Legacy of the Precursors

Chapter 5: Times Gone By

Krystal lounged languidly upon one of the sofas decorating the common room, book in paw. Her bright green eyes scanned the inked text, but her mind wandered elsewhere. She was not often a nosy vixen and respected the privacy of the team, refraining from using her powers while around them. But she could not help but listen in on Fox's and Six's conversation in the spartan's private quarters.

She had gleaned a surprising amount of insight into their new member from their brief dialogue.

For one he had encountered aliens in the past, and held a deep loathing for them and by the process of dissemination, her and the others. But, he was likewise incredibly tolerant. She had felt his rage, even from all the way down in the common room. With such hate she would have expected him to go on a killing spree, and yet…he had not. Instead he joined them. Such restraint for one soul to have was incredible. What kind of training had he been put through to give him such masterful control over his emotions?

Krystal flicked to the next page, reading from the romance novel as she pondered.

Even in regards to his anger, his pledge to Fox was what really surprised her.

Cerinia had been a world of oaths and honor, and such a promise as Six had given to Fox was a potent one. If he truly meant to keep his word, than they had nothing to fear from him.

This was a relief as she had been concerned about his previous actions.

While unable to read his mind, she had anticipated his reaction upon discovering what she was. By a glance anyone could see that he was a man that preferred his privacy. Factor that and the way he expressed himself, Krystal had been pleasantly surprised that all he had done was direct his weapon at her.

Krystal decided that she liked him much more than Falco.

The avian was a prideful being by nature, and his tendency to boast was something that constantly tugged on the vixen's nerves.

But, Six was something of an altogether different sort. He had power, strength, skill, there was no disputing this, and yet he cared little for showing off. The spartan had something important that Falco lacked…humility.

Six could teach that bird a thing or two.

“So…what'd they talk about Krys? I know you eavesdropped."

Krystal's gaze traveled up the pages of her book, Fortuna Desires, and to the spotted feline sitting on the carpet and leaning against the vixen's couch. The cat had been idly tapping away at a game on her wrist comm and chose that moment to speak.

“I don't know what you're talking about." Krystal mumbled a roguishly innocent gleam in her eyes.

Miyu scoffed impishly. “Oh don't play the innocent routine. I know you better than that. You've probably been following them the moment they left the room."

“Perhaps…" Krystal replied noncommittally, enjoying the fact that she had the cat in the palm of her paw for once and not the other way around. 

“Why you gotta be like that huh? I thought we were friends." Miyu mewled lightheartedly; the cat's ears drooped comically as she gazed up at the vixen with the clichéd but no less effective sad eye routine.

Krystal finally relented.

“You know we are Miyu. I was just teasing."

Instantly the act stopped, her ears perking up and eyes filled to the brim with curiosity. “Yeah I know, so what's the scoop? What went down eh?"

Krystal did not go in detail of the spartan's private emotions, (even she had her limits), but she gave the gist of what they talked about.

“Woah…that's intense. I didn't think the big guy would go all-out so soon, or at all for that matter." Miyu rubbed her furred jaw ponderously. “I wonder why he did that. Seems like a big deal."

“That is a something I would wish to uncover the reason behind as well." Krystal agreed, putting her book down on the cushion beside her, the passionate scene between the returning soldier and his fiancé put on hold. She would go back to it at a later time.

“Well, until something else happens, what do you say we go check on Slippy? I wanna hear more about this Amanda he talked about."

That sounded like fun.

“Sure, why not?"

The vixen slid off the couch and followed after her friend as they went in search of the unfortunate toad, who would soon wish he had never opened his mouth.

*****

The elevator's doors slid open with a silent surge of air and the spartan passed the threshold, trailing the way Fox had taken back to the common room. He had to admit he was curious what this Peppy wished to speak to him about. He had little interaction with the hare since coming onboard, less than any of the others.

There was only one way to find out what he wanted.

Six passed through the hallway, heading towards the common room at the far end. As he reached the halfway point, one of the doors to the side peeled open and a toad flew out in a hurry, only to rebound off of the spartan's inflexible frame, his somewhat stubby body meeting the deck in a graceless heap and scattering a wide array of tools and devices around him.

Acting quickly, the toad muttered quietly to himself and clambered back to his feet as he retrieved his scattered equipment, still not having noticed the confused giant warrior standing next to him.

