Star Fox 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 28: Countdown Immediately, Vessic activated his comm-unit and tuned it to the base's frequency. "Security Chief Alor, This is Major Vessic. You must detain Emperor Andross. He has constructed a self-destruct device which, if activated, could destroy all life on this planet. Also, he has the ability to influence our minds...he's been doing that all along! You must be excited or upset in order to block him out! Do you understand?" The Lizards' Chief Security Officer had absolutely no idea what to do. He was still feeling disoriented from the deactivation of the TK amplifier-his mind was a haze. And, here was a traitor telling him to take the Emperor into custody to save their people from destruction. "You can't listen to that traitor!" another Lizard exclaimed. Everyone else in the room, being as dazed as the Security Chief, just sat and watched. "If Andross did build such a device...," Security Chief Alor posed, mostly to himself. He just didn't know. "You would believe the words of that traitor over the one that saved us from destroying each other? The one who gave us a purpose?" Then, Alor told Vessic, "We need proof." "There's no time!" Vessic exclaimed upon hearing the reply. "I can't take action against the Emperor without proof!" "I myself have no proof, but...Dr.'s Elin and Goss will back me up," Vessic said reluctantly. "They worked on it with him." Then, he thought for a second. "Find out where Andross is now. The self-destruct terminal is in his secondary lab. Tell them to let him open the door but not to let him inside!" Alor checked the sensors. Andross did indeed appear to be heading toward his secondary lab. Reluctantly, he contacted one of his men and ordered him to detain Andross until he arrived, and explained to him what to do and how to avoid Andross' influence. When prompted for an explanation, he said only, "Do it now! That's an order!" "Now, you're a traitor as well," the other Lizard said, drawing his gun. "I will not let this happen! I still know the meaning of loyalty!" As he pulled the trigger, Alor's hand reached out and knocked the gun upward. The shot hit the ceiling with a loud sizzle. The others watched as the two Lizards struggled, with Alor eventually claiming victory and the other Lizard claiming death. Meanwhile, several Lizard Security officers gathered around the corner outside Andross' lab. Just as they arrived, Andross came around the corner at the other end of the hall and started toward the lab. So focused was he on the self-destruct that he didn't even notice them. As soon as Andross had punched in the door code, the officers came out of hiding. "Emperor, we have to take you into custody, by order of Security Chief Alor. Please come peacefully, Sir," one of them said nervously. Then, something occurred to Vessic-something so obvious that Vessic felt like kicking himself for not thinking of it earlier. "Chief Alor. Do you have enough power to throw up a force field around Andross?" "Yes?" Alor replied tentatively, checking with Tactical. "Put a field around Andross, wherever he is right now," Vessic instructed. Then, he looked down at his own shield frequency. "Give it a frequency of 60,000 MHz." I JUST HOPE 'FORCE FIELDS' BLOCK HIS POWERS AS WELL AS 'SHIELDS' DO! Fox and the others were still skeptical, but their ships were in dire need of refueling and repair. So, they followed the Lizards back to the base (which was now running on backup power). After they had landed, Fox couldn't tell who was more uneasy-them or the Lizards. Fox and the others disembarked in one of the Lizards' docking bays. Before Fox exited his arwing, he reached down under the seat, pulled out his father's cape, and put it on. Somehow, it made him feel safer. As he climbed down, he noticed the Lizards looking at him as they were the others. He felt as if the entire galaxy were looking at him. As he looked around, he put his paw on his sidearm-just in case. The Lizards did likewise. Fox, Falco, Fara, and Vessic then met with the Lizard Security Chief. "This is fun," Falco whispered to Fox as they approached Alor. "Tell me about it," Fox replied. Vessic was quick and to the point, "Es Empeo Andross en el adeo? (Is Emperor Andross in the field?)" Alor nodded. "Nos akas a te. (Take us to him.)" Vessic instructed. He then looked over to his left and saw Dr.'s Elin and Goss standing next to Alor, looking as if they were living a nightmare as they realized just what they had helped to create. A few minutes later, the group arrived in the area near Andross' lab, and found