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Chapter 29: Justice for Cerinia

It had been a week since they had boarded the Great Falcon and left Lylat behind. The dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser now plied the empty expanses of deep space in formation with the Dauntless, Nebula, and Vigilant. Though Star Falco had not been needed, Fox had asked Peppy to pull the stings needed to hire Falco and his crew. What they were about to embark upon was going to be an emotionally difficult journey for Krystal and her soulmate and they both desperately wanted the moral support of their closest friends. Even Peppy had decided to leave his general's desk and join them.

It also provided the added bonus of greater privacy, especially given that little Ophelia had not yet begun her telepathic training. It would have been difficult for Fox and Krystal to keep her young mind shielded for such an extended period of time from the large number of CDF crew that would have been around them aboard a ship like the Dauntless. The little toddler, oblivious to the solemn mission they were on, had been a wonderful stress relief and source of laughter for everyone aboard the Great Falcon.

Marcus though was not so oblivious. The little pup could sense the tension in his parents, and both knew that the time had come to explain to their son where they were going and why. Fox and Krystal had meditated that morning to center themselves and keep their emotions in check for Ophelia's sake. They were now all gathered in the forward lounge while Falco and his crew were on the bridge. "Marcus,"_Fox began, _"do you remember when we first told you about your mother's home and how everyone there died when it was destroyed?"

Marcus nodded quietly. He had never forgotten how sad it had made him, and Fox reminded him of it. "You were very sad and we both told you it was okay to cry and to let all the sadness out," Fox then gave his soulmate's hand a squeeze, "just like your mom also had a good cry to let out all her sadness too."

"You see, Marcus, as much as I miss my old home and my own mama and papa, and my brother and sister, I can now smile a bit at the happy memories I had with them before they died. Keeping all that sadness I had in me bottled up was not good for me. Your father helped me have my own good cry to let it all out." Krystal explained to her son.

"But all our friends in New Cerinia....Elder Hiroshi, Hinode, Shinko, Renjiro, Akina, and all the others are still keeping all their sadness bottled up and are hurting deep down." Fox went on to explain.

"I know, Papa. They feel so sad whenever they talk about Cerinia." Marcus thought back to his father.

"Yes, and we want to help them have a good cry too." Krystal explained._ "You remember all the news stories about that big dome being built in Central Park? We are going to bring all our Cerinian friends there when it is finished. And there, we will help them let out all their sadness."_

_"But to do that, we have to bring something very special to put inside that dome. That is why we are out here now."_Fox continued to explain.

"Where are we going, Papa?"

"We are going...." and Krystal found herself unable to think further, swallowing a painful lump in her throat as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Fox gave his vixen's hand a squeeze and sent her a powerful burst of his love through their bond. They then raised their mental barriers between themselves and their children, especially Ophelia who found herself briefly sniffling in sadness though she did not understand why.

Krystal then spoke out loud to her son. "We are going to where my home used to be. It is a place that is now called the Shards of Cerinia because the planet is now all in pieces called asteroids." She then activated a tablet she had with her and showed him an image from Sendai, Cerinia's capital city. "When your Uncle Bill was here years ago looking for our Cerinian friends, he found this out among the asteroids. Your father and I are going to go get it and bring it back to Corneria to put it in that dome building."

"Mom, why are you crying? Do you need to let more sadness out?" Marcus asked, clearly seeing his mother fighting against the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her vision.

Fox gently cradled his wife's head against his shoulder even as he did his best to reign in his own emotional pain. "Your mother has not been there since that awful day when Cerinia exploded. It will be very hard on her, and on me too." He then regarded his son. "I can sense how much even thinking of Felice's death hurts you. Thinking of the Shards of Cerinia and what we'll see there will be even worse for us." He then again pointed at the image on the tablet, "but we'll go there to get that."

Krystal took a deep, shaky breath. "And when your father and I fly out to get it, we want you to watch over your sister and keep her from feeling sad."

"Okay Mom. I will." Marcus promised and reinforced that simple vow by pulling his sister into a warm, brotherly embrace while projecting his affection for her into her mind.

In the days that followed, Cerinia's star grew brighter as they approached the inner planets and the asteroid field that was now called the Shards of Cerinia. Peppy and the rest of the Star Falco crew would often see Fox and Krystal meditating in the lounge with the stars and the planets of Krystal's old home star system in the background. All kept a respectful distance and let the two telepathic foxes focus their minds peacefully. They also were constantly reaching out with their minds, hoping to sense the spirit of High Elder Shinkai and the others that remained there.

Aboard the Dauntless, Vigilant, and Nebula, the crew was quiet. Many knew that the asteroid field was haunted while others refused to believe in ghosts though they were nonetheless uneasy. None could forget the fate that had befell the crew of the Paradigm Shift in its ill-fated grave robbing expedition. Many were afraid and wished nothing more than to be elsewhere. The one exception was Bill Grey. His encounter with the spirit of High Elder Shinkai had left a profound, positive effect on the dog. Deep down in his heart, he knew that none of them need fear the those that still haunted the asteroid field that had once been their home world.

The same could not be said of a derelict ship that was found drifting within the asteroid field. On the bridge of the Dauntless, Fleet Captain Lupo Ramius gazed impassively at the small Lylatian vessel. "Report."

"Ship is registered as the Fortune's Favor and is listed as a private survey and prospecting vessel. Scans indicate four bodies aboard." Lieutenant Janice Curtis said while examining the readouts from her science station.

Lupo grunted. "So. It looks like these grave robbers did not heed General Hare's warning to stay away."

Commander Fenral Rufus, Lupo Ramius' first officer, glanced over to his captain. "So what shall we do? Tow them out and return their bodies back to Corneria?"

The fleet captain gave out a contemptuous snort. "No. Leave them there. Let that derelict ship be a further warning to any stupid enough to come here."

"And what about us?" Fenral asked. "Aren't we about to try to do what these four did?"

The white wolf shook his head. "I would say not. Besides, we are not the ones who will be extracting it. The McClouds are Cerinians themselves, including Krystal's husband, and the Shards of Cerinia belong to their people."

"You have a point, Sir. The spirits haunting this place would probably not begrudge them for taking keepsakes from there, especially the arch given what they want it for."

A day later, the fleet had reached the Shards of Cerinia, matching its orbital path with that of the asteroid remnant of the world that was once there. On the bridge of the Great Falcon, Krystal rested her head against her husband's chest as tears flowed freely from her eyes. Fox's eyes were no drier. This was his first time gazing upon what remained of his wife's home world, of the home world of his own ancestor, Takara McCloud.

From the tactical station, Peppy sat on a second chair next to Dash with Marcus and Ophelia sitting on his lap. The pup held his sister in a comforting embrace while gazing forlornly at his parents with his ears pressed flat against his head. Falco, Katt, and Fay silently gazed out the forward viewer. Bill Grey had joined them and was comforting his girlfriend, who was the most strongly affected by the sight of the destroyed world, having experienced the horrifying vision years ago, the night before Fox and Krystal were bonded.

Fey would never forget that day, when Krystal finally grieved for her loss and lost control of her mental powers. The she-dog's close friendship with the Cerinian vixen had left her the most susceptible to the telepathic vision she had inadvertently projected into her canine friend in her own grief. Falco cleared his throat and voiced a lingering concern. "So uhhh....These Cerinian ghosts won't mind you taking that arch?"

Krystal shook her head. "Fokkusu and I can sense their presence, and we think they can sense us too. That arch once stood in the memorial garden of our capital city. We cannot imagine they would object, especially when it will be restored to its original purpose in the Cerinian Memorial Arboretum." She took a shaky breath and gazed out again at the remnants of her home world. "Besides, we are Cerinians. This place belongs to us."