Picking up what looked like a spanner; the amphibian looked up and finally noticed who exactly it was he crashed into.

Six watched in silent amusement as the amphibian's usually dark green skin paled quickly.

“S-S-Six, s-sorry to bump into you like that, I'm in quite a hurry." The toad blabbered defensively, hoping he had not displeased the fearsome soldier.

“I would not make this a repetitive occurrence, Toad." The spartan replied neutrally, already set on resuming his short journey to the common room. Six left Slippy to his own devices, having neither the time nor patience to deal with him.

Picking up the last of his strewn items, Slippy watched as the spartan walked away dismissively. He had been fleeing from Krystal and Miyu, the two girls hounding him for more info on Amanda. He knew he should have kept his lips sealed, but he had been so happy that he had confided in them, a critical error he now realized.

Slippy could hear soft footsteps and feminine voices behind him, and looked back to the spartan, nervously weighing his options. He could keep running, eventually getting caught and having to endure the two women's myriad of awkward questions, or he could follow the huge brooding warrior and risk igniting his anger.

It was not that hard of a decision to make.

“Six! Wait up!"

The spartan's helmet turned and his silver visor stared back at the toad who stumbled after him.

“H-hey, I was wondering if I could just…tag along?" Slippy wondered uncertainly, cringing as he waited for the solider to render judgment.

“I care little if you follow." He replied disinterestedly.

“G-Great!" Slippy exclaimed excitedly, quickly following after the spartan's quick stride.

*****

Six strode down the short steps to the common room and looked for Peppy, finding the wizened old hare sitting at one of the tables, nursing a steaming beverage and reading from a leather-bound book. The spartan was curious as to why he used such a dated way to glean information when there were far more effective methods available.

The hare sipped from his drink and noticed the spartan that had just entered, as well as the diminutive toad at his side.

Peppy grinned. “Ah, Six, I am pleased that you have finally arrived. And Slippy, what brings you here?"

Six traversed the common room to take a seat at the table and Slippy followed suit.

“I'm trying to lay low. Miyu and Krystal are on the hunt again." The toad replied with an embarrassed chuckle, his dexterous webbed hands fiddling with his tool belt.

“I recall warning you of such a possibility if you did not keep it secret."  Peppy replied sagely.

Six did not want to hear about the toad's or any other's personal life.

“What is it you want, Hare?" He inquired impatiently.

If bothered by the spartan's directness, he did not show it, instead smiling patiently.

“Oh it is nothing serious." Peppy waived a greyed paw dismissively and placed the leather tome upon the table with great care. “I just wished to exchange information if it is not too much trouble. I am a connoisseur of knowledge you see. And I must say, your story has intrigued me quite a bit indeed and I would like to hear more, if you were willing of course. In return I would be glad to give you a little history on this system you find yourself in."

Six pondered on what the Hare was implying, a trade. He wanted to know more about his world, and in return he would give him the information he sought about this one. It seemed like an even exchange, but the spartan remained suspicious and reluctant.

There was little worth telling of the human covenant war, there being far too few victories to speak off, and he was no authoritative source of human history. He had only been taught of the strategies and histories of warfare and had a weaker grasp on the other aspects of the past than a fifteen year old child.

However, the opportunity to learn more about this Lylat System was not one he wished to waste.

“That is…acceptable, granted you begin first." Six decided he could always back out once the hare was done, and there was little he could do to stop that.

“Certainly, I would be glad to." Peppy agreed pleasantly, lacing his short furred fingers together and clearing his throat, stepping into the inherent role of a professor. “So…what do you wish to hear of? The more important aspects are of course the formation of the Cornerian Republic and the First Lylat War with Venom."

Six cared little for politics, information pertaining to the war would be more valuable.

“Tell me of this war."

Peppy's lips curved into an unsurprised smile. “I had a feeling that would be your choice, very well. The events of the war were set into motion once a scientist by the name of Andross was exiled to the toxic world known as Venom. An experiment he was conducting destroyed a large swath of Corneria and was almost responsible for the extinction of the entire system. Seeing that what his actions had wrought and what untold devastation it could have caused, General Pepper banished him, expecting the mad scientist to perish on the penal world."

Six scoffed. If this had occurred in the UNSC, Andross would have been summarily executed. These cornerians were far too soft, and look what their weakness had wrought.

