Star Fox: A New Begining

[The Melee Master]

You all know the story of Star Fox and their battle for Lylat. You know the rumors of how James McCloud died a hero after being caught in the clutches of Andross. Or did he really? It was never made official, and no, Smash Bros trophies don't count since mistakes are made all the time, sadly. This is my personal take on what the heck James has been up to from the events of Star Fox 64 to now.

Prolouge

The battle between the Star Fox Leader, Fox McCloud, and the evil scientist, Andross, lasted for what seemed like forever. Fox had dodged Andross’s two eyeballs and lasers, and managed to shoot them both down with one hit. After a rapid session of firing straight at the brain itself, there was an explosion.

"If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" Andross shouted. The brain exploded in a ball of fire, and everything went white.

Fox screamed for all he was worth. He shut his eyes tightly, waiting for his end to come.

"Don’t EVER give up, my son," came a deep voice, and Fox looked at the communicator to see a familiar face there, the face of the fox in front of him with sunglasses and a nicked ear.

"Father?" Fox breathed.

As the white glow faded, explosions rocked the area. Smoke was everywhere and fire blazed from all around. Despite the intense heat he was feeling inside his ship, Fox focused his vision on the shape in front of him. An Arwing fighter.

"Follow me, Fox," said the older fox, indeed revealing to be James McCloud.

Fox hit the accelerators and came up close to the Arwing, which was much faster than his own as James boosted forward whenever Fox got too close.

“This way, Fox,” he said again, taking a sharp turn to the right.

Fox didn't acknowledge, but did as ordered. Indeed, there was a turn and Fox managed to stay tight. Then James turned left. Fox quickly did the same, and the fire was starting to nibble around the sides of the c0ckpit.

"Never give up. Trust your instincts," James said, trying to keep Fox calm as they turned another corner.

Fox couldn't find any words to say to his father, at least ones that won't come out of his mouth. Maybe he'll have the chance to engage a heartfelt conversation and reunion after he makes it out of the base, IF he makes it out.

No. Fox knew he had to trust his father, and himself, into getting out of this mess first.

Fox could see the fire clearly now and tried to accelerate further, only for James to accelerate even quicker.

"You've become so strong, Fox," James said with a smile. He quickly flew out of the base, accelerating his Arwing to it’s maximum speed, and Fox managed to fly out of the base himself, but James’s Arwing quickly vanished from sight just a mere second later.

The entire complex, empire and all, exploded with a flash behind him. Fox continued to fly upward, and met with his team who had been waiting, Slippy, Falco, and Peppy, along with the Great Fox.

“Fox, you’re OK!” said Peppy happily.

“That’s our leader!” Falco said with a smile on his face.

“You made it, Fox!” said Slippy.

Fox didn’t acknowledge his teammates praises, as he was looking around in the starry skies, hoping to find even a glimpse of his father, but nothing could be found.

“What’s wrong, Fox?” asked Peppy with concern.

The leader shook his head and said tearfully, “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” Fox knew it couldn’t of been his father that saved him. Peppy had told him that his father was captured, and knowing Andross, it was likely that he had been executed in the process.

He figured that his mind was playing tricks on him, the fact that all those battles to save the planets from Andross’s clutches had really stressed him out. He was tired, after all, and longed to rest after this living hell. Releasing a sigh, he focused his attention forward, and followed The Great Fox, and everyone else, back to their home in Corneria.

***

Deep in space, a lone Arwing came to a stop and floated. The pilot leaned back in his chair, and released a sigh of relief so massive that it was almost as if all his stress was being breathed out and into the air in the Arwing he sat in. He opened his eyes, his vision darkened by his sunglasses, but he was still able to see. The nick in his ear had healed over, caused by the torture of Andross and his lackeys.

Yes, this pilot happened to be THE James McCloud, the one who had said to have been killed, or so the rumors go. In reality, James had been shot down, but had survived the crash, albit barely. He and Peppy were captured by Andross and were kept in prison cells in Venom’s underground. Indeed, Peppy escaped, only to be chased by more of the fighter pilots along the way. He managed to return to Corneria and inform Fox of the plan that Andross had in store for James: execution.

But James was smart. He knew Andross wouldn’t be willing to kill such a highly praised leader so quickly. Instead, he kept the leader in the cell for a while. Occasionally, Andross would have his monkey lackeys bring him small bits of food, and very little water. Then in the evenings, the torture would insure. James held on, despite, not willing to die by the hands of the evil scientist.

