I'm Not a Hero...
#3 of Star Fox: Journey
Fox McCloud: Hero of the Lylat or Vengeful Killer?
A pair of green eyes narrowed at the headline as they skimmed over the newspaper's front cover before it was crumpled and tossed into a nearby waste bin. A curse slipped from a toothed maw as it twisted into a remorseful, pained, and furious grimace, teeth bared and gleaming in the bright sunlight above.
'How could I have been so _stupid?'_
Fox McCloud severely underestimated Andross. She should've known that the crazed ape would have one last trick up his metaphorical sleeve, as he'd always wanted to go down in history with a literal bang. With Fox letting her anger and vengeance get the better of her, his wishes were granted through her vendetta against him. A single plasma bolt to the ape doctor's skull was enough to stroke Fox's ego and avenge her late parents.
However, pulling the trigger as Andross grinned up at Fox, taunting her, that single act sealed the Star Fox leader's fate and public reputation.
After the battle - and later the war - word of Andross's rather violent demise spread like wildfire. While some celebrated the psychopath's death, others were forgetful of his atrocities and wanted to put him on trial. And now, the latter wished to see Fox McCloud behind bars for 'obstruction of justice.' Fox was forced to go into hiding as the Cornerian City Police Department and even former members of the CDF hunted her down.
That was two years ago, and the goose chase had long since ended with Fox being dismissed and pardoned by General Peppy Hare. However, most - if not all - of Corneria no longer saw Fox as the so-called "Hero of the Lylat." No longer was Fox the idol that many looked up to. To society, she was a menace, a dangerous and unpredictable killer. No longer was Fox the 'hero' many thought her to be. Only the vixen's childhood friends and, ironically, her arch-nemesis, who knew her better than anyone, still respected her.
Fox pulled her hood tighter over her head and continued her trek to CDF Headquarters with a defeated, exhausted huff.
The vixen had received an urgent message from General Peppy Hare regarding a disturbance near Corneria's orbit. She didn't specify precisely what it was, but the senior doe clarified that Fox and Star Fox would be called to action again. And Fox was required to report to CDF HQ ASAP. But she was running late, thanks to that minor hang-up with the newspaper booth. With that in mind, the vixen quickened her pace to a frantic speed walk.
She just hoped that she wasn't too late.
Down several blocks, the vixen walked, hands in her hoodie pockets and head lowered to keep a low profile, dodging any glance sent her way as she weaved in and out of foot traffic. It allotted her at least five minutes before Fox finally arrived at the doorstep of the CDF HQ. She stopped in her tracks, craned her head back as far as it could go, and took in the looming tower that dominated the skyscrapers of Corneria City. As the name implies, CDF HQ was home to the Lylat's own Cornerian Defense Force, the Lylatian Interplanetary Council, and the newly-formed Commonwealth of Independent Colonies.
In the two years since the Lylat Wars, the system has seen drastic changes in how politics were handled by the Cornerian people. Instead of a central government based on a single planet, the CIC consists of the numerous inhabited worlds dotting the Lylat System. From Fortuna to Katia, to Papetoon, and even Venom - the reasoning behind the latter being the desire to avoid another catastrophic civil war. With a new, multimember government established to better forward an already-fragile peace, the first big step was to rebuild what had been demolished and lost in the fighting.
Corneria City was restored to its former glory, Fortuna and many other military outposts became full-fledged civilizations, and Venom was given the choice of becoming a paradise instead of a toxic garbage planet. The Venomian people agreed and joined in on the effort to build a terraforming device masterminded by the one and only Professor Benito Toad.
The formerly-acidic world was now a tropical paradise, resulting in Venom benefitting from a rapid and short-lived economic boom. But the economic boom was enough for the planet's denizens to expand their civilization and improve their technology.
However insignificant and misguided, this was a cause for concern, as the Lylatian Interplanetary Council worried that Venom would take up arms and revolt against the Commonwealth. The rumors and gossip circulating within the Council were unfound and not worth instigating worry within the Lylat after it had just recovered from a bloody war. To put said rumors to rest, Venom was more than willing to share its technological breakthroughs with the LIC and the CIC and contributed to providing security to other planets' diplomats and influential figures. Nothing could go wrong now, right?