“Do not mock our ways, spartan." Peppy advised tolerantly. “Our laws and actions might seem lenient, but they are the code on which out society was founded. It is what separates us from the venomians."

“If that is what you believe…" Six acceded neutrally.

“It is, and since you are here now I would suggest you start to do the same."

“We are distancing from the point of this conversation." The spartan rumbled.

Peppy nodded. “I will admit to that. Moving on, much later, the General received strange reports from the penal colony and hired the original Starfox team to investigate, myself, Fox's father James, and a pig by the name of Pigma Dengar. Shortly upon arriving we were betrayed by Dengar and Fox's father was killed in an ambush. I barely managed to escape with my life."

This time, Six had no comment to make.

Peppy continued.

“Years after war broke out. Andross had survived the death world and even managed to build an Empire with it. The ape was a tactical genius and his armies were as loyal as they were ruthless. Corneria had grown complacent over the years and its forces were few and mostly fulfilled peacekeeping roles, making them completely inadequate in repelling Venom's advance. Seeing that defeat was inevitable, General Pepper sought out James' son, Fox, and asked him to take his father's mantle. He accepted without hesitation. With that, the then eighteen year old Fox along with Slippy here, Falco, and I, turned the tide."

At this, Six could not remain silent.

“It was just the four of you? I find that hard to believe."

“I speak no lies, we fought back the venomian advance and allowed the flagging cornerian army to recover and take back the worlds we lost."

Six desired to say more, but he held his tongue. The spartan program had been created to achieve much the same effect against the insurrection and then the covenant, although their enemy had been far more powerful and relentless. If what this hare said was true, then there was more to this team than he first suspected.

With the spartan saying nothing, Peppy accepted his silent recognition. “The cornerian army and the Starfox team beat the venomians back to their homeworld and there Fox fought Andross, eventually defeating him and thus ending the war. However, now it seems that the ape's dark legacy lives on in his nephew, Oikonny. What ill omens this brings I am unsure."

The hare sounded tired as he finished his explanation. Six understood what toll this must have taken on the old hare, not that he held any sympathy. His life had not been easy either.  Neither Peppy nor the others could ever hope to fathom what he had endured…the pain…the loss, having everything cruelly ripped away from you, your life callously molded into what the government desired and forced to adapt to a existence of endless war and bloodshed. 

No. They could never hope to understand.

“Now then, Six, tell me more about humanity. Why have we never encountered your race before?" Peppy wondered, eyeing the strangely proportioned warrior in front of him. He had never seen a soldier like him. The spartan was as immense as he was merciless, and his prowess in battle knew no equal. Peppy had gained many connections in the CDF over the years. And even in this short time, they had already filed quite a few interesting reports, sending them to him upon request. He had time to skim through them before Six's arrival to his little impromptu discussion.

The venomian bodies recovered had been…hard to identify, and the fleet repots hailed him as a hero, rescuing the CNDF Honorbound from a disastrous fate. The fleet did not know who he was, but they had yet to questions his arrival, nor did they feel the need to after what he did. As far as the admiral had been concerned, he was a welcomed addition. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that. So he had already struck a chord with the CDF it would seem. Peppy was eager to get Pepper's opinion on this alien warrior. He was curious as to what his old friend would think on all this.

Peppy noticed the silence and realized that the man in question had not responded.

“Six?" Slippy inquired, tapping the spartan's shoulderplate.

Six was at an impasse. He did not have much patience and he was no storyteller by any definition of the word. The spartan did not even know where to begin or if he even knew the answer to the hare's question. He was still unsure as to how he had exactly arrived. He had an inkling of course. But after all the peculiarity he had experienced, he himself could not rightly believe it.

The spartan was about ready to up and leave when he heard the telltale hiss of an opening door. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Mccloud entering with the two females from before.

The presence of his commanding officer helped sway his decision. It was unequivocally aggravating in every sense of the word and the spartan despised the feeling entirely, but he felt he owed the vulpine, an infinitesimal sliver of debt, but a debt nonetheless. Fox had given him much to think on, both of his past and his future.

And so rather than departing the room, he reluctantly stayed in his seat and began his tale. The words as painful as hot lead and tasting of charred ash.

“I believe the reason you have not encountered humanity up until this day is simply because we have not existed in this universe until this moment."

