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Chapter 24: The Legacy of Cerinia

Ninety-three Hours Earlier

Twelve lightyears away, the Cornerian exploratory fleet was on its fourteenth foray out from Lylat. Once again resupplied and refueled, the destroyer CDF Vigilant, the carrier CDF Dauntless, and the science vessel Nebula passed through the Beltino Orbital Gate. On the other side of the artificial wormhole, the ships appeared at yet another star system along the vector Bill Grey had given from the Shards of Cerinia.

On the bridge of the Dauntless, Fleet Captain Lupo Ramius gazed forward at the view screen and the star they were approaching. The wolf sighed. If it were not for the abundant habitable worlds they were finding in what was now their secondary mission, he would have had some serious misgivings about their primary objective. Never in his career would he have imagined that he would be sent on a search mission based on a dream, a vision, and a ghostly apparition. Yet, he would never forget seeing the Cerinian specter that had appeared right in front of him here on the bridge where he now sat. So he wondered again, if that ghost was real, could Bill Grey's vision and Krystal McCloud's dream be also real?

During each mission, this was always the longest part. Whenever they approached an unexplored star system, they would first send in a probe through the Beltino Gate to map the borders of the outer cloud that contained the debris from that system's formation. Once they knew where the inner border of that debris field was, the fleet would gate in to just outside the heliosphere to ensure they did not collide with any unknown body circling the star. There could be asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, or anything else that might loiter along the edge of interstellar space. The last thing they needed was to come out of the artificial wormhole at a quarter the speed of light on a collision course with some such unknown object.

Lupo opened his comm. "Nebula, what have you got?"

"Long range scans show the presence of four ice giants in the outer system with an asteroid field between the second and third ice giant. The inner system, from innermost to outermost, is comprised of a gas giant, an inhospitable sulfurous volcanic planet, an arid world that is marginally habitable, and a tundra world with high proportions of carbon dioxide ice."

"Mmmm. Doesn't look promising." The lupine fleet captain mused. "Helm, best ETA to third planet."

"Ninety-one hours, Sir." replied the black wolf at the helm.

Several decks below in his personal quarters near the hangar bays, Bill Grey showered, letting the warm, recirculating waters cleans his fur after another 12 hours in his pressure suit. He was thankful that Husky squadron had now joined the exploration fleet. While Tiger and Jackal Squadrons were well trained by Fox, Krystal, and later by Rachel Summers and the rest of the Huskies, they were still not as experienced as the Bulldog and Husky Squadrons.

Still, having now four full Arwing squadrons allowed them to rotate in six-hour shifts: six hours in the launch bay, already suited up and ready to launch at a moment's notice, followed by six hours patrolling around the exploration fleet, and then 12 hours down time out of their pressure suits. So if hostiles were to be detected inbound, the patrolling squadron would immediately have the backup squadron launch and join them, doubling their numbers to 24 Arwings. And thanks to drills, the remaining two squadrons could jump out of their bunks, be suited up, and launched within 10 minutes.

Thankfully, the fleet had so far never come across any hostile alien life forms. But depressingly, they had not come across any intelligent life forms either, especially one particular group of 49 life forms that they were still searching for. Bill sighed and rested his head against the shower wall while the warm water cascaded down over him. It was so surprising to find so few habitable worlds beyond Lylat.

Previous exploration missions in various directions had found many star systems that had not a single world with life, or on a rare occasion, just a single planet at the right distance from its star to support living organisms. Then there was their current mission. At some unknown time before the destruction of their world, the Cerinians had deduced where the most likely candidates for habitable worlds might exist.

Of the thirteen star systems they had explored so far, six contained habitable planets. Of those six, only one had a world even remotely similar to Corneria with oceans, vegetation, and animal life. When they had first come upon this world three years ago, Bill's heart had leapt with hope, but detailed scans had revealed nothing more than lower life forms in an ecology that was very hostile. The one landing party that had touched down on that planet had to make a hasty retreat after being attacked by terrifying predators. The five other habitable worlds they found among the remaining four star systems all had marginally habitable biospheres.

It made Bill appreciate how much of a jewel Lylat was. They had three lush worlds teaming with life: Corneria, Fortuna, and Sauria. They had two ocean worlds: Aquas and Zoness, with the later well on its way to being cleaned up after Andross had polluted that planet. Then there was the desert world of Papatoon, Fox's birth world, which had several thriving settlements. Two other planets, Katina and Titania where also arid worlds that could sustain colonies for those hardy enough. There was also the industrial world of Macbeth that was a rich source of minerals for the entire star system. Those adapted to the polar regions of Corneria could easily find a home on the icy world of Fichina. Even Venom's ecology was improving, giving all of Lylat hope that the former followers of Andross might find less reason to resent their planetary neighbors. With all these habitable worlds, it was no wonder they had had to fend off invading alien races that coveted their star system.

And here they were, inbound to another barely habitable desert world, hoping against hope that they'd find the remnants of the Cerinian race. He already knew from Krystal that Cerinia had been a lush, tropical world. He could not imagine her people surviving on such a desolate world as the one the exploration fleet was heading to this time.

Ninety hours and numerous crew and pilot rotations later, the fleet was decelerating on their final approach to orbital insertion around a depressingly arid world with few patches of vegetation around nearly dry oases. As the rotating planet grew larger on their view screens, the science vessel Nebula began its scans.

From her science station on the bridge Lieutenant Commander Janice Curtis reported the detailed scans from the Nebula. "Arid biosphere with minimal vegetation. North and South Polar Regions average temperature -130 Centigrade. Equatorial zone, +10 Centigrade during the day and -15 at night. Atmosphere, 11% oxygen, 76% nitrogen, 9% argon, and trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, helium, neon, krypton, and hydrogen. Relative humidity, 15%."

Lupo Ramius pursed his lips. Once again, they had found a world that could barely sustain any life. Unless this planet held a mineral bounty that far surpassed Macbeth's or some other miraculous resource, he could not imagine anyone from Lylat ever establishing an outpost on this bleak, desolate world. Nonetheless, they would continue to approach this planet and give it the thorough survey it needed to justify their having traveled this far.

The lupine commander's eyes glazed over as he sat there in his central seat on the bridge, watching this desert world slowly rotate below them over the next hour as they approached the planet. He barely registered in his mind as he saw another lone oasis come into view. It was just one of many barely habitable patches of vegetation that dotted this ocean of sand dunes. Suddenly, his science officer cried out. "Captain! Sentient life forms!"

Suddenly, a deathly quiet settled upon the bridge of the Dauntless. All eyes, including the fleet captain's, turned to the grey she-wolf at the science station. "Report, Lieutenant Commander."

Janice Curtis' breathing quickened as she read the scans from the Nebula. "Bipedal, mammalian....We are detecting 49 vulpine life forms...." She then glanced up with a look of shocked disbelief and met her commanding officer's eyes. "Cerinian...."

Ten seconds went by while the enormity of their discovery sank into Lupo's mind. Then he sprang into action, barking orders. "Helm! Alter course to establish geosynchronous orbit around planet above location of Cerinians!" He then opened his comm and called their destroyer escort. "Vigilant, go to high alert! Maintain long range scans for any possible hostiles on approach." He then called their science vessel. "Nebula, prepare planetary landing party with medical and science personnel with room for one additional crew member. Be certain that everyone is equipped with a Cerinian translator in their comm units." Another switch on his console was depressed, and he was on ship-wide intercom. "Husky, Tiger, and Jackal Squadrons, go on high alert and be ready to launch! Bulldog Squadron, standby for escort assignment. Commander Grey, report to the bridge. "

It was less than five minutes later that Bill Grey stepped off the lift and addressed the fleet captain. "Reporting as ordered, Sir." He knew that something had happened the moment the wolf had started issuing ship-wide orders, and anxiously watched him stand up and walk over to the science station. When Lupo waved him over, Bill approached and glanced down at the science console showing the detailed scan results from the Nebula.