Fox gazed back to Dash at the tactical station. "Have you located it yet?"

The simian though did not respond, but gazed out instead at the Shards of Cerinia with the deepest, most haunted expression of anyone on the bridge. It was his grandfather who had done this. His crewmates and friends all looked upon the ape with heartfelt sympathy for the crushing shame that was overwhelming Dash Bowman. Peppy gave the ape a fatherly pat on the shoulder, placed Marcus and Ophelia on his lap, and took over at the tactical station.

It was only a matter of minutes to scan for and locate a high concentrations of obsidian. "Found it." Peppy announced. "Located 3274 kilometers from our present location on a bearing of 295, mark 32. I'll upload it to your Arwing VR HUDs."

Fox nodded and glanced to Falco. "See if you can bring us closer while we suit up."

"Roger that, Foxy. And I'll let the Nebula know to prepare their cargo bay."

It had been over five years since they had last flown their Arwings, though it all came back to them instantly the moment they had a practice session in the simulators at the Corneria City CDF base a few days before they departed. If anything, they were even more in tune with each other as they flew now that Fox was a disciplined telepath like his wife.

In the time it had taken them to suit up, the Great Falcon had closed the distance to the Cerinian Memorial Arch and had come to within 50 kilometers of it. They could not safely get any closer because of the large number of asteroids in the vicinity. Fox and Krystal now guided their Arwings among the local shards of her home world which had slowly been drawn together by mutual gravitational attraction.

Krystal did all she could to keep her emotions shut down and not think of what was out there among the debris that remained of her home, of the Cerinian remains that floated among the rubble of buildings, structures, and pieces of her planet's crust. Were there body parts that belonged to her brother, sister, mother, and.... Suddenly, she found her morbid musings being forcefully interrupted by the strong telepathic presence of her soulmate. "Our family is not here, Kurisutaru. They are waiting for us in a much better place than this."

In the next instant, the memory of their shared dream was drawn out of her subconscious to the forefront of her mind. Together, Fox and Krystal recalled the time they had spent with their parents, brother, and sister on the beach near Nara. It was a happy, joyous afterlife that awaited them at the end of their days, on a Cerinia that was alive and eternal. Krystal sent her soulmate a burst of love and gratitude through their bond. "Thank you, Fokkusu. I needed that."

"We both did. Now let's focus on our goal." Together, the continued to coast among the asteroids slowly tumbling about, guiding their Arwings towards the coordinates displayed on their helmet's VR HUDs until it finally came into view. Blemished with pockmarks and deep gouges, the obsidian arch that had once stood in Sendai's memorial garden floated before them, still whole despite the cataclysm that had occurred beneath it.

Gazing upon it, Krystal recalled the last time she had seen it. She had been 11 years old. Her entire family had gone to visit her father's sister who lived in Sendai. While there, her mother had suggested they stop by to visit the capital city's memorial garden. The molten obsidian had been cast around an austenitic nickel-chromium alloy frame and polished to a mirror finish. For over a century, it had stood among the trees and ornamental foliage in the center of Sendai's main park as a memorial to the many who had died during Cerinia's turbulent past.

And though her people were at peace in a better place, what floated before her was nevertheless a stark reminder of the physical world in all its beauty that had been brought to a violent, terrifying end. And Fox, as deeply affected as his wife, silently wept with her for several minutes. Within the pressurized cockpits of their respective Arwings, each of them lifted the visors of their helmets to wipe the tears from their eyes. Their brief interlude of renewed mourning was brought to an end by a call from the Dauntless. "Fox 1, Fox 2, report." they heard Lieutenant Commander Jabari over their comm.

Fox and Krystal closed their helmet visors and each took slow, measured breaths to reign in their emotions. "Fox 1, here. We are at the memorial arch. Given its condition and the brittleness of obsidian, we intend to perform an EVA to manually attach reinforcement braces as originally planned prior to using the Nebula's tractor beams."

"Roger that, Fox 1." came the reply. Aboard the bridge of the Dauntless, the slight hoarseness in Fox McCloud's voice did not go unnoticed. The kinship he held with the Cerinian survivors was well known to all of them. On the forward monitors of the Dauntless, Vigilant, Nebula, and Great Falcon they could see the canopy of each Arwing open and Krystal and Fox float out of their respective cockpits. Out from the weapons bay that usually held nova bombs, they withdrew cargo pods containing a wide array of magnetic clamps and braces.

Over a period of seven hours, Fox and Krystal floated around the arch, scanning it and clamping braces at multiple points to reinforce the fragile Cerinian artifact. As they did so, they kept reaching out with their minds for the spirits that still lingered. While they worked, the Nebula used its tractor beam to carefully pull one asteroid at a time away from the area, clearing a path for its approach. Its captain radioed the McClouds when the last shard was cleared away and they were within visual range. "How's it coming?"

"We're about 80% done." Fox replied.

"Our scanners are not detecting any other....uh life forms in your area. So hopefully all will go well."

Krystal did not know how she felt about the way the captain of the Nebula had phrased it. The scientific skepticism was obvious to the vixen, but it did not stop her from saying what she and her husband knew was true. "If you mean the spirits of my people, then I can report that they are here. Fox and I can both sense their presence."

A shiver of unease rippled through the bridge crew of the Nebula. Thoughts again dwelled on the fate of those aboard the Paradigm Shift, and more recently of those on the Fortune's Favor. They, along with the crews of the other ships in the fleet watched the McCloud couple continue to reinforce the heavily damaged obsidian arch.

When they were done, Krystal and Fox used their telekinesis to gather the remaining tools and hardware that had floated off and put them away in the now mostly empty cargo pods. Having done so, they drifted together into a heartfelt embrace with their helmets resting against each other. "I cannot help but feel sad that High Elder Shinkai and the others here have not been able to move on like our families have." Krystal lamented.

Perhaps it was because they heard her thoughts, but whatever the reason, she and her soulmate suddenly felt their presence reach out to them. Like a mist rolling over a meadow, countless ghostly Cerinian figures took form, surrounding Fox, Krystal, and the memorial arch. On the bridges of the Dauntless, Nebula, Vigilant, and Great Falcon, all anxiously watched the McCloud couple suddenly become surrounded by the apparitions.

From the crowd of specters there emerged the ghost of one distinguished tod that Krystal would never forget. With aching hearts, she and Fox watched the spirit of High Elder Shinkai close the distance until he was floating in front of them. "We guard this place from those who would plunder it. We are also restless because the one who killed us all still lives and has not been made to answer for his crime."

"High Elder, how is that possible? To this day, I do not know how Andross could have destroyed Cerinia when I had slain him long before."

"That is because it was not Andross who murdered us, grandson of Takara." Before this first revelation had a chance to sink in, Shinkai laid a spectral hand against their heads. In the next instant, Krystal and Fox were plunged into a vision from the past. They stood together in the bottom of a deep basin. In every direction around them, tall mountains could be seen in the distance reaching up into the sky. Geysers steamed up all over this volcanic landscape that was nonetheless teaming with vegetation.

Near where they stood was a small ship that Krystal immediately recognized. It was the spacecraft that had sped by her ship just moments before her home's destruction. Both realized that they were at the center of Cerinia's caldera basin of Toba. Behind the ship's open bay was a small fusion reactor which was powering a shielded drilling rig that had punched through the thin crust with a wide plasma beam.

