flights. Of course, he didn't mind the first two and reveled in the third. However, what he needed now was some rest and relaxation. "Heads up, Fox!" a voice yelled. Fox turned in time to see a small, round ball headed straight for his head. He put out his paws and cradled the soft ball as it floated in. "Overshoot the target again, Falco?" Fox remarked. "You could be dangerous with that thing," he joked, tossing the ball back. "Funny," Falco replied wryly as he caught the ball. He then put up one arm to signal the others that he'd be back in a moment, and walked over to Fox. Fox stopped as Falco approached him. "Actually, I was trying to get your attention," Falco explained. "You could have just walked over and talked to me," Fox noted with a grin. "Too boring. Anyway, I've got a lot of energy to burn right now." Fox knew how he felt. Sometimes you got yourself so wound up before a flight, that it took several hours to work off afterwards. Especially if your name's Falco Lombardi. "What's up?" Fox asked. "Just wondering if you're up to riding into town tonight." "Maybe in a couple hours. Right now I've got an hour-long aerodynamics lecture to recover from," replied Fox. "Senior-year pressures getting to you, Junior?" Falco asked, purposefully emphasizing the last word. "You know I hate that nickname. Only my Dad calls me Junior. You're just lucky you're my friend," Fox warned. "Besides, you'll be feeling those same pressures yourself next year." "Are we still playing here or not?" one of the others yelled, reminding Fox and Falco that they were not alone. "In a second!" Falco yelled, slightly annoyed at the interruption. "Actually, I may be under pressure a lot sooner than that," said Falco, returning to his conversation with Fox. "How so?" Fox asked, noting the look of dread on Falco's face. "A couple days ago, I was parking my rover when I accidentally dented a vehicle. That vehicle belongs to the head of this school." "Dr. Andross?" Fox asked, surprised. "How do you know it was his?" "Because, ANDROSS was written across the back of it!" Falco said nervously. "That guy's nuts!" Falco was visibly shaken. Falco, who wasn't afraid of anything. But, Fox could understand how the prospect of confronting Andross could scare him. The few times Fox had seen Andross outside of his lab, he spoke to no one and snapped at the few poor naive souls who tried to strike up a conversation with him, leaving them shocked and humiliated. Fox always wondered why he acted that way. "Did he see you do it?" Fox asked finally. "I don't think so," Falco replied. Then he added grimly, "After all, I'm still here." "Yeah," was all Fox could think to say. "Any year now, guys?" came the call again, once again snapping Falco and Fox to attention. "Go out for a pass," Fox told Falco, snatching the ball from him as he spoke. Falco quickly ran back toward the others, all the while eyeballing Fox. Fox pulled back his arm and released a line drive. As Falco ran, he tripped on a rock and fell. "Damn!" he cursed as the ball flew by him. The ball headed into the parking area and struck none other than Doctor Andross on the forehead. Fox grimaced when he realized who he had struck. He decided to play it cool, as Andross probably hadn't seen him throw the ball. On the outside, Fox looked calm, but he could feel his heart pounding on the inside. Little did he realize that he was staring directly at Andross, and that Andross had seen him with the ball just a few seconds earlier. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out who had thrown it. Suddenly, a voice in his mind said, "SO, IT WAS YOU!" Before Fox knew it, Andross was standing directly in front of him. "You impudent little bastard! How dare you throw at me!" Andross screamed aloud. Filled with both anger and fear, Fox replied hotly, "It was an accident, so CALM DOWN!" "Don't take that tone with me, Cadet. I'm your superior!" Andross yelled, making a fist and pulling his arm back. Falco and the others all grabbed that arm. Fox ducked as Andross brought his mighty arm forward, dragging Falco and the others with it. They lost their grip and slammed into Fox, sending all of them crashing to the ground. As Fox went down, an old picture of his mother, Vixy, came fluttering out of his shirt pocket onto some nearby grass. Andross eyed the picture and moved over to examine it more closely. He started studying it. Then, without taking his eyes off the photo, he said distantly, "You are not to tell anyone else about this or I'll expel you all. (There were no other witnesses to Andross' outburst.) And, considering your past, Cadet Lombardi, expulsion should be easy to justify!" Falco's eyes narrowed. WHAT DOES HE KNOW