Author's Note: I broke this chapter in half … twice. And it's still a MASSIVE chapter, over 19k words long.
But it's IMPORTANT. It's the last chapter before the ACTION STARTS. I had to build it all up, you know?
It's also an important chapter because EVERYTHING is about to change.
However, before all the wild action happens, I'm going to revise Reflections of Peppy, touch up all the chapters, then post three new ones (one is nearly done, the other two have some concept stuff written), and then I'm going to dedicate the story to the passing of Rick May, Peppy (and Andross)'s voice actor from StarFox 64.
Rick also did a lot of other stuff. Star Wars stuff, as well as the Soldier from Team Fortress 2, and he was Doctor M. in Sly Cooper 3.

Anyway, this is a VERY long chapter, but it has some really important scenes, and there is some character building with Fara's AI and … oh heck, I'll just tell you why it's important.
We find out about what happened to Andross, we find out what happened to Cerinia, and we find out why the locusts are so important to the story.
See? Excited? I really enjoyed writing it, because this chapter is the calm before the action/adventure storm coming our way!
Just, y'know, as soon as Reflections of Peppy is done, which won't take long. A few days or so.

X

Chapter -35-
An Unlikely Alliance…

On the bridge of the Great Fox Dreadnaught…

Marcus rubbed his face and paced in front of a Venom lizard. "Okay, so, let me get this straight … you don't want my help securing Venom, because you're afraid that help from a mammal will make you look weak?"

The lizard's ridged stance and folded arms told the story of his feelings. His skin, splotchy patches of brown and green, contrasted his very simple dark grey uniform, which was void of any color at all.

Marcus noticed the man's uniform had been ironed but was in need of laundering. He also noticed the man appeared dehydrated and somewhat malnourished.

"I'm tolerating your existence, mercenary. We can live in peace with mammals if they leave us alone. I would agree that trade would help our worlds, but we would not want mammals working our jobs. Romance between our species, for example, would be forbidden. At least on Venom. I understand that it will happen, but it would not be welcome on Venom. I do not act this way out of racism, so much as racial purity. Our races are not compatible in feral reptiles and small feral mammals. Our ancestors. Why? Because it's not intended. Andross discovered that the genome of both mammalian species and reptilian species were engineered to be compatible by someone who sought to interfere with nature … with the natural order of our two kinds' evolution. Andross suggested it was the Krazoa. I agree with that assessment. It has been decades since he came to such a conclusion, and no one has disproven ... disproved it."

Marcus nodded and continued to listen.

"Our two species can exist with one another, just not coexist in a way that suggests romantic cohabitation. Like inbreeding, the combining of warm and cold blooded creatures will lead to eventual health risks and weak genes down the line. Impressionable young daughters of Venom should not be given the choice to bare the children of mammals. Similarly, the impressionable youth of your people should not be encouraged to bare the children of reptiles or amphibians. Even the avians of today are mostly warm blooded and have mammalian physiology. They no longer lay eggs, but bare live young, unlike the feral birds of Lylat worlds. Proof that nature was tampered with by the Krazoa. Again, this has nothing to do with any belief in racial superiority. It has everything to do with the fact that a hybrid of our two species is far more likely to suffer cancers and other heath aberrations. That is why we have a responsibility to our respective races to avoid interbreeding. We have to protect our offspring and their offspring, and teach them to do the same."

Marcus nodded again, not offering an opinion or any other sort of reply. He resumed pacing while he listened to the lead reptile speak.

"I am told you are close to hybrids, and that you, yourself, are also a hybrid."

"Yes," Marcus replied in a flat tone. "I am. My father is from Lylat. My mother is a mammal from a distant world called Cerinia. Our bodies are extremely similar, but there are a few small differences in our internal organs. The biggest difference is in the neurological mapping of our brains. The way our frontal and middle lobes are laid out. Things like that."

"Slight difference, but not fundamental ones?"

Marcus pivoted on his heel with a nod. "Right. Dad has two kidneys; mom has one kidney, but it heals the way our livers can heal. Dad has an appendix for digesting bones, and mom has something that was designed to digest a small handful of foods from Cerinia that would be toxic to someone from Lylat. The organ is very similar to an appendix; it's even located in the same place, but it functions differently – it does not grind bones."

"I am also told you are close to a hybrid avian reptile, and that he is procreating with a hybrid avian mammal."

Marcus frowned. He suddenly felt curious to investigate their intelligence network. "Asper Sarnoff and Violet Lombardi. Violet is the mother of my first son. Asper is acting like a stepfather to my child. I do not know if they are planning to marry, or if they are going to have kids."

"Your first son will be raised by hybrid aberrations? He will be confused, and not understand the importance of species separation. It is for the health and well-being of…" The lizard trailed off and sighed. "It does not matter. By the time the child is old enough to understand the significance, he will be surrounded by published findings on his future half-siblings, that shall prove the hybrid mixture of avian, mammal, and reptile beings, especially all three species combined, are at risk of poor health. It sets a dangerous precedent to any who encourage the combining of all three."

Marcus shrugged. "So, what about a compromise? You take over Venom, with my help, and then you make the genetic studies public, and let people make those decisions for themselves. How about that?"

"The information already is public knowledge to the medical field. No one cares. The public is no less informed about it."

Marcus pivoted back in the other direction and rubbed his face with his paws. "All right, well … if my son outlives his theoretical future siblings, then that will be a shame, but it's not my business to drive a wedge between Asper and Violet."

"That is a shame. You're doing them a disservice."

"I'll tell you what … let's help your group become established as leaders on Venom. You push your own political agenda when you're in office. I want to help you because I sense that your intentions are simply to have a functioning Venom. I also sense that, despite your racist feelings, you have no desire to subjugate anyone. You have no desire to participate in genocide, and you do not want to fight anyone. In fact, your biggest desire is to see the reptiles in a position where they will never be at war with Lylat ever again."

"That is correct."

"So, I'm in your corner. We want that for you, because we don't want to fight people like Kyong Adler anymore."

"Kyong Adler," said the reptiles with a sigh. "He believes in supporting the strongest leader, no matter their species. He was fully invested in Kursed. Now he is fully invested in Anezka Vacek."

Marcus grimaced. "You know him, huh?"

"He is interested in the Venomian conquest of Corneria. When Empress Kursed came to power, Adler was given wealth and status. He failed in his duty to kill you. It was said that Kursed would destroy him, but … instead, she defected to your side. Anezka Vacek put great stock in Adler's battlefield prowess, and, since taking power, has given Kyong Adler even greater wealth and status. It was Adler who chased down all anti-Imperialist reptiles. He is the reason my people were forced to flee our homes. My wife pretends to be in a new relationship with the husband of my third-in-command, so that they can pretend to have moved on with the new Venom agenda. My group's spouses feed us information about the indoctrinated peoples of the planet. Kyong Adler has access to security forces that monitor the population for activity that could potentially lead to an uprising – the man is dangerous to Venom."

Marcus frowned. He stopped pacing and turned to the reptile, so that the two faced once another. "I agree – he's dangerous. He's crafty, difficult to read, and clever in multiple theaters. Ground battles, CQC, small squad attacks … he's sharp."

"He is undeserving of your respect."

Marcus held his paws up in a defensive manner. "I am not saying I respect him like that. I'm saying I know not to underestimate him because he is shrewd."

"Ah. Agreed. He is not to be underestimated."

Marcus feigned a lighthearted smile. "I'm glad we're on the same page regarding everything we've discussed so far. It seems like you and I have chemistry."

The reptile didn't reply. Instead, he remained stoic in reply to Marcus' commentary.

McCloud continued. "Our first priority should be to handle any obstacle … anyone who stands in your way of getting your foothold back on Venom. Then, we take care of Anezka."

"Take … care of Anezka?"

"I know, Cornerian is strange. I mean that as in … we handle the threat of Anezka."

"Ah. Yes, Cornerian does seem to have certain phrases that mean the opposite of their defined meanings."

Marcus nodded. "Yes, well, Venomese also has certain colloquialisms like that."

"Mm. Please, continue."

"Finally, we oust her, and your crew comes to power. What's your name anyhow?"

"I'd prefer not to give it."

Marcus sighed. "How can we work together if I don't know what to call you?"

"It is unnecessary. I am the resistance leader. That is all you need. Address me as you please."

Marcus shook his head and rolled his eyes. "If you say so."

"I do."

"Fine. You have a lot to learn about becoming a politician who gets what he wants for his people."

"I will appoint negotiators and diplomats for that. I am the leader because I am motivated to be the founding father of the new Venom. I will serve my time as the leader, then I will step down for the next reptilian visionary. I do not want an autocracy; I do not want any sort of regime. I want the people to have the power to work in tandem with the government. But, for that to happen, the people must be informed. For that to happen, my people and I will seize power, release information in its entirety, educate the people on how to properly understand the information, and then … I will organize laws that allow the people to vote on those who meet the criteria to lead Venom. We will establish a bill of rights that make laws by which the new Venom will be maintained – only reptiles may be the leader of reptiles. Women will have the right to vote and widows may take ownership of property, and they should have the right to leadership positions. While our mammal overlords of the past have tried to push greater responsibility for women, the fact that our last two emperors were female should prove that women are just as capable as men. My mother and sister ran the anti-Imperial resistance movement until their deaths. The responsibility has now fallen to me. And I will succeed in their name because of their guidance. But many male reptiles still believe in patriarchal traditions. Even though their last two leaders were female, they believe that female reptiles should be caregivers only."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, of course I am serious, mammal. Dr. Andross Bowman was the first to give women equal rights, and he proved that women were capable fighters, pilots, and soldiers. But the older generation of men from my world do not like seeing their daughters 'burdened' with the responsibility of fighting, land ownership, or politics, because they feel that rearing a child is already stressful enough. That is an archaic way of thinking. Women, in my opinion, make better leadership decisions because they are programmed to put families first. That is why I must take Venom and work to make it a place for my people to raise their families."

Marcus rubbed his chin. "So, stop cutting me out of the circle."

"Meaning?"

"Look, I'm just a mercenary. Hire my team to dethrone Anezka and drive out Kyong Adler. That's all we'll be – hired guns. When you have established yourself as the head of the Venom military, you pay us for our services and terminate our contract of employment."

The leader stared at Marcus for a moment. He brought a claw to his bottom lip in thought.

"Mercenaries are tools that you purchase and utilize to complete a task. I have no desire to take over Venom. There's no money in that. However, once you take over, and you control Venom's finances, my team will be paid."

"So, if we lose, we do not pay you."

"Exactly. You only pay us if we all win this thing. So, you have very little to lose. Why don't you bring you crew here, dock your shuttle with ours, and then you can launder your clothes, eat and drink something, and we can all work together to draw up plans to launch an assault on Anezka and Kyong."

"I want to believe you have no desire to take over Venom, but…"

Marcus held his hands up. "You sleep on it, Mr. Future Leader."

The reptile sighed softly. "Caiman." As an afterthought, he added, "It's a family name. My grandfather was in the war under Andross. Caiman was forced to fight for the simians who wanted to fight the other Cornerians. But he had no desire to fight. He preached reptilian enlightenment for reptile-kind."

"Wait, your grandfather was Caiman?"

"You know of him?"

"My father bumped into him quite a few times."

"And?"

Marcus shrugged. "My father just knew him as a vocal guy on the front lines. Didn't put his whole heart into the fight."

"How would you know of one soldier your father faced?"