Fox McCloud was doubtful that it would stay like this. If history had anything to learn from, the Lylat System would always break out into conflict after a certain amount of 'peace'. And that was why she was skeptical about the LIC's reassurance that nothing was happening on Sauria as it had already been taken care of. If she was still a member of Star Fox and a public hero, Fox would've taken matters into her own hands and investigated the strange occurrences happening on the dubbed "Dinosaur Planet." But there were other, more important matters than a 'ghost signal' on Sauria. If what Peppy said was true, then the Lylat System and its people were about to make contact with an alien race from another system for the first time.
Fox sighed as she leveled her gaze to the revolving doors before her, apprehension and doubt lingering on her mind. But she dared not go back on an old friend's request. Sucking up what little pride she had left, Fox carefully trod up the steps, through the doors, and into the main lobby. Fox then made a beeline for the elevator to take her to the top, but one of the HQ staff members had other ideas.
"Halt! Put your hands where I can see them!"
Fox stopped in her tracks but did not raise her hands. Instead, she smirked and turned to the guard who issued the order. "Bill Grey," the vixen said, her green eyes fixated on the bulldog holding her at gunpoint. "Long time no see, old friend."
Bill Grey, an esteemed soldier of the CDF and a long-time companion of Fox's, lowered his blaster with widened eyes when the vixen revealed her face to him.
"F-Fox?" he said, perplexed by her presence in the CDF HQ of all places. "What...what are you doing here? I thought you'd gone off-world and-"
Fox cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Please, Bill. As much as I want to, I don't run away from my problems."
Bill scoffed lightly as he holstered his blaster. "Yeah. You face them head-on instead." He paused, and his expression darkened, his ears drooping slightly. "But you certainly don't execute them when there is a simpler, less-lethal solution."
Fox's smirk fell and morphed into a frown, and she avoided Bill's judgmental gaze. "Andross murdered my parents, Bill. He was a creep who stalked my mother, killed her while targetting my dad, and claimed that my dad was not worthy of her." Fox gave the bulldog a sideways glance. "What else was I supposed to do? Let that freak walk free? He massacred millions, Bill. He destroyed an entire planet full of innocent people. What would've happened if I were to take him in to put him on trial? Would he be given the death penalty for countless war and capital crimes?"
"Y-"
"No!" Fox exclaimed hysterically, waving her hands. "Andross would have walked a free man, 'rotting' in prison while he plotted his next big scheme."
Bill narrowed his eyes at Fox, and his hand went to his blaster. "Fox McCloud, I must ask you to leave immediately. You are a danger to society and yourself. I will be forced to take action if you don't comply."
Fox bared her teeth at the bulldog and clenched her fists. "I am here on official business, Bill. General Peppy requested my presence on an important matter. Now, move."
Several guards surrounded her as if on cue, armed with blasters, stun batons, and gritty expressions. Bill stood his ground as he drew his blaster and brought it to Fox's forehead. "I'm afraid I can't let you near the general, Fox." Then, a pause:
"Fox McCloud," he announced, raising his voice as he adopted a battle-ready stance. "By order of the Lylatian Council and the Commonwealth of Independent Colonies, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice and the brutal murdering of Professor Andross."
Fox stared at Bill in disbelief, her mouth agape. "You can't be serious, Bill. You're making a big mistake. I don't want to hurt you."
"Neither do I," he stated, tilting his snout upward. "But you leave me with no other choice. Surrender now, and you will be given a fair trial."
"No," Fox said firmly.
Bill sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Then, I'm sorry about this."
Fox closed her eyes and relaxed her arms as she adopted a fighting stance. Then she opened her eyes, her steely gaze fixed on her former friend. "And so am I."
The control tower's atmosphere was thick with tension. The old formerly-retired mercenary team Star Fox was on one side of the room. On the other were Lady O'Donnell and her two bodyguards, Panther Caruso and Leon Powalksi. And to keep a watchful eye on the two rival groups was none other than General Peppy Hare.
The aging hare flicked her eyes back and forth between Star Fox and Star Wolf, her firm gaze and mere presence keeping them at bay. Meanwhile, the staff operating the tower equipment waited with bated breath for the tension to be broken one way or the other. But as long as Peppy was present, neither side dared to aggressively move against the other.