It was almost unbelievable, but James did manage to survive his ordeal. His instincts were correct after all; Andross couldn't kill him right away. As stated, food was brought to his prison cell every three days, and a glass of water every day. The Star Fox leader had no idea what Andross was planning, but he knew he had to live, for the sake of everyone who had counted on him when he was leader. He would eat whatever food was brought to him; even stomach the more vile tasting ones. Water, even if it had been contaminated by whatever filth was on Venom, he stomached as well. There were times where he had thrown up the contents in his stomach. Food and water on Venom were scarce enough, but when they’re found, they weren’t at top quality, and caused the inside of his stomach to turn into a battleground.

Torture was brought to him every night before he slept on the cold hard ground of his cell. His left ear had a nick in it from a monkey taking a knife and cutting off a piece, just to hear him scream and wither in pain for the jerk's own personal and sick pleasure. Being sucked in a black hole years prior to this was almost more welcoming than this living hell. How he managed to escape that mess was kept to himself.

One night, James couldn’t sleep. He kept tossing and turning around on the cold hard floor of his cell. His body ached from the beatings he took, but that wasn’t the reason for his restlessness. He had a feeling, deep beneath his fur that something was going on outside the prison chambers. Distant explosions were heard in his ears, and it was then that the whole area began to rock, causing him to sit up. Said explosions reached the prison chambers. Fire was seen and felt as the bars of the chambers blasted open, one by one.

BOOM!

The leader was thrown across his cell as the bars broke away. James didn’t hesitate. He stood up and rushed out of the cell as quickly as he could, despite the pain he felt on his body. In a room in the distance, a lone Arwing sat. For some reason, Andross and his guards didn’t bother smashing up the fighter craft. James figured that Andross was planning on using it for something. As soon as he reached his Arwing, James jumped right in, and began to take off. Fire blazed around his ship and rocked it, but he managed to steady himself and kept his eyes forward. James found an area where many hallways were. He dipped down and went through them, while keeping his eyes peeled for the ones which were impassable due to the raging fire blocking them off.

His instict is what drove him to locate where he needed to be. It was then he found the lair where Andross was, along with a lone Arwing.

“IF I GO DOWN, I’M TAKING YOU WITH ME!” he heard a voice.

BOOM!

The terrible scream of the current Star Fox leader, aka: Fox McCloud, reached James’s ears. It was then that he intervened to get Fox out of there.

***

Those thoughts swam around James’s brain like sharks in a feeding frenzy. His eyelids grew heavy, and with a sigh, James leaned back in his chair in the c0ckpit, and slept.

***

A flash of red woke him up just moments later. As he opened his eyes, he quickly pressed a button on the communicator in front of him.

“James?” a voice said.

Looking into the monitor, a vision of a bloodhound was on screen.

“General Pepper, sir,” he said with a smile.

“Well, seeing that you survived, my expectations out of you were more than I could’ve ever imagined. I was so sure you wouldn’t make it.”

James chuckled, knowing that Pepper was teasing him. He replied back, however, “You think I’d let you have that satisfaction, general?”

Now it was Pepper’s turn to laugh, “No, I would think not."

"Still, it's nice hearing that you have faith in me, even after all these years of not being in contact."

Pepper acknowledged, but didn't reply, "Anyway, please return to Corneria as soon as possible. ...I would like to congratulate you on your bravery in person, and because you have exceeded my expectations, we, that is, the Cornerian Unit and I, would like to honor you with giving you a place in our...more personal service we have to offer.”

“Personal service, sir?” James asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’ll see when you arrive,” a hint of playfulness was held in Pepper’s voice, “Pepper out.”

The communicator shut off with a flash of static on the screen. James had no idea what was going on, but he felt he should go for it anyway. Sitting up and raring to go, the last thought that flashed through his mind was Fox. He smiled, but then that smile faded as he felt a nagging sensation in his head, and in his heart.

Brushing them aside, he accelerated his Arwing and took off, heading back to his home planet in Corneria.

[ganondorf2]

Nicely done.

[The Melee Master]

Thank you!

Chapter 1: New Member

General Pepper had contacted James just moments ago saying that Star Fox’s celebration was over, and that Fox and his crew declined the honor of being part of the Cornerian Army. James had to smile at that, knowing Fox was too proud to join and wanted to do things his way. He was always like that, even as a pup.