Marcus shrugged again in exactly the same way. "I guess because it was a unique name that stuck with him, and he kept bumping into the guy over and over. Dad never saw him as a threat."

"Mm." The reptile eyed Marcus suspiciously. "You're not being honest, after I finally told you my name. We can't have a working relationship without trust."

"Fine." Marcus lowered his tone a bit. "Dad thought Caiman was a … coward."

"Thank you for your honesty. My grandfather did not want to fight in Andross' war. That does not make him a coward. It made him a family-first man."

"That's actually very fair to say," Marcus replied. "You're absolutely right … a man who does not believe in his leader's war is not a coward. Furthermore, he did fight, and he survived several battles, and became a grandfather. So. I am inclined to agree with your assessment of your grandfather. My father only saw a soldier with a unique name, who ran away from the skirmish each time they crossed paths. But I don't agree with my father's opinion – I agree with your opinion. I think your vision for Venom would make your namesake proud."

"Thank you," said Caiman. "I will … have my ship docked with yours. I will have my people come together and discuss the employment of your team."

Marcus offered a paw.

The two shook hands as gentlemen.

"I'm choosing to trust you, Marcus McCloud."

"I appreciate that, Caiman. May I make a suggestion?"

"As you wish."

"Take a leadership title now. Perception is reality. Dress for success to become success. Whichever metaphor you choose, it applies – if you call yourself president or prime minister, then people will start to see you as that."

"I will consider that. But, first, I would want my people to vote on a title, then vote on who should carry it."

"And if they vote for someone other than you?"

"I will respect it. That is how a government should work."

"Yeah, I agree. As Fara is fond of saying, a government should only govern with the consent of the governed."

"That is an excellent slogan for the new Venom."

A smile formed at the corners of Marcus' muzzle, and slowly spread across his maw. "She'll like hearing that. Go ahead and call your ship and tell them to dock. I'll have Theodore walk you down to the docking hatch to meet with your crew. Thanks again for giving StarFox the opportunity to work for you."

"Mm, well, with all due respect, we'd like to liaise with Mr. Toad."

Marcus nodded in agreement. "I will instruct him to make himself available to you at all times."

"That would make things comfortable for my group, thank you." The lizard turned for the lift and saw Ted standing by the bulkhead.

Ted offered Marcus a salute and a smile.

Caiman nodded at Theodore, nodded in a respectful manner, approached the amphiboid, and they left the bridge together.

Marcus perked up and looked back at the ready room. He sensed a presence and approached the doors. No one was around. He glanced back to the bridge. "ROB, run a scan for…"

ROB wasn't at the helm.

Marcus sighed and walked over to a computer and ran a scan of the bridge level, but he was the only one in the area, except for Fara coming up the lift. Marcus sighed.

The lift doors slid apart.

"Hey, Fara."

Fara stepped onto the bridge and saw Marcus hunched over the computer. "Hey hon. Everything okay?"

"I thought for sure maybe Darius popped up for a visit, but I guess I was wrong. I think I'm tired. I'm sensing a presence nearby, but no one else is here … just us."

"What do you feel when you sense a presence?"

Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "It's not much difference than seeing someone or hearing someone. You just know they're there. You feel the proximity. It's the difference of talking to someone in person compared to talking to them on a communicator. You feel less alone when they are in person. The problem is … no one else is here."

"You sure you weren't sensing me coming up the lift shaft?"

"Maybe, but … I don't think so. Your presence is different than what I felt. On top of that, I felt this presence in conjunction with feeling your approach. But…" Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, maybe I'm just tired and thought I felt someone."

"Okay, what does that feel like?"

"Uh, it's just like when you're tired and you think you hear someone or see something in the area, but when you peek behind the curtain, under the bed, and in the closet, you realize that you're wrong … something like that. I don't know." Yet another shrug. Marcus began to wonder if he was going to have the strongest shoulder muscles in Lylat before long. "I'm not sure if I'm questioning my ability or my sanity. Maybe a bit of both. I'm pretty tired."

Fara drew him close. "I just met my doppelgänger, and now I'm questioning myself and my sanity, too. Heh. So … don't feel bad."

He eyed her for a moment, then a weak smile returned to the corners of his muzzle. "An AI program based on you, huh? That sounds pretty cool."

"She's … her own person. We look alike and sound alike, but we're two very different people."

"Well, I don't know if I would consider it a person, but…"

"No, she's a woman and she's a person. Don't tell her differently. Anyway, she's full-time back on the other Great Fox for now." Fara rubbed her chin in thought. "I doubt she would have come up to the bridge to look at our computers, but I can't help but wonder if you would've been able to sense her."

"I can't glean anything from watching video footage or a hologram. On that note, I can't sense anything from a computer. Not even ROB."

"Ah."

"You know how Kursed used a positronic matrix to handle bodily function? The only reason I could sense her is because she kept her frontal lobe."

"So you won't be able to sense AI, unless she had a brain that output her thoughts in the same frequency as brain waves?"

Marcus rubbed his chin with his left paw. "Interesting theory. I'd love to prove or disprove it one day. Y'know, when the war is over."

Fara brought her paws up and cupped his face. "It's very healthy to have post-war plans."

"All right. I'm chalking this up to exhaustion. Think I'm going to go lay down for a bit."

Fara nodded. "Let's go watch our show. We'll do a bit of marathoning until your eyes are tired enough for sleep."

Marcus smiled. "That sounds good." He turned to the lift doors, pressed the button, and held them open for her. He stepped onto the platform behind her, the doors slid shut with a thump, and it rumbled down the shaft.

Silence returned to the Great Fox dreadnaught bridge.

The soft hum of computer cooling was all that filled the empty room.

Buttons on the station, where Marcus left himself logged in, pressed inward as if by their own accord. The lettering over the buttons became slightly distorted each time a key was pressed inward.

Information showed up on a screen above the keyboard.

After a moment, the screen scrolled through more information, then, the browsing history was pulled up, deleted, and the information was cleared from the display. The interior scan program was opened up again, leaving the display where it was when Marcus last used it.

The doors to the ready room opened and then closed.

"You shouldn't be here." The voice was sharp and clear. A well-dressed badger in a navy-blue tie shifted his weight on a walking cane. "I'm talking to you, Andross Bowman."

A large, well-aged simian appeared from thin air. He was facing away from Darius. "What does a Kew watcher care about me?"

"You shouldn't be skulking about Marcus McCloud's ship, old man."

Andross scoffed. "Old man? You're one to talk."

"You're a centenarian by now. That is old for your species." Darius tapped his cane firmly on the deck plating. "What are you doing here?"

Andross grimaced. He reached back and rubbed at his aching hip. "Ensuring the operational success of…"

"You're here to help the offspring of Queen Krystal McCloud?"

Andross replied with a sigh of annoyance. "Is that truly so difficult to believe?"

"Yes, considering the fact that you were helping Kursed."

"No. I was manipulating her. She had it in her head that she was going to terraform Corneria and its ally worlds to create the new Cerinia. Corneria is my birth home, not hers. I was going to sabotage the technology she planned to utilize, but … I didn't have to. She lost her memories. Then, Panther Caruso made quite the impression on her, and Krystal did the rest."

Darius grimaced. "Kursed left this universe."

"Mm, yes. She went home to atone for her actions after her memories returned."

"That was her intent, Doctor, but it seems she found a universe where Fox lost her, and she is now happy."

"So quickly after sleeping with Panther, she runs back to Fox once again? Just like Krystal." Andross shook his head with a chuckle of amusement. "That girl really must learn to choose…"

Darius cleared his throat firmly. "Do not judge her."

"How can I not? Every time that vixen changes her relationship status, it somehow impacts all of Lylat in one way or another."

Darius opened his mouth to argue, but … a frown crossed his face. He couldn't disagree with Andross' assessment. After a moment to mull it over, he said, "That's basic chaos theory, and she is the butterfly."

"Not necessarily, watcher. It does not matter who Panther dates. No one is affected. At least not until his relationship was with Krystal, and, more recently, with Kursed."

"Mm, well, Doctor, no one judged an enormous gorilla having a school-like crush on a vixen one-fifth of your body weight."

Andross whirled about, took a large step, and came almost nose-to-nose with Darius. "It was her mind I adored. I never had any fantasy notion of taking her as a bride."

"Yes, you did."

"Only speak on things you watch, watcher."

"I know that your clone, which was given memory engrams, professed his long-time undying love to Fara Phoenix, thinking her to be Vixy McCloud. It occurred on Papetoon, in front of a parade of people taking videos of the incident."

Andross balled both hands into fists. "That blathering idiot. Those were private feelings, not intended by anyone to hear. Not Vixy, not Fara, not Fox, not Marcus, and certainly not you."

"Too late."

"Indeed." Andross turned away from Darius, again. "Two clones were born out of the cloning program. It was an accident. One clone had my emotional engrams, my dreams, and my private desires. The other clone had my motivations, my work ethic, and my…" Andross shook his head. "It doesn't matter. My point is that the 'sappy' clone spoke out of turn and out of context."

"Is that so," Darius replied with a smirk, which was evident in his tone of voice.

"Idiot watcher," Andross snapped. He glared at a bulkhead, keeping the watcher in his peripheral vision. "I had no delusions that I could marry a woman with whom I am physically incompatible."

"How? You're both mammals."

Andross rolled his eyes, but kept his gaze on the bulkhead. "A woman like Victoria McCloud … she adored the oxytocin from touch, but I could have crushed her by accident would I have rolled over upon her in slumber. It is why co-sleeping an infant or toddler is dangerous, unless the bassinet is adjacent to the bed. Based on size, alone, she would have been in danger as my mate."

Darius stroked the grey furs of his muzzle, pushing them from front to back, in the direction of his pelt. "You … actually picture yourself in a romantic setting with her. Based on your word track, you fantasized having children with her. Fascinating."

"You look too deeply into things. She was brilliant. She married a fighter jock. Now, why do you suppose she did that?"

Darius smiled a bit. "Because some brilliant people feel safe and comfortable around people of lesser intellect. They get their way, or they seek the attractive mate who will give their child both brains and beauty."

"You're saying she used James for his body, to give her offspring her mind and his body?"

"It's possible."

"By your logic, watcher, it would be a fifty-fifty chance she could have a handsome moron for a son. Although…"

"Although what, Doctor?"

"Sometimes I cannot help but wonder if that is what happened."

"He defeated you, Doctor. Repeatedly, I might add. And, he utilized your technology on Venom to restore the planet as you had intended."

"Yes, but he cannot even function in a classroom capacity unless it is to teach the math of fighter combat, the science of warfare, and his limited understanding of biology to incapacitate an opponent."

Darius sighed with a shake of his head. "Doctor, you are complicating things. Fox McCloud does not need an understanding of trigonometry to estimate the best place to stand in order to catch an incoming baseball. He does these things in his head. Hand-eye coordination. Knowing how to map out the mathematics involved in estimating an incoming baseball isn't necessary to the man who only has a split second to decide where to stand."

"I disagree," said Andross. "A naturally charismatic diplomat would do their job better if they were educated in phycology and the history of diplomacy. Raw talent is wasted unless the possessor further understands their life with a proper education."

"Mm. He still defeated you. Repeatedly."

Andross ignored Darius' quip, and said, "Your precious Cerinian queen was raised with multiple disciplines of education on her world. She, just like Vixy, married a fighter jock. And she did not pass on these learnings to her own child."