Reading the words on the scan report, Bill felt himself become faint. His breath quickened and he looked up, meeting his commander's gaze with wide-eyes full of nearly disbelieving astonishment. "They're here....We've found them...."

Lupo Ramius nodded solemnly. "Yes....and somehow after seven years since Cerinia's destruction, they have survived on a world that is almost uninhabitable. I have ordered a landing party comprising of medical and science personnel. I am taking you off Bulldog Squadron's flight roster and transferring you over to the Nebula."

"Sir?" Bill asked, astonished by the sudden, seemingly inexplicable re-assignment.

Lupo tapped a finger against the dog's head. "General Hare informed me that Krystal McCloud planted a message for these Cerinian survivors in that noggin of yours. Your new assignment is now to be the messenger boy to assure these telepathic foxes that we are here to rescue them."

"Yes Sir." Bill nodded, and then paused. He had a promise to keep. He turned to his commanding officer. "Sir, I have one request before I transfer to the Nebula. Permission to send a recorded transmission to Krystal."

The wolf considered the canine's request. "Commander, these are the last remaining survivors of the Cerinian race. I have put the Vigilant on high alert. The last thing that must be allowed to happen is for some random, hostile race to hear about these Cerinians and attack us."

"I'll be vague Sir. It will be a message only Krystal will understand."

"Very well." Lupo conceded. "I'll have it bundled with the encrypted reports and code phrased transmission to CDF Headquarters." He directed Bill to the communication station. "Your recording will be transmitted within an hour."

Bill sat down in front of the holorecorder. Gazing into the camera, he depressed the switch, paused to gather his thoughts, and licked his lips. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and said, "Krystal........We found them..... Contact Peppy for details." and promptly ended the recording.

"Very good, Commander. The McClouds should get the news in about two hours." Lupo nodded. "Report the Nebula."

"Yes Sir."

*****

Elder Hiroshi gazed out over the sand dunes that surrounded their meager oasis. How long had they been here, marooned on this desolate planet? Two years? Three years? Longer? Somehow, they had all managed to survive. They had spent nearly two years confined to their shuttlecrafts riding waves of warped spacetime from one star system to the next in a desperate search for a habitable world to settle on, but had not found any. Eventually, they had been forced to use the last of their fuel to land on this bleak world.

He looked around at their shelters clustered together near the center of the oasis. Here and there were black tarps made from the skins of the dune worms that they had managed to hunt. The skins were cleaned and sewn together to trap what little moisture there was in the air, which would condensate and run down to the edges to be caught in shallow bowls underneath to provide each of them their daily ration of water. More skins where drawn over the small pool at the center of the oasis to keep the water there from evaporating as little as possible. Each day, a party would be sent out to hunt for dune worms while the sun was out, giving them its meager warmth.

It was only by virtue of their telepathy that they managed to always fend off the deadly predators prowling the surrounding desert. Still, they barely caught enough to sustain themselves since they all had to huddle together after sunset to survive the frigid nights. None spent the nights in the shuttlecrafts. The cryogenic canisters within had to be kept cold at all costs, which meant keeping the crafts sealed to use the least energy possible. Once the fuel cells were depleted, all hope at saving their race would be lost.

All of them gazed up into the sky, hoping against hope that salvation would come, but struggling against the mounting despair. Hiroshi looked towards the patch of sky where he knew Cerinia once was and sighed despondently, _"Oh Shinkai, my friend. What are we to do?" _ The aged fox looked around at the others around him. None of his charges had an answer. Over the past year, they had discussed their options.

It had been concluded that they only had three desperate course of actions available to them. Their first option was to use what precious energy they had left to send out a distress signal in the hopes that someone would hear them, and then help instead of harm them. The second choice was to transfer the unspent fuel cells to one of the shuttlecrafts, load all the canisters aboard it, and choose four couples to escape in the hopes of finding a better world, leaving the remaining 41 behind. Their final option, which they had decided upon as the least horrible though no less desperate, was to cobble together materials to build a wind turbine that would provide power to sustain the cryo-canisters.

Over the countless days, weeks, months.....years they had eked out sustenance on this world, the hunting parties had gathered skins and bones to make the turbine vanes. Two of the shuttles had been cannibalized to put together the electric generator. They still needed to create pulleys to transfer the wind energy to the turbine though. A desperate hunt had now been ongoing to find an ore vein that would yield metal to melt and cast, but so far, nothing had been found.

A young tod walked up to stand next to him. He had medium blue fur, and bright golden eyes that had reminded his parents of a sunrise, hence his name. "Any sign of them, Elder?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "None yet, Hinode. They are heading out much farther this time in their search for ore."

Hinode remained quiet. What could he possibly say that was not said already? He shuffled back to the center of their camp and joined his bondmate in the group huddle. The sun was getting low in the sky. All could feel the chill in the air, even with all the skins they wore. They could not even light a campfire. There was already precious few vegetation that provided them with sustenance. He looked into his vixen's eyes and almost broke down from the despair in Shinko's eyes that mirrored his own.

It was well after sunset by the time Renjiro and Akina returned. The guardian and his bondmate collapsed from exhaustion and exposure after staggering into the oasis. Hiroshi, Hinode, and Shinko all left the warmth of their huddle to gather up the hunting couple and drag them back into their communal tent. It was only after his teeth stopped chattering that Renjiro was able to relate to the group what had happened. "Th-the universe must be mocking us. We finally found an iron deposit on an outcropping by m-midafternoon, but there were the largest sandworms we have ever seen guarding it. They w-were so aggressive that we c-could not project f-fear into their minds."

"It's so unfair!" Akina cried. "We lost our home. We lost our families. Now even hope is being taken from us. I so much wanted to have children, but we can't even have that, not here on this forsaken planet." The vixen sniffled and then whimpered a thought they were all beginning to have. "I almost wish we had stayed back home and died with our families."

Hiroshi's heart felt heavy with his own despair. He could not fault his charges with losing hope, but did his best to stoke their will to survive. "Let's consider our options after sunrise. We'll figure out how to overcome this latest hurdle." Huddled together with his charges to stave off the bitter cold of night, Hiroshi and the rest eventually drifted off to another night of fitful sleep.

The following morning found a light layer of frost covering their shelter. The discovery of the precious layer of water sent them scrambling to collect it before it evaporated in the arid sky. They had long ago stopped mentally communing, not wanting to feed off each other's hopelessness. Their telepathy had now for a long time been directed towards the surrounding sand dunes, all of them constantly vigilant against desert predators.

So intent were they all on collecting the water, on the constant drudgery of doing all they could to survive, on keeping a mental lookout to the surrounding sands, that they did not perceive the new presence approaching them from above. It was not until they heard the whine of approaching atmospheric crafts that they gazed up and noticed a large shuttle decelerating towards them, escorted by 11 small single seat fighters.

Confused disbelief and incomprehension went through the 24 bonded couples. Even Hiroshi had difficulty processing what he was seeing. The idea that anyone would ever find them on this remote planet so far removed from any known civilization was beyond anything they could have imagined. They vacantly watched the large craft slow to a stop above them and then come down to gently settle on the ground at the edge of the oasis.