ABOUT MY PAST? HE COULDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT, COULD HE? NOT EVEN FOX KNOWS ABOUT THAT! Andross then simply placed the photo in his shirt pocket and walked off with it. As he did so, Fox could have sworn he saw a tear in Andross' eye as he walked off. Fox was filled with anger and bewilderment, and wanted the photo back. However, he realized that another direct confrontation with Andross would probably do him and his friends more harm than good. "Going paw-to-paw with that behemoth?" Falco asked Fox incredulously. "And you say I'm nuts!" They all watched Andross leave as they brushed themselves off and felt their aches and pains. Chapter 2: On the Ready Two M-class ships streaked out over Corneria's lush, green landscape. At the controls of one sat Cadet Slippy Toad, constantly eyeballing his instruments in order to detect any sign of trouble. There was none. "This is b-blue 1 to b-blue 2," he called, "I've g-got n-nothing on my scope. You s-see anything?" "Nothing," said his wingman flatly. Suddenly, the cockpit of the small craft was filled with a noise that in Slippy's mind was deafening. Two L-classes were rapidly approaching them from below. "They must have hidden behind some mountain or something!" his wingman exclaimed. "Follow m-me!" Slippy commanded, then banked his ship right to distance himself from his attacker. Gracefully, the bogeys followed suit. Slippy's thin, green arms yanked the joystick about in a desperate effort to evade them, but he could not lose them. "B-break left!" he yelled to his wingman. "Maybe we can get them to split up!" The pilot complied. But, despite Slippy's attempts at wishing one of his pursuers into going after his wingman, both attackers chose to stay on him. "I g-guess talking this over is o-out," he joked unhappily. Slippy, however, still had a trick up his sleeve. He simultaneously banked right and pushed the joystick all the way forward, sending his ship back under the bogeys in a V-shaped maneuver. After reaching the bottom of his descent and starting back up again, Slippy quickly zeroed in on one of the L-classes. Unprepared for the sudden move, the L-class pilot found himself in Slippy's cross hairs. He found himself eliminated. Slippy smiled after seeing his partial victory. But, then he realized that the second L-class was nowhere to be seen. Seconds later, he knew where it was. Unfortunately, he knew its location because it had just eliminated him from behind. Later on, in the locker room, Slippy was in the process of changing out of his flight uniform when Fox approached him. "Hi, Slippy." "Hi, F-Fox," said Slippy. "You got a flight?" "No," Fox replied. He grinned in amusement at Slippy's constant stuttering. "Actually, Falco and I are going to town in about an hour. We were just wondering if you'd like to come." "No thanks, my folks are c-coming tonight." "They bringing your brother? That's a long way to travel with a seven-year old," Fox asked casually. "Yeah, I th-think my Mom wants him t-to be e-exposed to f-flying at-t an early a-age." "Flying runs in your family, too, huh? By the way, how'd you do in your flight test today?" "Not s-so well," Slippy admitted. "I-I got one bogey, then the o-other one got m-me and my w-wingman, too." "At least you got one of 'em," Fox noted. "Who were you up against?" "He was up against me," answered Lt Peppy Hare, suddenly standing behind Slippy. He looked toward Fox, making clear his desire to speak to Slippy alone for a moment. "Well, I guess I'll go and see if Falco's ready. 'Bye Slippy," said Fox. He then saluted Peppy, added a quick "Sir," and left the room. Once Fox was gone, Peppy turned to face Slippy. "You did very well today, but never concentrate so much on your target that you forget about his wingman," he advised. "But," Slippy wondered, "How did you get behind me so quickly, Sir?" "The best teachers are always students," Peppy replied. "I'm a fast learner." Slippy cringed at the thought of falling victim to his own move. But, if he had to be beaten by anyone, he'd just as soon it be Peppy. Peppy, after all, was one of the SpaceForce's most respected and experienced officers. "Thanks, Sir," Slippy said. "You're welcome," Peppy replied warmly. "Enjoy your weekend." And with that, he left. Chapter 3: An Uncertain Future Under the watchful eyes of Andross, a Cornerian hefted a crate through the back door of the lab. The Cornerian was under orders to make sure that no one saw or heard him bring it to the transport, and Andross would make sure he kept those orders. Fox McCloud Sr strained to pull himself up to the bar one last time. Pull-ups were one way he had of keeping himself fit. It was something that