the ape pounding his fists against the force field and bellowing loudly. And the words he was using were not the sort to be uttered in mixed company. Then, Andross saw Fox and Vessic and shot an icy glare at them. Fox returned that glare with equal enmity, while Vessic turned his head away, so as not to have to face his former leader. YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR A LONG TIME. HAVEN'T YOU, MCCLOUD? I KILLED YOUR FATHER, I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT. WHY DON'T YOU JUST BE DONE WITH IT, THEN?! "You're right. I have," Fox replied coldly. No one but them knew what Fox was responding to. However, at that moment, Fox didn't care what the others did or didn't understand. The only thing that mattered to him now was Andross. The Lizard threat was gone now-Corneria was safe. Now, there was nothing in the way of Fox's vengeance, save the force field that now surrounded his enemy. Vessic decided to enter Andross' lab just to make sure Andross hadn't activated the self-destruct. He motioned for Dr. Elin to follow him. Elin looked at the terminal and frowned. "He's activated the self-destruct!" Alor turned to one of his men and asked, "What was he doing when you took him into custody?!" "He was just arriving at the lab, Sir! And what's this about a self-destruct?" "It's a long story," Alor replied. Then, he asked Elin, "How could he have activated the self-destruct if he never got into the lab!?" "I don't know," Elin replied, punching keys on the terminal. "Hmmm...the terminal says that the destruct has been activated, and the countdown says that there are ...7 minutes left until the first detonation! This must've been reprogrammed to start automatically should....should...." "Should the Core Brain be destroyed," Vessic completed flatly. Just then, the field around Andross flickered briefly, but only Andross noticed. He swiftly covered his eyes. Seconds later, the shield around him emitted a blinding flash, and then vanished. While everyone else was still blinded, he rushed one of the guards, grabbed their gun, and ran off down the hallway. THANK YOU, SOLDIER, WHOEVER YOU ARE! AT LEAST SOMEONE AROUND HERE IS STILL LOYAL TO ME! As soon as Fox saw that Andross was gone, he drew his sidearm and turned toward Vessic. "Where are your emergency shuttles located?" "Emperor Andross has his own... private shuttle separate from the others. It is two...levels down. There's a... lift at the end of the hallway. Take two lefts, a right, and a left from there," Vessic replied. "Can the doors to the bay be locked, so that he can't escape?" Fox inquired. "Not once the self-destruct's been... activated. And the lifts can not be... turned off... now, either." Fox then turned and tore off after the large ape. Fara unholstered her weapon and started off after Fox. But, Falco grabbed her by the arm and held her back. "I'll go after him. I know how to keep him from doing anything stupid. Besides, we need some cool heads back here to keep on top of things-and keeping my cool just isn't one of my strong points." Indeed, Falco probably knew Fox much better than she did. So, she simply said, "Go." Alor looked stricken. But now was not the time for being shocked. He turned to a couple of his men and said, "Go after him, now! Use whatever short cuts you can, but stop him before he escapes. If he gets away, a lot of us are going to die. Remember that!" "Aye, Sir," one of them replied, and then led the group off in search of Andross. "We'd better evacuate the base!" Fara told Vessic. "Just in case Andross gets away." "There are many civilians and... POW's here. And, many of our ships are at Corneria." "What about escape shuttles?" Peppy asked. Vessic shook his head. "There are... only a few. And, the nearest bases are too far from here to get ships here... in time." Fara and Peppy were amazed that they seemed so ill-prepared to evacuate, but there was no time to argue. "Well, we've got to get everyone out of here. We'll fill the ships, including the arwings, as full as they can get," Fara advised. Then, she turned to Peppy. "Come on. We'll help out with the evacuation." As Fox raced through the halls, his one thought was on finding Andross. As he passed an intersection, he noticed the scent of something nearby. Just as he started to duck down, a shot whizzed by his ear. He straightened and whirled around just in time to see a Lizard tackle him. As the two of them fell to the ground, Fox's gun skittered across the floor and came to rest against a wall. "Your Emperor's trying to kill us all!" Fox managed to get out. However, the Lizard