It was only when the shuttlecraft's hatch started to open that they turned their empathic and telepathic senses towards the new arrivals. All of them were filled with a mixture of hope and nervousness upon sensing the aliens within. Hiroshi turned to his charges and addressed Renjiro and the other three guardians. "Be on guard, in case they mean us harm. Above all else, protect your bondmates and protect the cryo-canisters." He then locked eyes with the remaining 40 around him. "The rest of you, keep your empathy focused on these aliens. We can hope they mean us no harm, but if they become hostile, be prepared to project fear into their minds."

None moved as they watched individuals of varying species disembark from the landed craft. They appeared to come in a variety of races, each with their own unique fur color. There were even two that looked like Cerinians foxes, except that one had grey fur and the other had reddish brown fur. Hiroshi became hopeful when he sensed emotions of concern, hope, and amazement from these visitors. He then gazed up at the fighters flying around them and realized who they were: Lylatians.

In its long history, Cerinia had endeavored to interact as little as possible with the denizens of that star system. Reports of the many interplanetary wars that had raged through that area of space had left them weary of even communicating with them. Past experiences with previous alien contact had demonstrated that most were envious of their telepathic powers and often sought to exploit Cerinians for it. A desire to avoid these militaristic races was why they had aimed along a vector away from Lylat when they had fled the destruction of Cerinia.

Then one of them stepped forward. His fur was a medium brown, with tan fur on his neck and wide muzzle. The ears on his head stood up partway, but were flopped forward as if he could not hold them erect. Behind him was a short furry tail instead of the long fuzzy tail typical of foxes. He then locked his gaze with this person's green eyes. When he saw the tears well up from them and sensed strong emotions of sadness and relief, everything changed.

*****

It was less than an hour ago that Bill had transferred over to the Nebula after putting Lee Sterling in temporary command of Bulldog Squadron. He knew that Bulldog 7 was more than capable of leading the other 10 from their squadron. He then found himself a passenger instead of sitting in the pilot's seat, riding down to this desolate world with these scientists, technicians, doctors, and nurses. The moment the hatch opened, he was out with the rest of the landing party.

And there they were, 49 blue-furred Cerinian foxes all huddled together. His eyes roved over their makeshift camp. He could see several skins laid out as moisture catchers, and the rest sewn together to make a tent. Dried meats hung from the branches of the few trees that made up this barely sustainable haven in the middle of a desert wasteland. He immediately recognized the seven Cerinian shuttles from the vision imparted to him by the ghost of High Elder Shinkai.

His gaze drifted back to the Cerinians, all clad in thick skins similar to the ones used for their shelter. Knowing that their home world had been a tropical paradise, he could barely imagine how hard it must have been for them to survive on this cold, desert planet. He then recognized one of them, older than the others, and took a step forward. When his eyes locked with Elder Hiroshi's, Bill felt tears well up in his eyes. They and Krystal were the last survivors of the Cerinian race. The haunting memory of what he had seen at the Shards of Cerinia coupled with finally seeing living, breathing Cerinians, no matter how few, filled his aching heart with a profound sadness and relief.

Bill immediately knew that they had sensed his emotions when their body posture relaxed and he saw several vixens raise their hands to their muzzles and begin to weep. Four of them who were armed with staves much like Krystal's lowered their weapons and sagged. He immediately walked up to aged fox and addressed him. "Elder Hiroshi, I cannot express how much of a relief it is for us to have finally found you."

At first, Hiroshi did not understand what this alien was saying to him, but then the universal translator in Bill's communicator activated and replayed his words in Cerinian. The aged elder was surprised by what he heard. "Who are you? How is it you know my name?"

"My name is Bill Grey. I have a friend named Kurisutaru who is of your people. She also escaped Cerinia's destruction. She knew I'd one day find you, and left a message deep in my mind for you to read." Bill had always wondered how he would feel about letting another telepath into his head. But after years of knowing Krystal, he knew that his private thoughts were safe, even if he gave them free access to his mind.

Hiroshi though did not know these things about Bill Grey. So he was surprised when the dog took his hands, pressed them against his temples, and said without reservation, "Please Sir, I've waited years to deliver this message." That a non-telepath would freely open up his mind to him was not something he had expected. So he could not in good conscious refuse such an expression of trust.

Hiroshi delved into Bill's subconscious and there found the message planted by Kurisutaru. And with Bill, they viewed the memory of the dream she shared with her husband where they reunited with their deceased parents. Hiroshi was amazed to discover that this Kurisutaru had found a non-telepathic bondmate who so fully embraced Cerinian ways. And this Lylatian mercenary was at his core, a guardian like her, and was the one responsible for avenging the near genocide of their race. Both Hiroshi and Bill were profoundly moved by how deeply Fokkusu loved Cerinia. Bill turned to Hiroshi and thought, "We always knew that Fox often wished he could have prevented Andross from destroying your world, but I never knew how deeply he hurt at never having been able to visit there."

"He may not be of our race in blood, but he has a Cerinian heart." Hiroshi mentally replied. He was still not certain what the goal of this mental missive was though, but continued to delve into this memory with Bill. Then, the answer presented itself to him in Shiokaze's prophesy:

"Knowing that our people were most likely doomed, he sent 49 others on another mission that he hoped would save our race. As you recall, there were other shuttles missing from the wreckage of the hangar. These survivors escaped our world's destruction in those shuttles and took with them the key to bringing our people back from the brink of extinction, and they will ultimately succeed, and the people of New Cerinia will become Lylat's greatest ally."

Shiokaze raised a hand, forestalling any questions his daughter and her love were going to ask. _ _"I cannot tell you where they are, but know that in the near future, you will be reunited with them."

Fox's mind raced with possible locations where he might look for these Cerinians, but his father said, "Do not look for them, Son. They will be found in due time. In fact, it is your friend Bill Grey who will come across them."

Krystal looked at her soulmate, tears of happiness in her eyes. Fox drew her into a heart-felt hug, his voice thick with emotion. "Oh Krystal, you are not the last of your race. You are one of 50 survivors."

"Fifty-one, actually." said Onikisu with a coy smile.

"Remarkable. Had we known, we would have sought refuge in Lylat instead of going on this fruitless search for a habitable world where our race and civilization could rebuild. We had always feared that your people would covet or fear our telepathic powers."

Bill shook his head and mentally sighed. "Most of us are sensible people, but there are unfortunately a few who would be as you fear." Bill then thought of the terrible things he saw at the Shards of Cerinia and on the Paradigm Shift, the Senate Hearings on the telepathic question, and Senator Winston Starkey and Brigadier General Gordon Striker.

Hiroshi was understandably horrified and dismayed by what he saw, but was also deeply moved by Bill's eulogy as he restored the desecrated Cerinian bodies to the remnants of his home world and the general outrage by the denizens of Lylat at such atrocities. He also was heartened by the Senate's decision to heed Kurisutaru's warnings and not pursue telepathy.

Having seen everything he needed to see, the elder withdrew from Bill's mind and said to him in Lylatian with a thick Cerinian accent, "Thank you, Bill Grey, for your trust and honesty."

He then turned to the other 48 Cerinians and addressed them out loud, "This noble Lylatian has willingly bared his mind and soul to me. I can say with confidence that we can entrust our fate to them. The message this Kurisutaru left in his mind also contained a prophesy that our people and civilization will rise again."

Hearing the pronouncement from their elder, every single Cerinian embraced his or her bondmate and wept. The pall of despair lifted from their hearts to be replaced with emotions and thoughts of hope and joy shared amongst all of them.

Wiping the dried tears from his eyes, Bill turned to the rest of the landing party. "Folks, let's take care of them and help them pack up. And everyone remember my briefing. Do not be afraid of letting them hear your surface thoughts. Cerinians are very respectful of mental privacy. They'll stay away from any thought you want to keep to yourselves."