had to be done. After all, he was no spring chicken any more and he needed to keep ahead of the younger pilots or be passed by. But, of course, this was a habit he'd started long ago, when he was a spring chicken. Then, he started thinking about his son. With one last pull, he completed the pull-up and dropped down from the bar. Junior would be graduating from the Academy soon, and Fox Sr could never find the words to express to his son how proud he was. TOO BAD HIS MOTHER'S NOT HERE, he thought. SHE WAS ALWAYS BETTER WITH WORDS THAN I. BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. He hadn't seen Junior for several months, what with his being stationed on McKinley and Junior being on Corneria. Soon, he'd be on Corneria, but could tell no one about it. Not even his son. They kept in touch mostly through letters. The letters from Junior usually recounted the latest adventures of him and his friends, particularly Falco and Slippy, Junior's roommate. He enjoyed reading the letters very much, as they reminded him of some of his exploits with Peppy during their Academy days. In return, Fox Sr wrote of new planets he'd been to and new people he'd met. His train of thought was then broken by someone's voice. "Colonel McCloud?" "Here," Fox Sr replied. A tall, thin snake-like creature approached him and handed him a small, thin disk. "This encoded message just arrived from Corneria," she said. "We've been told it's for your eyes and ears only." "Thanks," said Fox Sr. "I'll watch it right away." Chapter 4: Taking Chances Two land-rovers sped along the road, their headlights shining brightly through the darkness. Falco leaned low over the controls of his rover as the wind rushed past him, ruffling the feathers underneath his shirt. To him there were only four things in the world at that moment: the road, the wind, the rover, and himself. The only time he ever felt more free than he did now was when he was flying. On the other rover sat Fox, equally entranced. They were headed into town, as they routinely did after a hard week's work. They'd stop, get a bite to eat, and maybe meet up with a couple of friends. This night, however, would be different. As they passed over the top of a hill, a sound caught their ears. They looked up and saw a bright light a short distance up ahead. The light came at them faster and faster. Fox realized then that the light was coming from another rover. "Looks like another one who's had one too many," Fox commented. "He's all over the place. Better give him some room." Fox moved his rover over to one side and expected Falco to do the same. Falco, however, held his course. The other rover sped up once again, and turned toward Falco. Falco, feeling he had been challenged, also sped up. "Falco, move over!" Fox yelled. "You're going to play chicken with this guy?!" Falco gave no answer, but simply continued with the game. As Falco continued to pull away from him, Fox muttered something about what Falco thinks with sometimes and accelerated to full speed. Falco's eyes fixed on the light in front of him. It grew larger and larger until it seemed to be everywhere. Suddenly, there was a thud on the side of Falco's rover, and Falco was pushed off to the side as the other rider whizzed by. Fox eased his rover back, allowing the rider to pass between himself and Falco. The rider continued on his way as Fox pulled over to the side of the road. Falco cast an icy glare at Fox as he followed suit. "Why the #?!/?! did you do that!" Falco screamed, "Why don't you mind your own business!" "I did it because you lose anything resembling intelligence whenever someone challenges you! I'd think that you'd have learned to use you head more by now!" Fox shot back. "Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake helping you get into the Academy. You're dangerous enough on a rover, let alone a fighter." Falco reared back and lashed out at Fox with a vicious left hook, but the blow merely glanced off of Fox's rider's helmet. Fox grabbed Falco's arms and they both fell to the ground, grappling with one another. Each punched the other as they rolled around and tried to tear off each other's helmets. "Stop it!" yelled Peppy, jumping into the fray. When he finally managed to separate the two, he walked them back toward the rovers. "I don't want to know what happened," he said gruffly. "Just remember this: If anyone from the Academy had seen you, you'd both probably be expelled by now. Now, back to the school." The next day, Fox and Falco met out on the quad. "Well. That definitely was not one of our shining moments," Fox commented. "Yeah, well I've had a chance to think things over. You were right," Falco admitted. "I just don't think