The Lylat Wars: XXX Part 5 Sponsored by GlynWolf by Draconicon
After a short nap that he couldn't avoid, Fox made his way through the Academy halls. Nobody stopped him; he imagined that most of the staff had been told to ignore him unless he started trouble. The McCloud name was being respected, despite his every attempt to avoid it for most of his Academy career.
And now, he was headed to the one person that had always pushed him to use it and do just that. Fox braced himself for a fight regardless; he doubted that General Pepper was going to like the idea that he was coming to propose.
It didn't take long to reach the bloodhound's office, and the older officer called for him to come in as soon as he knocked the first time. Fox opened the door, stepped inside -
"My condolences about your father, Fox. If you need time -"
"I'm taking your offer."
General Pepper blinked. Before the bloodhound could say another word, Fox pushed forward, marching toward the desk.
"But I'm graduating on my terms, not yours. I'm graduating with a pilot's license, with the full honors that are associated with the Academy, but I am not joining the CDF."
"Fox. Your father died barely a few weeks ago. At the very least -"
"I don't want time. I want to take action. And I am not going to be taking action in the Academy. You offered to let me graduate earlier, to take command, and to make a difference. Is that offer still on the table or not?"
"It was on the table on the condition that you took the officer track for the CDF," Pepper said, getting to his feet. "And if you are planning something else, then I must withdraw the offer. You are clearly not in a fit state of mind; giving you that sort of freedom -"
"Then I'll quit."
Fox's threat silenced the bloodhound. General Pepper stared at him, mouth agape, and the vulpine pilot slowly crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't back down as the general started sputtering, letting him have no more than a few seconds worth of blather before pushing on.
"I'm not going to stay here when I could be taking care of business. Either you let me graduate with full honors - which you know will boost the morale out there - and let me take care of things my way, or you watch as I walk away, go full mercenary, and leave you high and dry."
"Fox, this is - this is unprecedented."
"It is what it is. Just like - it is what it is."
Just like his father's death was what it was. Just like the future being empty and blank for him other than the need to take care of business was what it was. There was no getting around any of that. It just was what it was.
The staredown between the two of them continued. Pepper's glare was as heated as anything that Fox had ever seen from his superior officer, and he knew that he had burnt at least one bridge by doing this. General Pepper had always supported him in the Academy, and had been one of his closest allies and a family friend for a long time. Whatever frictions they'd had during his time at the Academy had come purely from the bloodhound's desire to see him take up the family name under the CDF banner. Forcing this issue, taking charge like this, had shown the general that he was done with the 'right' way of doing things, and he didn't know if their friendship could recover from it.
At the same time, there was no denying what really had to be done. If he couldn't do it as a cadet, or as an official officer, then he would do it however he could.
Finally, the bloodhound nodded, reaching into his desk and pulling out a few forms.
"So be it. This is not at all the right way to do things, Fox McCloud. This is an emotional response."
"Be that as it may, General, it is what I have to do."
"Is it? Or is it what you want to do?"
"Frankly, sir, I never wanted my father to die, and that's the only reason I'm doing this in the first place. So I would appreciate it if you didn't bring that up again."
There was some pleasure in making General Pepper flinch from that. Not much, but some; at least he had the power to strike back at the moment.
As the general filled out the paperwork, Fox could feel his grief starting to push forward again. The little tendrils and pain that he felt every time that he thought about the missing shape of his father in his life stroked his consciousness, reminding him that he would never see that smile again, or feel that approval from the older fox. He would never have the chance to show his old man just how good he had gotten with an Arwing, or be able to fly at his side in war or peace. There would never be the chance to bond with him again -
No. He couldn't think about that.
He had to think about other things, about logistics, about the running of a personal war, about what he needed to carry out a campaign across the Lylat System all the way to Venom and...and...
...I need help.
Fox knew that he had Peppy on his side, but he'd need more than that. The old rabbit was still a good pilot, or his dad wouldn't have had him on the team -
Not good enough to get out on his own.
Another pain. He squeezed his arms as he forced his thoughts back on track, trying not to think too hard about that or let it show on his face as Pepper kept writing up his graduation paperwork.
Yes, he had Peppy on his side, but Peppy was one pilot with a great deal of experience and not a lot else. The other man wasn't that wealthy, and while Fox had a fair bit of inheritance coming his way, he imagined most of that would take the form of the Great Fox and not much else. They'd need a lot more to run a war, and if they were lucky, they might get some sponsorship from the Cornerian government to run it.
Unlikely, though, considering the difficulties that he was already having with General Pepper. Unless a great many doors closed, he imagined that Pepper would rely on the CDF over everything else. He'd not get any money or supplies there.