seemed to ignore his statement. Fox quickly put his leg up against the Lizard's chest and pushed off, sending the Lizard flying onto his back. Fox then quickly scrambled for his gun, picked it up, set it to kill, aimed, and fired. The Lizard lay on the ground, motionless. Fox couldn't afford to have the Lizard waking up and interfering with his efforts to get the code. As soon as he was out of sight of the Lizard, Fox focused his thoughts on Andross once again. He set his gun to heavy stun. Then, the hallway was rocked by a tremendous explosion! The force of the explosion threw Fox to the floor with a thud. THE FIRST EXPLOSION, ALREADY?! BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT'S BEEN 15 MINUTES SINCE THE CORE WAS DESTROYED?! Fox quickly got up, knowing that they didn't have much more time. "Chief, we're trapped down here!" reported one of Alor's men. "Sensors show that that explosion took out about 30% of the tunnels on the level, including the sections immediately in front of us and behind us! There's no way we can get anywhere without cutting through the debris! And that'll take about ten minutes!" DAMN! NOW WHY WOULD THEY LET THAT HAPPEN?! THE EXPLOSION MUST'VE BEEN MORE POWERFUL THAN THEY EXPECTED! "We don't have ten minutes!" Vessic replied. "There's going to be another explosion in one minute, then another one minute after that, and then another a minute after that. The last explosion will start a chain reaction which will wipe out all life on this planet!" "%(%%)$$$$!!!" yelled Falco as he, too, found himself cut-off by the rubble. However, he was so determined to catch up to Fox that he actually started trying to dig through it with his talons! Finally, Fox turned the final corner, only to find the shuttle bay door open and Andross heading toward his shuttle! Fox aimed and fired. The long-distance shot was enough to knock Andross to the floor. As Fox ran up to Andross, Andross looked over at his pursuer. "That was the highest stun setting this gun has, meaning that you'll be unable to move for several minutes," Fox explained, glaring at Andross while keeping his gun trained on him. So, you can either give me the abort code or go up with the rest of us!" Andross knew that trying to manipulate Fox at this point would be useless. Time was too short and his defenses were too strong. And, Andross was too weak from the stun to use his powers, anyway. In Fox's eyes, Andross saw a hatred the likes of which he had known in only one other-himself. "Then, so be it!" Andross replied. "I would have preferred to survive, but I will not let you win! That's why I altered the destruct routine to activate as soon as the Core Brain was destroyed! Now, there's no time to stop it!" "Why did you go to your lab, then?" Fox asked. "I had to make sure it had activated." "What is the code, Andross?!" Fox snarled. "Do you really want to die?" Fox knew that the second explosion was due to occur soon, so he got down to the ground to avoid another fall. Just as he reached the ground, the explosion sounded. "One more to go before the big bang, Junior!" Andross announced, grinning widely. "I may not have destroyed the entire SpaceForce, but at least I have you and your band! That accursed father of yours stood between me and my one true love! If I hadn't been caught disposing of the evidence, they might never have looked into my past relationship with him, and I might have gotten away with my revenge on him and some on the SpaceForce, as well!" Fox felt a wave of anger wash over him, and he looked with one eye at his blaster's power setting. "Go ahead and do it," Andross said, reading Fox's face. "Killing is so much more pleasurable when one pulls the trigger oneself!" Then, Fox noticed one of Andross' hands move, and tightened his grip on the blaster. "Why are you doing this?" Fox asked. "Why did you do this?" "You were banished by them for a crime you didn't commit. You know why." TOO BAD MY GRAVITY BOMB PROVED TO BE UNRELIABLE. I COULD'VE USED IT TO DESTROY ALL YOUR BASES, ONLY ITS BLACK HOLES WOULDN'T CLOSE, LIKE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO. I WOULDN'T WANT TO MAKE MY SYSTEM INTO ONE BIG BLACK HOLE, AFTER ALL! HA! IT WOULD'VE RIPPED THIS PLANET APART IN SECONDS! PERHAPS I SHOULD'VE USED IT FOR MY SELF-DESTRUCT! THEN, I WOULDN'T HAVE TO LIE HERE WITH YOU FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, WAITING FOR THE END TO COME! The third explosion then shook the room, and Andross, feeling his strength returning, took advantage of the momentary distraction, and struck out at Fox's head with all his