when someone challenges me. I just can't let people think I'm afraid." "Well, I wasn't exactly the model of perfect behavior last night, either," Fox conceded. "Sorry." "No, you saved my life. And I socked you for it," Falco countered, cocking his beak to one side in a grin. "Good hook. You telegraphed it, though," Fox joked. Chapter 5: Turning Point That night, Fox McCloud Sr landed his ship inside a cave at the base of Mt. Clavell. The land was government owned and no one lived for miles around, so no one would see what they were doing. Andross stood inside the cave, watching him intently. Had Fox Sr known Andross would be involved, he may not have accepted the assignment. However, he had accepted, and now he had a job to do. He walked up to Andross and said simply, "Let's get this over with, Andross." "Agreed," was all Andross said in reply. Then, turning away from Fox Sr, he added perfunctorily, "It will take a few moments to load the cargo onto your ship. The final inspection of it has just been finished. You will have three escorts to the belt, just in case." "Really, I didn't know you cared," Fox Sr sneered. "I don't, but the SpaceForce does." Then, Andross stepped out of sight and pulled out a small bottle he had hidden in his shirt and unscrewed the cap. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. No one was. BUT EVEN THEIR PROTECTION WON'T SAVE YOU, OLD ENEMY. SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT THAT NO ONE EVEN NOTICED THE IMBALANCE. BUT YOU WILL REALLY HAVE SOMETHING TO TAKE NOTE OF! He then poured the contents of the bottle, a colorless, scentless liquid, onto the ground and covered it with dirt. "Is something the matter, Dr. Andross?" asked an officer, suddenly standing behind Andross. He sounded suspicious. "Nothing wrong. Just cleaning up a spill. What we're working with here should not be left lying around." A short while later, four M-class fighters streaked through the night sky. Fox Sr glanced at his instrument panel. "Everything's normal," he said to himself. He felt uneasy about flying the "cargo" through the Cornerian asteroid belt, but it was the only suitable place to test their "cargo", a gravity bomb invented by Andross. After all, practically no ships ever entered the belt (even its least-dense areas). Pilots usually opted to go around it. The bomb, at its most powerful, would simulate the collapse of a star. It would create a small black hole over its target, which would then suck up that target, and (theoretically) close itself after several minutes. Only the delicate chemical balance of the ingredients within it reduced it to a weapon capable only of destroying enemy ships and ground installations. Fox Sr knew that the potential destructive power of such a device could be horrible if it were tampered with, but orders were orders and Fox Sr felt certain that it would only be used as a weapon of last resort. Now, it lay dormant in the bomb hatch of Fox Sr's ship. He checked in with his wingmen to be sure all was clear. It was. On his sensor screen, Fox saw several large objects moving about. ASTEROIDS, he thought. "All right, here we go," said Fox Sr. For what seemed an eternity, they dodged left and right as the giant rocks streaked by. Fox Sr, eager to drop the bomb and leave the area, reached for the necessary button. Before dropping it, he announced, "I'm about to drop the bomb. Move to the expected safe distance. Remember, twenty seconds after I drop it, it goes off. You don't want to be around when that happens! McCloud out!" Suddenly, two asteroids crashed in front of him, spewing huge chunks of rock in every direction. "Evasive maneuvers!" Fox Sr yelled to his wingmen. He jerked to the left on the stick, banking the ship sharply to avoid the high-speed rocks. Suddenly, there was a loud blast as his ship was pulled in on itself. Fox Sr momentarily felt his body being torn asunder by a mighty force, and then all was dark. "What the..." was all any of his wingmen could get out before the darkness reached out and swallowed them as well. Chapter 6: Rude Awakening The cave was bursting with activity. Sensor contact with the team had been lost in the asteroid belt, and now the asteroids in the area seemed to be disappearing. The bomb had been set off as planned, but where was the team? That question was on everyone's mind. Only Andross remained unaffected. He merely grinned and walked out of the cave, unnoticed in the confusion. IT IS DONE, OLD ENEMY. "No luck raising Col. McCloud or any of the others on the comm, Sir." "What happened?" one officer asked. "The squad just...vanished, Sir," replied another, utterly befuddled. "Are there any other ships in that area?" "No, Sir. The