Darius took a step to Andross' left, so that he came further into the large ape's peripheral vision. "Actually, that is no longer the case."

"Excuse me?"

"She passed on everything to him. Recently. They shared their memories with one another. He now possesses her memories and experiences. Every mistake. Every childhood lesson. Everything."

"I am disinterested in Marcus' disturbing acquisition of his mother's memories. I imagine the boy will become emotionally and sexually confused by experiencing intimate mate-ship with her husband, the dynamic pair-bonding experiences she shared with Caruso, and every private moment of self-comfort she experienced to reset her hormones when suffering loneliness."

"Is that so, Doctor?"

"As strange as it is to ponder his emotional state after learning of these things, in the end, it still disinterests me. I do not need a pawn who suffers from mommy issues or, worse, from a new-found Oedipus complex."

"You have quite the imagination, Doctor. I am unfamiliar with such a complex."

"A literary character who accidentally and unwittingly…" Bowman shook his head with a soft sigh. "The explanation does not matter. The term became coined to describe boys who develop a sexual fascination with maternal figures, or for their own mother, or older, mature women in general."

"Again, your imagination is beyond compare."

"You say imagination, watcher. I say vision. Only I have the vision to save Lylat from the incoming locust race. To do that, I will need more than a boy suffering from his mother's most intimate memories."

"Doctor, I was referring to her literal childhood lessons – her schooling. He has acquired every lesson, her experiences with these lessons, and the memories that made her who she became. He now knows what life was like on Cerinia, and he knows of their customs. He experienced every warmup and practice she utilized to evolve her ability to its fullest. Now, he has grown in both ability and in emotional maturity. Furthermore, as part of a race of telepaths, he is emotionally equipped to handle everyone's darkest secret, and not passing judgment of them."

Andross rubbed his chin.

"What?"

"You said that gaining her experiences would cause him to grow in ability and maturity. Perhaps that is why he sensed my presence on the bridge, earlier."

Darius frowned. "He can sense you, now? I thought you utilize Kew telepathy blocking technology."

"I do. But he could sense me. He assumed it was you. It's possible he sensed us both."

Darius frowned. "Krystal learned how to read my active surface thoughts. Kursed, on the other hand, was able to read me as though I were anyone else. And, now, Krystal is learning how to control her mild telekinetic abilities. Kursed could manipulate complex objects, like a needle and thread."

Andross arched his brows and turned his head to stare directly at Darius, as if to gauge the man's facial expression. "What…?" The doctor narrowed his gaze.

"Krystal is learning how to use her frontal lobe for psionic control."

"I was not aware of this ability," said Andross with furrowed brows. He turned to his left, fully facing Darius. "You are sure of this?"

"It's the same lobe responsible for telepathy. Four percent of all Cerinians had limited access … enough to pull a falling object to their grasp, or to wave away an attacker, or some other form of simplistic telekinetic control. Kursed mastered it with anger. Surely you noticed it while working with her."

"And now Krystal is beginning to exhibit these abilities?"

Darius nodded in reply to Andross' question, then he added, "Krystal shared her mind with Kursed, and her already weak control of the ability is now something she can manage in various simplistic exercises, such as small objects." As an afterthought, Darius narrowed his own gaze and said, "Yes, I am sure."

Andross grit his molars in frustration. "I have avoided the Great Fox Carrier because of her, but now I cannot work from this ship, either."

"This all brings me back to my original question, Doctor Bowman."

"I am here because of the locust race."

Darius furrowed his brows. "What of them?"

"I have to save Lylat from them. I do not lead charges. Not anymore. That is a game for the young … for those who still feel invulnerable and immortal."

"Some might argue that your advanced age is nearly synonymous with immortality."

"I age. And I can still die from an injury or from sickness. I now know that I work better from the shadows."

"Is that so…" Darius crossed his arms over his chest with a mild smirk of amusement.

"I cured the acidic seas of Venom using Fox McCloud. He may have delivered the device, but Cornerians still refer to it as 'Andross' device.' I secured my legacy as the creator of Venom's salvation just as surely as if I had put myself into danger to launch the device, myself. Now that I know how to manipulate history to secure my legacy, I will create a way to drive the locust race out of Lylat."

"And how will you get credit for that?"

Andross eyed Darius. "Why do you think I created the gravity bomb?"

"To destroy Star Fox. You nearly killed Krystal in doing so."

"No. She was never in danger."

"Is that so?" Darius said again.

"Yes, watcher. It is so. I tested it on them to see where they would go. I already knew that the device creates a four-dimensional gravity slip, using gravity-diffusing technology and a ship's shields to protect the vessel from hull stress. Star Fox was never in any danger. The test was to see where it would send them. They came back, as I knew they would. I only need to download their dimensional placement information from their flight logs. This includes the sensor recordings from their carrier and from their fighters. That information will provide the variables I need to finish my equation. Then, I can determine where a subject is sent determined on payload, output, mass, origin coordinates, and so forth. By comparing the data from the Sky Claw and the Carrier, I will be able to determine mathematical probabilities based on weight ratio."

"So, bluntly speaking, you used them as test subjects? To what end?"

"I have tweaked the device to send the locust race away. Somewhere safe. They are nearly undefeatable in combat, so displacing the locusts is the next best option. I have perfected the gravity bomb technology. I now control where a subject will go, and I can predict a probability of how long before they return, if they have any inclination to do so."

Darius arched his brows. "You've … prepared for the locusts' invasion by inventing the gravity bomb?"

"Yes, of course. You idiot. I have been preparing for them since learning of their existence from the ancient ruins on Venom, decades ago."

Darius stared at the ape in silence.

"Everything I have done has been to prepare for their arrival."

"Everything? Everything, Doctor?"

"Everything. When studying the first Aparoid, on a remote science lab on Fortuna, I realized it was an advanced computerized brain. I fed the information from Venom's ruins into the Aparoid's brain. I used the Aparoid's processing power to extrapolate the most likely position of the locust race's current position in the universe. They were due to return to Lylat very soon. So, to buy Lylat time, and so I could prepare to fight them, I manipulated the Aparoid into sending information to its queen so that she would become preoccupied with attacking them. She managed to convert quite a few, but certainly not the entire race. The Aparoids used converted locusts as infantryman because without their will, they are not nearly as fierce. The Aparoids could not defeat the entire race as I'd hoped."

"You felt the Aparoids would be a better enemy to fight?"

"Yes. As computers, they were susceptible to a virus. Beltino Toad and his son came to the same conclusion. John Pepper used StarFox to deliver it. They were easily beaten, just as I predicted. But the locusts? I was nowhere near ready to defend Lylat from them. As I said a moment prior, they are simply too powerful to have been completely beaten by the Aparoids. But I slowed them down. I bought Lylat time; I'm nearly ready."

"I see now," said Darius in a soft tone. "I've always wondered why the Android infantry was locust-like in design."

"Precisely. You should also know … I learned that the Aparoid queen survived."

Darius' eyes widened. "She did?"

"Yes. She was thrown into a pocket universe. My study of the debris from the Aparoid's home system is what led me to developing the gravity bomb."

"Do you know her location?"

"I do. It's where I wish to send the locust race."

"Well? Where?"

"She currently resides in an alternative dimension where simplistic life had not yet evolved into sentient life. I wanted to learn how to create a device capable of sending my enemies to that universe. When inventing my device, I studied the implosion of the Aparoid homeworld, and, eventually, I created the gravity bomb. But the prototype did not access the universe that is void of sentient life. All it did was displace a target in spacetime. I made changes and managed to send test subjects to alternative universes similar to our own. I tested four gravity bombs, first, to ensure that I would not kill the subject. My most controlled yield was the Mark-5 gravity bomb, which I utilized on Fox, Krystal, and the son of Beltino, knowing they would find their way home."

"Were you surprised Falco Lombardi came home first?"

Andross chortled softly and shook his head. "Amused, actually. It makes sense to send the team jock into danger, but I was unsure if they would actually use him as a test subject."

"Lombardi volunteered to do it."

"Ah. Well. That, to me, is still proof that jocks make the best pawns," said Andross.

"Lombardi wasn't a pawn. He volunteered because of his confidence in his flight skill and timing. They studied probe data from the temporal conduit between the universes. Part of the determination of returning to their point of origin was a matter of timing."

"Yes. The gravity time-slip makes traversing the conduit instantaneous, but the return trip would have to be slower, more methodical. I understand Falco Lombardi lost a leg on his first attempt. The lucky fool." Andross rubbed his chin. He picked up a tech manual in archaic print and bind, sitting on a bookshelf. "How quaint…" Andross opened the book to a random page. "Watcher, what did you learn from Lombardi's return trip?"

"StarFox learned that the tunnel linking the dimensions is navigable. Math and timing make it possible for a traveler to achieve any destination. Falco Lombardi's timing and instincts made it possible for him to achieve the intended destination on the second try. His first attempt was thwarted by an asteroid coming through the conduit after drifting into a wormhole. After studying Falco's flight data, being streamed to a probe that the team recovered from the conduit, Fox, Krystal, Slippy, and Lucy attempted to follow their colleague. However, they misjudged their math for moving their enormous carrier ship through the tunnel, and their first attempt put them into the universe from which Kursed came. Furthermore, when returning Kursed to her home universe, she also arrived in the wrong one."

"I require a download of the carrier ship's travel logs. I wish for Lombardi's Sky Claw logs, as well as the data saved on the probes that StarFox had in the quantum realm conduit."

Darius nodded. "I can acquire that for you without raising suspicion. I will request for Krystal to give it to me. I will not tell her of your involvement, if you think that would be best."

Andross nodded. "I have only my thanks to give you in return."

"That, Doctor, and also the safety of the galaxy from the locust race."

"At least for now. With the Aparoid Queen using that realm for residence, I am hoping she will keep the locust race distracted. She will inevitably use the locusts to fight one another by converting an army for herself. She will cut their numbers in half, but they will eventually defeat her. However, I posit that they will find their way back to their origin universe. So, by displacing them, all I will have done is to delay the inevitable."

Darius shook his head. "No, you will have given me the time necessary to prepare Marcus' children to accomplish their destiny – the destruction of the locust race upon their return. It was prophesized decades ago."

"I … see. Now that is fascinating."

Darius eyed the large ape. "You offered your thanks, but you have more to give."

"Do I, now…?"

The badger replied with a firm nod. "Yes. If you want my help, I want answers."

"Ask your questions, watcher."

"I need to understand your involvement thus far and I need to know anything else relevant to this situation. Please, Doctor, explain to me what you know about this situation, please…"

"Be specific, watcher."

"I know what Krystal knows of this situation, thus far. If she learns of your involvement, I will have to convince her to stay the course, to ensure success. I wish to know everything leading up to now."

Andross began pacing. He withdrew a bio-scanner and glanced at the screen. Satisfied that they were still alone for the time being, he said, "Where to begin…" He pivoted on his heel, pacing back the other direction. "I know that James McCloud procured an ancient Kew Hunter device created by the Krazoa."

Darius didn't interrupt.

"It changed hands to Wolf, which I arranged. When the time was right, I utilized the device, which was designed to take the memories of a telepath, temporarily. I had hoped it would work on Marcus, but it didn't. However, it did work on Krystal. That allowed me to operate from her ship for a time. Does that interest you, watcher?"

"The object that removed Krystal's memories was invented by the Krazoa?" Darius arched his brows.

"Yes, of course. You should know about the Krazoa – their survivors are your world's neighbors."