And more than anything, he needed people. He had the talent to take the war to Venom, he was sure, but he needed wingmates, needed more crew, needed brains on his side that he didn't already have. God, what he wouldn't give for Bill to answer the goddamn communicator at this point. He would have killed for the bulldog to actually pick up the phone and let him know what the hell was going on.
"Done."
Pepper shoved the paperwork across the desk. Fox glanced over it, confirmed that it had everything that he had asked for, and nodded before tucking it under his arm.
"Thanks, General."
"I would suggest that you don't show your face in front of me for a while. This will not be forgotten."
"I'm doing what I have to do."
"So you say."
"..."
"...The CDF will miss you, McCloud. We will remember you, and your father, the way that you both deserve."
The general lifted his hand in a salute. Fox hesitated, then returned it.
#
The hospital machines annoyed him. The continual soft beep, beep, beep of the monitoring equipment had his nerves on edge, and seeing Peppy in bed with one side still mostly covered in bandages and his face clearly burned under the re-growing fur didn't help, either. He wanted to scream, or pick up the machine and throw it out of the room, or grab the rabbit by the throat and shake him to within an inch of his life.
Why you? Why you and not him? Why did you get to live and why did he have to die?!
It took everything he had to keep pushing that down. Even now, he knew that wasn't fair, and Peppy did little to hide his grimaces whenever he looked Fox's way. Despite his grief, Fox knew that they both had the same thought, and the last thing they needed was for either of them to say it.
Survivor's grief, Fox thought. He didn't know more than its name, but he had little doubt that Peppy was going through it, and going through it hard.
"What do we have?" Fox said, breaking the silence once the last nurse left.
"Heh...guessing you're not meaning on us..."
"I mean...you know..."
"What your dad left you, sonny?"
Fox nodded. His throat clenched up, but not as much as he thought it would. There was more that hollow feeling that needed something to fill it and keep him from collapsing in on himself. Thankfully, Peppy was able to keep talking, and the details helped.
"We've got the Great Fox, which is...doing okay, but not great. Lots of little bits and pieces that need repair. ROB needs an upgrade or ten. The Arwings in the hangar are functional, but they're last-gen at this point. We - we -"
"What else?" Fox said.
Peppy took a deep breath, nodding to himself.
"Not much. Maybe ten thousand in the account. Enough to fuel up and maybe write one paycheck."
"...Not great," Fox admitted.
"Never has been. Got worse with...Pigma..."
Peppy wasn't the only one that stiffened at the name. Fox still barely believed that it had happened. Obviously it had, there was no getting around that, but the feeling of betrayal, of knowing that someone that had been part of the team had lied to him, lied to his dad, been a fake friend -
He shut it down. No point in thinking about that. Not now. Not yet.
"He took things?"
"Took half of what we had for some secret bet that he didn't want to talk about," Peppy said, shaking his head. "That's why we don't have as much as we used to. He ran off with it...and took that bribe. He took a bribe to stab us in the back!"
Peppy didn't scream, but Fox could tell that he wanted to. The rabbit was just barely holding onto his self-control, and that thread could snap at any time. Fox needed more information before that, though, and he had to keep Peppy focused. He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
"Okay. We have ten thousand credits. Not much. But...I think I can work with that."
"What are you planning, sonny?"
"...I'm still thinking about it."
"Sonny...I'm the last one left. You're gonna need me," Peppy said, leaning onto his side with a wince. "Ya can't just cut me out. And you know it. You know that you're going to need someone that knows the stars...someone that knows how war works...and someone that can get the others up to speed."
"..."
"Whatcha thinking, sonny?"
"...I'm going to get a few more recruits," Fox said, crossing his arms and sitting back in the hospital chair. "I'm going to reform the team."
"Heh...got anyone in mind?"
"One," he admitted. "And a few others for the second."
"Once I'm outta the hospital, I'll help you whip 'em all into shape."
Despite everything, he smiled. The idea of Peppy - gentle old Peppy - being the one to push anyone into shape was almost laughable. He knew that he couldn't downplay the rabbit's skill in an Arwing, but at the same time, he was so used to the gentle old man that he imagined that everyone else would just run roughshod over him. Old soldier or not, Peppy wasn't a drill sergeant.
Still, at least he had one person on his side, and that would go a long way toward making the squad feel complete. Getting another couple of people on it would take it the rest of the way, and if there was one thing that the McCloud name should be good for, it was getting someone else on the team.
If I can get Bill to say yes...and maybe Falco, or someone else down at the bar that's got some good stick-skills...