Operating the rig was an ape whose back was turned to them. Fox and Krystal watched in horror as an antimatter warhead was enveloped in an energy barrier and dropped into the drilled hole. The ape cackled and began preparing another warhead. "Soon...Krazoa will not be able to call to nasty Cerinian telepaths....Soon, they will all be gone except for one watching from above....She will follow me to Dinosaur Planet, oh yes! Then you will trap her, Uncle, and use her to rise again. You will become a Krazoa god!"

The manic ape dropped this additional antimatter warhead and cackled again. He then walked around and they saw his face. Horror and outrage filled their hearts as the vision ended. "Andrew Oikonny!"

Krystal and Fox were again alone with the obsidian arch. Knowing that Andross' foolish, inept nephew was the true culprit in the near genocide of the Cerinian race left them feeling sick to the heart. They silently held each other tightly, fighting angry tears that they knew they would not be able to wipe behind the protective face shields of their helmets. The voice of Fleet Captain Ramius in their helmet comms roused them from their emotional turmoil. "Fox McCloud....Krystal McCloud, do you read me?"

Fox responded with a voice hoarse with emotion. "We read you...."

Lupo Ramius, like all the others in the fleet who had been monitoring the McClouds, had witnessed the apparitions appear around the two space-walking foxes. Many of them, like the captain of the Nebula, were still unwilling to believe in ghosts. Some were fearful that these non-corporeal, whatever they were, would slay them like those aboard Paradigm Shift and Fortune's Favor. "Are you alright?" asked the lupine fleet captain.

"Not really, but we'll live...." Fox sighed. "Nebula, the Cerinian Memorial Arch is ready for retrieval."

When he did not get a response from the science vessel, Fox growled. "You have nothing to fear, Captain. The spirits of my people have given their blessing to remove the arch."

Not waiting for a reply, Fox addressed Lupo. "Captain Ramius, could you meet us aboard the Nebula. We need to talk."

On the cargo deck of the Nebula, Fox and Krystal stood next to their Arwings with their helmets tucked under their arms. The obsidian arch lay on its side on the deck in front of them. A decontamination crew was going over the artifact, cleaning it of space dust and radioactive substances that had coated it over the years that it had drifted among the Shards of Cerinia.

It had been 20 minutes since the arch had been pulled aboard the Nebula with a tracker beam. In that time, Lupo Ramius had taken a fleet shuttle, which now landed next to the McClouds' Arwings. The commanding officer of the Cornerian exploratory fleet disembarked and strode over to the vulpine couple. He gazed out at the arch and shook his head. "When Commander Grey reported finding it, I was amazed that it had survived whole."

"I think it was fated to be used again for its original purpose." Krystal said quietly. She then gazed at the wolf, silently evaluating him before she asked, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Lupo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. "Before I came here years ago looking for survivors of your people, I never had believed in spirits, ghosts, the afterlife, or anything to do with a supreme being.....But when the spirit of your high elder appeared aboard the bridge of my ship and communed with Commander Grey, I was deeply shaken out of my skepticism. And I cannot deny that the vision your friend was given led directly to finding the remainder of your people."

He then opened his eyes and regarded Krystal. "So, as reluctant as I am to admit it, I have to say that yes, I do believe in ghosts, Missus McCloud."

"That you have witnessed High Elder Shinkai's spirit impart that vision onto Bill Grey is a good thing." Krystal nodded. "So, I think you will believe us when we say that the high elder spoke to us and gave us a vision as well. Fox and I both saw it. We were standing in the center of Toba, a caldera basin on Cerinia, and witnessed the murderer of our people drop antimatter warheads through a hole he drilled into the thin crust there." The vixen then took a shaky breath and wiped tears that were shed in a mixture of anger and anguish. "It was not Andross that we saw, but his nephew. It was Andrew Oikonny."

"Him?!?! That idiot did this?" Lupo never would have imagined that Andross' sycophantic nephew would have been the perpetrator of the near genocide of the Cerinian race.

"Where is that ape now?" Fox asked with his own emotions mirroring that of his soulmate's. Both recalled how Andrew had flown on the Star Wolf team during the Lylat war at the behest of Andross. Truthfully, the megalomaniac tyrant had only wanted to get his whining nephew out of his hair. They next saw him just before the Aparoid invasion where the Star Fox Team joined the Cornerian Defense Force to battle against Andrew's fleet at Fortuna. When they confronted him on the surface of the planet, Andrew transformed his ship into a large likeness of himself, but Fox and his team were able to disable it, just before his vessel was shot down by a lone Aparoid.

Andrew had made his escape and lay low during the ensuing invasion of the crystalline insect hive that had nearly brought the Lylat civilizations to an end. The ape would not be seen again until the Anglar Blitz where he fought on the side of the Anglar Emperor. "He was captured after you defeated him at Fichina City during the Blitz and has been serving a life sentence in prison back on Corneria ever since." Lupo answered. "What I still don't understand is why he destroyed Cerinia."

Krystal slowly walked up to the obsidian arch with Fox always at her side. Lupo naturally followed and stood next to the McCloud couple and watched the vixen reverently run her gloved hand over the marred, reflective black surface. "Because we are telepaths and of our connection to the Krazoa dating back to our prehistoric times. He somehow figured out that we would hear their telepathic cry when Andross usurped them to resurrect himself over Sauria."

Haunted deep blue eyes turned to meet lupine amber eyes. "He knew I would pursue him after my world was destroyed and lured me to the dinosaur planet where I did pick up the distress signal. When I released the first Krazoa, I was confronted by the disembodied spirit of Andross and recognized him, thinking that it was he who had destroyed Cerinia." Her eyes squeezed shut with barely suppressed tears. "Those apes used me! I was lured there only to be captured in that crystal prison at Krazoa Palace where Andross' spirit tapped into my telepathic powers, nearly drained all my life force, and then channeled the Krazoa spirits through me to resurrect himself into that abomination."

Lupo watched Fox embrace his wife, who then sighed as her emotional anguish seemed to melt away. "So what do we do now?"

Fox replied while he continued to comfort his soulmate. "We contact Elder Hiroshi and inform him of what we have learned. Oikonny needs to answer for this atrocity before we can have closure over this."

*****

The week that followed went by in a blur for the McCloud family. After seeing to the arch's safe retrieval aboard the Nebula, Fox and Krystal retreated back to the Great Falcon. Reunited with their parents, Marcus and Ophelia found themselves in their tight embrace and been on the receiving end of all their love flowing into them. But both children could sense that it was their father and mother who were the ones who needed comforting.

To say that everyone aboard the Great Falcon was shocked to find out it was Andrew Oikonny who had destroyed Cerinia was an understatement. A few thoughts were bandied about on how to ensure Andross' nephew answered for this abominable crime but quickly dropped when both Fox and Krystal sensed the fury blazing within Dash Bowman. When they queried the ape, his only reply was, "Leave Cousin to me." He said with a sneer when referencing his relationship to Andrew. "I'll see to it that he's made to pay for what he did."

It had been a week since the funeral of Felice Tawny. Though the McClouds could not attend, they had sent a massive arrangement of flowers and heartfelt letter of condolence to the kitten's parents. Worse yet for the McCloud parents was finding out on Lylat News who had been behind the abduction attempt of their son. Fox and Krystal were curled up together in front of their media center and watched Walter Kent give his report.

"And in other news today," the news hound began, "it was revealed that the renegade CDF soldiers who had tried to abduct Marcus McCloud were Gordon Striker loyalists. For our viewer who do not recall, Brigadier General Striker was implicated in the Paradigm Shift scandal six years ago along with former senator Winston Starkey, who is now finishing a five-year sentence for his part in the illegal plundering of the Shards of Cerinia. The former general unfortunately evaded capture and his whereabouts are unknown. Earlier today, Wolf Morrow met Senator Felicia Tawny, whose niece Felice was an unintended casualty in the abduction attempt of Marcus McCloud."