area's been clear for over an hour." "That hole's huge!" exclaimed one of the officers. "It's at least 50 times the size the bomb was designed to produce, and the sensor readings indicate that it's stable... I think this thing's here to stay." "Is the hole near any planets? Close enough to endanger them?" the officer asked. "The two planets nearest the hole are Titania and Fortuna. I'm not sure, but I think they both are far enough away to be safe." "Get Commander General Kell on the line. Encode the message." Fox walked into the locker room, whistling. He had just defeated two of the Academy's best pilots and was feeling very proud of himself. As he opened the door and started to remove his helmet and uniform shirt, someone tapped on his shoulder from behind. Fox turned around to see two beings standing before him. One was a dog and the other was a large bird-like creature. When he saw a Sergeant's emblem on one of their shirts and a Lieutenant's emblem on the other, Fox came to attention. "At ease, Cadet McCloud," said the dog. "I'm Sgt Gacks and this is Lt Jones. I'm afraid we have bad news." "What is it?" Fox asked nervously. He'd heard of this routine before. "Earlier today your father and three other pilots were flying a mercy mission to Papetoon. They were flying through the Cornerian asteroid belt in order to speed their arrival," Gacks said, looking at his companion. "They felt they could successfully navigate the field," Jones continued sadly. "They were wrong." Fox was too stunned to speak. "We wouldn't be telling you this if we weren't absolutely sure he was gone," Gacks continued. "A ship on its way here picked up your father's transponder signal and traced it to its source. The transponder was hurtling through space along with a few pieces of debris." Fox sat and listened, hoping that this was all a nightmare from which he would soon awaken. Anger slowly built up inside of him. "Here," said Jones, pulling a small brown book out of his shirt pocket. "Your father asked us to give this to you if something happened to him." He gave the book to Fox. "We'll let you be now," Gacks said, then followed Jones out the door. That night, for reasons even he did not understand, Fox went to his father's den. He unlocked the door and entered. It was dark...just like his fox eyes preferred it. The place looked as if it had been deserted for months. This was not unusual, as his father was often temporarily reassigned to different planets. So, the place had often gone unused. At the time of his mother's death, Fox was only five years old. So, afterwards his father would usually take him where he went. However, during exceptionally long and difficult assignments, his father would leave him in the care of his aunt and uncle here on Corneria. His family had its roots on Corneria, though Fox himself had been born on Papetoon. At the time, his Dad had just graduated from the Academy, and had been stationed on the planet as part of a force meant to curb the flow of illegal goods from the planet, while most of the more seasoned pilots were off handling bigger problems. His mother, not wanting to be without her husband, followed him to the poverty-stricken world. The assignment lasted over a year, ending only after his father had been granted a transfer to Corneria so that Junior would have a safe and happy environment in which to grow up. He was less than a year old when they returned and moved into here. Shortly after their arrival, however, yet another long-term assignment forced them to move. Before his mother's death, the three of them had moved several times, as military families are wont to do. Most of the dens they had lived in they moved out of while Junior was still too young to remember. But, they must have really liked this place, because they eventually came back to it for good. Looking around at the old place, Fox realized that his father must have wanted to still have Junior's mother with him, in a fashion, and so they stayed here even after her death. His father didn't have an easy time talking about Vixy's death, even once Fox was old enough to understand death. One time, however, Fox did manage to get this from his dad-after her death: he had realized life was too precious, and he had wanted Junior to have as stable a home to grow up in as possible. Sure, Junior would go with his Dad on assignments, but they always returned here after those assignments were over. For that, Junior would always be grateful. Fox stopped momentarily and looked out a window. This home, like many others on Corneria, was largely above-ground to accomodate those species who preferred to be above-ground. After he and his dad had moved here, his dad