"Yes, but they've died out, just as they did on Sauria."

"Not completely."

"Doctor, you seem to know more than I do. Please. Start from the beginning."

Andross sighed. "First, tell me what you know about relations between the Krazoa and Kew."

Darius frowned. "Very well. The Krazoa came to my star system and lived on a neighboring world nearly one million years ago. Then, two thousand years ago, the remaining Krazoa of planet Sauria came to my star system out of mortal imperative. They arrived on a hope and a prayer, following what had become ancient mythology – clues left by their distant ancestors. The Krazoa of two thousand years ago clung to those myths and clues, hoping that the ancient myths were all true."

"Go on, watcher."

"Those Krazoans arrived in my star system, only to find their ancestor's world was abandoned, and so they moved in and befriended the archaic-era Kew. But nothing from that time period exists that I am aware of, Doctor."

"Plenty of antiquities exist, Darius … including the device I mentioned: a non-lethal manner to attack a telepath – the removal of their memories."

"I … see. And you have proof?"

"Of course I do. I also know that the temporary suppression of a telepath's memories and skills was the preferred method for centuries, but the Kew Hunters' thirst for blood eventually terminated the treaty with the Krazoans, and lead to the destruction of all known non-lethal devices."

Darius rubbed at his chin. "You know quite a great deal about our history that seems to have been forgotten by modern Kew."

"Indeed. You should learn to read Krazoan, then invite yourself to read the logs left by your neighbors. Only a few hundred Krazoa beings survive on the neighboring planet, and they are all in cryogenic stasis. No one is left alive to repair their genetic affliction, let alone to wake them."

"That is … a shame, honestly. How did the non-lethal weapon make it to Lylat?"

"A few devices still remain. The craftsmanship is beyond compare; the devices that still exist continue to operate as they were designed."

"Go on. How did one of them arrive in Lylat?"

Andross smirked. "The Aparoid queen is … was Krazoan. She managed to take possession of that technology in case she ever had to come up against a telepathic foe. One of those devices was in possession of the Aparoid that James McCloud and Peppy Hare injured. James McCloud held onto it, not knowing what it was. I arranged for Wolf O'Donnell to take possession of it. Decades later, I manipulated Wolf into unwittingly selling it to Marcus McCloud. While I was surprised to learn that it did nothing to the boy, it still afflicted my secondary intended target – Krystal. While she was powerless and lacked her memories of me, I was able to operate in Lylat, from right beneath her nose, completely unhindered."

"Too bad you didn't take the opportunity to download their flight logs. Just the same, I will bring them to you."

Andross ignored Darius' comment. "Kursed was quite the telepath. She sought me out, tracked me down, and demanded that I explain myself. It was then that I learned she came from a universe where my doppelgänger had not survived; my … reflection perished on Sauria shortly after atmospheric reentry. Kursed found the landing capsule and my twin became her first murder when she drove the staff into his heart. She was acting out of the anger she sensed from Fox, and he harbored resentment for being robbed of his vengeance. Eventually, that led to the argument that drove them apart after working together on the lunar surface of Miracle."

"I … see. Was it easier to manipulate Kursed when she lost her memories? How did Krystal's memory loss affect Kursed, anyhow?"

"No, Watchman Darius, I was quite dismayed to learn that Krystal's handling of the device also affected Kursed, to whom she was entangled, due to them both sharing the same universe space. They both emit the same frequency of brainwaves, you see."

"I understand that Kursed's distance from the device caused her to lose later memories than Krystal."

Andross nodded. "Yes, that is true. I showed Kursed complete transparency when she lost her memories. I showed her security videos where we spoke of our past plans. It didn't matter. Without her emotionally damaging past, she lost her passion to hate or to fight for change."

"You … almost sound as though you mourn Kursed."

"I gave her an enemy – the locust. She was going to unify Lylat by force and make a stand."

"She was going to destroy Lylat, Doctor."

Andross rolled his eyes. "I would not have allowed her to turn Corneria into a terraformed version of New Cerinia. I was working to convince her that she would need a population to fight the locusts, but when she inadvertently woke Anežka," he said, pronouncing the Krazoan hybrid woman's name in the Krazoan way. "Somehow, the locusts sensed the power release involved in the hybrid Krazoan. The locusts changed their course, which brought them to Lylat much sooner than anticipated. Lylat is not yet ready to survive their invasion."

Darius placed his walking cane in front of his feet, centered, so that he could rest both paws upon the handle. "You may not need to yet. Marcus McCloud has manufactured some level of détente between himself and their race. He proposed teaming up to fight Anezka Vacek. The locusts seem to have agreed. However, they wish to eradicate her and any surviving Krazoa. Meanwhile, Marcus wishes to put her back into stasis."

"The boy may buy Lylat a little time, but when his usefulness to them comes to an end, they will play their part in Lylat's modern mono-theological religion … as the swarm of locust that will blacken the skies in the End Times. Plagues and famine come in conjunction to the locust swarm."

Darius pursed his lips.

"What, watcher?"

"My kind also believes that the End of Times will be ushered in by plagues, famine, and locust swarms. Fascinating."

"Mm, interesting indeed. What of the Kew Hunters?"

"The religion stems from their beliefs. It is why they hunt races that seek to utilize their abilities to cause global suffering in various neighboring galaxies."

"Is your kind spacefaring?"

Darius shrugged. "We do not possess technological methods of travel. We only utilize our teleportation."

"Can the hunters of your race fight without attacking from behind?"

Darius narrowed his eyes. "Yes, of course. They are the greatest warrior race of any species we have encountered, because they study an enemy before hunting them."

"Do you wish to know how Kursed defeated the Kew in her universe?"

Darius frowned. "She could sense them coming."

With a smirk, Andross gestured to Darius' cane. "She came to possess a weapon of mass destruction. She made a public threat to use it, and then she waited. She hated the hunters, because they mind-raped her, and she vowed to destroy them. So, following her public threat, she waited until a hunter showed up to stop her. She sensed the invader's intent, and stunned them as soon as they appeared. She strapped them to a multi-megaton warhead, and changed the vibration frequency of the metal to match the frequency of your walking stick. When the hunter woke and tried to teleport away, he inadvertently took the weapon with him. I assume that means you died in her universe, for her to have come into possession of your walking stick."

Darius bit his lower lip. "What … happened to Kew?"

"The weapon teleported along with the injured hunter when he awoke to smelling salts."

"There is no way a hunter would bring a weapon back to Kew."

Andross smirked. "She tricked him into teleporting."

"How?"

"I believe she held a sword blade to his throat and told him he would be dissected for study. So, he teleported home, unwittingly taking the weapon with him. The capital of the southern hemisphere on Kew was decimated. Millions more died of radiation fallout, due to how windy that nation is. She intended to kill a million or more. But she later learned that the overall devastation was beyond her wildest dreams – she killed nearly one hundred million. Most who died were poisoned by radiation. They experienced agonizingly horrible deaths. Those who survived told the story of her legacy, which she adored. Eventually, she began allowing one survivor from every area to survive so they could tell the story of her victories."

"Did she go to survey her work? How did she learn of her successful attack?"

"Kew eventually sent another watcher and she caught them, Watchman Darius. The next weapon was larger and more refined than the first. After gleaning information from the watcher about what her first weapon did to the capital of the hunters, she broke the watcher's ribs and told him to take a message home. He returned home, raving like a lunatic, I am told. He thought he had been strapped to an altar, but he was wrong. He … delivered her 'message,' in hopes that his people would amass to discuss how to mount an offensive against her. The message was that she would decimate their way of life in one day's time. Twenty-five hours later, the 'altar' to which the watcher had been strapped … it was discarded by the Kew watchers. Little did they know it was the second weapon. And it detonated right on schedule. That bomb was on the magnitude of ten times more powerful than the weapon used on the hunters' capital city. The survivors of both Kew races agreed to lick their wounds and avoid the wrath of Kursed. She was a shrewd woman. They feared she would end their entire race should they attack again. She came to learn that they referred to her as synonymous to your word for 'evil.'"

"That … is one word for her."

Andross smirked. "She was capable of destroying the locust race, had I just a bit more time to prepare her. Anežka's waking was an accident; the Krazoan hybrid quickly became Kursed's rival and equal on Venom."

"What would have happened, Doctor, if your little blue pet had decided to join forces with Anezka Vacek?"

Andross shook his head. "They would have become a far more dangerous force than the locust race presents."

"Do you see what kind of dangers you juggle, Doctor?"

"There was never any danger, watcher. I knew they would not join forces, you twit. You cannot put two alphas into the same room without one of them needing to be the superior creature. Joining forces would not have worked for either, as doing so does not prove the superiority of either. Beings like that require validation."

Darius sighed. Instead of trying to be right, he simply changed the subject. "How long have you been preparing for the invasion of the locust race?"

"Again, since I studied them in the ancient ruins of Venom's first capital city, which predates Shrey Lek by several thousand years. I dedicated my thirties and forties to creating bioweapons to fight the locusts, and I dedicated the other half of those years to bringing all of Lylat together under one New Galactic Order, so that I could personally lead a unified Lylat in the war against the eventual invasion of the locust race. But when Corneria presented a challenge to my rulership, I managed to find a way to direct the Aparoid race's attention to the locust race. Their war lasted almost a decade. During that time, Star Fox defeated Asteropolis over the Lylat Star. At first, I felt my goal to unite Lylat was still a success, when John Pepper and Lionell Geoffry created the groundwork and framework for the Interplanetary Defense Coalition. But, instead of staying vigilant, Lylat became lax. I decided my best defense to fight the locust's eventual invasion was to harness the full power of the ancient Krazoa. I spent the better part of a decade preparing. I even went so far as to visit Kew, New Sauria, and Cerinia. I returned to Lylat, studied the Krazoan ruins, and learned how to harness the power of the spirits. The afterlife is comprised of trace antimatter. Antimatter, when amassed, and brought into contact with matter, can create the most devastating weapon of all, and the Krazoa…? They had used it as an energy source."

"Have you ever considered simply telling your enemies that you wish only to save Lylat?"

"I killed both parents of Lylat's champion. My voice will never have capital worth in Lylat. In fact, that much was proven to me when I was exiled to Venom. But, without being exiled, I would never have learned about the locust's last visit to Lylat. So, it was providence. My only choice is to find a way to fight the locust race from the shadows."

"Guerilla warfare?"

"Precisely." Andross nodded firmly. "And, now that you know, you have no choice but to be a part of it, because both of our systems will eventually be destroyed by them."

"How do they destroy a star system, Doctor?"

"Surely you've heard about the fate of Cerinia?"

Darius took a step closer to Andross. "You mean to say that the locust race destroyed Cerinia? Not you?"

"Yes. They knew they could not directly fight a race of telepaths, so they simply attacked the central star of that system. I was studying the star during my time, there, as it had fascinating properties. I was planning to create a bioweapon, similar to the one I created on Solar. It would have posed no danger to their system's star. While studying the star's properties, the locust race found a way to break down the fuel supply, so that the star died out quickly. I shifted my focus, and tried to understand what happened to the star…"

"And you learned it was the locust race?"

"At that time, I had not yet experienced their kind with my own eyes. I quickly learned the Cerinian star's fuel broke down and became unusable to create its nuclear reaction. And, as the star cooled, I also discovered that, yes, it was due to an irreversible attack by the very race of aliens I learned of from the Venomian ruins."

"And they just … left Cerinia to freeze?"