The scene switched to a hallway inside the Senate building where a reddish-grey wolf could be seen speaking with Senator Tawny. "Senator, first of all, my condolences on the loss of your niece."

"Thank you, Wolf." the feline senator replied. "Little Felice will be dearly missed by our family." And while she appeared to be calm, it was still obvious by her strained demeanor that she was mourning the death of her brother's kitten.

"Many have wondered why Gordon Striker has not been apprehended, even after six years. Can you tell us why he still evades capture?"

"Wolf, you have to understand that Lylat has many habitable worlds. So he could be hiding anywhere. Also, Striker worked with the Cornerian Security Agency in the past. He understands their methods and knows how to not give himself away."

"Do you think these captured Striker loyalists will yield any leads?"

Felicia sighed. "Unfortunately, it is unlikely though we are hopeful. There were two other double agents who were discovered and captured, but in a practice known as compartmentalization, they have never been to Gordon Striker's secret hideout and cannot identify their contacts who are the direct link to the renegade general."

"Thank you, Senator, for your time." Wolf then turned to the camera. "There you have it. From the Lylat Senate, back to you Walter." The scene then cut back to the news anchor desk where Walter Kent revealed what happened next.

"After interviewing Senator Tawny, my colleague was about to pack away his recording equipment and return here when the following confrontation took place between the senator and Pricilla Kane of the Corneria Enquirer." Walter then paused. "The following is a full, unedited recording of what transpired."

The scene switched back to the Senate hallway. In it, Felicia was walking away when a female pug, that was unfortunately very familiar to Fox and Krystal, accosted the senator. "Senator Tawny, a word."

Felicia turned and her expression immediately soured upon seeing the tabloid journalist approach her. "I have already given an interview, Miss Kane. I have a senate session to attend."

"Just a few questions..." Pricilla then pressed on, blocking the grey-furred feline senator before she could make her escape. "Do you think a telepathic child such as Marcus McCloud should be allowed to mingle with other children?"

The ludicrous question made Felicia roll her eyes. "If Principle Lapin saw no reason to disallow him from attending, then why should? Everything I heard from my nephew indicates that little Marcus is a well-behaved, friendly pup who was well-raised by his parents."

"Do you not blame the McClouds for Felice's death?"

The question evoked an angry, tearful retort. "If anybody is to blame, it's Gordon Striker, you filth! He's the one who sent those renegades shooting indiscriminately into a school filled with children. And creeps like you are just as bad, taking pictures instead of calling for help!"

The gleeful smirk on the pug bitch was plain to see even as she continued to goad the senator into a further sensational response, "But if Marcus had not attended West End Elementary School, your niece might still be alive."

However, Pricilla got more of a response than she had bargained for when Felicia hissed and lashed out by striking the tabloid reporter across the face with her claws extended. The pug screeched in pain and fear, gripping her bloodied and mutilated muzzle as she collapsed onto the floor. The commotion drew the attention of senate security guards who had to step in and restrain the senator from further maiming the reporter.

The scene cut back to Walter at the news anchor's desk. "Pricilla Kane was taken to Corneria City General Hospital emergency where her face was treated for deep lacerations across the muzzle. While Miss Kane could press charges against Senator Tawny, legal experts on our staff assert that a conviction would be unlikely due to sympathy given that the senator was still grieving over the death of her niece. At most, Senator Tawny could receive a light sentence." Walter then glanced down at the notes on his screen before looking back at the camera with his trademark conclusion. "And that's how it was. This is Walter Kent, signing off."

Fox and Krystal sighed and turned their media center off. _"Poor Felicia. We could have lost our son that day like her brother lost his daughter." _Krystal thought.

"That's twice this week that we had to stop Marcus from having nightmares from that attack by those loyalists." Fox grumbled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"Then we'll let him sleep in our bed with us this week until we can teach him to dream lucidly." Krystal suggested._ "I'll also call Principal Lapin tomorrow and find out what the situation is at school."_

Marcus was allowed to return to school. The repair of the damaged to the school building caused by the seismic shockwaves from his parents' staves had been completed. To ensure their son's safety, and the safety of the rest of the children attended the West End Elementary School, a platoon of loyal CDF soldiers, vetted by Marcus' telepathic parents, were brought in to augment the school security.

With a semblance of normalcy having returned, Marcus was able to resume his primary education and be with his friends again. And given that the Dougal children were now gone, Fox's son was able to enjoy his time at school without harassment from bullies or malicious teasing from any other student.

While their son was at school, Krystal and Fox would go each day to the Cerinian Memorial Arboretum construction site. Prior to the transparent palladium dome being completed, the Cerinian Memorial Arch was lowered into the enclosed space. Krystal oversaw the construction crew's work each day as the interior structures were built. When everything was completed and the interior environment rendered airtight, Fox brought the canister he and his vixen had taken from the Legacy of Cerinia. Under his and his soulmate's direction, horticulturalists extracted from stasis the seeds within and planted them throughout the entire interior of the arboretum.

While this was being done, Beltino Toad oversaw his crew which installed inward-facing emitters around the inner perimeter of the arboretum dome. When they were done, everyone retreated to the exterior. At a control console just outside the entrance, Beltino made final adjustments to the settings and activated the interior emmitters. Within, time distorted and compressed 5000 fold. Ten minutes later, seeds germinated and sprouted. After an hour, they could see small saplings growing.

*****

On a remote island far offshore from Corneria City, just as the Cerinian Memorial Arboretum was being completed, Dash Bowman met with Howard Dogwell, warden of the planet's high-security penitentiary. The ape shook the bulldog's hand upon disembarking the CDF shuttle that had brought him there. "Thank you for authorizing this visit, Sir."

"Don't thank me, Mister Bowman. When General Hare sent me the request, I had little choice in allowing you to visit your cousin." replied the warden in a gruff tone. "Though I do admit I am curious to know why you would want to visit him at all, given everything I heard about you. I had the impression you wanted nothing to do with that part of your family."

"He's not family!" Dash growled. "He's nothing by a relative I wished I never had."

"Well, whatever are your reasons, you will have 15 minutes of privacy with him."

That this was anything but a friendly visit could not have been made plainer to Howard by Dash's reply. "Fifteen minutes will be all that I need, but I don't want it to be private. In fact, I want you to listen in and record everything."

Seven years into his life sentence, Andrew Oikonny had enjoyed his celebrity status among the prisoners of Corneria's high-security penitentiary as the nephew of Andross. The other inmates either admired him for his audacity for defying Corneria or feared him because of his small circle of influence among the more dangerous inmates. Andrew was nevertheless frustrated by his inability to do anything about his incarceration and longed to escape. His greatest annoyance though was his total loss of access to the goings on outside the prison since his trial after his defeat and capture during the Anglar Blitz.

Cutoff from the outside world, he knew nothing of Star Fox, New Cerinia, or even his first cousin once removed. So it came as a complete surprise when he was escorted by guards to a prisoner visiting room and found himself restrained in a chair facing Dash who sat opposite him. Briefly nonplused by his cousin's appearance, Andrew quickly recovered and tried to put on an air of confidence. "Well, this is unexpected." he grinned. "What kind of deal did you have to pull to see me, Cousin?"

Dash though was in no mood to banter with his idiotic, foolish relative. Counting on Andrew's narcissism, he went straight to the point. "So I understand you are the one who destroyed Cerinia."