fury. Instinctively, Fox fired his weapon as soon as he saw the threat. Andross' hand fell short of its mark and ceased moving. Andross was unconscious, and would remain so for who knew how long (after all, he'd been stunned twice in just a few minutes' time)! "^&$**$*(((!!!" Fox yelled, holstering his sidearm. He picked up his hand-comm and quickly contacted Vessic (whose hand communicator had been tuned to the same frequency as Fox and the others'-just in case). "Vessic... this is McCloud!" "Do you have the... code?!" "No," Fox sighed. "Andross attacked me, and I was forced to stun him. But, he'd already refused to give me the code, anyway. Can you crack it?" "Not in... 30 seconds!" Then, Fox noticed something in one of the pockets of the coat worn by Andross. It looked like a picture. "Stand by!" he quickly said into the comm unit, and then moved forward to see what it was. It was a picture of his mother, the same one Andross had taken from him at the Academy, all those years ago! Fox thought momentarily, and then spoke into the comm unit, "Try, 'Vixy', V-I-X-Y!" "All our... fail-safe codes must be at least... ten characters long!" Vessic replied. "Then try 'Vixy McCloud'!" VIXY MCCLOUD?! Vessic thought, but he had no time to argue. "Try it!" he instructed Goss, who was sitting at the terminal. "V-I-X-Y-M-C-C-L-O-U-D! (Using the Venom letter names)" The Lizard complied, but shook his head. "No good, Sir. Fifteen seconds and counting!" "Damn!!!" Fox muttered upon hearing the news. COME ON MCCLOUD, THINK! WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE?! WAIT...MCCLOUD-THAT'S IT! "Try 'Vixy Reinard'! V-I-X-Y-R-E-I-N-A-R-D!" There were now about seven seconds left until detonation. Goss typed in the code as quickly as he could-and, it worked! "Self-destruct has been deactivated!" Fox let out a sigh of relief. Then, he looked at Andross' still unconscious form and set his gun to kill. There was no reason not to do it now. But then he looked at Andross once again. Andross was a creature consumed by hatred, who seemed to live for nothing but vengeance. Then, he looked at the picture again, and looked at the gun in his hand. Slowly, he then reached down and set the gun back to 'stun'. Andross may continue on the path dominated by vengeance but Fox could not, Fox would not, do so. Gun in paw, Fox grabbed Andross' unconscious form and hauled it back the way he had come, unaware of the fact that he was cut off from the rest of the base. With the crisis over, Alor was able to assign the men he had been using in the evacuation to free those trapped by the rubble. Soon, they succeeded in freeing those Lizards and allowed the medics who were still on board to treat the wounded, while they cut their way through the rest of the rubble. As Fox dragged the still-unconscious Andross down the hall toward the lift, he noticed a large pile of debris blocking his path. "Damn!" he yelled. "I should've known this would happen!" "Fox? Is that you?" came a somewhat muted voice from the other side of the rubble. "Falco?" Fox called back, noticing that the debris was starting to melt. "Yeah! Stand back!" Falco called, as his blaster beam finally broke through. As soon as it had cooled enough, Falco stepped through. "Man, am I glad to see you!" he exclaimed. "I was afraid you might've been buried alive down here or that Andross might've killed you or something! I was so worried, that I forgot that I had my blaster, and tried to dig my way through for several minutes!" "Well, I'm fine, Falco," Fox assured him. Then, Falco noticed Andross. "Did you do it? Is he dead?" "No. He's just...heavily stunned," Fox replied. "I had the chance to kill him, but I just couldn't do it. Not in cold blood." Falco flashed Fox a questioning glance, and then took several steps toward Andross. As Falco approached, Fox smelled something in the air behind him. Fox turned to see several Lizards walking toward them. Falco noticed Fox staring and took his attention off of Andross. He saw the Lizards, too. Fox and Falco stood there, outnumbered by the Lizards and not knowing if these Lizards were still loyal to their 'Emperor'. However, their fears were (for the most part) laid to rest when they heard Vessic, who was at the head of the group, say, "Come... we will take you back to your... ships. It is not safe here for you." "I plan to take Andross back to Corneria with me, to pay for his crimes against my people... and yours. Is there some way that we can make sure he doesn't wake up during the flight?" Fox told Vessic. "That arrangement will be... acceptable," Vessic replied, staring at