had built a fairly extensive set of rooms below-ground. He used it as a sort of inner sanctum-a place he'd go when he just wanted to be. After Vixy's death, he often spent much time there when he wasn't on duty or with Junior. Fox figured that his dad's desire to go down there came partially from his heritage. After all, their ancestors had traditionally lived underground. But, perhaps there was also an escape there-his own private world. Fox swore that his dad would've slept down there if it weren't for two things: 1) when Fox was young, his dad wanted to be close to him in case Fox needed him, and 2) the bedrooms were upstairs. Unlike his dad, Fox always preferred to stay above-ground. He rarely went below, partly because he knew that his dad went down there for privacy, but mostly because there were so many things to see and do up here. Right now, he could make out several trees outside in the darkness. He turned back and proceeded to look around the house he knew so well, perhaps hoping to find something that would tell him his father's still alive. For a long time after his mother's death, his father was the most important person in his world. Despite his hectic work schedule, his father always tried to make time for him, Fox thought. Then, he started walking toward his father's bedroom. Even as the physical distance between him and his father had increased over the years, what with his being in training at the Academy and his father being away on assignment for weeks on end, they had still managed to remain close in the most important sense of the word. As a kit, Junior had often thought about how mad his mom would be when she came back, only to find that his dad had gotten rid of her things. Now, Junior was filled with an emptiness, the same kind of emptiness that he felt when he finally came to understand that his mother was not coming back. Finally, he reached his father's bedroom. There were some articles of clothing lying on the floor and bed. DAD NEVER WAS MUCH OF A HOUSE CLEANER, Fox thought with a smile. Then, his thoughts shifted to the book the two men had given him earlier. He now removed that book from his shirt pocket, where he had been keeping it all day. It was his father's journal, the book in which his father had recorded his deepest and most private thoughts. HE TOOK THIS BOOK WITH HIM EVERYWHERE, EVEN INTO THE COCKPIT. WHY WOULD HE HAVE ASKED THOSE MEN TO GIVE IT TO ME? MAYBE HE WANTED TO PRESERVE IT, BUT WHY GIVE IT TO ME NOW? PAPETOON'S NOT A HOSTILE PLACE, AND CERTAINLY HE'S...HE'D FLOWN MANY MORE DANGEROUS MISSIONS THAN THIS ONE. DID HE EXPECT TO DIE ON A MERCY MISSION? Then, as if they had been summoned by something inside of him, his thoughts returned to things of a less inquisitive nature. Fox looked at the book. He started to open it, but then shut it and slipped it back into his pocket. After all, the words contained in those pages were for his father's eyes only. Then, the lights turned on and he heard a door open behind him. After Fox's eyes had adjusted, he turned to see Peppy walk into the room. In spite of Peppy's familiar scent, Fox had half-expected it to be his father, and was visibly disappointed that it wasn't. Peppy gave no indication of having noticed the expression on Fox's face. "I thought I might find you here, Junior," Peppy said quietly. Fox sat down on the bed. "You know me well." "I should. I've known your family since well before you were born." "That long?" Fox said, smiling slightly. "You know, a large part of me still doesn't want to believe he's gone. It wants to believe that he's just off on another assignment, that he'll be back any time now. The two officers telling me of the accident keeps repeating in my mind. Each time, I try to find reasons not to believe them." "Your father was my best friend," said Peppy, likewise sitting down on the bed. "This is not going to be easy on you, me, or anyone else who knew him." "My father told the 'Force to see that I got this if he didn't return from a mercy mission," said Fox skeptically, producing his father's journal. "You know how he valued this book!?" "All missions involve risk, Junior," Peppy reminded him. "Besides, maybe there's something in there he wanted you to know." "I've thought about reading it, but..." "Maybe it's too soon. In time, you'll be ready. And I doubt there's anybody else he'd rather have read it than you," Peppy assured him. As the two of them sat and talked, the hours ticked by. Finally, both grew tired, and Peppy left Fox to himself. Fox knew he had training early the next morning, but was too tired to return to the Academy that night. So, he got up and walked out of the room. As he shut the light, he turned