Andrew's eyes widened in surprised. He had kept that secret to himself over the many years since he had wiped out the race of telepathic foxes. He briefly thought about denying it, but it occurred to him that he was already in prison for a life sentence. It would not matter if he acknowledged what he had done. Besides, the idea of finally bragging about his greatest accomplishment appealed to him. "So figured it out, did you?" he leered.

"Why did you do it?"

"Uncle Andross entrusted me with the task." Andrew inflated his chest. "He told me about the Krazoa and their connection to the Cerinians, and how they would interfere with his plans to resurrect himself if he was ever killed. So when Star Fox killed Uncle at the end of the Lylat war, I carried out his instructions."

Dash did not have to feign his astonishment, which only encouraged Andrew to continue boasting when he asked, "How did you do it?"

"Uncle had kept in store a fusion-powered drilling rig that was capable of generating a shield powerful enough to keep magma from pushing up through a hole drilled in a planet's crust." Andrew elaborated. "The trick then was to send down 30 antimatter warheads which had their own neutronium armor boosted by shields to survive sinking to a planet's core."

"But how's that possible!?" Dash asked. "The pressures inside a planet must be beyond any shield to withstand."

"I don't know!" Andrew huffed. "Uncle had those warheads ready to use on Corneria, but near the end of the Lylat War, he learned of the Krazoa and the Cerinians, and changed his plans. He set it up so that all I had to do was fly a cloaked ship to Cerinia's dormant caldera, setup the drill, and activate it." Andrew rambled on, oblivious to the expression of disgust on Dash's face. "It then did the rest automatically. All I had to do then was activate each warhead and drop them down the hole drilled into the crust."

"And the Krazoa?"

"They would have no telepaths to call to except for that one Cerinian that I lured there for Uncle to capture and use to resurrect himself." Andrew gloated. "And he succeeded! Uncle became a Krazoa god!" His expression then morphed into a snarl of rage. "But Star Fox ruined everything. They killed Uncle Andross again!"

From behind a one-way window looking into the prisoner visiting room, Warden Howard Dogwell witnessed Andrew Oikonny's ghastly confession. Never would he have imagined that he had been holding in his prison the perpetrator of the near genocide of the Cerinian race. He was shaken out of his astonishment when Dash looked towards him from the other side of the one-way window and asked, "Did you record it all?"

He briefly glanced towards the computer console to confirm that fact and then depressed a switch to active the intercom. "I have indeed, Mister Bowman."

Andrew's lower jaw dropped. "What?!?! You set me up!" he screeched. "How could you do that?!" We're family! You fucking...." Any further ramblings of indignation were cut short by Dash delivering a powerful backhanded blow to his cousin's face."

"You and Grandfather are not family. You are just relatives you piece of filth." Dash seethed. "And neither I nor Mother will ever have anything to do with you again." He then stormed out of the visiting room, ignoring the daggers Andrew was staring at his retreating back. Outside, he nodded to the warden. "You have a full confession from him now. Do what you like with that idiot."

*****

Much had transpired in the week since the Cerinian vegetation had been planted in the arboretum. There was now a forest of trees under the transparent palladium dome and all the preparations within were complete. Fox and Krystal had been looking for a way to convince their people to come to Corneria to see the memorial that had been erected in memory of all who had perished on Cerinia.

As horrific as it was, Andrew had provided the motivation for the Cerinian survivors to come. The ape's boastful confession had been related to Elder Hiroshi and the rest on New Cerinia. All 49 of them were on their way. Fox and Krystal knew that there could be no closure until Andrew was dealt with.

The media storm that was raised by the revelation that Andross' nephew had been the one who had murdered 500 million Cerinians and why he had done it had swept through Lylat. Even the multiple factions on Venom were appalled. Andrew had to be put in solitary confinement to protect him from the other prisoners who had all turned on the ape when the news had leaked to the prison population.

Krystal and Fox stood together with their children in the main concourse of Corneria City Spaceport waiting for their Cerinian friends who were all inbound on multiple shuttlecraft that were escorted by Bulldog and Husky Squadrons. It was while they were waiting that a multitude of reporters and photographers came, including Walter Kent. Fortunately, they were kept cordoned off by CDF police.

Unfortunately, among them Fox recognized tabloid journalists, including the beagle he had slugged after trying to corner his toddler son on his first outing at River Rapids. When he felt Marcus cling nervously against him, Fox and his soulmate came to a decision. Taking out his comm, he placed a call. Moments later, the voice of Walter Kent answered. "Mister McCloud. Hello."

Fox made eye contact with the news hound standing with his fellow reporters a short distance away. "Walter, could you and your professional colleagues quietly gather together in one group, separate from those from the tabloids?"

"You are planning something?"

"Let's just say that before, I tolerated them from a distance. But now, ever since that incident involving those paparazzi filming the abduction attempt on our son, my wife and I are nothing but openly hostile towards them. We would prefer that reporters from respectable news outlets like Lylat News, New Haven Gazette, and Corneria Times not suffer the consequences."

After Fox had closed his comm, he and his vixen watched Walter whisper into the ears of his fellow reporters, who in turn discretely notified others in their group. While that was happening, he and Krystal slowly ambled towards the gaggle of paparazzi who began shouting a barrage of questions. Among them was Jack Conley. The beagle eyed the McCloud couple wearily, especially the husband who had previously broken his wrist years ago and more recently his muzzle.

Past experience told Jack that he best make a retreat with the short recordings of the McClouds he had already taken. The beagle turned off his camera, packed it away in its case, and quickly walked out of the terminal. He would bide his time and look for another opportunity to capture exclusive recordings of the famed couple and their children that would make him a fortune and leave him set for life.

Fox and Krystal had both noticed the familiar beagle make a rather wise retreat and decided to leave him be as they approached the remaining tabloid journalists who were photographing them at a furious pace and shouting a flurry of questions. Stopping a short distance away, they reached out with their telekinesis, and in quick succession crushed the central circuit boards within every recording device in the group.

Within a minute, their questions quieted down to be replaced with expletives and shouts of outrage while the McClouds turned their back on them and walked back to the gate. It was then that they sensed Elder Hiroshi, Hinode, Shinko, Renjiro, Akina, and the rest as the Cerinians were disembarking from their shuttles and making their way up to the terminal itself.

For Hiroshi and his charges, it was their first sight of Corneria. From orbit, the planet was surrounded by a constellation of satellites, space stations, and defense platforms. The Beltino Gate itself was a marvel to behold, with its six large emitters forming a ring of green high-energy plasma in the middle of which space-time was distorted and stretched into an artificial wormhole. All around them in the distance were many ships, from small civilian crafts to large capital ship, each either leaving orbit, arriving, or descending or ascending into orbit.

As they descended in separate shuttles, they found themselves surrounded by an escort of fighter crafts, always intent on protecting them, even here at the center of their civilization. Below, a lush, green world turned that was covered with a multitude of towns and cities, all interconnected by a network of roads and magnetic levitation rails. Corneria City itself was a massive concentration of skyscrapers that grew shorter moving away from its downtown.

Hiroshi and the rest shook their heads in mild disapproval. For all their greatness and technological prowess, the denizens of Corneria sought to subdue their environment instead of living in harmony with it. The city itself had little in vegetation, though they were pleased to see that there was at least a large park filled with trees and ponds, with walking paths throughout. There was also a large structure of sorts at the center of the park where they could see greenery within underneath a transparent dome.