At that the hare seemed completely baffled.

“Whatever do you mean?"

By this time Fox and the two women had approached and joined them at the table, not interrupting the conversation between the spartan and Peppy.

Six's tone shifted slightly, taking on a more ponderous and uncertain aspect. “This world, Corneria as you call, it is both familiar and yet different…I knew it as Reach."

“Reach?" Slippy pipped in.

“Correct, it was the world, that until recently, I served on."

“Wait, that doesn't make any sense. How can that be possible?" Miyu wondered.

It would seem that they had overtaken the Hare's inquisition.

“There is a story to this tale, that much is true. I will not mince words and so I will cut this explanation short. I would wish to be free of interruption." Six warned. He had only the patience to clarify this once.

“Sure, go ahead." Fox nodded his ascent and made sure the others were in agreement.

Now confident in the fact there would be no interruptions, he began.

“Reach, my version of this world as I suspect, was under attack by a collective of alien races dubbed the covenant. They fielded immensely superior technology and seemingly inexhaustible reserves of military might. Discovered in the year 2525, they have waged a relentless and brutal war against the UNSC for twenty seven years, eight of which I have participated in. The covenant desired the genocide of the human race, systematically eradicating any human colony they chanced upon. There were few, if any, survivors of these attacks."

Six had their complete and undivided attention now.

“Less than a standard month ago, they found and laid siege to Reach, our fortress world. For weeks we tried in vain to repel the indomitable invasion, suffering extreme casualties and untold loss of civilian life. But there could have been no other end…and thus Reach fell. My squad, Noble Team, was just one of the many who did not survive."

Six reached into the magazine container on his breastplate and delicately extracted the four pairs of dog-tags he had retrieved from his fallen comrades, dropping them to the table with a hollow clang. The spartan had been holding all of this back, and now that he had started, he found that he could not stop. Whether these aliens believed him or not, their story needed to be told. Noble Team could not fade into historical ambiguity. To him, that would be a grave insult to their memory that he could not stand.

“Despite all our fabled prowess as spartans, we could not stop the enemy, and so they fell…one by one. In the end I was the last one left alive. And I watched Reach burn, the culmination of humanity's might among the starts reduced to molten glass and ashen memory. Eventually, I fought my way to a hidden hanger and escaped into orbit. From there I was able to construct a bomb and detonated it inside one of the covenant cruisers. But instead of death, I found myself here, waking up to the sight of your vessel. I can only assume that the tenuous nature of the device is responsible for this occurrence."

“So…when you say that you're not from around here…"  Miyu clarified slowly. “You mean that you're, really, really, really not from around here." She was still overwhelmed by the spartan's tragic tale, and she felt nothing but sympathy for him. But at the moment she was also in awe of how truly alien he was.

“Affirmative, if my hypothesis is correct, I am not from this reality or possibly even time."

“Whoa…well. I mean…that's just…wow." The feline was speechless. She and the others had seen and done some crazy things in the past. Most were seemingly implausible and more in the realm of fantasy. But this was something else entirely.

“What were their names?"

Six turned to the cerulean vixen, whose bright green eyes were focused on the dog-tags lying upon the table.

“Excuse me?"

“Your team, what were their names?" Krystal repeated, glancing up into his visor with a strange look he could not properly interpret. He had still not managed to decipher some of their alien expressions.

“Carter, Kat, Emile, Jun and…Jorge." Six replied slowly, unsure as to what direction the female fox's question was leading.

“Were you…close, to them?"

“I…do not understand?" What was she trying to ask? How was this relevant to their current discussion?

“I…never mind." She relented with a sigh, shaking her muzzle softly. If she had something to say, she seemed to have changed her mind.

That suited him just fine.

“So…there is no way for you to go back home?" Fox inquired, aware that there might not even be a home for him to go back to.

“I lack the necessary equipment to attempt a replication on the means of my arrival, nor do I think that a replication of such an event would be successful. So no….I have no means of returning to my reality."

Reality…that word sounded so strange to his ears, a thing more of science fiction than fact. But here was all the condemning proof arrayed before him, this ship, its inhabitants, and this alternate version of Reach.

It was time to accept the truth.

He was lost. There was no going back, no continuing the war he had been created to wage.

Six pocketed the tags and rose from his seat, walking away and leaving the bewildered team to their thoughts.