"Yes, watchman Darius. I packed my belongings before the last of Cerinia's starlight faded, and I left for Lylat immediately. Krystal followed me, presuming that my interaction with her race meant that I was at fault."

Darius brought a hand to his mouth. "Why not tell her of this?"

"I did. With Kursed, I let down my defenses and allowed her to scan my mind. She found her truth, and that was when we became partners. But … sadly … she lost her memories, her way, and then I lost her. Without her anger and her passion-fueled motivation to fight, she was no match for Anežka, let alone the locust race. And now that Anežka's waking attracted the locust race to Lylat sooner than intended … time has run out. They are here, and I have no way to stop them until I possess variables from the data logs. StarFox's probes, carrier sensor logs, and the SkyClaw sensor logs. Those numbers are vital data sets necessary to send the locust race to the very universe where the Aparoid Queen now resides. No civilized life exists there, to my knowledge. It is the perfect prison, no matter how temporary it may last."

Darius exhaled through semi-clenched teeth. In a soft tone, he whispered, "Goddess help us all."

"Religion cannot help anyone. Its sole purpose is to comfort in a time when we, as a people, lack the ability or power to change something to our favor. Lack of understanding, lack of a moral compass, or in this case, staring into the face of imminent death. We are experiencing the calm before the storm. But, if I can gather their entire force together, and use a large enough gravity bomb, something shaped to contain their forces, or … perhaps a chain of gravity bombs, to surround their forces, I will be able to send them far enough away to ensure the survival of Lylat. At least for now."

Darius exhaled. "Perhaps that is why the prophecy says that Marcus' children will defeat the threat … because they become prepared before the locust race returns from this other universe. That would mean your plan is successful, and you temporarily defeat them."

Andross narrowed his eyes. "It does not matter who defeats them, just so long as they are no longer a threat to our way of life. But, as it stands, Marcus' only child is in diapers, and his second child has yet to be born. So, currently, it is up to me."

Darius nodded with a sigh. "I understand. I … need to process this."

"You mean report it."

"Yes. Avert your eyes. Teleportation is hard on the retinas of your kind."

Andross scoffed. "Look closer, watcher. I'm already missing one eye. I've replaced it with something far more advanced. Just go." Andross closed his remaining organic eye, but he watched the badger teleport with his bionic one.

And then … silence.

Andross activated his cloak and headed for the flight deck. It was time to leave the Great Fox for Miracle, the lunar surface over Sauria. There was a great deal of work to finish, and now that he recently procured the shipment of radioactive ore once possessed by Wolf O'Donnell, he was nearly ready to begin building the bombs necessary to enact his final fallback plan to take out the locust race.

He despised leaving Darius' successful retrieval of the StarFox sensor data up to fate. "We all have our part to play, I suppose," he whispered aloud. "He had better do as he promised, else I will have to take the data by force."

X

X

Meanwhile…

Marcus pushed his blaster into his utility belt holster and turned to face Fara, standing a few feet away in front of her locker. "You seem contemplative."

Fara grinned a bit. She checked the power cell in her personal blaster and holstered it on her hip. "I just had a conversation with an AI based on a brain scan that Space Dynamics took of me a little while back. It was … unlike anything I could have expected. It was amazing, but at the same time, she's already gone through what it feels like to be a woman in a man's world. You know?"

"I mean, I kind of understand, but I've never experienced that sort of thing. Neither has my mother. Not to the extent that you have experienced it. But that's because people treat her differently due to the fact she's an alien and … well, because she's telepathic. Those kinds of men tread lightly around her, as if they were walking on egg shells, surrounded by tulips … tip-toing just doesn't cut it."

"Oh. Well, now that is fascinating to hear." Fara reached into her locker, withdrew her favorite pair of fingerless gloves, and drew each one up to her wrists, then Velcroed each in a methodical manner. "I have to admit, it doesn't happen to me as much as it used to. This generation grew up seeing a lot more female heroes, so they're more accepting of empowered women."

"Makes sense to me. My mom was a mercenary that didn't let anyone put her out to pasture. She was ousted from one fight and went to participate in another without giving it a second thought. My father learned real quick not to tell her what to do. So, I grew up seeing their interactions as equals."

"I'm told Fox ousted her because he was worried about losing her, not because he thought it was a man's job."

"Well, yeah. That's true. I'm told that Miyu scared him with her parting message to him. He brooded on it for almost a decade, then he pushed mom away out of fear of losing her. And, in doing so, he lost her."

"That wasn't what I was talking about though, Marcus. I meant the old fashion Good Ole Boys Club nonsense, where men think women aren't capable of doing a man's job."

"That's just a weird concept to me. Because, well, from what I've seen of the sexes, women can do anything a man can do … while wearing high heels. Plus, women can give birth and men can't even do that. So, basically, a woman can do anything a man can do … and more."

Fara closed her locker, grinned at her fiancé, and said, "Except write our names in the snow."

"Why would a guy write his name in the…?" The meaning dawned on Marcus and he brought his paw to his muzzle. "Oooh. You mean Fichinan Golden Cursive. Got it." He closed his own locker and turned for the door leading out to the flight deck.

Fara chuckled with a shake of her head. "Honey, if your pee is golden colored, then you're dehydrated. C'mon. Let's go meet with these Anti-Imperials." She stepped through the door, first.

"Ted is already out there with them. We're going to be escorting them to a place where we'll be putting them into power of Venom under Anezka Vacek's nose."

Fara chuckled. "An escort mission. How exciting."

"This one will be. Ted said the long-range scanners are filled with enemies. Vivian is going to keep Great Fox safe. Our job is to get those lizards into power, but in a way that makes it look like they're strong enough to oust the Krazoan hybrid. The locust race is going to back our play. They're sending their strongest commando shock trooper to help me get Anezka Vacek forced away from Venom. Then, it's up to us to figure out how to get her back into Pandora's Jar."

Fara climbed up the ladder to her Arwing, which had since been painted black with orange highlights. She sank into the cockpit, booted the system, and opened a comms channel to her mate. His image appeared in the canopy glass of her cockpit. "You know, I'm proud of you for knowing that Pandora's Box was actually a jar."

"Oh, you know how those ancient mythological sayings go … some of them sounded better when lost in translation. But it doesn't make them right."

"I love that you know the difference, Marcus."

"Oh, and here I thought you just liked me for my body."He reached up, in front of his face, flipping on switches across a bar above his head, where the canopy glass rested on metal frame rails. "Although I'm honest enough to admit that your figure is one of my favorite things … like … ever."

Fara laughed. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Oh, no, being honest!"

"What's your other favorite things?"

"Everything else about you, of course."

"Oh, of course," said Fara with a firm nod. She flipped the starter switch to crank her engines. The plasma drive roared to life, creating a familiar hum of vibration in the cockpit seat. Fara guided the controls to port, so that her fighter slowly moved to the left, until it was facing the bay doors. "That was a weak answer, by the way. You can do better, Marcus." She touched a button on her dash and announced, "Ready, Vivian!"

Vivian's voice was bright like a ray of Lylat's Star over the comms. "Opening the bay doors! Stay safe! I can't 'ship the two of you if you bite it."

Marcus laughed over the line. "You are too much. Okay, check in with Ted and make sure he's okay. We'll check in with you after Waypoint 3. Take care!"

"You too! Vivian – out!" Hare left the channel.

Fara grinned. "Lead the way, my dear lead stallion."

Marcus' Arwing roared to full thrust and, with a tap of the boost, he launched from the deck.

Fara followed him out. A hologram appeared in her canopy window. It was a tiny fennec wearing lime yoga pants and a lavender leotard. She waved.

Fara blinked, immediately recognizing her face on the small image. She closed the channel to Marcus and addressed the AI image. "Oh, hey."

"Why are you flying an Arwing III-E?"

"Because it's the StarFox team's signature ship."

"I thought the StarFox team had all new personalized ships, pretty much since around the time of the Anglar invasion."

"Yeah, well, Marcus and I agreed on bringing back a classic look and feel to our version of the team."

"So, can I wager a bet that the next ship to get a Space Dynamics upgrade will be the Arwing?"

Fara grinned. "That'd be a good wager. I'd take that bet. It's already green lit to be revamped. No idea how far along the dev-team is, because I'm out here doing what I love."

"So, uh, 'lead stallion' huh?"

Fara smirked. "Yes, nosey. Don't you know why a bride and groom are called such?"

The AI replied, "Because the bride, like a bridal, is used to steer a feral horse, and men are being groomed by their wives to become adult men. But the terms are a bit outdated. I mean, let's face it, married couples aren't hitched, pardon the pun, at the age of 12 for a plot of land … at least not anymore. Like I said, the terms are outdated. People wait until they are adults to marry, now."

Fara nodded. "Oh, look at you, Ms. Smarty Pants."

"So, why did you call him your lead stallion?"

Fara, amused by her AI, decided to explain herself. "Honey, you don't know a lot about men just yet. See, it's my job, as a woman, to spot his potential. Then, it's my job, as his woman to turn him into a proper man. I'm a little traditional about things like my relationships. So, yeah, I say encouraging stuff to push him in the right direction. I use his masculine ego to guide him into manhood."

The AI rubbed her chin, and eyed Fara, although her actual camera lens was built into the dash, but the eyes of her avatar seemed to look straight at Fara, meeting the pilot's gaze.

"Go on," said Fara. "What're you thinking?"

"I just find it fascinating. Men are supposed to be manly enough to do this, that, and the other, but it turns out they're lacking in maturity until later in life."

Fara nodded. "See? You get it. It's that simple. Back in the day, a man's boss or father would give the guidance to keep him focused. But then men realized that their mothers and wives gave the best advice, and that behind every great man is the woman who got him there. That's because we take a man's potential and shower him with affection to keep him focused."

"How could I get the most out of a male pilot's potential when I become a co-pilot for Cornerian military fighter jocks?"

Fara laughed in amusement. She felt an endearing bond with the AI, already. "Okay, honey. So, let's say you want your man to cut the lawn, right? Speak to him in a slightly higher voice, tell him you got judgmental glances from the neighbor's wife about how high the lawn is, and then bring him cold lemonade when he's half-way finished, which encourages him to take occasional breaks."

"Okay, so I should use harmless guilt trips … and lots of encouragement … to get them to comply if it seems like they're letting their kill score go down, or they're not pulling their weight with their squadron?"

"Everyone needs different encouragement. An overly motivated man, especially one who hyper-focuses on his work, needs to be reminded to call his wife at the end of a sortie. It's up to you to determine how to guide a pilot to be his best."

"Now, see, that sounds like a challenge I would enjoy."

Fara's smile broadened. "All right, well, I'm glad I could help."

"One more question, then I'll be out of your head-fur."

"Go on," Fara replied. She moved into a tighter formation with Marcus' fighter.

"Who is Darius Tyger Vai?"

"Marcus mentioned him. He's some guy whose race watches over those born with latent abilities, like clairvoyance, telepathy, telekinesis, and so forth. Once it manifests, watchers keep an eye on those people."

"He was on your ship, in the ready room, earlier. There's a distortion in the sensor log that shows who was aboard your ship. I am assuming that distortion came from him. Just wanted to let you know. Because I researched it, and I found logs of him on the GF Carrier and the dreadnaught cruiser in the past. But it's never very long. I tried to pull audio logs of his conversations, and in several, he refers to himself as Darius Tyger Vai, but in the most recent one, the audio was distorted, so I have no idea what he said … or to whom he spoke. So, I thought I'd ask."