Moments before they landed, the Cerinians sensed the familiar presence of the McClouds within the ocean of mental impressions blanketing the spaceport. When they disembarked from their shuttles, they found themselves surrounded by CDF Elite Special Force soldiers. Hiroshi and his fellow Cerinians could all sense that same fierce protectiveness from these Cornerian guardians. Their leader, a grey wolf approached Hiroshi and gave him a friendly salute. "Welcome to Corneria, Elder Hiroshi. I am Captain Hunter Graymane"

"Thank you, Hunter." Hiroshi replied. He could not help be feel overwhelmed by the lengths they were going through to protect him and his people. He briefly glanced to those he led. "Is all this really necessary, here at the center of your civilization?"

Hunter nodded, "Hopefully not. The mood among the civilian population is overwhelmingly positive and sympathetic towards your people. The news of what happened to your home world and your quest to restore your population is now widely known." He then sighed and went on. "But we are not all the same. Surely you must understand that in any large civilization, there will always be a few who could hold ill intent towards you."

"Of course." Hiroshi acknowledged and nodded towards Renjiro and the four guardians he led. "We ourselves have learned to be vigilant given that we are so few."

"Precisely. All it would take is for one deranged individual among all the good people of Corneria to do something that would wipe all of you out and truly bring your people to extinction." His muzzle then briefly contorted into a snarl. "And we refuse to allow that." After taking a few calming breaths, Hunter smiled. "But hopefully our presence will turn out to be unnecessary." He then beckoned them. "This way."

At the gate, Fox, Krystal, Marcus, and even Ophelia could sense the presence of their people approach. Before long, they saw CDF Elite Special Forces emerge and fan out around their area of the concourse, quickly followed by Hiroshi, Hinode, Shinko, Renjiro, Akina, and the rest. It was an unusual sight to see all of them attired modestly. All were in plain short-sleeved shirts and pants, obviously provided to them by the CDF.

With their children with them, Fox and Krystal stepped forward and embraced their friends as they encircled them. "Welcome to Corneria." Fox said. ** "I just wish the circumstances were happier, but hopefully, all of you will find some closure when we are done."**

"Thank you, Fokkusu." Hiroshi replied. ** "We also wish our arrival here was under happier circumstances. Perhaps after we deal with this unpleasantness we can enjoy your hospitality."**

Soon, they were led by their CDF bodyguards past the press corps, including Walter Kent, through the cordoned off concourse. A short distance away, behind the rope barrier, were many Cornerians onlookers of various species. Krystal, Fox, and all the other Cerinians could all sense the intense curiosity from the crowd.

As they walked, Krystal noticed Renjiro and Akina tug at their shirts. "We'll get you some looser-fitting clothing." Fox's vixen assured them. "But you will find Corneria's climate cooler than on our home in New Cerinia."

"Especially during winter." ** Fox added. **"Temperatures drop below freezing and we get snow here."

Outside the spaceport, six heavily armored limousines, usually reserved for visiting dignitaries, waited for them. Their group divided into each limousine, with a guardian riding in each. The McClouds piled into the one occupied by Elder Hiroshi, Shinko, Hinode, and several other Cerinians. As they rode, Fox pointed out to their guests the various landmarks throughout the city as they drove past them: museums, markets, theaters, parks, and so forth. There was also a cemetery upon which countless headstones were aligned perfectly. At each corner, they could see a statue of a Cornerian soldier looking inwards. A solemn expression was carved into the canid's face. A flame rose from a large cauldron at the center of the multitude of graves.

Hiroshi tore his eyes away from the poignant sight and made eye contact with Fox, who answered the unasked question. "It is our memorial cemetery, where all CDF soldiers who died defending our worlds are buried. The flame at the center represents all those who died whose bodies were never recovered."

Hiroshi sighed and shook his head sadly while glancing downwards. "Having learned of your history, and seeing all those graves only confirms that what Lupo Ramius said to us is true. The people of this world are militaristic by necessity, not choice."

"And with each passing year of peace since the Anglar Blitz, we count ourselves blessed, even with the occasional piracy that happens in the more remote corners of Lylat." Fox replied. He then looked down at Marcus sitting next to him and ran his fingers through his son's head fur. "Some have suggested that Makasu could become the next leader of Star Fox, but truthfully, I'd be much happier if this peace continues on and he never has to take up that mantle."

Soon, they reached a building that the Cerinians knew was much older than the rest. While most edifices in Corneria City were constructed of modern materials such as steel, titanium, transparent palladium and so forth, this building and those all around it appeared to have been constructed with stone masonry and marble and was crowned with a prominent dome supported upon columns. "That is our capitol building and where the Lylat Senate convenes." Fox explained.

"Ah yes. I had read that your government was comprised of these elected senators and led by a chief minister. Quite different from the Council of Elders on Cerinia." Hiroshi nodded, and then amended, "But in a non-telepathic civilization such as this, your form of government seems quite logical."

The convoy of armored limousines drove on by the capitol building and came to a stop at a nearby structure also constructed in stone and marble, with two prominent columns bracketing the wide front double doors. "This was the Lylat Supreme Court." Fox informed them. Their CDF protectors immediately disembarked from their armored vehicles and fanned out on each side. Beyond them, a multitude of reporters with cameras watched and recorded. The murmur of commentaries could be heard from the journalists who related to their audiences the momentous event.

It was under the eyes of the Lylat media that Fox, Krystal, Hiroshi, and all the others exited their limousines and ascended the steps up to the majestic courthouse doors and entered the revered hall of justice. Though well-maintained and still looking new the interior construction also reflected the ancient age of the building in its architecture. The hallway walls were adorned in stained wood trim with doors made of the same solid wood at varying intervals. The floor they stood upon was a cream-colored marble polished to a near mirror finish.

They were greeted by a distinguished terrier in a business suit. "Welcome. I am Abby Black. I have been assigned to be your legal counsel and representative for this proceeding."

"Is there to be a trial?" Fox asked. Such legal proceedings were often long, drawn out affairs, and he did not relish the idea of putting his Cerinian friends through such an ordeal.

"Yes, though it will be a very short trial. The accused has already foolishly confessed to his crime." Abby explained. "Follow me please." She then led the fifty-one Cerinians down to the end of the hall and through the double doors to the courtroom proper. Inside, Krystal handed Ophelia to her husband and went forward to stand with the other 49 survivors while Fox stood back with his son and daughter. Fox understood that even though he considered himself a Cerinian, it was only his wife and the other 49 survivors who were the true plaintiffs, who had suffered so grievously from Andrew Oikonny's actions.

Up upon the judges bench stood five justices: a fox, two dogs, a cat, and sitting between them a badger that was very familiar to Fox and Krystal. Chief Justice Melinae Brock sat on the bench of his courtroom, gazing down upon 50 blue-furred Cerinian foxes, all that was left of a population of 500 million souls. Never had he presided on the trial of a crime so grievous as the near genocide of an entire race. He then turned and nodded to the bailiff. "Bring in the accused."

A moment later, a heavily manacled ape was dragged in by a squad of burly canids. Andrew let out a screech of outrage upon seeing so many Cerinians. He seethed at the sight of them, but any further outbursts were interrupted when one of his escorts forcefully dragged him forward to face the bench. Glaring up at his judges, Andrew spat. "So what do you want now? Add to my life sentence since this government does not have the balls to legalize the death penalty?"

"Present the evidence." Melinae instructed.