Isolation….

That was what he needed.

*****

The common room was uncharacteristically silent, Fox and the others processing the spartan's startling words and his abrupt departure. Every time they spoke with him, another piece of shocking information was brought to light.

Six was not only an alien, but one from a different reality, completely stranded with no hope of going home. And even if he could, his team was dead, and the world he fought for gone, wiped out by some alien race that sounded too horrible to comprehend.

“Jeez…poor guy, I didn't think anyone could have it that bad." Miyu idly scratched at the table with a sharp claw, amber eyes filled with solemnity and locked onto the closed doors.

Fox could see now why he would carry such hatred for aliens. He wouldn't know what to do if his entire team had been killed by the venomians. He imagined it would have changed him into a bitter and hateful soul.

“I believe I have heard enough for one day, I'll be in my room if you need me Fox." Peppy declared as he picked up his book and wedged it under an arm, grabbing his coffee. There was some more he wished to know about humans in general. But he could wait till later. He knew a broken soldier when he saw one. The hare had seen countless like him over the years, and Six was no exception. He needed time and space before he could be approached again.

“Alright Pep, see you later." Fox replied.

“I have some stuff I want to work on." Slippy added, deciding to leave as well. He had a feeling that Krystal and Miyu would not be bothering him any more today, and he was feeling oddly depressed at the moment. He decided that he would do something for Six to cheer him up. The beginnings of a plan forming in his mind, the amphibian tightened his belt and departed after Peppy.

With just Miyu, Krystal, and Fox left, the feline decided it was time to leave as well.

“I need to check on the Great Fox's armaments, haven't had the chance to get around to it after the battle, but now's a good time as any I suppose. Later." Miyu waived a paw and strode lazily out of the room.

Alone, Fox turned to Krystal.

“Now that you've heard his story, do you still think he's trouble?"

She was slow to reply.

“I do not know what to think anymore. My senses tell me that his is a dangerous individual, and not to be trusted. But my heart…I can feel his pain, Fox." The vixen whispered softly and shuddered, her tail lying placid at her side. “There's so much of it that I can almost taste his anguish. And yet…it is as if he cannot sense it himself, deceived by his own emotions. I have never encountered anything like this. I do not think he even knows how much pain he is in. How can someone be blind to such agony?"

Krystal shook her head slowly and stood up. “I need time to meditate. These feelings, they are almost unbearable, I must cleanse my thoughts. I will see you later, Fox."

“Will you be alright?" Fox was worried for her. She was incredibly sensitive to powerful emotions, he had seen it afflict her a few times before, and the side effects had never been pleasant.

She smiled warmly. “I will be fine after a little rest."

“Okay if you say so, remember, you can always talk to me if you need to." Fox offered.

“I know, thank you, Fox." She did not say it, but there was only one person on this ship who could help her in this instance, only one source she could attain her answers.

With a curt nod, she left, leaving Fox as the only one in the room.

The vulpine leaned back in his seat and thoughtfully rapped his black claws upon the table.

“Hmm…interesting."

*****

“Gah, come on." Falco grumbled, smacking a feathered hand against the barrel of his assault blaster. Ahead of him, a firing range displayed a dissatisfactory score of 65%.

For the last few days it had been on the fritz and so far he had been unsuccessful in discovering the reason for its faulty mechanisms. Assault blasters were fickle weapons, most often mounted on IFVs or landmaster variants. The purchase had not come cheap and the multipaged certification permits had been exasperating to fill out.

So when it refused to work, it made him quite reasonably infuriated.

“Stupid piece of shit!" He growled, tossing it to the table to his left, his patience running out.

The avian's grumbling was not unnoticed.

Six had searched the ship for the armory, intending to familiarize himself with the alien arsenal.

A day had passed since he arrived in this strange universe, the last hours of it spent in seclusion as he attempted to come to terms with his new lot in life.

Suffice to say it had been ineffective. All he had earned for his thoughts was another night of restlessness and sleep deprivation.

So, instead he decided to leave his room and find something productive to do. Learning of this universe's weapons seemed appropriate.

The spartan eyed the avian from the doorway with curiosity.

Falco was an oddity in his eyes. He exhibited traits that seemed to go against the flow he had witnessed from the team. And yet he had not forcibly or willing departed. His actions were reckless and insubordinate. If this had been a team of spartans, Falco would not have lasted long.