Andross, still not quite sure he had done the right thing. "We have much rebuilding to do, and it will be much easier to do without him here. And, I believe our doctors will have something sufficiently... strong to... disable him." As they returned to the hangar, Vessic told them, "I will lead you to our... moon of Alara. There is a small base there. Your friends are already there, along with the... evacuees-including some SpaceForce officers. You should be much... safer there until the SpaceForce can send a ship." "We'll need to contact the SpaceForce before we go, so they will know where to find us," Fox reminded him. "We can do so," Vessic replied. "How about you?" Fox asked. "Some of your people are still loyal to Andross, and will see you as a traitor." "I belong here," Vessic replied. "My people will need to... rebuild-and I will need to help them." Vessic hesitated, and the asked, "Who's Vixy? If you don't mind... me asking?" For a couple seconds, Fox didn't answer. But then he said, "My mother. But, she died long ago." Vessic could tell that talking about her was very painful for Fox, so he decided not to press the issue any further. They then proceeded to contact General Pepper, and told him of their location, of the now-freed prisoners, and of Andross. Pepper told them that he'd send a ship right away, and that everyone on board both the ship and the Corneria station would be notified of their pardon and of their role in the victory. That way, no one would try to kill them as traitors. But, he warned Fox to be mindful of the large number of turncoats that they had had in their ranks just the same. Vessic started to say something, but then decided it wasn't necessary. A short while later, Fox, Falco, and Vessic landed on Alara. Waiting for them were Fara, Peppy, and several Lizards. There were also some SpaceForce officers there, as the place was still disorganized from the impromptu evacuation of Venom. Those officers seemed more confused than anything else. As Fox disembarked, those down below noticed Andross behind the pilot's seat, unconscious, and fell silent. Once he and Falco were down on the ground again, Peppy gave them each a brotherly embrace. Then, Fara came up to Fox. She hesitated for a moment, but then enveloped him in a more-than-brotherly embrace! Fox felt a bit uneasy at first, but figured, Get over it, McCloud!, and returned the embrace with fervor. "Ahem!" said Falco. "Remember the rest of us?" Fox and Fara then broke it up, but not too quickly. "We were afraid you weren't going to make it," Peppy said, relieved. Their stay on Alara was pretty uneventful, as most of the Lizards and SpaceForce personnel there were busy trying to figure out all that had happened and get themselves organized. Vessic returned to Venom soon after their arrival. As he left, Fox commented, "You know, maybe they aren't so bad, after all. It took a lot of guts to do what Vessic did." "I wonder what's going to happen now?" Fara posed. "Venom's leader's gone, and it hasn't had a legitimate government for several decades. Plus, the Federation's gonna' have to do quite a bit of rebuilding, too. And, both sides are going to have to deal with those still loyal to Andross." "Maybe, without Andross' interference, the Federation and the Lizards will see fit to work together to rebuild, instead of fighting with each other," Peppy postulated. "I hope so," Fox replied. "I'd hate to think that we might have to go through this again some day." "What about ol' fur-brain's allies?" Falco asked. "We all know he wasn't in this alone." "Andross was the heart and soul of his side," Fox replied. "Without him, I don't see his other 'allies' proving too troublesome." "I don't know...He seemed to make a pretty good impression on some of our guys!" Falco reminded him. To that, no one responded. Before long, it was time for them to go. Their ships had been repaired (at least for the time being) and refueled, and the battleship was now there. Fox and the others had feared that some of the Lizards, still being unsure of their loyalties, might try to attack the ship, but its arrival and departure went smoothly. The ship was soon on its way to an orbital base near Corneria (Battleships don't often dock at ground bases, such as Corneria). From there, they would take the arwings (which would be further repaired en route) back to Corneria. As Andross was hauled off to a holding cell, Fara decided to go with-just to make sure the force-field was set up properly to block Andross' powers. Once Andross was in the cell, Fara set about telling the guard how to tune it. Just after