The CDF and its forces were stretched thin enough and had limited resources. Peppy knew what was at stake and the risks of having the two rival mercenary groups in the same room. But this was an emergency that required both teams to handle. Besides, this emergency called for the work of someone who wouldn't go in guns blazing and ask questions later.
'Thank goodness Falco was kicked from the team before causing any problems,' Peppy mused, glancing at her watch. 'And where is Fox? She should've been here by now; knowing her, she is never late. Even fashionably late.'
"Hey, Cottontail." Peppy huffed and turned to Wolf O'Donnell, who stood with her arms crossed and a hip cocked to the side, irritation written all over her face. "When is the pup gonna get here? I have better things to do, you know. Like running the entire Lylat criminal underground from Sargasso Station?"
"Soon, O'Donnell. Now sit down and stop making everyone anxious."
Wolf scoffed and put a hand to her ample chest as she took offense at Peppy's words. "Well, excuse me for being a master criminal and giving everyone around me the heebie-jeebies whenever I enter a room. You're the one who invited my team and me here in the first place. And when is 'soon'? We've waited for the pup to show her face for over fifteen minutes, and she is nowhere to be seen." Wolf adopted a sneer and narrowed her one good eye at Peppy and Star Fox. "I think she may have ditched this cesspit of a planet and bailed on you when she saw the message. Maybe she doesn't want anything to do with you."
A felid growl came from the lupine's right, and Miyu Lynx stepped forward, held back by her teammates so she wouldn't do anything brash. "That's not true, Wolf! Peppy is Fox and her father's oldest friend! Fox would never turn her back on her."
Wolf scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe just this once, you're wrong. I don't blame her, though. It does things to a person after being called a monster by the same people who hailed you as a hero."
"Enough!" Peppy boomed angrily, a vein popping in her forehead. "I will not have you badmouth Fox McCloud behind her back, O'Donnell. I know Fox all too well. As Miyu said, Fox would _never _dismiss a request from an old friend. Especially one who was close to her father."
The lupine snorted and crossed her arms, avoiding Peppy's patronizing gaze. "Whatever you say, Cottontail."
Peppy let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. For this reason, there was a moment of doubt about inviting Wolf and her fellow criminal teammates. But the aging hare remained firm on her decision to do so. However, the words from the lupine rang loud in Peppy's mind, and she wondered if Fox abandoned her and left Corneria behind. But Fox would never do that, right?
Peppy was snapped from her thoughts when one of the officers present came up to her and whispered in her ear. Her face fell. She turned to the two mercenary teams and said, "I need you all in the lobby immediately."
"What's going on, Peppy?" Katt Monroe inquired, stepping forward from her group.
Peppy shook her head and made her way to the elevator. "Bill Grey has started a fight with Fox downstairs. And he's losing. But I need to get down there and stop it from escalating further. And all of you are going to help me, understood?" Everyone nodded once, leaving Peppy satisfied with herself. "Good. Let's go."
Fox McCloud let out a snarl, grabbed her assailant, and tossed them over her shoulder. A scream rang out in the lobby as the guard was thrown across the room before they landed on the hard floor. Next to them was a disorganized pile of previous guards that had been knocked out. Bill Grey stared at his comrades before he turned his attention to Fox and growled at her. "Now you've finally done it, McCloud. The Council will love to see you behind bars, especially after this."
Fox growled, her hackles raised and teeth gleaming in the light. "Try, jerkface. This _could have been avoided if you had simply let me through. But no, you just _had to play lapdog to the Council and bar me from seeing an old friend on official business!"
"Why would the General ever associate with a killer like you? If anything, she should've exiled you to Sector X!" Bill retorted, clutching his arm and rising to his feet.
"I'm a killer?" Fox exclaimed, putting both hands on her chest. "You're seriously comparing me to someone who obliterated a planet and decimated the entire population in the Lylat System? He's better off dead than alive in prison, where he could potentially kill more innocent people. It wouldn't matter if it was the 'best' high-security prison in the system. He'd find a way to get out and wreak havoc again." She shook her head and let her hands rest at her side. "What happened to you, Bill? Since childhood, you have always been my friend, standing by my side and watching my back. Now? You're more than willing to put a round through my head just because I avenged those who lost their lives thanks to Andross."