The Cerinians were suddenly finding themselves the center of attention as doctors, nurses, technicians, and scientists converged upon them. Soon, they were covered in warm thermal blankets and given plenty of water to drink.

Hinode, who was himself a healer, could appreciate the caution his attending doctor and nurse were exercising in examining him. After living on this desert world for years, he most likely had picked up unwanted pathogens. He readily submitted to having his fur treated for parasites and was not surprised by the gasp they uttered upon seeing his ribs stand out. Soon, the entire landing party was aware that the Cerinians were all suffering from malnutrition. He gratefully devoured the contents of the high-calorie military ration pack that was practically shoved into his hands, savoring it as the best meal he had in years, which essentially was true.

Having picked up on the surface thoughts of their rescuers, the Cerinians soon began to speak in Lylatian. By midmorning, they had all been treated and fed and were gathering their few belongings and getting ready to board the Lylatian shuttle. Elder Hiroshi and Hinode walked up to Bill and said, "Bill, there is something you should know." Hinode waved the dog over to follow him. "Come with me."

Bill followed the two Cerinians to one of the shuttles. He watched the tod depress a lever and saw the hatch open. Inside, under a sinking cloud of very cold moisture, were the canisters he recognized. "Yes, I saw them in the vision from High Elder Shinkai. You were loading them into all seven shuttles just prior to your escape from Cerinia. He said it was your world's legacy."

Hiroshi nodded. "And it is. During your senate's hearing on the question of telepathy, Kurisutaru showed archival footage of our clan telepath wars. She stated that after we had enacted our telepathic code of conduct, we had outlawed any further genetic research on telepathy."

Bill nodded. "Yes. You stopped all research in genetics."

Hinode raised a finger and shook it slowly from side-to-side. "Correction, Bill. We stopped all genetic research in telepathy. We enacted that law in order to discourage competition between clans on who had the strongest telepaths. I am a geneticist as well as a healer. Whenever a new couple became bonded, I and others of my profession would take sperm and egg samples from the new prospective parents."

Bill nodded, still uncertain where this conversation was going. "So what did you do with them if you could not alter their genes?"

"Well, genetic manipulation actually was allowed." Hiroshi. "Healers like Hinode here were allowed to do DNA tests, except for the telepathic gene. So prospective parents would never know how strong telepathically their progeny would be, or if even they would develop telekinesis on rare occasions. This ensured that there could never be any genetic matchups within clans to produce stronger telepaths."

"Okay, that makes sense." Bill nodded. "So, you did DNA tests for other things, like what? Hereditary diseases?"

"Precisely." Hinode replied. "We would screen DNA samples for any potential defects. If none were found, the parents would procreate as normal. Otherwise, we encouraged them to let us alter their sperm and/or egg samples to correct any defects and implant the fertilized egg in the vixen."

"Okay. I follow you. So each prospective parent would give sperm and egg samples when they got married, and...." Bill suddenly felt a shiver go down his back and turned to stare at the cryogenic canisters.

Hinode could sense the emotions of awe and shock radiate from Bill's mind as he went on to explain. "You see, Bill. Twenty four mated couples is not enough of a gene pool to restore our race. After a few generations, there would be the inevitable inbreeding. Subsequent generations would become less healthy, with potential for sterile offspring."

"H...how many samples do you have in all?" Bill asked in a quavering voice.

"We managed to gather from genetic clinics worldwide 96% of our bonded population." Hinode replied. Shinko walked up to them and held hands with her bondmate. "It will be the mission of myself and the other vixens to let ourselves be implanted with fertilized eggs from members of our race who perished when Cerinia was destroyed. Our goal is to ensure that their legacy lives on in their children, which we will give birth to."

Bill brought a shaking hand to his muzzle and stuttered....."N-ninety-six percent....Great Maker...." When the enormity of what he was hearing and seeing sank in, Bill took out his communicator and called the Dauntless. "Commander Bill Grey to the Dauntless!"

"Dauntless here." Came the reply.

"I need to speak to Fleet Captain Ramius at once."

A moment later, Lupo answered. "Ramius here. What is it Commander?"

"Sir, we need to get reinforcements! Bring an entire armada even!" came Bill's agitated answer.

"Explain yourself."

"The Cerinians sir. We must protect them at all cost." Bill paused and took a deep, calming breath. "They have sperm and egg samples in cryogenic storage from 96% of their population. If anything happens to them, it's game over."

Within the hour, they could see up in the sky above them points of light coming from more arriving Lylatian ships. On the ground, soldiers converged around them and formed an outward facing perimeter. The Cerinians were dismayed by the sudden military presence. Bill followed Hiroshi as the elder gathered the 24 bonded couples about them. To his surprise, he found himself drawn into their mental conversation as they projected their thoughts to each other and to him as well. "Elder, I'm worried. Why all this Lylatian military presence?" _ _ Akina asked.

"Do you sense their emotions, and especially Bill Grey's emotions?" Hiroshi asked.

Bill suddenly found himself the subject of intense empathic focus, but could not let it distract him. He, like the solders around them, was now armed with a blaster and anxiously scanned the sky above them.

"He's agitated, anxious....almost frantic...." one tod observed. Several others scanned the Lylatian soldiers, especially those around their shuttles which still contained the cryogenic canisters. "I'm sensing emotions of protectiveness."

Bill's eyes snapped to the vixen whose thought had been projected into his mind. "Yes, we're being very protective. If anything were to happen to your cryo-containers, to your Legacy, it would be the end of your race. We cannot allow that to happen." Bill said with fervor. "We refuse to let that happen!"

And suddenly, every Cerinian understood the reason for the frantic uproar of Lylatians around them. All were deeply moved by the emotions of protectiveness from their rescuers. It was finally sinking in that their race would indeed be brought back from the brink of extinction.

Emotions of affection and gratitude began surging into Bill's mind from all 49 Cerinians. He found himself sinking to his knees, overwhelmed by the flood of positive feelings pouring into his very being. He began to weep, pressed his palms to his temples, and cried out. "Too much.... It's... too.... much!" And the empathic surge into his mind stopped. He looked up and took Renjiro's hand, letting the tod help him up to his feet. "Sorry..." he said with shuddering breath. "I'm not a telepath. I'm... not used to that...."

"I'm amazed that a militaristic race such as yours would be so compassionate." Hiroshi observed.

"We are not militaristic by choice...." They heard someone say. As a group, each Cerinian turned their gaze at the new arrival, and saw a grey wolf approach them. He extended a hand to Hiroshi, who understood the gesture to be a form of greeting among non-telepaths. The elder took the wolf's hand in his and shook it as the wolf introduced himself. "Fleet Captain Lupo Ramius."

"Elder Hiroshi, leader of the Cerinian people."

"I'm honored." Lupo replied formally. "So, as I was saying, we have a large, powerful military by necessity." The wolf sighed and went on. "In the last few decades, we had to fight for our lives against several alien invasions. These multiple attempts to conquer us prompted our government to devote large funding towards defense against future invasion and also piracy." He paused to gather his thoughts and then went on. "Until we started exploring neighboring star system, we did not understand why we were so often attacked. Beyond Lylat, we found that most star systems had no habitable worlds at all. The remainder had one, perhaps two planets that could support life, but marginally so, like this one that you have been marooned on. In fact, the closest star system to Lylat that had a desirable, habitable world was yours. And even then, Cerinia was the only world in your star system that could support life."

"Yes, we knew that Lylat had several habitable worlds." Hiroshi nodded. What the Lylatian fleet captain said next astonished the elder.