The former Star Fox leader flew into the docking bay in one of the large buildings, where a pit-crew and medical assistance were waiting. The hatch opened up, and James himself slowly got out, with help from the medical team. The pit-crew immediately got to work on repairing whatever damage the Arwing had sustained from the long years on the planet Venom.

The medical team placed James on a stretcher and wheeled him into a medical room, for an overall checkup. After receiving a hot shower, they dressed whatever wounds he had sustained, and gave him proper nourishment. After being picked and probed for possible radiation poisoning, James spent most of the days in the medical room sleeping. Obviously, the earlier experience had really worn him out.

***

A week had passed before James was allowed to leave the room. Having taken off the gauze's and bandages, he made his way to the office of the head chief. Knocking on the door, a voice was heard afterward, “Come in.”

James grabbed the door knob and turned it, opening the door. As he walked inside, he could see the room was built like an office, with a large window right behind a desk where a familiar icon sat.

“General Pepper, sir,” he said.

Pepper gave another smile, “James McCloud.”

The two shook hands, but then Pepper felt himself being pulled in for James to give a big hug. Pepper returned the hug, and the two broke apart.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better now that I had some rest,” said James, “General, may I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

“I know you were informed of my capture on Venom. I know that Peppy escaped and returned to Corneria afterward. And I know he told you everything. So why was I left there for five years?”

“Because we had no contact with you, at the time,” he explained, “many of the Cornerian staff feared we’ve lost you after Peppy informed us of what happened.”

James didn’t say anything.

“I’m so sorry I’ve lost faith in you at the time, James,”

The former leader waved his hand and said, “Its water under the bridge now, General.” He took a seat in a chair that was right in front of Pepper’s desk, as Pepper did the same with his chair.

“I’m very glad you came by, actually,” he said, “I was just going to call you in.”

James didn’t speak.

“The officials of the service will be introducing their new members tomorrow morning. This is a big moment. We hardly find the right people for this, so it’s a very big deal that we do. James McCloud, will you be willing to join this unit of ours?"

“What kind of unit, general?”

“That, I cannot say at this time. You’ll find out tomorrow. Right now, I need a definite yes or no from you. So, what do you say?”

“But sir, how could I give a proper answer if I don’t know what I’m signing up for?”

“Oh, well, you make a good point.” said Pepper, “There’s actually a reason I’m unable to tell you unless you sign up. If word gets out to the wrong people, it’ll put a lot of jobs in jeopardy, and I fear for the fate of the overall Cornerian army, should such a thing happen.”

“I don’t understand,” admitted James.

“This is a top secret unit, James. It’s a bigger unit than the Cornerian Army, and the reason such a unit exists in the first place is to have them do jobs that are near to impossible for the other armies. That’s why we only hire the most experienced people for said unit.”

“...I see,”

“And my expectations out of you as a pilot were slim at first, I admit, but you’ve proven yourself after I got word that you managed to survive your imprisonment, regardless of the reason behind it.”

James smiled.

“I promise I will give you further details tomorrow. So, are you in?”

“Now how can I say no after that explanation?” James extended his hand, “OK, you got yourself a new member, General Pepper.”

Pepper took his hand and shook James’s hand.

“I’m afraid it’s not official until we make the announcement in the meeting hall. I hope you don’t get stage fright, James.”

James teased as he said, “Stage fright? What’s that?”

Pepper chuckled, “Very good. Now, I suggest you get some sleep. We’ll be having a busy day tomorrow, first thing in the morning. You’ll find some temporary rooms in the hallway to your left.”

“Thank you. Good night, general,”

***

James walked out of General Pepper’s office, and headed to the hallway. As he arrived, he could see signs hanging over the doors that were quite a distance from one another. The signs had either the words ‘Vacant’, or ‘Occupied’ printed on them. As he found a vacant room, James opened up the door, and saw why the rooms were temporary.

Inside was quite small, much smaller than your standard hotel room. Only a bed, a nightstand with a lamp, a toilet, and a small closet were seen. A single window was on the wall to the right. James guessed the temporary rooms were only made for one person. It had to do for now. It was only for the night anyway.

The Star Fox leader walked inside and shut the door tightly. He sat on the bed and began taking his boots off.