to the empty room and whispered, "'night, Dad." He then turned and walked to his old room. Months passed and Fox found out little news about his father's death. He had, however, read about the climate on Titania and other planets getting colder and about a recently discovered black hole in the asteroid belt. It occurred to him that the weather on Corneria had also seemed to be a little off lately. Such were Fox's thoughts as he strode across the compound one day on his way to class. As he neared Andross' lab, he saw two men hurrying Andross out the back door. Andross offered no resistance. Fox quickly ran over for a closer look. Fox felt a cold chill come down his body as Andross cast him an icy smile. ONE JOB DONE! said the all-too-familiar voice in Fox's head, stressing the first word. Fox knew not why, but at that moment he knew the answer to what was going on was in his father's journal. That night, he opened it and began to read. As he did so, a small note fell out and fluttered to the ground. Fox reached over from his bed and picked it up. "Hello, Junior," it read. "If you're reading this, then I am most likely dead. Contained in the pages of this book are many things I could not tell you for one reason or another, but that I want you to know now. Please read what I have written. But before you do, I want to tell you one thing right now: I love you, and I'm very proud of you. A tear fell onto the paper as Fox stopped reading to wipe his face. "I love you too, Dad," he said softly. He then took a deep breath, set the note aside, and began to read the journal. He read for several hours. What he found would change his life forever. 23-6:2171- This is the first time I've been able to write about Vixy's death. The authorities found traces of an explosive material in the vehicle. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her, except Andross. He was obsessed with her. I have no proof, but I believe he was after me. I still miss her terribly. I've presented my case to the authorities, but I had no proof that Andross had done anything. I just hope Junior is too young to remember what he saw. Fox put the book down momentarily as an image of his mother's vehicle in flames flashed before his eyes. He grimaced at the painful memory. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. There was almost nothing left of her. "Why didn't you tell me that, Dad?" he asked to no one in particular. He then returned to his reading, but the last page had been torn out. Then he noticed the letters "OM" scribbled in small writing on the last intact page. His father was always inserting abbreviations and other notes in the margins of letters he wrote. Fox was sure that these letters stood for something. Perhaps his father was trying to deliver a message to him in a place where no one else would think to look. Clearly, his father wanted him to read the book, and so probably wouldn't have torn the page out himself. So, perhaps the page had been torn out by others and these letters were an attempt by his father to tell him where the final page could be found. At least, that's what Fox hoped they were. "Where'd you put that last page, Dad?" Fox said to thin air, almost but not quite expecting an answer. "I've got to know what it says." He pondered the puzzle for a short while. Then, it hit him. Fox quickly put the book down, reached over, and picked up his portable computer. He hadn't checked his optic mail since shortly before his father's death. He entered his password and saw a long list of messages, but none from his dad. There was a message titled "journal", but he didn't recognize the name of the sender. He entered the appropriate command, and the message popped to the screen. What it said caught Fox's attention: "Junior, this is your Dad. I was afraid that the following portion of my journal might be removed before it got to you. To see that this message gets through unaltered, a friend of mine has sent it for me under his name. Please read this only after having read the journal. 27-4:2187- I'm leaving on a dangerous, top-secret mission today. I'm transporting one of Andross' inventions to be tested. I can say no more, except that had I known that Andross was involved, I wouldn't have accepted the assignment. But, I did accept. So, I must go." The date on the message was barely a day before his father's death. An angry look came across Fox's face as he read. "Andross, now I'm gonna' finish the job!" he whispered as he set the computer down on his bed. He looked around at his room, the window, Slippy sleeping on his bed, and their posters on the wall. Somehow, everything looked different, more sinister. Fox got up, quietly dressed, and left.