Although his gun was of interest to Six. Its size and proportions were adequate for a human and even a spartan of his size.

Six left the avian to his muttering and instead chose to examine the racks of weapons adorning the walls. There were several different designs, many similar to UNSC munitions. This mercenary team may have been understaffed, but they were indeed well-equipped, with numerous firearms to choose from. The spartan decided to start his investigation small and scanned the rack of sidearms.

In the end after his brief overlook, he discovered that the majority of them would not fit in his gauntlets, and the ones that could were difficult to hold. Disregarding them as useless, he studied the rifles. These were easier to manipulate, yet still not as satisfactory as he would have wished.

Six was starting to believe that none of their weapons would be suitable replacements.

However, something in the far back caught his eye, sitting upon its own personal pedestal.

Six passed the wall of guns and carefully lifted the object with a two-handed grip, surprised to find that it fit his grip perfectly.

Similar in appearance to Jorge's machine gun, it made him feel…sentimental.

“I wouldn't touch that if I were you. I tried to use it once and Krystal went batshit on me."

Six glanced up from the his examination of the weapon and saw Falco standing across from him, striking that cross armed stance that he was beginning to suspect of being the avian's go to posture.

Choosing not to respond, he gently returned it to its plinth.

“That is her weapon?" It seemed a little much for a woman of her size.

“Yeah I know right?" Falco scoffed, seeming to get what the spartan was alluding to. “Still, it's hers and if there is anything I learned about that girl, it's stay away from her stuff...even if she never uses it." He added with an almost unnoticed mutter.

Six turned back to the walled arsenal thoughtfully. There would be a quick and efficient way to familiarize himself with them all, even if the method would be…distasteful.

“I take it you are…acquainted, with these weapons?" The spartan turned to Falco.

“Yeah, I know my way around them." Falco replied curiously.

Six refrained from groaning.

“Then you would be able to…help me…study them?" Each word felt like shattered glass slicing its way up his throat.

“I suppose I would be able to, if you got the time."

“I would be…thankful."

And with that, Six was forced to sit through an aggravating lecture in lylatian firearms and weapons technology.

*****

“So these are called…blasters?" Six inquired as he held up a rifle that he learned was called the CM-384. The spartan felt as if he was back in the training program, learning everything for the first time.

He hated it.

“Yep, that's the standard nomination for all weapon tech. The power is minimal as you may have noticed, but they don't suffer from gravitational effects like ballistic firearms do and they can hold more in a single charge pack and last for months of disuse without the need to be recharged." 

So there were benefits to using this technology, they were just minimal. Might he be able to find a means of configuring the lylatian charging method with his plasma repeater? It would be something to look into later.

“What is that weapon called?" Six gestured to the one that had garnered his previous attention.

“That right there is the PX-1000 MRLAWS, which stands for Multi-barreled Rotary Laser Assault Weapon System, quite a mouthful ain't it? Most CDF marines just like to call it MR. Law for short. Still, it can chew through infantry and even armored vehicles within seconds, the only drawback is its weight and the fact it overheats like a bitch. Slippy's been trying to find a way to upgrade or at least modify the integrated heat sinks, but he hasn't had much luck so far."

Six would have to speak with Fox about acquiring an additional one of these. Then he could take a page from Jorge's playbook.

“Hey…Six…"

The spartan looked up from the rifle he was familiarizing himself with, seeing that Falco's eyes were riveted securely upon his assault cannon, dutifully wiping the barrel down with a cloth.

“Lombardi…?"

Falco was outwardly absorbed in his task, but it was easy to see that it was not all he was occupied with. “I…uh…heard about how you got here…why…you got here."

The avian seemed hesitant and uncertain with his words, having a difficult time trying to get to his point. It was unlike the arrogant pheasant he had observed previously and that peaked the spartan's curiosity.

“Anyways….I well uh, just wanted to say that I might have been a little…difficult at first. And for that I…apologize."

Six was taken back, never had anyone apologized to him before. He was unaware as to what the proper social ritual to respond would be.

“So you do have a heart in there!"

Thankfully he was saved by a voice coming from the doorway.

Six and Falco turned to see Fay leaning against the open threshold, the canine grinning cheekily.