Abby stood forward and presented the damning evidence. "One week ago, Dash Bowman confronted the accused about this crime. I present to this court the recording between Dash and his first cousin once removed." Everyone in the courtroom silently listened to the recording of Andrew Oikonny boastfully confess to being the one who destroyed Cerinia. From the back of the courtroom, Fox could sense emotions of dismay, hate, and outrage, many coming from his fellow Cerinians, including his wife. He tightly held Ophelia in his arms and erected a strong mental barrier around his daughter's mind to protect her from such negative emotions. Marcus went quiet and leaned against Fox, who wrapped one arm around his son and gave the pup a comforting squeeze while projecting his love into his mind.

After the recording had finished, Melinae sagged in his chair behind the bench. He then turned to his fellow justices and the five of them had a short, quiet deliberation before the badger again addressed the court. "The magnitude of this crime is beyond anything this or any other court has ever been confronted with. How does one determine the sentence for an act of murder on such a scale that it defies imagination? I...we...do not feel qualified to pronounce an appropriate sentence for the crime of genocide."

There followed a murmur of uncertainty and confusion within the courtroom, which was brought to an end by the strike of a gavel. He then addressed the Cerinians. "Who among you is considered the leader of what remains of your people?"

In reply, a middle-aged Cerinian tod stepped forward. "I am Elder Hiroshi, leader of the people of New Cerinia."

"Elder, given that the crime was committed against Cerinia, and far outstrips any other crime the accused has committed against the people of Lylat, we would like to consider turning him over to you. How do you suggest the accused should be made to answer for a crime of this magnitude?"

And Hiroshi answered Melinae Brock's query. The five justices listened attentively to the Cerinian elder's description of how he proposed Andrew Oikonny should pay for his crime. In response, Andrew began screeching profanities and threats. Amid shouts of order and a scuffle between the ape and the courtroom officers, Andrew was finally restrained and muzzled.

The judges then quietly deliberated amongst themselves before the chief justice pronounced his sentence. "This court finds the high elder's suggested sentence equitable. The accused will be turned over to his accusers for the prescribed punishment. This court is adjourned." Chief Justice Melinae Brock declared with a final strike of the gavel.

*****

Fox sat on a couch in the second floor living room of Phoenix Manor with all his closest friends who had come to console him. Marcus and Ophelia sat on each side of their father, leaning against him. Falco, Katt, Fay and Bill sat opposite him. Fara, Kei and their twins, Oswald and Katherine sat together on a separate couch. Charles, Dietrich, and Josephine each sat on separate sofas, waiting for someone to say something.

Falco was the one that broke the silence. "So what are they going to do to that ape?"

Fox took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He then began to explain Cerinian justice. "On Cerinia, when someone committed a murder, he, or she, was often quickly apprehended. Such a criminal act is hard to hide in a society of telepaths. The perpetrator would be brought before the elders where he was given a chance to explain to them and the family of the victim why he committed such an act. If his attempted justification were found wanting, he would be pronounced guilty of murder. The punishment would be carried out by the family of the victims.

Fox took a moment to gather his thoughts, to explain the perspective of a telepath. "In most cases, relatives of the victim would hear the mental cry of their loved one and see through his or her eyes as they were slain. If the relative was very close to the victim emotionally and telepathically, he would even experience the victim's fear and pain when she died. It leaves an emotionally traumatizing wound on the soul of the surviving family."

"That's horrible." Fay whimpered while she clung to her boyfriend. Bill gave his girlfriend a comforting squeeze. "So what did the family of the victim do to the murderer?" he asked.

"While it is against our code of ethics to force oneself into the mind of another, this is the one exception. Under the supervision of elders, the perpetrator is given a drug that greatly weakens his ability to defend his mind. He is then restrained, and each family member in turn forcefully plants into his mind the memory of their loved one's death. From that moment on, whenever he closes his eyes, the murderer will experience the death of his victim, see through the victim's eyes as that person died at the hands of the one who killed him or her."

"Forever?" Fara asked.

"That depends on the perpetrator." Fox explained. "After experiencing the fear, pain, and sadness of his victim, the killer could possibly feel deep remorse for what he has done. If that happened, the visions would fade away and he would be given the chance to earn forgiveness for his crime, often by serving the victim's family to make amends."

Fox then closed his eyes and began to give an account of Andrew Oikonny's punishment. "They are all gathered now at the penitentiary in a waiting room, all 50 of them, including my wife."

"Are you seeing this through Krystal's eyes?" Bill asked.

"Yes. My mind and soul are there with her." Fox affirmed. "Our mind link is now even stronger since my own telepathy has awakened." Everyone in the room went silent, and listened raptly to the part Cerinian vulpine. "The warden is now leading them to an interrogation room. We...Krystal and I...see Andrew now. He's tightly immobilized in a chair. His arms and legs are held in place with metal cuffs in the chair. His head is immobilized in a brace. The prison guards also had him muzzled."

"We can sense Andrew's rage and fear....Elder Hiroshi is now pronouncing Andrew's punishment. He's screaming back now. We sense nothing but deep hatred. He's struggling violently against his bindings as Hiroshi places his hands against Andrew's temples. He's gone still. His emotions have turned to fear and horror. Andrew is experiencing the death of Hiroshi's family. His eyes are wide with fear as Akina goes next, letting him see how her own mother, father, and brothers all died...."

"Well, he deserves it." Dietrich huffs. "I was watching on Lylat News documentaries of Cerinia and about when the Wayfarer made first contact 128 years ago. The images they had of that planet showed how beautiful a world it was. They even talked about your great, great, grandfather Takara McCloud."

"Yes, it was....Because of my mental bond with Krystal, I got to experience her childhood there, growing up on that world...." Fox revealed. "It's her turn now. We feel a righteous anger towards Andrew. She's gripped his temples tightly...."

Fox then suddenly found himself reliving with his wife the horror of that day through the eyes of her sister.... Shinju wept while kneeling on the floor next to her mother's body. Onikisu had just collapsed and died moments before, when the ground shook beneath them from the eruption of Toba, which had instantly killed her father, Shiokaze. She looked up at her brother. Sanshain's eyes were filled with tears. They embraced each other and looked around them. Many homes had collapsed during the earthquake. There were fires all over the village of Nara.

The ground shook again violently beneath them. A wall in their home's courtyard collapsed. Shinju screamed in fear. Her brother helped her to her feed and they ran from their ruined home. They staggered through Nara's central market, which was now in ruins, with fallen trees and collapsed buildings everywhere. Even more violent quakes shook under their feet. Several more fissures opened through the town. They saw several people fall to their deaths when the ground opened up beneath them, including Elder Hoshi.

Once they reached the beach, Shinju and Sanshain looked back at their village. Nara was in ruins and on fire. The adolescent vixen looked at her brother and whimpered, "I'm afraid. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Shinju. We can only wait for the quakes to stop and then we'll do what we can to help our neighbors."

The ground again shook violently beneath them. Minutes later, they beheld the strange sight of the ocean tide going out rapidly, farther than they had ever seen. The water subsided so far that they could see the sea floor almost to the horizon. Shinju turned to her brother and saw and sensed from him abject terror. _ **"Tidal Wave! We must get out of here to higher ground!!!"** _ Together, they ran through their burning village as fast as they could away from the shoreline.

When she looked back towards the beach, Shinju saw that it was too late. A massive tidal wave was rising up high into the sky and rushing towards them. She gripped her brother and whimpered in terror and then screamed when the water overtook them, and then felt herself being ripped out of her brother's arms just moments before her body was crushed between shattered trees, building rubble, and rocks.

The details of this vision, Fox did not relate to his friends. His mental barriers were also raised tightly to prevent Marcus and Ophelia from seeing how their aunt and uncle died. "Krystal has planted into Andrew's mind what Shinju experienced with Sanshain. From now on, whenever he closes his eyes, he will relive how my sister-in-law died with her brother....and she's not done yet. Unlike the other 49 who were a long way away, Krystal was in orbit over Cerinia when it exploded. She felt the death of countless other Cerinians. She's planting it all in Andrew's mind."