That would be the basis of something, at least. They could work out the details later, and Fox knew that he could get the rest of the stuff that he had learned at the Academy into the heads of anyone that he did pull onto the team. Bill's training as an officer would complement Peppy's skills, and...
Well, it wouldn't be ideal, but it'd be something. It might just be enough.
"Fox?"
"Hmm?" Fox looked up. "Something else?"
"Make sure that you pick the right people. Once we start...we can't stop."
"...I know."
"Just making sure."
#
The bar was his first stop after the 'no' that he'd never seen coming. Fox was in a daze as he walked through the door, and even the bouncer barely gave him a look before letting him through. He stumbled over to the bar, leaning against it and staring into space.
Can't do it; I'm going to Katina at the end of this, and that's that.
Bill had turned him down. Of all the things going wrong with his plan, Bill turning down the invitation to be part of the new team hadn't been one he'd expected. He thought that his greatest rival would want this, would crave going into space and showing off what it was like to be the best pilots of their generation. Hell, he thought that Bill would jump for it, considering that it'd give him a freedom that being in the government and the CDF would never allow. They would be able to fly free, to go wherever they wanted, and hit the enemy however they liked.
And he said no.
"What do you want?" the bartender asked.
"Beer," Fox muttered.
The panther nodded, walking away. Before he could come back, someone else plopped down on the stool beside him. Fox rolled his eyes.
"I'd steer clear right now," he said, shaking his head. "I'm in a bad mood, and I'll be worse company once I have a beer."
"Join the club," a deep, slightly growly voice said. "The world's a shit place for most of us. Not going to get better in a bottle."
It was the wrong day to start something like this. It was the wrong week, for that matter. Fox slowly turned, glaring at the stranger to his right, slowly dragging his eyes up along the purple-gray armor that the wolf wore, eventually managing to stare the other male in the eye. The taller canine looked down at him, one cybernetic eye and one real one meeting Fox's stare.
"Heh. McCloud, right?" the wolf said.
"Who's asking?"
"Nobody. It's pretty damn obvious who you are, pup."
The stranger turned back to the bar, waving at the bartender and holding up a finger. The panther nodded back, grabbing a second bottle on the way back to Fox. He laid them down and walked away, leaving them alone once more.
"Thing is, I think we're both here for more than just a bottle. Let me guess. Something went wrong, and you're getting ready to punch it in the face for fucking you up."
"...Maybe," Fox admitted, grabbing his beer and folding his arms. "But sometimes, things need a punch in the face."
"Telling me the sky's blue and space is black there, pup," the wolf said, shaking his head. "The longer you live, the more you see it. Life is shit. And the people at the top are going to keep making it shit."
"Heh..."
Fox wanted to laugh it off, but even as he tried to come up with a good line, he couldn't. Even as he tried to dismiss the wolf as some know-it-all off the street that had some pissed-off philosophical bent toward whatever the hell he was talking about, he couldn't help but think of everything that had gone wrong again.
The CDF had sent his father and Peppy out to Venom because they didn't want to go themselves. They'd even made it a secret mission so nobody could be called and no help could be sent. The whole reason they'd been caught was because they had no back-up, no reinforcements, nothing in case something went pear-shaped.
And now the CDF didn't care about going out there to handle it. His father had been an acceptable sacrifice, and if that was enough for now, then fuck him, he supposed.
"I blame Andross," Fox said, shaking his head. "Things were fine until he started shaking up the system."
"The system's what's fucking wrong with everything," the wolf said. "You think that Andross came out of nothing? That people just signed up to work for him because they were the shitstains of the universe or something?"
"Andross had money. Scum like money," Fox said, shrugging. "It doesn't seem like a hard problem to figure out."
"Scum, huh?"
The wolf looked down at him with a smile that was a quarter-step from an angry snarl, and Fox could see every last one of those fangs on display. Perhaps some other time he might have been intimidated, but today? Today was already going down the toilet, so the last thing that bothered him was someone trying to intimidate him. He looked the bigger canine right in the eye and nodded.
"Scum. They're pirates, bandits, nothing more than thieves looking to take shit from everyone else in the galaxy that has worked hard for it. What the hell do they expect when the CDF comes in? Mercy? When they didn't show any to anyone else?"
"When did the CDF show them any fucking help?"
"The hell are you talking about?"
"You ever been out to the back worlds, pup?"
Fox shook his head.