“What's that supposed to mean? Of course I have one, and it's definitely bigger than yours!" Falco blustered defensively, focusing on his weapon and trying to ignore her smirking gaze.

“As much as I would like to take this rare opportunity to tease you, Fox needs us all on the bridge. Pepper's got another mission for us."

At the word mission, Six was already heading for the door. Facing the enemy would be far more preferable to this…exchange of words.

Falco was just as quick to leave, following after the spartan and trying to ignore Fay.

“Serves me right…" He muttered under his breath. “I try and do the nice thing and she makes fun of me."

“What was that, Falco?"

“Nothing." He grunted fumingly.

*****

Although starting off leading the way, Six was still unfamiliar with the layout of the Great Fox and so he had to let Fay take the lead, following the canine to the CIC.

Upon arrival, he discovered that the rest of the team was already in the dark room, along with the large holographic representation of a bloodhound in uniform hovering above a holotable. Falco and Fay joined Fox and the others while Six stood in the back. That must be the General, Six assumed.

It was odd, Generals in the UNSC were not the same as here it would appear. This General Pepper was the defacto commander of their entire armed forces, much like Admiral Hood had become later in the war, mostly because many of the other UNSC figureheads had been slain by the covenant.

“We're all here, General." Falco announced as he plopped down on one of the seats around the table.

The blue pixilated canine was quick to get to the point and seemed somewhat anxious to Six's enhanced hearing. “Good, now that you all are here let's get down to business. I do not have much time to talk. Yesterday's attack goes further than we thought. New information from the Intelligence Bureau indicates that Fortuna, Katina, Zoness, and Macbeth are under siege by venomian forces."

“Are they holding out?" Fox asked worriedly. Last he heard from Bill, he was posted on Katina.

The General's muzzle twisted uncertainly. “We have been able to gleam little data on these battle zones, but from what we have learned, Macbeth and Katina are under control, with CDF units forcing back Oikonny's forces. The same does not hold for the other worlds."

“Is it bad?" Fay inquired.

“It is certainly not going well." The hound replied forebodingly. “The CDF garrison on Zoness has gone dark, last reports stating that Oikonny's forces have released bioweapons, more of Andross' sinister legacy brought back to life."

“The simian dictator did have a strange obsession with monsters." Fox scowled, “Perhaps because he was one himself?"

Bioweapons? Six had never encountered bioweapons before. He hoped they would prove more of a challenge than these venomians.

“Fortuna is fairing little better." The General continued. “The venomians have deployed a considerable presence of armored vehicles and have stationed a multitude of AA installations across the surface, rendering reinforcements all but impossible. Thankfully, they are holding. It is Zoness I am far more concerned with. We've lost contract with the garrison and the last garbled report we received implied there were heavy casualties. Fortuna can wait, I need your team to head to Zoness immediately, establish contact with the garrison's survivors and eliminate the threat. Our navy is scattered and we cannot afford to leave Corneria undefended in case Oikonny returns, so you will be functioning without support from the fleet this time. It's up to Starfox to get the job done. The usual rate of credits will be transferred upon completion."

“Is there any useful intel at all from the CIB?" Miyu questioned.

The holographic canine shook his muzzle negatively. “Not much I'm afraid. The agent on Zoness vanished days before the attack. All we know is that local units are holed up somewhere inside the base. The location of the compound will be sent to ROB. This is a surface op, so plan accordingly. But also be warned, for whatever reason, Oikonny's orbital forces have left the local system. This could mean they have decided to retreat or they are lying in wait to ambush you."

“Don't worry, General, we can take anything that bastard throws at us." Fox assured with a confident smirk.

“I know, but be careful nonetheless. We don't know what's going on down there or what the bioweapons might be."

“Aw, we'll be fine, we have Six with us." Miyu declared assuredly, gesturing to the spartan standing in the back. “He's a walking tank!"

The aged canine's eyes shifted to the towering armored warrior and nodded slowly. The spartan could tell that he was being judged and weighed by those experienced hazel eyes, but what verdict he came to was unknown to him. Six was no fool. He knew that Fox would divulge what he learned to his leader. He just wondered how much the vulpine confessed.

“Ah, Yes…Six. I have heard a fair deal of you recently. I must thank you for saving the Honorbound. Her captain is a good friend of mine. She asked me to relay her gratitude as well."