"It isn't just that, McCloud," Bill said, no longer raising his voice at the winded vixen. "You had a vendetta and carried it out with little remorse against someone defenseless."
"Andross would've found a way to kill me first if I hadn't pulled the trigger, Grey. You know how slimy that psycho is."
Bill bared his fangs and pointed at Fox accusingly. "Well, you-"
"Lieutenant Grey! Stand down, now!"
The booming voice that had butted its way into Fox and Grey's argument shook them from their violent trances and drew their attention to the owner. General Peppy Hare stormed across the lobby towards the two canines, fury written over her face. "Who gave you the order to keep Fox McCloud from entering my office? I specifically requested her here of my own volition." She surveyed the lobby and the unconscious bodies of the guards who attempted to apprehend Fox. "Now, take your men to the infirmary and leave McCloud to me. That is a direct order, lieutenant."
Bill's face fell into disbelief, and he opened his mouth to protest. But a stern glare from Peppy discouraged him from arguing further, and he complied without another word. Satisfied that the situation had been partially handled, Peppy looked to Fox and frowned at her. "I am _very _disappointed in you, Fox," she scolded. "Never have I ever seen you act like this. What would your parents think if they saw you now?"
Fox refused to reply and turned away from Peppy, her ears folding back. Peppy sighed and shook her head and approached the young vixen. "Fox, listen. I know it's hard losing them to that madman. But to execute him in cold blood? You're no better than he is."
That snapped Fox back to reality, and she whirled on the hare angrily. "DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THAT MONSTER, PEPPY!" she shouted, startling everyone. Peppy staggered back from the furious vixen, her eyes wide. Fox continued:
"That man has murdered millions of innocent people in his 'quest for science'. As for myself? I only killed him. That is the only difference between myself and Andross, Peppy. I only intended to destroy that maniac for the monster he is, not the followers who blindly follow him and worship the ground he walks. I am not Andross, Peppy. So, don't you dare think I'm like him for a second. Ever." Fox sighed and relaxed, but only slightly. "He is a murderer. I am just someone who lost almost everything because of him and the only one who decided to do something about it."
Fox shook her head and hugged herself, her gaze averted to the floor. "I know I'm not perfect. But when is anyone? We all make mistakes, and we learn from them. I made the mistake of letting my personal feelings get in the way and cloud my judgment." A sigh slipped from her maw, and she looked up at Peppy. "What is it that you wanted to speak to me about? You said it was important..." She paused and gave the sneering faces of Star Wolf a quick sideways glance. "And it must be if you have them here."
"Walk with me, Fox. I'll explain everything to the others, but I have something else to tell you first." Fox nodded in understanding and followed Peppy as the hare walked outside.
Once they stepped out into the sunlight, Peppy sighed and said, "Fox, I'll be brief with you and say that our situation is not ideal."
Fox tilted her head slightly with a curious expression. "What is that supposed to mean? Is it true that we've made first contact?"
Peppy let out a heavy sigh through her nose before nodding. "I'm afraid so, and it isn't looking too good."
"How so?"
"Our scans have shown two life forms are aboard the alien craft, but they haven't responded to our hails. We fear that they may be dead."
"And that's the worst-case scenario?" Fox asked.
"Yes," Peppy replied. "Best case is that they are unconscious or their radio equipment is offline."
"I see," Fox mused, nodding slowly. "What do you want me and the others to do? Go investigate?"
"That and a few other things," Peppy said. "Our scans have also shown that one of the life forms is emitting a very bizarre energy field. It is akin to that of what a Cerinian has."
Fox's eyes widened. "A Cerinian? But they weren't a technologically-advanced species, were they?"
Peppy shook her head. "No, but despite that, a few were able to make it off-world before Andross destroyed their home. But that is beside the point." She cleared her throat and continued. "My point is that whoever is on that ship is a Cerinian and an unknown alien species. I need you, Star Fox, and Star Wolf, to go up there in the Great Fox, recover the spacecraft (and the passengers if they are alive), and rendezvous with me at the Killian Naval Base."