"Lylat in fact has three lush, heavily forested worlds teaming with life, including our home world of Corneria. We also have two ocean worlds almost entirely covered in water. There are also three desert planets that are beautiful gardens when compared to this planet we are on. There is also a mining colony on a planet that is rich in mineral resources. And we have one icy world with a tundra biosphere.

"Spirits! It's no wonder you've been attacked so often!" exclaimed one tod.

Bill nodded. "Yes. It's also why we are very weary of surrounding space this far from Lylat. So far, in our search for you, we have been fortunate to not encounter any hostile aliens, but we remain vigilant."

Just then, a fleet of smaller shuttlecraft descended upon them, landing all around their oasis. The Cerinians turned to the wolf and were about to ask him what he was planning to do with them. Though not a telepath, Lupo anticipated their question and answered. "We have a saying in Lylat: 'Do not put all your eggs in one basket.' Unless you are adamant on remaining together, we would much prefer that you are separated and brought aboard several of our warships. You would of course be allowed to communicate with each other between ships."

Before they could answer, their attention was drawn to a group of technicians who swarmed around the last Cerinian shuttle still functioning. To their alarm, the cryogenic canisters with their precious cargo was offloaded and transferred to multiple Lylatian transports. Many of the bonded couples turned to protest to the wolf, who raised a placating hand. "We also want to separate your....Legacy, among as many warships as possible. This way, if anybody were intent to killing all of you and destroying all genetic traces of your race, they would have to destroy our entire fleet."

Hiroshi nodded and spoke for his people. "We understand, and accept your recommendations. We are placing the fate of our race in your hands, Fleet Captain Lupo Ramius. I must ask though. Where will you be taking us?"

"Prior to the arrival of our reinforcements, our leader, Chief Minister Uncia Frost, received a communication from King Tricky of the EarthWalker tribe on Sauria, one of the three lush planets in our star system. There is an incorporeal life form there known as the Krazoa who informed the king that you would be in need of a new home." Lupo explained.

Hiroshi's eyes widened. "The Krazoa! We know of them. In our oldest legends, there are stories of them bringing us down from the heavens to Cerinia in ancient, prehistoric times. Some theorize that they are the reason our race is telepathic. Even our blue fur has been attributed to them."

Lupo stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting... I suppose you may find out if those legends are true then. An area of unclaimed land has been allocated for all of you, capable of sustaining a very large population on the order of a million. I am told by our lone Cerinian survivor, Krystal McCloud, that the environment there reminds her of Cerinia. It is near a place she and her husband sometimes retreat to, called Cape Claw."

By then, half of the Legacy of Cerinia had been taken away onto multiple transports, all escorted by squadrons of Arwings. The Cerinians were separated and led to eight different shuttles. Bill joined Hiroshi, Hinode, Shinko, Renjiro, Akina, and two other Cerinians on the shuttle he had come in. Lupo sat across from the dog.

As they were ascending into space, Lupo issued his next order. "Commander Grey, since you have developed a strong rapport with the Cerinians, I am assigning you to be their liaison until they have been settled on Sauria."

"Yes Sir." Bill nodded, though his eyes were drawn to his Cerinian charges. They were all looking out their windows, awed by the massive warships that they were flying towards. They watched as their view was filled by the Dauntless until it was all around them when they flew into the hangar bay.

Once the ship had landed, Bill chaperoned the overwhelmed Cerinians off of the loud, bustling hanger deck, down a busy corridor, and into the pilots' quarters. The rest of Bulldog Squadron, who were in the squadron common room, were naturally curious about the blue-furred telepathic foxes. Bill though forestalled any of their questions. "Guys, let me get our guests settled in first. They've had a grueling few years and will most likely want to eat and rest first."

"Sure thing, Boss." Said Nena Gordon, speaking for the rest. Two bulldogs though felt compelled to step forward. Ernie Green and Eric Tawney approached the Cerinians who all sensed their aching hearts.

"It's so good to see more of your kind alive and well...." Ernie said while swallowing a lump in his throat. Eric mutely nodded. It was then that Hiroshi recognized them and turned to Bill. "They were with you on the Paradigm Shift."

When Bill nodded, the elder approached the two pilots and rested his forehead on each of theirs in turn. Ernie, and then Eric, each heard the elder speak in their minds words of thanks and were awash with calming emotions from the telepath. With their hearts put at ease, the two Bulldog pilots stepped back and rejoined their wingmates. Bill and his Cerinian charges then left the common room, going down another short corridor while the dog spoke. "Thanks for doing that for them, Hiroshi."

"It's the least I could do. It's because of good hearts like yours and theirs that I feel our race will be safe in your hands, despite people like this Senator Starkey and General Striker."

Bill nodded and after turning around a final bend, he opened a door to quarters with a dozen bunk beds. "It's not much, but here we are. There are basic clothing for enlisted in the drawers, and extra bedsheets in the closets."

"Oh Spirits!" Akina gushed. "After so long on that awful planet, this is luxurious!" The rest of the Cerinians all rushed in. Each threw themselves on a bed and sighed. A few, much to Bill's embarrassment, striped themselves naked and were burying themselves under the blissfully warm blankets. He gave a polite cough and said. "Once you are changed into some clean clothes, I can take you to the mess hall for dinner." The mention of food immediately got the attention of the half-starved Cerinian, who were still famished, despite eating very filling ration packs.

It was of no surprise to Bill that they would be eating triple portions as he sat down with his charges in the mess hall. Afterwards, he brought them back to their quarters and showed Hiroshi how to use the comm. Soon, a holo-conference was set up where all the Cerinians on the various ships were able to talk to each other and exchange news. Bill bade them a good night and walked a short distance to his quarters where he collapsed into his bed, emotionally exhausted from the eventful day.

*****

Around the time that the Cerinian rescue task force was pulling out of orbit for the return journey back to Lylat, Fox was sitting at home in his private study, having just received Bill's message. Krystal rushed in and stood in the doorway. Fox turned to see his wife standing there, her hands clasped over her mouth. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, matching those of her husband's. "Oh Great Maker.... They've finally been found." she thought to her soulmate. And then, Krystal could no longer hold back the dam.

Krystal rushed into Fox's arms and the two collapsed onto the floor, sobbing together. Years of waiting for this day culminated into a profound emotional relief to know that she would soon be reunited with others of her kind. Fox's heart ached with that if his wife's. For him, it was the affirmation that Krystal was indeed not the last of her race. He sat there on the floor, cradling his vixen's head while she bawled, letting her emotions consume him and mix with his own.

Naturally, Marcus quickly picked up on his parents' intense emotions and rushed down the stairs to find his parents weeping together in the study. The little fox was in tears, though he did not understand why. "Mama? Papa?" He sniffled. Just then, they heard Ophelia begin to cry. The one-year-old toddler was too young to grasp the powerful emotions of relief and joy from his parents. Krystal got up, wiped her eyes, and went to the crib on the other side from the study, picking up her daughter to calm her down.

Fox sniffed and wiped his own eyes, then beckoned his son over to him. Sitting the five-year-old onto his lap, he said. "Do you remember how you cried the first time you held your little sister in your arms?" When Marcus nodded, Fox went on. "Your Mama and I are crying also because we are so...so happy." He smiled down at his son, feeling more tears well up in his eyes, and shared with him the momentous news. "We just got a message from your Uncle Bill. He found the other Cerinians who didn't die."

"Really? Can we go see them?" Marcus asked. That childish wonder and hopefulness was like a balm to Krystal and Fox. By then, his mother had returned to the study and joined them on the floor while holding her daughter in her arms to let her nurse on her breast.