"Well damn." Falco exclaimed. "Sucks to be him."

"And I doubt Andrew will ever feel remorse for what he's done. That ape has nothing but malice and hatred in his heart. So he's condemned himself to seeing all those visions for the rest of his life whenever he closes his eyes." Fox declared. "And I feel no pity for him. He's getting nothing but what he deserves."

He then went on to relate what happened next. "Krystal has finished with him. Andrew looks catatonic now. His eyes are wide open and he's trembling violently. Hiroshi is advising the warden that Andrew should be kept isolated in a sound proof cell so that the other prisoners are not awakened at night by his screams. He'll also be kept in a straitjacket to prevent him from gouging his eyes out."

Fox took a deep breath and sighed. "It is done. Now more than ever, we all need closure." He turned to Fara and asked, "Could you watch over Marcus and Ophelia for us? The memorial Krystal and I are planning for our people will be extremely emotionally intense. We do not want to expose our children to that, and Marcus must stay with Ophelia to keep her mind shielded since she has not learned yet to control her telepathy."

"Are you and Mama going to help our friends have a good cry?" Marcus asked.

Fox looked down fondly at his son with a heavy heart and nodded. "Yes, and anybody near them will feel their sadness. It is why you and your sister can't be there with us, or you'd feel their sadness too." Before Marcus could protest, Fox went on to charge his son with a task. "And we want you to watch over your sister to keep her from accidently hearing what your Aunt Fara and her family are thinking."

"Okay Papa." Marcus replied solemnly. The pup then clambered over his father's lap and sat next to his sister, wrapping his arms around the toddler.

"We will bring your children to you when you and Krystal are done. They should see the Cerinian Memorial Arboretum and get to know what their mother's home was like." Fara offered.

Fox smiled to his former girlfriend. "Yes, that is a wonderful idea. We'll wait for them there."

*****

It was late afternoon when Krystal met Fox and Peppy at the entrance to the Cerinian Memorial Arboretum, having run ahead of the other Cerinians who were walking slowly through Corneria City's Central Park. Fox was already wearing his funeral robe. The black garment had been made for him and another for Krystal by Madam Samantha a week before to Krystal's specific instructions. It flowed from a wide open collar around Fox's neck down to his ankles. His arms extended out of wide, loose sleeves. Cerinian symbols of life, death, and renewal adorned the front on each side of the collar.

"Is everything ready?" Krystal asked while taking a package from Fox that contained her funeral robe.

"Yes. All is set inside." Fox replied. "Do they know what we are planning for them?"

"No, I've kept up my mental barriers like you have, but Elder Hiroshi knows we are up to something."

"I'm not surprised. We usually don't block out our friends like this." Fox then turned to Peppy. "I could sense nobody nearby in the park besides us. Has it been all cleared out of people?"

"Yes. The park has been closed and cordoned off. Do you really think their sadness will be felt that far out?" Peppy asked.

"You sensed how strong my emotional outburst was the night before our wedding." Krystal replied while slipping into her funeral robe. "There will be 49 of my people this time. All have been suppressing their grief, and for much longer than I had. We don't know how many will lose control of their telepathy and start broadcasting outwards, but they will be affecting each other, which will only intensify the effect."

"Anybody nearby will be overcome with an intense grief that will be overwhelming." Fox added. He then sensed another presence and sighed in exasperation at the hound who had just showed up. "Walter Kent, you should not be here."

"I beg to disagree, Mister McCloud." the reporter countered. "The plight of the Cerinian people is a story that must be told. The people of Lylat must never forget the price that is often paid by innocents when tyrants are not stopped in their mad quests for power."

It was only because of his deep respect for the Lylat News hound that Fox did not forcibly drive the reporter from the area. He could sense Walter's honest intent but was concerned for his wellbeing. "Walter, I know you overheard me and Peppy discuss what we are planning, and what will be happening here. I am also aware that you take pride in your impartiality as a reporter." Fox then locked stern eyes with the canid. "So I must warn you, you will lose that impartiality when the grief that will burst out from here telepathically overcomes you. You will never be the same again."

"I understand, but still insist in my wish to cover this event. You know I'll be respectful and not intrude overtly upon them during this memorial service." Walter assured them.

Krystal sighed and shook her head. "I don't think you truly understand, but because it is you, we'll consent to allowing you in. We only ask that you not record any of it."

"Will broadcasting on audio only be acceptable?"

"Yes, that....might be a good idea." Krystal glanced to Peppy. "When Fox and I sequestered ourselves the night before our wedding for our mental communion, I had underestimated how far out my telepathy would broadcast my grief. I'm now wondering if the borders of the park are far enough from here. The people of Corneria City might need to hear Walter's broadcast to understand why they are overcome with sadness."

"Good thinking. I'll go and notify the police to be ready. This might disrupt things in the vicinity of the park." Peppy replied.

Krystal then turned and joined her husband and Walter Kent at the door to the arboretum. They entered together and stood in a large antechamber. Fox and Krystal could sense the inquisitiveness in the news hound and saw the open microphone he was holding. Both immediately understood that he was broadcasting live. So they answered his unasked question. "The trees and plants beyond the inner doors are alien to Corneria's ecology and must be kept isolated inside." Fox explained. Air suddenly rushed around them, ruffling their fur and clothes while a wide beam swept over them. Fox continued, almost shouting over the loud wind blowing around them. "We are in a decontamination chamber now so that we don't bring anything such as pollen or insects inside. We'll also have to go through this chamber when we leave to not bring anything from within outside."

Walter nodded and shouted back. "A worthy precaution. I must ask. Where did you get the plants inside the arboretum?"

Krystal replied loudly, "They were part of the Legacy of Cerinia. Fox and I simply took a small sample of the seeds from it when we left New Cerinia a few weeks ago. When my people made their escape, they had hoped to find a barren planet that they could fill with the flora and fauna that was lost when our world was destroyed."

The blowers in the decontamination chamber finally stopped and the room became quiet again. The inner door unsealed and slid open. Together, they stepped into a small patch of the lost world of Cerinia. Before them under the transparent palladium dome was an otherworldy forest that Fox had first seen in dreams planted in his mind by his wife and again when he relived her childhood in Nara. Among the tall trees were many plants in various shades of green and even a few blue ones that were filled with berries. A winding path stretched out ahead of them and disappeared through the woods.

When Krystal took a deep breath through her nose and smelled the scents of her lost home, she was overcome with tears that stained her fur on each side of her muzzle. Though he had gotten to know the sights and scents of Cerinia through his mental bond with his soulmate, this was the first time he was privileged to experience them firsthand, and was himself moved to tears, both by the emotions flowing from his wife and by the beauty of the landscape before him.

Walter gazed in wonder at the beautiful, alien forest before him. He glanced over at the two foxes next to him and kept silent out of respect to what he could see was an emotionally profound moment for them. Fox and Krystal could sense awe from Walter at the sight. They also picked up on his surface thoughts and the questions that were bubbling there, waiting to be uttered, but had to cut it short.

"They are near now." Fox pointed Walter to a side passage. "Go out that way. It leads to an elevated pathway along the dome wall that overlooks the forest. Follow it all the way to the end."

Walter Kent wordlessly nodded and left them, going the way Fox had pointed him to. Fox and Krystal then walked together, hand in hand with their fingers interlaced down the pathway through the Cerinian forest.