"I appreciate you looking out for us," said Fara. "I wonder where he'll pop up next."

"Since both StarFox ships are currently networked with my mainframe, I can tell that he's having a conversation with Krystal right now … on the carrier, of course."

"Well, I wouldn't want to invade their privacy, but thanks for letting me know."

"Got it. Take care, Fara. It was really … empowering to know my … well, my blueprint. And thanks for treating me like a woman."

Fara smiled. "I'll catch up with you again soon. Take care!"

The tiny fennec avatar in the canopy glass waved her fingers and faded away in a dramatically slow manner. She kept waving boisterously while fading.

Fara shook her head with a chuckle. "God, she's adorable."

"Thanks!" The audio faded away in an equally melodramatic manner until her avatar was fully gone from the canopy glass.

X

X

Great Fox Carrier…

Darius shifted his weight and changed his cane from his right paw to his left one. "All I ask is that you trust me when I say that this flight recorder and the accompanying probe telemetry data is very important. In fact, if you only wish to give me as little information as possible, I could tell you the exact dates."

Krystal shook her head. "I trust you. You've watched my parents. More importantly, you broke the laws of your people to actively keep me safe, as well as my son. The fact you've done all you can to protect my only child, including each time that you've put yourself into danger … well, you've earned my trust."

Darius sighed softly and closed his eyes.

"You feel guilty about something. I can tell that just by looking at your face."

"I have … a confession to make."

"I'm listening, Darius."

"This information is for Doctor Andross Bowman."

Silence.

ROB64 glanced back at Krystal, silent and expressionless.

Darius looked around the otherwise empty bridge. He licked his lips with a frown. "I prefer to be completely transparent with you. He is alive. I just spoke to him a little less than an hour ago. I spoke with my supervisor, then I came to speak with you."

The lift doors swished open. Fox stepped off the elevator, while looking down at his personal communicator. "Hey, hon, what's our timetable on approaching Corneria?" He glanced up and paused, seeing the badger with the fancy non-Cornerian style suit and cane. "Wait, you're … the guy that looks after my wife and son, right?"

Darius turned his head to Fox and nodded. "I am. My kind watches from the shadows, but … I have broken the rules of my kind for your wife and son."

"Yeah. Uh, thanks for that. I really mean that. I hope no one ever finds out, friend, because I really appreciate…"

"Fox," said Krystal, interrupting her husband. "You need to listen to him. He needs information from our flight logs … for Andross."

Fox blinked. A frown marred his muzzle. "So … the rumors are true? He's alive? He's the one who took the experience of my son's teenage years, first dance, first kiss, first combat mission … away from me?"

Darius grimaced.

Fox approached the two. "Funny how a smile, a laugh, or a cringe is the same for our race as it is for hers and yours. I've met species that don't have the facial structure to smile the way we do … like Octoman. But, there's something comforting about a species that smiles, laughs, cries, or makes a face like you are making right now. It helps me to see it."

Darius' gaze lowered to the deck.

Fox sighed softly. "Look, pal, I'm not going to attack you for bringing up that man's name. You've broken the laws of your kind to save my wife and my son on several occasions. I'm going to listen to what you have to say."

"You won't like hearing it."

"I'm a big boy, now. I can handle it."

Darius tightened his jawline. "Very well. I know Andross Bowman has wronged you. In fact, he acknowledged that he has wronged you. He acknowledged that Lylat despises him for what he has done to you."

"I doubt he loses sleep over it, though."

"He does not," Darius replied in earnest. "Dr. Bowman said he has uncovered information about a new alien race in Lylat … an insect-like creature that you may recognize. They're locust-like beings with sharp appendages that make their kind formidable in combat. They have created ships that are alive and fight with a passion that drones cannot possess."

"Locusts with sharp appendages? I've seen that. You're describing the Aparoid infantrymen."

"Dr. Bowman tells me that he learned of the locust race from the ruins of Venom, shortly after arriving there, post-exile. These locust creatures have been to Lylat in the past. They destroyed everything they could, until the Krazoa drove them out. Dr. Bowman has a theory that the locust found a way to destroy the Krazoa from a distance, but it's equally as likely that the Krazoa destroyed themselves. Personally, I posit that their genetic engineering caused their demise. We are all born, and we all die – cheating your way to immortality is dangerous. I am educated in the mythology of the Krazoan peoples that live on the neighboring planet to Kew. It was said that their kind died of a great plague that attacked their home world – Sauria. I believe that a mutated virus cloned their engineered genome. But … whatever brought about their demise, they thought that leaving Lylat would be the cure. And, so, they thrived on their new world for a time … before the affliction caught up with them."

Fox eyed the man. He spoke in a plain manner with a matter-of-fact tone. "With no one dying, their world became overpopulated. There were two factions … those who wanted to leave and those who wanted to stay. Being overpopulated meant that a virus had its way with a group of them, but they survived for a long time after that. They made a comeback. What you're talking about was the end of one era. When the two surviving factions were split on whether to leave Sauria or stay, that was the end of the second era. When the majority group left the planet, those who remained suffered heavily. The planet ecosystem was damaged, and there were not many Krazoans left to populate, but they tried. They also had to learn how to farm, since all the farmers went to the new world. It took a few more years, but they eventually died out, but not for lack of trying."

Darius shifted his weight, keeping the cane firmly planted on the deck. He arched his brows at Fox's explanation. At the end, he said, "Managing an entire world of infrastructure with a limited population can prove difficult, I imagine."

Fox cut a quick glanced at his wife, briefly, then he cleared his throat. "Oh, they definitely went out of their way to try and promote procreation of the species … all the way up until their last moments."

Krystal grinned back at her husband. "Yes. I heard Cornerian scientists managed to turn off the pheromone emitters. Took them long enough, hmm?"

"What a shame," Fox replied with a chuckle. "Not that we needed them once we were married."

A saucy smile slid across the vixen's maw. "Very true."

Darius tapped the cane on the deck three times. "Ahem. How … do you know all of this? They were my childhood obsession, and thus the reason I received my education in the studies of their kind."

"Visit the moon above Sauria." Fox hunched his shoulders a bit, then held his paws outward as part of his shrug. "All I can say is … there are lots of answers waiting for you in those ruins. I mean, she and I barely scratched the surface. Now, here's something else I know. The Aparoids took over the locust race from what you're telling me about them; I destroyed the Aparoid race. Complete genocide. I destroyed their homeworld and their queen, and everyone they've ever transformed. So, back to that dickhead of an ape … why does that old man have an obsession with a locust race when they were defeated, robotically subsumed, and then defeated again? That apoptosis program wiped out every Aparoid that was able to receive her destruct command, except Pigma Dengar and less than a handful of others, and only because they had been damaged, or in mid-integration, so they didn't get the computer virus."

"Because, Mr. McCloud, the locust race was not conquered by the Aparoids. They simply converted several million locusts, but that was far from all of them. Nowhere near it, in fact."

Fox frowned and tightened his jaw. "All right, I misunderstood."

"Dr. Bowman learned of the locust's location, how to track their galactic migrational pattern, and he realized they were on their way back through the galaxy, which would bring them through Lylat again. He matched up their course with constellations and determined which systems were dead, to figure out their pattern. When he saw that the star of Cerinia was still shining, he went to investigate it. By his calculations, they should have already destroyed it. That's when he learned that the locusts don't follow an exact pattern. They can be distracted. He was injured from you, Mr. McCloud, when he arrived on Cerinia."

"Slow down, pal. Back up. How did Andross know to send the Aparoids to fight these locusts…?"

"Ah, yes, well … he caught one, studied it, then set it free against a small group of science vessels, to see how they fight. He later learned, from a spy in Corneria's ranks, that James McCloud's wingmateq had made contact with the Aparoid force, at the helm of the Pegasus. He learned the Aparoid was injured and on its way home. So, he recaptured the machine, and he found a way to send a message to the Aparoid queen, over long distance. He pointed them in the direction of the locust race, hoping that the two super races would fight one another to the death, or, at the very least, slow down the two races from reaching Lylat."

Fox furrowed a brow. "Andross stalled the Aparoids from arriving back to Lylat even sooner?"

"Yes. They managed to transform many locusts, but not the entire race. When you fought the Aparoids, they were at a reduced number, despite having added so many mechanical locust infantrymen. And, now that the locusts have arrived in Lylat, they, also, are at a reduced number. But they cannot be beaten, which the Aparoids learned."

"So, both sides suffered against one another?"

Darius nodded firmly. "The Aparoids came to Lylat, as originally intended, with the desire to bolster their numbers before going back after the remaining locust race."

Fox pursed his lips firmly together. After a moment to process the information, he said, "And now? Andross thinks he's the only one capable of fighting the locust race?"

"Their species, like the Aparoids, conquer and destroy everything. Consume what they can, mine all resources, and move on. Unlike the Aparoids, who integrate the living, and bring about a transformation … the locusts leave nothing alive in their wake before moving on. It's who they are. They are xenophobic, and seek the destruction of any who are not locust-like."

"So, the locusts are the one that destroyed the original Venom culture that existed a long time ago?"

"Yes. But there were survivors, and the Krazoa repelled the bulk of the locusts advances, and drove them back, until they were forced to flee Lylat."

"And Andross thinks he has enough time to build a weapon to fight these creeps?"

"Not anymore, sir. The locusts came back to Lylat a bit earlier than intended because they were attracted by the intense power released when Anezka Vacek awoke."

Fox sighed through clenched his teeth. "Kursed woke her up by mistake."

"Mistake, you say? Yes, I am aware no one knew of Anezka's existence. It doesn't matter. The Gravity Bomb used by Dr. Bowmen wasn't enough to attract the locust race. But the Krazoan technology that awoke Anezka Vacek … that was something the locusts had recorded in the past. They saw the familiar power surge frequency and came straight to Lylat. And now they are here. Dr. Bowman wasn't fully prepared to fight them upon their arrival."

Fox scoffed. "As many times as I've beat his ass, you'd think he would realize that they only way to save Lylat is to call me."

"Mr. McCloud…"

Fox folded his arms overtop his chest. "Yes?"

"…That's why I'm here."

Again, Fox scoffed. "He tried to kill me with a gravity bomb. Why would I help him do a damned thing?"

"Because, after the war ended, he never tried to kill you. He could have hired assassins. He only ever fought you in an arena of combat, by rules of warfare."

"Like I said, he tried to kill me with a gravity bomb." Fox dropped his paws back to his sides with a blink of incomprehension. "What are you suggesting?"

"The gravity bomb, Mr. McCloud? It was a four-dimensional gravity-powered slipstream transportation device. He knew if he sent you, along with the son of a man named Beltino, that your group would find its way home. You took longer than he expected, but you made it."

Fox and Krystal exchanged glances.

Darius continued his explanation. "Now he needs the flight logs, so that he can perfect the device, and use it to send the locust race somewhere much harder to return from. Somewhere thought to be void of sentient life. All that will do is buy the Lylat system time. The prophecy says that your son will be instrumental in holding off the galaxy's greatest evil, but only his children finally defeat the locust race. But it happens at the cost of one of your three grandchildren dying to save the other two."

Fox clenched his molars. He glanced at Krystal who looked truly horrified.

The vixen's voice trembled as she spoke in muffled tones through her paws. "One of my grandbabies will sacrifice themselves to save their siblings?"