Pepper was being cordial, but Six could detect a great deal of mistrust in his words.

“I was merely pursuing the enemy."

“Of course you were." The General replied with the beginnings of a smile. “I know that you will continue to do so in the future."

Six did not respond.

“Keep in contact and inform me when you arrive." Pepper turned his attention away from the spartan and back to Fox, almost flippantly.

“Will do, Sir." The vulpine guaranteed.

“Excellent, Pepper out." The holo image of the canine winked out and the lights in the room brightened back to their normal cheerfully annoying glow.

Fox rose from his chair and clapped his paws together. “Alright, looks like we're back in business." He turned to the amphibian sitting beside him. “Slippy, go to ROB up on the bridge and confirm that we've received the information on the compound and chart a course for Zoness."

“On it Fox!" The toad announced loudly and departed the room with admirable purpose.

“Falco, Miyu, go to the armory and check on our equipment. We're going planetside and I want to ensure that our gear will function perfectly by the time we arrive."

“You always assign me that crappy job." Falco groaned but he left all the same, with the lynx in tow.

“Peppy, you know what to do." Fox knew he didn't have to order the hare around.

“Already on it," Shortly, the hare was gone.

Fox was hesitant to address the next member of his team.

“Six…"

The spartan glanced up from his brooding, having been deep in thought. He was curious as to what his commander's orders would be.

“Mccloud…?"

Fox was a while in replying, still uncertain as to how to interact with the spartan. It was strange that one so skilled and imperious was under his direct command. It almost felt as if Six should have been the one to be handing out orders. Fox had just reached his twenty first year, with three years of collective combat experience. Six had more than eight years of war under his belt. Certainly he should be in charge? It was the first time that he began to have serious doubts about himself as a leader. How exactly did you order an alien supersoldier around? Could you even do that?

The spartan was still waiting for Fox to speak and Krystal eyed her friend with concern. She had never seen Fox freeze up like that.

Briskly shaking his head, Fox regained his confidence with some difficulty.

“Six…I need you to gear up. Zoness is a jungle world, so plan accordingly."

Surprisingly, the spartan acceded to his command with little hesitation, nodding as he turned to leave the room. “As you say, Mccloud."

With the spartan gone, Fox exhaled heavily.

“What was that about?" Krystal stepped up to him.

“It just doesn't feel right, ordering him around." Fox replied with another sigh. “I mean, look at him. He's a freaking walking death machine! And he's got more experience under his belt than Falco and I combined. What could I say to make him listen?"

“What you did seemed to work just fine." Krystal smirked.

“I'm being serious Krys!" Fox rebuked bitterly.

The vixen's smile faded. She could see what was bothering Fox. He felt inadequate, unable to place himself on the same level as the spartan. While true, he was not as capable as Six was, she was not that blind. But it did not mean that Fox was inferior at all.

She folded her furred arms disapprovingly. “I seem to recall that a certain vulpine and his friends' singlehandedly repelled an invasion. And did not this same vulpine save a planet and a certain blue vixen on it?"

Fox's muzzle shifted in thought, and a faint smile began to manifest on his fuzzy features.

“That he did."

“Then you have nothing to worry about. After all, didn't Six pledge his loyalty to you? I think that whether he admits it or not, he respects you Fox. And if someone like him can follow and place his trust in you, then you have nothing to fear."

Fox nodded slowly.

“Yeah I suppose you-wait, did you do that mind thing again?" He demanded with a slightly irritated, but no less amused, smirk.

“I may have been in the vicinity to over hear your conversation…mentally." She admitted with a cautious grin. Sometimes Fox did not take her antics well. This time it seemed that he was not angry.

“You should really stop doing that." He admonished her, although he shifted his eyes conspiratorially and leaned closer. “So…does he really have confidence in in me?"

“More than even he knows…" Krystal replied, watching as relief washed across her friend's muzzle.

“Well, that's good to know." Fox took a step back. “Right, enough of that. You know what to do, Krys." They had at least a day before the Great Fox would arrive at its destination, giving her and the others plenty of time to prepare.

“Of course I do." She chuckled and strolled out of the room.

Fox watched her go and sat back into his chair after a few moments, throwing his legs up on the holotable and pulling a flask from his vest, taking a sip of the fiery liquid stored within the small metal case.  The warm feeling in his gut made it easier for him to calm his thoughts.