"Yes, we'll be going as soon as possible, Sweety." Krystal declared.

Fox nodded, got up, and sat again at his comm station. He immediately placed a call to Peppy, and did not have to wait long before getting through the CDF Commanding General's office.

Having already received the report from Lupo Ramius, Peppy knew why his friend was calling. "Fox, a ground car is already on its way to bring you here. It should arrive at your home in 30 minutes. King Tricky has set aside a home for them on Sauria near Cape Claw. And The Great Falcon is here already and waiting to take you to Sauria the moment you arrive here."

"Thanks, Peppy. We'll see you in a bit." Fox replied emotionally.

*****

Three days later, Fox, Krystal, and Marcus were standing in the Great Falcon's lounge, looking out the forward window, taking in the panoramic view of Sauria below them. Several CDF warships patrolled around the dinosaur planet while supply ships ascended back into orbit, having delivered materials and equipment to establish the initial settlement for the colony of New Cerinia.

All were in their traditional Cerinian loincloths, with Krystal in her full guardian garb with her staff collapsed hanging over her back. While cradling his daughter in his arms Fox gazed down at his son and smiled, seeing Marcus in a traditional Cerinian loincloth for the first time. There was something so right about the little blue-furred pup being attired like his mother's people.

At the appointed trajectory, the Great Falcon fired its maneuvering thrusters, decelerating the ship into a decaying orbit that brought them down into the planet's atmosphere. This being the pup's first journey into space, everything was new to him, including the captivating sight of plasma impinging the dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser's forward shields. As the vessel made its final approach to the New Cerinia colony, they overflew Cape Claw. Smiling, Fox drew his son's attention. "See that small house near the beach, Marcus?"

Marcus had to look down the length of his father's arm to see the tiny cabin nestled among the trees near the sandy shore of Cape Claw just beyond Fox's index fingertip. When he nodded, he heard his father think. "That is where your mama and I stayed when we got married."

"Wow. Really?" he thought back, looking on wide-eyed at the beautiful beaches, flowing river, and waterfalls near Ocean Temple.

"Uh-huh." Fox affirmed. "We spent a whole month there, loving each other." When Marcus turned around to look at his father, he said to his son, "Maybe we'll find some time to take you there. Sauria is a special planet for your mother and me. It was here that we met."

Fox could immediately sense his wife's reluctance to go there. Frowning, he probed deeper into her mind and immediately understood. "I would have no objection with having Cape Claw incorporated as part of New Cerinia and allowing your people full access to our sanctuary. So they would always be nearby, even if we spent time there."

"Perhaps we could go down there and have our second honeymoon. Maybe even bring Bill, Fay, Falco, and Katt along." Krystal suggest, liking the idea of seeing Cape Claw being populated with Cerinians. "Unlike River Rapids, there would never be any paparazzi here to worry about."

Just as Cape Claw disappeared out of view, a small collection of dwellings and larger building under a canopy of trees became visible. And there below them among those buildings, among Cornerian construction workers, scientists, doctors, and engineers, were blue-furred foxes. Just a minute before the Great Falcon settled down upon an open field next to the colony, Krystal felt it. For the first time in years, she sensed the background telepathic presence of others of her kind.

She trembled with barely contained emotion, an aching heart longing to reunite with her people. Fox was not sure if it was because he was in tune to telepaths after years with his vixen or because he was sensing them through his mental bond with his wife, but he could sense their presence as well. Marcus was also deeply affected, but for other reasons. For him, it was the newness of the experience. Until that moment, he had never been exposed to a whole community of telepaths. And yet, he sensed that there was a rightness to it simply because he could feel his mother's longing to go out and sink into that background mental hum.

The entire crew of the Great Falcon were gathered at the ramp as it lowered. Falco, Katt, Fay, and Dash were all standing a respectable distance behind the McCloud family, fully intending to let them exit first. This was Krystal's moment. They could plainly see that the vixen was very emotional, on the verge of tears, and Fox was equally affected. All 49 Cerinians were gathered about the base of the Great Falcon, having all sensed the presence of one of their own within the ship.

When the ramp finally lowered and they came into view, copious tears began to course down each side of her muzzle and the sight she had longed to behold turned into a blurred watercolor. Fox, carrying Ophelia with one arm and holding Marcus' hand with his other hand, walked down the ramp with his wife. He was profoundly moved to tears by not only feeling his vixen's emotions, but by the same aching longing in his own heart at finally meeting people from the long lost world he had fallen in love with. Marcus was affected differently. The little pup sniffled upon feeling his mother's emotions, but was also feeling a boundless curiosity and wonder. For the first time in his life, he was going to meet other telepaths like his mother, his sister, and himself.

Elder Hiroshi and all his charges could sense the aching painful longing in this lone vixen who had also escaped the destruction of their home. As one, they mentally reached out to her sympathetically. And all immediately became aware of the mind of this non-telepathic Lylatian fox who was mentally bonded to one of their own, and reached out to him as well. There was a ripple of amazement among them when they saw that he had Cerinian pups with him. He and his wife had had children together!

Krystal's pace had quickened when she felt her people reach out to here telepathically. Fox scooped up his son and was soon right behind his wife as they all closed the gap between them and the rest of her people. The moment Hiroshi wrapped Kurisutaru in his arms, the vixen collapsed against him and bawled loudly into his shoulder. Fokkusu, still holding on to his children, leaned against his wife's back and cried with her. They soon found themselves in the middle of this cluster of Cerinians, with the nearest ones all reaching out to place a reassuring hand on the backs of the weeping tod and vixen.

Near the base of the Great Falcon, not an eye was dry. Even Falco wept openly while letting a crying Katt lean her head on his shoulder. Bill had by then met up with them and embraced Fay as the two shed quiet tears. And standing to one side was Dash, whose eyes also glistened, but feeling deep shame and hatred for the one who had brought such pain to these telepathic foxes. "Damn you, Grandfather." He muttered to himself. "Damn you to the deepest pits of hell."

In the center of the Cerinian group, Fokkusu and Kurisutaru grew calmer after their intense catharsis, and sighed when thoughts and emotions of sympathy and welcome poured into them as the group mentally communed. She then stood back from the elder, wiped her eyes, and took her daughter into her arms, allowing her bondmate to wipe his own eyes. He in turn said to the elder, "Thank you for welcoming us, Elder Hiroshi. My bondmate and I have longed for this day to come to pass."

When he met eyes with the middle-aged Cerinian, Fox felt the telepath tentatively touch his mind and promptly opened himself up to him, "You have my thanks as well for being there for Kurisutaru. As you have learned from her, our kind does not do well without mental contact from loved ones." He then gazed down at Fox's loincloth and smiled. "And you honor us by embracing our ways, Fokkusu, son of James McCloud."

The fact that Fox was so comfortable with telepathic communication did not go unnoticed by the other Cerinians around them. Soon, he began to hear their thoughts being projected into his mind. One tod thought to him, "We understand that it is you we have to thank for avenging the murder of our people."

Fox smiled forlornly to this Cerinian male and the vixen in his arms and thought back to them, "I just wish I could have stopped him before he destroyed your world."

"We all wish our old home could have been spared, Fokkusu." thought Renjiro, "but I think it is fitting that this Andross was slain here above our new home."

Attention was then drawn to the two telepathic fox pups in their midst. The vixens all gushed over the adorable little tod and vixen. "Oh he is the most adorable little boy ever. What is your name, little one?" Shinko thought to Fox's son.

"Makasu." he shyly replied mentally. Marcus was in awe of all these telepathic foxes around him, but was quickly warming up to them, sensing nothing but warmth and friendliness.