Fox nodded understandingly. "Okay. Anything else I need to know? Aside from letting Star Wolf walk around _my _ship?" She didn't mean to sound demeaning to the rogue mercenary team; she merely wanted to lighten the mood and poke fun at them.
Peppy caught on to this and chuckled slightly. "Yes, actually, there is something else. I'm posting a few of my most trusted soldiers as security during the exchange. Both to keep Star Wolf in line and as a few extra guns if anything goes awry."
"Okay, Peppy," Fox said. "I won't let you down."
Peppy smiled warmly and patted the vixen's shoulder. "I know you won't, Fox. I know."
"That is what we're supposed to pick up?" Wolf inquired, a miffed expression on her face. "Looks like a piece of junk someone scraped together at the last minute and then sent through a nebula or something." She turned to the crowd behind her. "With that said, how the hell did it end up out here?"
Fox shrugged and shook her head. "I'm as clueless as you are, Wolf. Peppy only said to recover the craft and its occupants, then bring them back to Killian Naval Base on Corneria."
"And?" Wolf pressed, tilting her head and giving Fox a questioning glance. "What else are we supposed to do? What if the aliens onboard are hostile and try to kill us? Ever consider that, pup?"
"I have, Wolf," Fox said darkly, approaching the lupine. "And I have considered the risks associated with that possibility. Now, sit down and keep quiet. Next time you go out of line, I'm personally dragging your crime-lord ass to the airlock and booting you out. Am I clear?"
Wolf narrowed her eyes at Fox, refusing to budge an inch. Finally, she huffed and sat down in her designated seat. "Fine."
Fox sighed and shook her head before she turned to the team's engineer and tech wizard, Slippy Toad, and addressed him. "Slippy, open up a closed frequency to the alien craft. We'll try to hail them now that we're closer."
Slippy nodded wordlessly and performed the task, and the Great Fox was hailing the slumbering alien spacecraft in no time. Fox cleared her throat and spoke in a loud, clear voice:
"This is Fox McCloud of the _Great Fox _to unidentified spacecraft; you are trespassing in CDF and CIC space. Please respond." She waited for a reply, but none came through the white noise of radio static. Fox spoke again, this time with a firm tone. "I repeat, identify yourself. You are violating CDF space. Turn back now or face the consequences."
Despite the (mostly) empty threat, Fox knew that the alien craft was incapacitated from what Peppy told her moments ago. But she had to keep up appearances. Peppy shared the information about a potential Cerinian survivor with Fox, and her only, for a reason. What that was, the vixen did not know. But she hoped it was a valid one. She hated lying to her friends, especially since they were the only ones who still stuck by her side in light of the war and the aftermath.
"Uh, Fox?" Slippy's voice cut in through Fox's thoughts, and she shook her head and looked at him inquisitively. "I did a scan of the craft, and it appears that it's currently incapacitated. No engine power, no communications - at least to acknowledge our hails with their own - and the life support is at a critical level."
Wolf interjected, much to the ire of everyone else present, including Fox. "Meaning what? Peppy Cottontail sent us to retrieve a dead ship?" She threw her hands up in the air and growled irritably. "Just. Fucking. Great! What's the point of this mission, then?"
"I-I-I wasn't f-finished, W-Wolf," Slippy feebly protested, his stout form visibly shaking from the lupine's outburst. Wolf glared at him and was about to throw an expletive at the young amphibian, but Fox warded her off with a glare of her own. Given the all-clear from his leader, Slippy gulped and continued: "The scans also showed that there are two life forms on board. But their vitals indicate they are currently in a state of unconsciousness."
"Only two aliens, huh?" a new voice jumped in. All eyes turned to Panther, who stood alone in a far corner of the bridge. She shrugged off the mixed looks she received and said, "I guess that increases our chances of survival if they ever decide to not come in peace. Just saying."
Paying no mind to Panther's musings, Fox sighed and returned her gaze to the bridge's viewport. "It doesn't matter. Our mission is clear. Now more so than before since the ship is in critical condition. We need to move as quickly as possible." She looked at Slippy and nodded. "Take us in, Slippy. Nice and slow. Once we're in range, activate the tractor beam." Fox turned to her team and said, "The rest of you, with me. We're going down to the hangar to greet our extraterrestrial guests."