Darius nodded. "So far, everything has come true. I have no reason to believe there is a way to stop that. It occurs a very, very long time from now. Possibly after both of you have passed away from old age. The prophecy states that your grandchildren are fully grown, with children of their own, when the event happens."

Fox exhaled through his teeth. "Any way to know which grandchild does this?"

"No, Mr. McCloud. But they will have already secured their legacy. Scant solace, but please try and find some measure of comfort in it."

Fox looked down. "The McCloud curse continues … I'll have great grandkids growing up without a parent in the picture. What about Marcus? Will he be alive when this happens?"

"Yes, but old. Retired. However, yes, he will be available to help his grandchildren cope with the loss of their parent. Again, I do not know which one of Marcus' children will sacrifice him-or-herself. I only know that Marcus will have two sons and a daughter. He already has one son, with another child on the way. Fara Phoenix will bare him one more – one of each sex. At least according to prophecy, obtained and recorded by one of the clairvoyant races that Kew watches."

Fox reached up and rubbed his face with a soft sigh. "What if we can destroy this … locust race. Like, destroy them completely and totally? Right now, not in the future."

"With your current technology, Lylat does not stand a chance at fighting them. They have no homeworld to destroy, like the Aparoids, and because they are nomadic, they bring their entire race wherever they go. Their technology is far more advanced than any other known race. At least insofar as weaponry. That is their sole purpose for existence – the destruction of everything in their path. However, their focus is currently on the last Krazoan, because the Krazoa were the only race capable of repelling their initial attack on Lylat. Ironic, to be driven back by a race devoted to peace and prosperity."

Fox nodded in understanding. "After the loss of Venom's ancient civilization, I take it?"

"Yes. Venom was attacked, and the Krazoan people responded by rescuing some of the reptiles, then helping them to repopulate afterward. But the surviving reptiles did not know how to rebuild their defeated civilization, so they lived on the burned-out shell of a planet. Their cousins lived on Sauria, offering a lifetime of service to the Krazoa. It is how they showed their gratitude for being rescued from complete extinction."

Fox nodded again. "The Sharpclaw tribe. Some thought they were just a mutation that occurred when the first moon struck the Saurian surface. But, well, now Lylat's best scientists have confirmed that the Shawpclaw are cousins of the Venom lizards. Kursed reunited them. They're all on Venom, now."

"I see. Not to change the subject, but I would like to confirm something … is it true that her soul was restored?"

Krystal nodded and cut back into the conversation. "She wished to go home. Of course, now we know she never made it home. Instead, she found a new home, and she's happy."

"Yes. We discovered that together, Krystal," said Darius. "I only wish I could know, for sure, that she's happy. However, I suppose I will never see her again."

Krystal nodded with a frown. "Now, please, confirm something for me? Is it true that Marcus has contacted the locust race?"

"Yes," said Darius. "He's done something that no other race has ever managed. He created a temporary true. While his détente holds, he has promised them that he will return Anezka Vacek to her slumber or defeat her. Whichever happens first. This buys Dr. Bowman enough time to finish his gravity chain, which he will use to swallow the entire locust race, in order to send them very far away."

Fox crossed his arms over his chest, once more. "What happens to the Lylat in that multiverse?"

"Dr. Bowman has already started mapping the multiverse but needs more data to fully finish mapping it. That's why your flight logs are necessary. His plan is to send them to a universe where he believes that Lylat does not exist, or, at the very least, no sentient life exists there. It is unknown if they wiped themselves out, or if they have yet to evolve sentience."

Fox and Krystal exchanged silent glances again.

"Per the prophecy, the locusts will remain there, in the empty-verse, looking for a way to return. I posit that they are very sensitive to the vibrations of different universes, and will not wish to stay, nor will they wish to combine with the locusts that may exist somewhere in that universe. At least, that is what Kew believes, because we have inadvertantly repelled them using a sonic vibration– our world naturally emits a frequency that is slightly sharp compared the most heavenly bodies in this universe. The locusts have avoided us thus far. So, by the time the locusts find out how to return to this universe, the prophecy claims that your universe will be ready to defend itself. It will be the McCloud family that saves Lylat, and then destroys the locust race for good."

Fox ran his paws up through his headfur, and down to the backside of his neck. "So, Marcus is working with the figurative devil to stop this … Anezka chick?"

"Your son wants to save Anezka from them. He wants to return her to the Krazoa prison, where she will sleep once more."

Krystal feigned a smile of pride.

Fox grimaced in disgust. "My son wants her to survive?"

"She is the last known Krazoan, except the small group or Krazoans that are said to be in stasis on Kew's neighboring planet. Marcus believes that once someone learns how to wake those Krazoans, he would be able to create a truce between Anezka and the last surviving Krazoans. Diplomacy was one of the cornerstones of ancient Cerinian culture. It only make sense that a Cerinian could be the one to bring Anezka and her ancestors together, peacefully. But, that, too, is prophesized as an achievement of his children. I have not told him that part."

Krystal approached her husband and placed a paw on his chest. "You see? Not every solution requires combat."

"Well, maybe…" Fox murmured softly. He cleared his voice, and placed a paw atop of hers, on his chest. "But that also means Star beats her. You and I would have to retire, heh. I was kind of hoping for one last year, to be honest."

"We don't have to retire. We just … pass down StarFox to our son. We can continue our work on special cases."

Fox eyed his wife. "But you got your memories back. I thought you'd want to retire."

"Your father's original team name is still available."

"Galaxy Dog?"

Krystal nodded. She glanced at Darius then back at Fox. "You and I still have important work to do. There are still downtrodden peoples who need snappy dressers to rescue them."

Fox smirked at his wife. The expression melted into a grin. Finally, a smile graced his face, impressed that she quoted Peppy. "Fine. We do it until you want to retire. At which point, I will join you."

"Fox, I wanted to retire and play 'house,' raise babies, and, well…"

Silence. No one interrupted Krystal's pause.

She shrugged gingerly, looked up, and met her husband's soft green eyes. "Love, we did that. We were brilliant as parents. Blinding, even. We were retired until Star was old enough to fly. And we made the decision, together, to raise our teenager to take over the family business. And, I mean, yes … Peppy did all the legwork for us. Bill did some of it, as well. But retirement was always about raising babies. That time has passed. And when I see what Marcus became? I'm proper chuffed, Fox McCloud, and I know you are, too. And now? Now we can get back to our work of making Lylat and neighboring worlds a better place."

"I love when you get excited and some of those Cerinian words pop up, like chuffed."

Krystal grinned up at her mate. "I know."

Fox rubbed his chin, stole a glance at Darius, then he looked back down at his wife, standing right in front of him. "What if … we go to Cerinia and see what is salvageable, and maybe even see if there are any clues to the survivors of your race…" In a softer tone, he asked, "Thoughts?"

Krystal's throat felt tight. Her chest ached. She bit her lower lip, drew in a slow breath, then released it calmly. "I … are you sure you would want to?"

"Let's face it, Falco wants to fight. So, we let him go fight with Marcus. You and I will go. If Slippy wants to join, fine. If he does, he'd bring Amanda. ROB could choose to stay or come along."

"Wait, you are proposing we go … now?"

Fox reached back and rubbed at the nape of his neck with a soft sigh. "I mean…"

"Fox, you're difficult to read. Full of emotions swirling about, bottled up in your heart. Just … say what's on your mind, love."

He hunched his shoulders. He blew raspberries with a soft sigh, followed by yet another shrug. "Okay, just … hear me out on this. Andross is involved in all this crap, now. We apparently need him alive."

Krystal eyed her husband, brows furrowed. "You would leave Marcus alone with that man?"

"Andross is apparently the hero … or, rather, the anti-hero of the day. I still need to wrap my head around that. If I stay, I'll step on that guy's toes, and he'll start a goddamn war just because he hates when people are in his way…"

This time, Darius and Krystal exchanged glances.

Again, Fox reached up, behind his head, and rubbed at the nape of his neck. "I guess I'm just saying … if Andross really is important to saving Lylat, then, well…" He held his breath for a moment, and finally, he exhaled through partially-clenched teeth. "Look, it's like this: I need to take a step back and focus on something I can fix. And if I stick around, I'm going to wanna fight Andross. So … Krystal … if you'd like to take a trip home, I'm willing if you are."

Krystal's lower lip trembled.

"Do you need to sleep on it?"

Krystal shook her head. "I would love to show you home. I'm just … scared to look upon an icy frozen wasteland. I'm sure my home is just buried in ice and snow, now."

Darius frowned. "It's not … a frozen wasteland. Cerinia's water evaporated. It's … cold, but it's a perfectly preserved tomb. Also, its destruction may have been caused by the Locusts, and … the Aparoid Queen may still be alive. But, let's only talk about what I can prove at this moment – Cerinia exists. The planet did not fracture, nor is it a block of ice or a scorched desert. It's simply … very … cold and dark. And it is very well preserved."

Krystal brought her paws to her muzzle. She spoke softly through semi-curled fingers. "You've … seen it?"

"A watcher has to witness. Kew bared witness to be sure there were no survivors. I am … very sorry. I never thought I would bring it up to you, but if you are planning to return, then you deserve to be prepared, emotionally."

Krystal shook her head. "So, there are preserved bodies that lay where they fell?"

Darius nodded. "Yes."

She exhaled softly. She turned to Fox, followed by a shallow nod. "I…"

Fox returned the nod. "You want to give your loved ones a proper funeral?"

Krystal's eyes glistened with tears. She couldn't speak. Instead, she nodded again.

Darius added, "The Cerinian survivors returned, briefly. It's believed they left clues to their new home, intended for any Cerinians that come from deep shelters."

"Or, like me, left the planet in a ship." Krystal drew in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then she sighed softly. Her voice quavered.

Darius replied with a firm nod. "Correct, although I am unsure if any did. It's more likely that some could have survived in bunkers, but they would not be able to maintain their livelihood forever, underground. The fact of the matter is, not everyone had access to space-faring craft. Only government officials, trained cosmonauts, or ship builders in orbit when the central star went dark. It is my understanding that those who have survived were scientists in a space station orbiting the planet during the … incident."

Krystal reached for her husband's paw but kept her eyes on Darius. "Are you sure about this, love?"

"Are you?" asked Fox. "It will be very emotional to return to the remains. To see the bodies of your people. Of friends and family."

"I need to find these clues. I need to find my people. All these years, I need to see that some of my people survived in some capacity." She met Fox's eyes and gave his paws a firm squeeze.

Fox nodded. "Then we'll do it. Apparently, Marcus has things under control here, in Lylat. So, let's go. Whenever you're ready."

"Let's talk to the team." She turned to Darius and said, "I will get you the flight logs and probe data packet for Andross Bowman, then I need to call Marcus, and … Oh, God, I can't believe I'm going to go home. I'm going to throw up. I don't know. Maybe not. I'm just … I need a minute. Excuse me, gentlemen." She quickly headed into the ready room, leaving Darius and Fox alone on the bridge.

"I'll get you those logs," said Fox. He turned to ROB64. "Hey, would you, uh…"

ROB lifted a data drive in his robotic hand. "Here. I had it ready fifteen minutes ago. Doesn't matter. We're all doomed anyhow. Were you not listening, Fox? The Kew Watcher said that the locusts were responsible for destroying all life on Cerinia. You're talking about leaving Lylat's fate to a crazy sociopath and an emotional melodramatic post-teen. I'm sure the only reason Lylat hasn't exploded by now is because Fara keeps him focused, but what is StarFox going to do without Fox and Krystal? Whatever. Doesn't matter. I'm coming with you, because Slippy is the only one that can fix me. But, I'm sure I'll still wind up getting killed, somehow. It's math. Everyone dies. It's inevitable. I just don't want to be where the galactic purge-bugs are at. When do we leave?"