the tuning was finished, Andross began to come to. As his eyes came back into focus, he saw Fara standing in front of his cell, talking to the guard. Still too weak to speak, he could only think to himself, Vixy? Have you come for me? But, as his vision cleared still more, he realized that it wasn't her, and he let his body go limp. Fox and the others spent most of the trip in the quarters that they had been assigned. The crew's reaction to them had been mixed. Some had greeted them as heroes, while others still seemed to look on them as disloyal mercenaries who had acted only to get themselves pardoned. But, by far the largest portion of the crew seemed unsure how to look at them, which was actually far better than any of them had been expecting. "Not exactly a hero's welcome, was it?" Falco commented, laying down on his bed. "We were convicted of treason, Falco," Peppy noted soberly. "In some people's minds, we'll always be traitors. But, in time, others will come around. And, we were welcomed by some." "I expect we'll get much the same reaction on Corneria as we did here," Fox contributed. "It's going to be tough for a while." "You think we'll be able to function as SpaceForce officers under these circumstances? Do we really want to be SpaceForce officers now?" Falco questioned. "I don't know if I'll be able to function as an officer now or not," Fox replied. "But, I sure as hell am going to try. I've wanted to be in the SpaceForce ever since I was a kit, and that hasn't changed. As for you, Peppy, and Slippy, you're going to have to make up your minds for yourselves." "All I've ever been is a pilot," Peppy added. "And that's all I ever want to be. Besides, I still think that the 'Force is basically a good organization. Don't you?" Fox nodded and Falco replied, "I suppose so." "Besides," Fox added, "We wouldn't want to break up the team, would we?" Falco shook his head and said warmly, "No...we wouldn't." "Well, then," Fox replied. "We've got three votes to stay. Now all we need is Slippy's to make it unanimous." "Slippy, man, I'll be glad to see him again!" said Falco. "Me too," Fox replied. "At least we'll be able to go in and see him, now that the mission's over and we've been pardoned!" "Hear, hear!" Falco and Peppy replied in agreement. Some time later, Pepper waited anxiously for the arrival of Fox and the others. They had done the Federation a great service, and (Pepper hoped) had proven their loyalty beyond a shadow of a doubt. Pepper intended to see to it that the truth about just who had flown the Venom mission would be told, so that others would know that they were loyal. That and the continuing review of their treason case could help to right a great injustice, and Pepper hated injustices-especially ones in which he himself had been forced to participate. Just the same, Pepper was apprehensive about their arrival. Much of the crew was about to see them for the first time since their return, and much of the crew had believed the guilty verdict. Pepper had ordered security to escort them ("the arriving pilots" was all they were told) for the first few days after their arrival, but even they might react unpredictably. "Sir," Security Chief Lessa called to him, "We've finally been able to tunnel through to sick bay." Then, he paused for a moment. "Pvt. Toad, a patient, says that a guard just suddenly went insane and shot everyone. Pvt. Toad was able to incapacitate him with some anesthetic before he could do anything more. Fortunately, the guard's gun was set on stun, so no one was seriously injured." "What?" Pepper exclaimed. Then, more calmly, he observed, "Men don't usually just go insane suddenly. I want full medical and psychological profiles of Pvt. Toad and the guard done as soon as we're done cleaning up this mess!" "Aye, Sir." Soon thereafter, Pepper was notified that the ships would be arriving in a few minutes. So, he hurried down to the main docking bay. The bay's usual complement was present, and no more. For this, Pepper was grateful, as larger crowds are harder to control. The crew was going to see them sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner, Pepper figured. Finally, the four arwings landed. As Fox and the others disembarked, they noticed a great hush around them. The bay workers who hadn't seen them couldn't believe their eyes. The room was practically silent as Pepper and several security guards approached Fox and the others. (Andross had been detained at the orbital base until he could be transferred to McCallah to await trial.) Then, some rather courageous individual started applauding. Most