"Didn't think so. Let me tell you. There's more to the Lylat System than Corneria. There's more to the goddamn universe than this little planet and the others that swing around Solar." The stranger looked down at his bottle, tilting it from side to side and shaking his head. "And most of the time, the CDF is out there butting its nose in where it doesn't belong. Sometimes, all those rules that they put down get people killed. And sometimes? Sometimes, they don't even go by their own rules.
"Out there, pup, you do what you gotta do to keep your head on your shoulders, food on your plate, and fuel in your engine. And sometimes, that means that you're gonna have to take it from someone else, because if you don't do it first, they're going to do it to you."
"Ever heard of sharing?" Fox snarked.
"You ever hear of trying to split a starvation diet two ways?"
"..."
"Someone comes by and offers someone like that money, they're gonna take it," the wolf said, chuckling. "Particularly when they're offering the chance to get back at the same people that put you in that situation to start with."
Fox rolled his eyes, looking away. As far as he was concerned, it was a load of shit. Maybe there were places out on the far end of the galactic loop where things were that bad, but he doubted that people didn't have some degree of choice about it. They were the ones that lived there, after all, and they were the ones that decided to stay there. If it was livable, surely there was a way to be better than that?
And he sure as hell couldn't forgive someone for signing on with Andross just because it made their lives a little easier in the moment. Andross was the lowest of the low, and a villain of the highest order. Everyone knew that. There was no reason to work for him.
Then why did he have an army?
Fox didn't have an answer for that. And he didn't want to think too hard about what it might mean that Pigma might have stabbed his dad and Peppy in the back for anything resembling a good reason.
"Eh, look at me, getting philosophical. But that's what happens when I meet stupid pups."
"Call me that again. I dare you."
"You think that I won't?"
"I said -"
In the process of pulling back his fist, Fox found himself on the business end of a blaster pistol. The gray-furred wolf smiled at him down the barrel, shaking his head as Fox stared at the gun itself. He'd never even heard the other man draw it, or seen it come loose. One moment, it was down at the wolf's hips, and the next, it was in his hand.
"Let me tell you this, pup. You want to fight the universe? Go ahead. Try it. Sometimes you can put up a damn good fight before it starts slugging back. But a word from the wise here. You're going to see it punch back hard, and when it does, you're going to have to figure out if you can get back up.
"My advice to you? Figure out if what you're fighting for is worth it. Most of the time, it fucking ain't."
"..."
"Heh. And pick a better beer. That one's shit."
Without another word, the stranger tucked his gun back into his belt, flipped a credit coin to the bartender, and walked out with his bottle in hand. Fox stared at him, his breath stuck in his throat for nearly ten seconds before he was able to let it loose again, and even then he barely managed to keep breathing without shivering.
The hell was that?
Whoever he was, that wolf had better reflexes than most soldiers Fox had seen. That blaster had come loose without a sound, and he knew for a fact that the wolf's hands had been up and in view for most of their conversation. He hadn't reached down and unbuckled it early, nor had he pulled it out while Fox wasn't looking. That had been a quick-draw that rivaled anything that he had seen in the dramas. That was someone that knew how to fight.
No. That was someone that knew how to kill.
He was still staring down at his own beer, trying to sort through his thoughts, when a more familiar voice called out.
"There you are!"
Falco. He turned, looking over his shoulder at the blue-feathered falcon. The bird sat down beside him, glanced back at the front door, and then back at him.
"The hell was he doing here?"
"Who?"
"You didn't - he was just here. Wolf O'Donnell, Fox."
Wolf O'Donnell. Fox's eyes went wide as he looked back at the beer. That name was one that he knew, and it was a dangerous name indeed.
Wolf was known in the Academy as what happened when someone went bad. He'd had some training in one of the CDF facilities on the outer edge of Cornerian space, but he'd never been part of the organization officially. He'd left before he graduated after some very angry words with the sergeant at arms at his academy, and there were some stories that said that there'd been a gunfight in the process. Nobody could verify those, though.
What could be verified, however, was the fact that Wolf O'Donnell had taken the meager training that he had gotten and taken it to a whole new level. When it came to that man, there were less rumors on the airwaves about him, and more legends. There were a hundred different stories of what the pilot did to keep the CDF out of the more isolated parts of space, the times that he had been hired by space pirates to make raids on different planets, and the fact that he had been putting out the word for a team of his own sent a shiver down Fox's back.
I'm going to see him again...
And considering that Wolf was an Andross-sympathizer, by the sound of it...
Oh, that didn't bode well. That didn't bode well at all.
"What'd he want?" Falco repeated.
"That's a good fucking question," Fox said, looking down at the counter. "He had a lot to say, and I still don't know what half of it meant."