Akina sent warm, gentle affection to the one-year-old pup in Krystal's arm and thought to her mother, "Your daughter is adorable, Kurisutaru. What is her name?"

"Her name is Ofiria. Fokkusu and I also intend to have another pup in a year's time."

Hinode then mentally asked, "And your bondmate is truly a non-telepath? I find that difficult to believe."

Fox suddenly began to have feelings of inadequacy. _ "I'm afraid it is true. I have no telepathic ability. I'm sorry."_

"Oh no. No need to apologize. We are just amazed at how at ease you are around us. And you seem to be hearing our own thoughts so easily."

"well, uhh...."

"I am Hinode"

"Well, Hinode, if I am at ease around all of you, it is because I've now been with my Kurisutaru for many years. I do admit that when I first met her, I was nervous around her like most non-telepaths, but as we got to know each other, I grew accustomed to feeling her presence in my mind and began to love and appreciate her for it. And now, we have been mentally bonded for six years." Fox glanced to his wife, smiling at the way the other vixens were all fawning over her and their children and the thoughts they were directing towards her. "If I am hearing your thoughts, it is because you are either thinking to me, or I am hearing your thoughts through my bondmate's telepathy. Hers are the only thoughts I can actually read because she linked our minds and souls on our wedding."

Hinode's jaw dropped. The astonishment that rippled through the group was palpable. Fox locked eyes with each Cerinian around him and his family. "Why is my bondmate sensing surprise from all of you?"

After some hesitation from the gathered telepaths, Hiroshi answered for them. "In our long history, it is not often that one of our kind has left our home world, and even less common for him or her to find love with a non-telepath and mentally bond with such a person. But for a Cerinian vixen to bind both mind and soul with a non-telepath male has never happened before."

Fox did not understand why that was significant. He simply turned to his wife and rested his forehead against hers. "If this has to do with the fact that when one dies, the other bondmate follows him or her into the next life, then it is all the more reason for me to have let my Kurisutaru link our souls. Neither of us would want to go on living without the other."

Hinode then asked, "And you share all senses together?"

"Yes, all six of them. Perhaps that is why I think like a telepath even though I am not one. I can see the world around us, and all of you, through her telepathy and empathy." Fox then smiled and filled his heart with love and deep fondness for the vixen that was everything to him. _ "Kurisutaru has my total trust and can use her powers on me however she wishes. I love what she does to me."_

Krystal demonstrated that fact by pouring all her love into her beloved's mind. All the Cerinian couples watched as Fox's knees buckled and he whimpered happily in his bondmate's arms. They all smiled at seeing the display of affection, so familiar to their own. "I only wish I could do the same to her." Fox thought. "But I've learned to let my love for her fill me to its fullest for her empathy to soak up."

Several of the tods then looked at Marcus and Ophelia with one asking, "And you were actually at your bondmate's side when she gave birth to each of your pups?"

"Of course. Like any good Cerinian father, I wanted to help my bondmate by being at her side on the birthing bed. If sharing her pain made it easier for her, then I am perfectly willing to endure it with her." Still basking in his telepathic vixen's love, he did not notice the shiver go through the 24 bonded males around them and went on to think, "In fact, when Ofiria is two years old, we plan on having another pup." Through his vixen, Fox did sense strong emotions of admiration directed at him from those same Cerinian tods. Hinode then thought to him, "Fokkusu, you have all of our deepest respect for your devotion to your bondmate."

Fox did not think he merited such admiration any more than any of the Cerinian tods around him, and was going to express that thought when he noticed the rest of his friends slowly approach them. So switching to verbal speech, he said out loud while waving the Star Falco crew over. "Come on over." ** He then addressed his new Cerinian friends. **"I would like to introduce you to my friends who I have fought alongside with.....Mmmm....have all of you learned Lylatian yet? Some of my friends do not have names that translate well into Cerinian, even with our universal translators."

Hiroshi answered, "Yes. Telepathic interaction with your friend Bill Grey has allowed us to quickly pick up your language."

Bill rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "Glad to have helped, Elder."

"Good going, Bill." Krystal laughed.

"Fantastic. Okay then everyone. So to begin with, that adorable, fluffy white lady next to Bill is Fay Spaniel. The pink-furred cat next to her is Katt Monroe." Fox was then interrupted by the arrival of more of his long-time friends. Up the beach from one of the construction sites came Slippy and Amanda Toad, Lucy Hare, and most surprisingly her father, Peppy Hare. "Oh wow! You guys came." He frantically waved to them. "Over here guys!"

Hiroshi smiled to Peppy. "Yes, General Hare and I met already. He and his daughter arrived a day before you and your family did, Fokkusu."

Peppy shook hands with the Cerinian leader. "I see you are meeting the rest of my compatriots, Elder. I'll let Fox continue the introductions."

Fox smiled to his old mentor fondly. "I suspect he forgot to mention it, but Peppy was my mentor during my Star Fox days." He grinned to Slippy and his wife. "The furless amphibians next to him are Slippy Toad and his wife Amanda. All of my friends here fought at my side against Andross and all others who would invade Lylat. Slippy and Peppy also supported me in my mission to save Sauria the first time it was under attack." His gazed then turned to his avian friend. "And the tall-standing bird with feathers as blue as Cerinian fur is Falco Lombardi. If it were not for him, I wouldn't have been able to finally kill Andross when he resurrected himself here above Sauria."

There was a time Falco would have preened at the adulation, but knowing how few survived the destruction of Cerinia humbled him. When he felt their gratitude being projected towards him, he could barely manage to say anything. "I....glad to have done my part..."

Fox then turned to the last member of the Star Falco crew and saw Dash hanging back. "Come on. If Krystal will not hold it against you, neither will they. We all know what a good person you are."

All the Cerinians had sensed just a moment ago emotions of anger and shame, but those feelings dissipated at Fox's words, to be replaced with nervousness as the ape tentatively stepped forward. "Everyone, I'd finally like to introduce you to my most recent friend. This is Dash Bowman." Fox's voice softened as he went on to tell Dash's story. "The anger you sensed from him is directed towards the one who destroyed your world. The shame he feels is from knowing that Andross was his grandfather."

There was a gasp among the Cerinians, followed by a murmur as Dash cringed. It all changed when he heard Akina say, "But he cannot be anything like Andross. I sense only kindness and sadness from him." The vixen approached Dash and cupped the timid ape's cheek. "Please don't be sad. We'd never blame you for what your awful grandfather did to our world."

Dash gave the vixen a watery smile and nodded. "I'll try.... Krystal told me the same thing...." He looked around at the other Cerinians around them and could see only sympathetic expressions without any recriminations. "Thank you."

Fox gave Dash an avuncular slap on the back and added his affirmation. "We all think highly of him." He then walked up to Hiroshi and faced his friends. "And I'd like to now introduce you to Elder Hiroshi, leader of the Cerinian people. I....uh.... am still getting know the rest myself though, but these 24 bonded couples are here to help bring back their race."

Fay then spoke up at that moment with a question that had been of Fox's mind. "Uh guys. I may not be a biologist, but even I know that 24 married couples is not enough to repopulate your species without some serious inbreeding.

It was Amanda who provide the answer. "You'd be right if their gene pool was only 48 Cerinians, not counting Krystal, but they have more, lots more." She pointed to the newly completed building behind them. The structure was a rectangular pre-fabricated affair built like a bunker that had quickly been erected the day before. On its slanted roof were photovoltaic cells. A wind turbine sat atop a tower next to it, with large battery banks arrayed at the base. On the opposite side hummed a small compact fusion reactor. From its heavy construction, with quadruple redundancy for power, it was obvious to all of them that this was a structure of extremely high importance. That notion was further reinforced by the platoon of armed CDF soldiers that guarded this windowless building with only one door in the front. "That building behind me contains what the Cerinians called their Legacy."