of the others either did nothing or simply stared at this individual, but several others soon joined in with him. Hearing them, Fox smiled. It was, after all, a good start. As they approached Pepper, he grinned and said, "Congratulations on a job well done, CAPTAIN Fox McCloud, Jr, SECOND LIEUTENANT Falco Lombardi, and-by your own choice-FIRST LIEUTENANT Peppy Hare, on a job well done!" Then, he motioned for them to follow him out of the bay. "'First Lieutenant', Peppy," Fox asked, astonished. "But you have more experience than any of us, including me!" "A pilot's all I've ever wanted to be. I prefer to stay in the background. And, we all know that you're the real leader of this group. And that's how it should be. Besides, I hate desk work!" Peppy replied. Fox simply shrugged in response. Then, Pepper turned to Fara and said, "And congratulations to you, too, Lt. You should know that I plan to put you in for a promotion, as well." "Thank you, General!" Fara replied excitedly. "I think she speaks for all of us, General!" Fox said, grinning. "By the way, what's Slippy's rank going to be?" "Second Lieutenant." "Can we go see him?" Falco asked anxiously. "Yes, of course," Pepper answered, trying to think of how to phrase the next thing he had to say. "In fact, that's where we're headed now. I thought you'd want to see him." Then, he thought for a moment and said, "You should know that there's been an incident in our sick bay." "Is Slippy alright?" Fox asked, worried. "Slippy wasn't harmed," Pepper assured them. "I just didn't want you to be surprised when we get there, as we're still investigating the incident." Fox, Falco, and Peppy let out a collective sigh of relief. "Exactly what happened?" Fox asked Pepper as they approached sick bay. But before Pepper could answer, Fox's attention was drawn away by a very angry look cast at him by an amphibioid from the sick bay. Fox could almost but not quite recognize him, which made the look all the more disturbing. As they reached the sick bay entrance, Falco noticed a group gathered around one of the beds. On the bed there appeared to be someone with a sheet over them. The amphibioid was now staring at that group, as well. "F-Fox...P-Peppy...look," Falco choked out. As soon as Fox saw it, he ran over to the bed, pushing his way through. He then threw the cover off...and froze. He felt himself go weak in the knees, and dropped to them. The others weren't far behind. When Falco and Peppy saw him, they couldn't bear to look for more than a second or two before turning away. Upon seeing Slippy, all Fara could do was quietly say, "Oh, no!" "I thought you said he was OK!" Falco snapped at Pepper. "That's what I was told," Pepper replied, stunned. Then, he turned to one of the doctors and demanded, "What happened to him?! I was told he was fine!" "It was very sudden. Apparently, an embolism got into his bloodstream and cut off his circulation. One of his bones probably had a fragment loosely hanging onto it after his fall, and it only broke loose now. He was gone in a matter of minutes." Fox remembered pointing his blaster at Andross back on Venom, and couldn't get that image out of his mind. NO! HE WOULDN'T HAVE WANTED THAT! A small ceremony was held to lay him to rest several days later. Fox, Falco, Peppy, Fara, and General Pepper attended, as well as several members of Slippy's family, who they were at last able to tell of Slippy's heroic sacrifice. There were also several other SpaceForce officers, who had either never believed Slippy and the others guilty or who had been won over by their flying the Venom mission, there to pay their respects to their fallen comrade. Epilogue That evening, Fox decided that he needed to go for a walk. He and the others felt that they didn't want to be shadowed forever, especially now. So, Fox had convinced Pepper to call off their security detail. So, Fox was alone with his thoughts on this night. That is, he was alone until Fara walked up to him. "Hi." "Oh, Fara. Hi," he said, glancing at her as he walked. Fara had no idea what to say next. So, she just said the first thing that came to mind. "I told General Pepper that I'd like to be stationed here, on Corneria." "Really?" Fox said absently, his eyes wandering. "Yes. I thought it would be nice to work close to where I grew up, and there's probably not much left of Mckinley..." "Probably not," Fox agreed flatly. "And..., I knew that you'd chosen to stay here." At this, Fox turned to face her once again. "I'm glad you're staying," he said earnestly. After that, neither of them spoke. They simply walked in silence. The End