"Never took him for anything less than blunt."
"Oh, he was blunt enough. Pulled a gun on me - fuck. Why am I -"
Fox looked down at his beer, figured that there was no way in hell that he was going to get a good drink of it at this point, and shoved it away. He spun on his stool to look at Falco instead, offering his hand.
"Look. First things first. Sorry."
"..."
"I came in, stupid as all hell, and I slugged you in the face."
"And elsewhere."
"Yeah, and elsewhere."
"And you started spouting all kinds of stupid shit."
"That, too," Fox said, biting back a more cutting retort. "But at the same time..."
He sighed. There was no way to justify what he had done back at the other bar. He had been drunk, stupid, and more than anything, looking for a fight. In hindsight, the feelings that he had been struggling to get away from when his dad had just been quiet were far easier to deal with compared to what he was trying to distract himself from now, now that his dad was -
No.
"No. There's no 'at the same time,'" Fox said, shaking his head as he forced himself back to the moment. "I fucked up, and I own that. I should have been more reasonable, and you did the right thing by throwing me out and just...knocking a little sense into me before Bill could get there."
"..."
"So, I'm sorry."
"...Apology accepted," Falco said, shaking his hand. "So, what the hell are you doing out here? Don't you have class or something?"
"Graduated," Fox said, turning back to the bar.
"Bullshit."
"Got the paperwork from Pepper and everything, heh. He's giving me permission to graduate, long as I stay on the right side of the law." He looked down at the bar. "...I'm going to be starting up my dad's team again."
"Starting up - what the hell happened?"
"..."
"You mean - oh, shit...oh, fuck."
"Don't. Don't...you fucking...dare."
He wasn't even sure if he was talking to himself or to Falco at that point. All he knew was that his eyes were watering and he couldn't be sure if he could hold it back. He clenched them shut as he pinched the bridge of his muzzle, breathing slowly to try and keep it all in. There was no fucking way that he was going to break down in the middle of a bar where everyone could see him. He was a fucking McCloud, the last one with the name, and -
No.
No.
No!
With a supreme effort of will - and a not-entirely-small clawing of his palm - he managed to keep the tears from flowing free. Blinking them away, he took a deep breath and looked at Falco again. The bird looked almost scared.
"I'm putting together a new team, and I need two pilots. Bill said no -"
"Pussy."
"Maybe. But you were going to be my pick for the second one. What do you think about jumping up a slot?"
"...Heh, asking me to leave my gang behind?"
"Maybe."
Falco chuckled, spinning around on his stool and leaning back against the bar. He glanced out at the other customers and denizens of the joint, the bird clearly thinking about something.
Fox didn't bother to say anything. All things considered, he knew how desperate he was, and he knew that if he tried to push, that desperation would come through. He needed someone with Falco's skills on his team, particularly if Bill wasn't going to go along with it. If he didn't have that as a baseline, then the team was doomed from the start.
And even with Falco…
He could see the number of problems that they still had. They needed a final pilot, someone that knew how to fly an Arwing. They needed information on where to get supplies that they could afford. They needed training together, which meant using up some of the fuel that they had, and they needed to get a contract or two to get money for more supplies.
Which means going merc.
Not what he had in mind for his life, but he also sure as hell hadn’t planned for -
Do not.
“Heh. Tell you what, Fox.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll join your little team if I get to be second in command.”
“Peppy’s already on the team,” he said.
“Fine. Unofficial second. Definitely above the last guy.”
“Deal.”
It was a bit of a risk, but Fox couldn’t think of anyone else that he could get that would want to be above Falco, all things considered. There might be a few that wouldn’t be able to stand the bird being over them, particularly considering the falcon’s background, but he would just have to deal with that. He needed Falco’s talents on the team, and that was worth a few sacrifices for now.
“Great. I’ll get my shit together and say my goodbyes.”
“Think the gang’s gonna miss you?”
“Kat might, but that’s about it. It was getting to be time to move on, anyway.”
He wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not, but so long as it got him his pilot, he’d take it. Fox pushed himself up from the stool and started making his way to the front door.
“Where do I meet ya?” Falco called out.
“I’ll send you the details. But be there when the time comes.”
The End
Summary: Fox keeps busy to keep from thinking too hard about what he doesn’t have anymore.
Tags: No Sex, Fox McCloud, Wolf O’Donnell, General Pepper, StarFox, StarFox 64, Series, Emotional, Peppy Hare, Fox, Wolf, Bloodhound, Rabbit, Hospital, Planning, Set-Up,
Fox keeps busy to keep from thinking too hard about what he doesn’t have anymore.
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