Krystal gasped, recognizing that word. "Bill, that vision you received from High Elder Shinkai's spirit....He called it our Legacy."

Amanda nodded and answered for Bill. "Yes. In there are sperm and egg samples in cryogenic containers that were rescued from their world before its end. They managed to retrieve the genetic samples from 96% of the bonded couples of their population. There are also genetic samples from their fauna and flora."

Krystal brought her hand up to her muzzle. "Oh Spirits! Our genetics clinics.....That is what father meant. That is the key to bringing our people back from the brink of extinction."

Akina confirmed Krystal's words. "Yes. Once everything is ready, we vixens will begin bearing children." She nuzzled Renjiro, her bondmate. "I will naturally bless my love with a son and daughter from his loins and my own eggs first, but every year after that I will bear the children of all bonded couples left behind who perished. The girls and I all discussed it. We plan to all have twins each year for at least ten years."

"Ooof. That's a lot of pups." Bill exclaimed. "My hat off to you, ladies."

Another vixen took a deep breath but smiled. "It will be hard work for us, but we have our bondmates to help us through the births...." Her eyes misted over, as that of most Cerinians. "It is our sacred duty, charged to us by High Elder Shinkai at the end. It is a duty we will pass on to all the daughters as well, and we will support them in raising all their pups when we can no longer bear any ourselves."

Amanda began making quick calculations on her tablet. "So assuming twins every year for ten years from 24 vixens, your population will grow from 49 to 529. If half of them are vixens and you give them until they are 19 years old to in turn start having children, and they each bare twins once a year for ten years, and subsequent generations do the same....I estimate your population will reach one million in 87 years."

Krystal's eyes misted over and she looked at her fellow vixens. "Maybe I can help..." she started by was gently cut off by Hiroshi.

"No, my dear. Do not feel obliged to take on this task." He walked around to stand with the other Cerinians. "Before your arrival, we all discussed it. General Hare hold us of all the things you and your bondmate accomplished. Your part in repeatedly defending Lylat, in saving this world, and even in leaving your message in Bill Grey's mind has made all this possible." He stated while gesturing to the new settlement being erected around them. He then added. "Besides, it would not be fair of us to ask you to leave the home you have made on Corneria with your bondmate."

Fox then replied. "We also have a home here in Sauria, Elder." He glanced to his vixen who nodded to him. "Kurisutaru and I had already discussed it before we even landed." He then pointed up the shoreline towards the west. "Not far from here, just beyond that cliff, is our private retreat of Cape Claw that was gifted to us by the Krazoa for twice saving this world. It is where my bondmate and I consummated our marriage six years ago. We would like to make it part of New Cerinia. All of you are welcome to it."

He turned around, embraced his vixen, and nuzzled her affectionately. "Besides, I would never want to separate my love from her people. I can feel all of you through her telepathy, this all-encompassing sense of mental community at the back of her mind." Fox paused to try to put into words an experience he never had before this day. "I..... It's hard to describe.... But I can feel this sense of belonging myself and can understand why she draws comfort from it." He then gazed towards Marcus who was currently in Shinko's arms having his nose tickled by the vixen. "Even my son, who until today had never experienced this, feels at home here."

Krystal gave her soulmate a soft kiss, which he returned. "Thank you, my love, though I would not want to keep you away from your own people either." Before Fox could protest, she addressed her people. "Fokkusu and I could easily spend half of our time here, and do hope you'd welcome us as citizens of New Cerinia."

"Oh most certainly, Kurisutaru." Hiroshi assured them. "We consider your entire family Cerinians, and that includes you, Fokkusu, even though you are not one of us by blood. And I will do my part to instruct little Makasu and Ofiria in the traditions of their mother's people just as much as we'd want them to know of their Lylatian heritage."

Hiroshi then turned to address the Star Falco crew. "And the rest of you are of course most welcome as well." His eyes then rested upon Bill Grey. "And especially you. We will always consider you a friend of New Cerinia and never forget your part in rescuing us in our hour of greatest despair."

Bill could only nod mutely, too moved to speak. Krystal walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much for being there to deliver my message, Bill."

Krystal then turned back to Hiroshi and asked in a quiet voice. "Elder, may I see the Legacy?"

While the rest of their group broke off in different directions, Fox and Krystal followed Hiroshi, accompanied by Hinode, Shinko, Slippy, and Amanda, up the hill to the heavily fortified and defended building. To the Cerinians, the heavily armed guards who opened the door for their group was a further testament to how protective their rescuers were towards them. Inside was a hallway that went the length of the building. Along the left wall were doors, currently opened. Behind each door, Fox and Krystal could see examination tables. Slippy and Amanda broke off from the group to resume working on setting up the equipment. Looking back at her friends, Slippy's pink-skinned wife gave them a quick rundown of the procedure that would be used to fertilize and implant eggs into the Cerinian vixens who would lay upon those tables. Having seen everything on that half of the main hallway, they continued towards the end and saw a single, reinforced door with a hand scanner.

When Hinode pressed his palm onto the scanner, the door slid open to reveal a dimly lit room within that extended the length of the building, parallel the adjacent corridor. All of them stepped inside and beheld the key to Cerinia's salvation. "There it is." Hinode said. "The Legacy of Cerinia." Arrayed in long rows, maintained at cryogenic temperatures, were hundreds of canisters. "Sperm and eggs from 100 million bonded couples, all that is left of a population of a half billion Cerinian adults and children."

The McClouds stood solemnly, thinking of the monumental tragedy this room represented, of the untold lives that were ended on that horrible day, and of the hope this same room also stood for, of the families that would be reborn in the coming years. This hope was further reinforced by what Elder Hiroshi said next. "And the Legacy is not just genetic." He walked over to a computer terminal and brought up image after image of bonded couples, complete with family histories comprising of photos, home movies, and stories. "The children born from these samples will know who their parents and families were. They will know their stories, where they came from, and who their kin were."

Fox was stunned. "How is this possible? With maybe a day left before Cerinia was destroyed, I can imagine you being able to collect these samples from all the major genetics clinics on your world, but not from 200 million private homes."

The elder nodded. "You are right. Anything found in homes has been forever lost. These images and records were taken from our planetary media network. Families uploaded these images and messages to share with relatives in other cities and continents. Normally, we would not be allowed to access such private data, but the High Elder gave me authorization to override the network privacy protocols. I'd like to think those left behind would have wanted their stories told."

Hiroshi then called up one set of files. The images that appeared brought tears to Fox's eyes and that of his vixen's. Their on the screen was a photograph of Shiokaze and Onikisu. The old tod handed Krystal a data card. "Before you arrived, I took the liberty of making you a copy of everything we were able to retrieve on your family from the planetary media network."

Krystal sniffled and then embraced Hiroshi. "I never expected to see any of these again. Thank you, Elder." Her attention was then drawn to Hinode who waved her over to one of the cryogenic canisters at the end of the room. When they stood before him, he pointed to the canister in question. "And in here are the eggs and sperm of your parents, Kurisutaru. They will be waiting for you, should you decide to bare their children."

"Yes, I'd like that very much. I'll want twins: a boy and a girl." Fox laughed, his heart full of joy and mirth at the idea. "We told Makasu that we'd give him another baby brother or sister. It looks like you'll be the one having siblings, and he'll be getting an aunt and uncle instead."