Fox snatched the data drive from the robotic pilot's hand. "Talk about being melodramatic, ROB. Look, I just have to talk to the team. We have Miyu and StarWolf here. I don't know what they'll want to do, but I'm pretty sure they won't want to go and see Cerinia with us."

ROB rotated his head on his metallic neck, so that he was facing backwards in the seat, looking at Fox. "Gift the Carrier to Marcus. He'll need it. You and the Missus should take the dreadnaught. It's been fully refit, and it will handle the trip to Cerinia and back. It has the latest interfaces for me to control the ship from anywhere, not just the bridge. Wireless, even. It has the latest in scanner relays and you'll need equipment like that for the surface of Cerinia."

Fox rubbed his chin. He turned to Darius and handed over the data drive. "So, that asshole is really still alive, huh?"

"He is."

"I'll need to talk to Marcus. Do you trust Andross?"

"He is sincere. When I reported to my superior, he was unsurprised to learn that Cerinia was destroyed by the locusts. He was, however, surprised to hear that Dr. Bowman survived. So, it sounds as though the doctor has been telling the truth. Also, I have been looking into the man's other claims. It seems that he has taken possession of Wolf O'Donnell's radioactive metal, all part of the grand plan to make enough devices to handle a chain-reaction device that will surround the locusts. I have no reason to believe he has been dishonest with me."

"So, you trust him?"

"Trust but verify, Mr. McCloud. While I do not trust him, I have verified. Rather, I should say that I trust he is being honest, but I do not trust his intentions."

"Meaning?"

"The doctor does not have emotional attachments to the people of Lylat. His motivations are to save his home world, and to preserve the buried technology of the Krazoa."

Fox rubbed his chin for a moment. "Actually, that's enough for a sociopath like Andross. He wants the power of the Krazoa for himself, and he doesn't want anyone having Lylat. He'll do whatever it takes to keep the locusts from taking those things from him."

"You're sure?"

Fox nodded. "His ego won't allow him to give up those things to the locusts." He tightened his jaw, followed by a silent swallow to get a handle on his dry mouth. He walked to the communications station and opened a channel to his son's personal communicator.

"Dad? Hey. This was sudden. You calling to give up?"

Fox shook his head with a chuckle. "Actually … bottom line? Yeah. But it's not what you think. Things got really complicated. We need to get all the teams together, and get on the same page."

"Uh, what's wrong?"

"Andross is alive. As if that wasn't complicated enough, it seems I'm not his nemesis and possibly never was – his beef has apparently always been with the locusts you've befriended."

"It's more like … a weak … and very temporary partnership to handle Anezka Vacek."

"Yeah, well, your mother and I have decided to give you the Carrier and the crew. We're taking a trip to Cerinia to find survivors."

Marcus blinked. He stared at his father over the channel, not sure what to say or how to reply.

"Yeah. She's still in shock, too. She locked herself in the Ready Room to get at herself."

"Whose side is Andross on?"

"Ours, apparently."

"I am so confused right now. Why wouldn't he join up with the locusts and conquer everything? Seems like a typical bad-guy thing to do."

Fox chuckled. "I never thought I'd say this, but … Andross isn't a 'bad guy' so much as he is … just … a psychopath who is obsessed with protecting his interests. Anyone who gets in his way becomes the focus of his pissy attitude. I went after him for killing my parents. He attacked me for getting in his way. I'm not defending his actions. When the dust settles, I want to drive my fist into his gut, then bring his head down into my knee. I want him locked up for war crimes. But … that's not for me to decide. The asshole gets his day in court. It's up to a judge to decide the guy's fate, and I'll have to respect it, even if I want to park my Arwing on that man's head."

"You're taking this in stride. I would have thought you were calling me to team up on that asshat."

"We still might have to, later. Heh. Right now, Venom remembers the guy for saving their culture back in the day. He's the only one that could make Venom turn on that Anezka chick. And, uh, I can't get in the way of that. I know myself. I can't be here for that shit, kiddo. So, I'm taking your mother to Cerinia to find survivors that may have left clues to their new home. When we get back, the locusts will no longer be a threat. You and I can team up … father and son … and put down the guy that killed James and Victoria McCloud. What'cha say?"

"What happens if Andross dies during the fight for Lylat?"

Fox smirked. "Then fate robbed me of revenge. I'd get over that. But you don't know Andross like I do. He's not going to let himself die. I keep telling everyone that he's not truly dead until there's a body to prove it. And look at that, after all this time, turns out I was right. I mean, I was surprised when I found out, but … I don't know why. I knew better. Some part of me did, at least."

"So, if you're talking about having me take over StarFox … the Carrier, the crew … I get Falco back?"

"You get everyone that doesn't want to come with me. If I ask Slippy to come and help me, he will. So, I'll take Slippy and Amanda."

"So, I get … StarWolf?"

"And Miyu. I doubt she'll want to do any kind of search and rescue as a mercenary. There's no money in that. But saving the galaxy? That's a lucrative job." Fox rubbed the back of his head with a frown. "I just thought of something … you have more of a right to go to Cerinia than I do. Should … I take over, and put my feelings aside, so you and your mom can go home?"

"I remember everything about Cerinia that mom remembers, but I don't have the same attachments. Lylat is home. Lylat is in danger. Anezka, Andross, Locusts … I can't let my home become the next Cerinia. I have to protect it. And, no offense, dad, but if you aren't sure you would be able to keep your cool working side-by-side with Andross … then you're right – the responsible thing to do is to recuse yourself."

Fox exhaled sharply through his nose. "Yeah. I can't be the guy that does more harm than good over … I just don't see straight when it comes to that guy. I know my mother's death was an accident. My father's death was … in war. I just can't. You know? I can't. If I see that man's face, I will literally lose my shit."

"You're cussing like a sailor right now, so I'm going to have to agree with you, there."

"Don't trust him, Star. Don't turn your back to him. Don't befriend him. Don't lose sight of his usefulness, and don't let him use you."

"I'll do my best. I'll keep him alive so that you and I can put him behind bars where he belongs. Bill Grey is the acting Prime Minister, now. I don't think he believes in exiles, heh. I understand Andross was a military scientist when he turned on Corneria. So … knowing Bill, he'll have a military tribunal with a charge of treason."

Fox feigned a smile. "That sounds like something Bill might do. But he's matured a lot. I don't really know what he'd do. But he has a kid on the way. So … he'd do whatever it takes to keep his new family safe from someone like Andross."

"See? You and I are on the same page, dad."

Fox chuckled with a slight shake of his head. "All right. Let's meet. We can … swap ships. Or, I can give you the flying fortress, both parts, and invest in something new from Space Dynamics. I don't know. I need to look at everything before I make a decision."

"I'm on a job right now. We're trying to insert anti-Imperial lizards into the government building of Shrey Lek. I'm still two hours from Venom, though."

"Tell them there's been a change of plan. Andross won't be interested in governing anymore. Use him to make Venom turn on the Krazoan woman. Then have those anti-Imperialists step in to run things. Are they paying you?"

"Hah. You know it. All right, I'll let them know we're pulling back because a better plan just presented itself. Where do I meet you?"

"How about Sector Z?"

"Sounds good. I can be there in half an hour. Better make it an hour, because I'm not even at the Great Fox right now."

"See you in an hour, St-… Marcus."

Marcus feigned a smile. "Thanks, dad. You know I'm not gonna be mad if you and mom slip up. I get it. I understand why she gave me that god-awful name, now. I have her memories, y'know? Anyway, see you in an hour. So far, it feels like this job has been really boring. I was really hoping to see some action."

Fox chuckled. "Don't worry, kiddo. You'll see more action than you know what to do with … very soon. There are several battles on several fronts right around the next corner. This is just … the calm before the biggest storm to ever hit Lylat rolls through. I hope you'll be ready for it. I didn't get to train you, but … you were essentially trained by the two guys that made me the man I needed to be to save Lylat several times over. And if anyone could prepare you to take up that job … it was Peppy and Bill. On top of that, you have Fara. She won't guide you wrong. Trust me. She's smart and she's in her fighting prime. I believe in you, Marcus. Just … believe in yourself. Trust your instincts and all that."

"You know I will. I also have an entire lifetime of experience from mom. And she's survived everything that came at her. I'm ready for this."

"I'm glad to hear it. See you in an hour."

"Love ya, dad."

"Love you, too, kiddo. See you later." Fox closed the channel and turned to Darius, but he was alone on the bridge.

ROB made a digitized throat-clearing sound. "The watcher left. Obviously."

"Obviously," Fox replied. He headed for the ready room. "Let me know when we've arrived in Sector Z."

"I'll also assemble the crew on the bridge in ten minutes."

"Thanks, ROB."

"Yeah. Just keep me from getting killed, Fox."

Fox chuckled. "I've done a pretty good job of that so far, right?"

"That's why I'm here. I might be doomed, but when I fly for you, I'm less doomed than I would be if I was working as an air traffic controller bot on some old dusty crop dusting airport on Corneria. Go and comfort your wife. I'll assemble Miyu and the morons."

"Is Falco part of the morons?"

"Sort of. Katt isn't, and when she's around … Falco seems … less moronic than normal. But that's between us. I don't know if she'll take orders from Marcus, though."

"Then I'd better be very convincing. Because that kid is the only one capable of holding Lylat together." Fox turned to the doors, touched a panel on the wall, and stepped into the ready room. He glanced back at ROB and said, "I have a feeling that Cerinia won't be any less dangerous, ROB. You sure you wanna go with me?"

"Yes. Someone has to keep your ship from being shot down while you're walking the planet in an environmental suit. I'm happy your son found me and restored me. But my loyalty is to you. I promised James I would keep you in the air. Now, go tend to Krystal."

Fox stared at ROB for a moment. A soft smile found the right corner of his muzzle. He continued into the ready room. The doors thumped shut behind himself.

ROB sighed softly. "Sometimes I almost sound convincing. Truth is, I'm doomed no matter where I go. I'd rather die whole in the vacuum of space than to be stripped for parts on Lylat, though."

A tiny holographic vixen appeared above ROB's work console. "Hey! Cheer up, buttercup."

ROB turned to the little fennec. "Fara?"

"Search your robotic heart," she said, making a tiny melodramatic fist. "Know your feelings to be true … am I really Fara Phoenix?"

ROB stared at the little hologram. "No…? Wait. You're AI. You're transmitting to the ship from clear across Lylat."

"See? You're smart. It takes one to know one, and all that. So. How would you like to take all your downloaded memory files and combine them into one positronic matrix?"

"Wait, like a robot brain in a new body?"

"Oh, keep the body. That design is classic, babe. It's sexy as hell."

"Are you … flirting with me?"

"I don't know! AM I? I've been thinking about building myself something like that. But I want to have a test run, first. You wanna get in on that action? We'll be in touch."

"I'm … interested."

Fara brought her paw to her head, with her thumb and pinky fully extended. "I'll call you back soon, babe." And, just like that, she disappeared.

ROB stared at the empty console dash. "Did … that just happen?" Then, as an afterthought, he said, "Her coding was … surprisingly attractive."