“Who knew General Pepper was working behind the scenes all this time,” he thought to himself, “how interesting.”

He took his jacket off and hung it in the small closet provided, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed once more. The bed was fitted with a dark green bedspread, and a white pillow was on the head of it. After making himself more comfortable, James took the blanket, got into bed, and covered himself with it.

“Yeah, much better than laying in that cold cell,”

He took his head communicator and sunglasses off, placing them on the nightstand provided. The last thought that flashed through his mind...was his son, Fox.

“Maybe I’ll reunite with him tomorrow after the service ordeal is over,” he said to himself, “I’m sure he’d like to know where I’ve been all these years.”

And with that, James reached over and shut off the lamp beside him.

[ganondorf2]

Nice.

[The Melee Master]

Thank you! I'm currently working on chapter 3, and it'll be a while before its done, I'm afraid. And I have no chapter title for this. I ran out of ideas for one.

Chapter 2

The morning sun greeted the planet Corneria as the light found it’s way into James’s room. His eyes eased open and he was greeted with the sun’s light shining in the window. Slowly, he sat up, giving himself a chance to wake up before standing, to avoid being dizzy.

Then a knock on the door was heard. James slowly stood and walked over to it, taking the knob and opening it. There, he was greeted with a male german shepard dog wearing what looked like a green army outfit, and judging by the various badges and ribbons, the dog was a high ranking recruit.

“Parcel for Mr James McCloud,” he said, holding out a rather large box.

James nodded and said as he took the box, “Thank you, sir.”

He shut the door and sat back on the bed with the box in hand, then he noticed a note on top of the box. James took the note off and opened it up.

“James,

I figured you would want to get out of those tattered cloths of yours and have a fresh start. I took liberty in paying for your new wardrobe, but as of now, buying clothing will be your responsibility.

-General Pepper”

“How nice of him,” he said, opening up the box. Indeed, the inside revealed to be cloths. A grey jacket, some green pants, a yellow scarf, and a pair of green and black gloves. Almost immediately, James switched into his new cloths, putting his old ones on the bed to be thrown away later.

“Not bad,” he said, “and they fit me just right.”

After fitting his headset, putting on his boots, and gathering his belongings, James exited the room, never to return to it again.

***

James had no idea where to go after that. He remembered talking to General Pepper about being officially accepted into the service, and to do so, it had to be known to everyone else. He soon met with a large room, filled with other units as they crowded the entrance of the meeting hall. James sighed, and walked through the crowd.

“Pardon me,” he said, squeezing through the crowd and reaching the doors. He opened them up, and was met with a large room, filled with chairs and a stage.

“This must be the meeting room,” he said to himself, “funny, it looks more like a ceremonial room to me.”

As he walked inside, he could see two of the members, sitting in the very front row of chairs, chatting with each other. James decided to meet them. He walked over and sat in the row of chairs behind them. The two members were women: one was a white colored spaniel dog with a pink bow, and the other was a female lynx with a large hoop earring. Both stopped their conversation and turned to James.

“Can we help you?” asked the lynx.

“Oh, I’m sorry; I was just...uh...”

“Wait a minute...you look familiar,”

“Yeah, you look like that fox we use to work with, uh...what was the team name?” asked the dog.

“Fox, huh? You mean Star Fox?” asked James.

“Yeah,” she snapped her fingers, “that’s it! ...Wait, FOX?!”

The sudden shout echoed through the room. James quickly got out of his chair and looked around, only for the dog to jump at James and give him a hug, causing him to crash to the ground on his back, groaning as the dog hugged him tightly.

“Foxie!” she said, “My gosh, it’s been so long! How’ve you been, leader?!”

James coughed, “Excuse me, ms, but I’m not-“

“Fay Spaniel!” said the lynx, grabbing the dog by her jacket and tugged her off of James, “You might want to double check before you go around hugging people you don’t know!”

“What are you talking about, Miyu?!” she asked, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about our previous Star Fox Leader!!”

“No, I haven’t, but clearly, you have! This CAN’T be Fox McCloud! The fur’s a darker color, he’s taller-“

“Excuse me,” coughed James, “but she’s right. I’m not-cough-Fox McCloud, but I do know him.”

“Everyone knows about Star Fox,” said Miyu, helping James to his feet and dusting his jacket off, “Fay and I especially. We use to be a part of his team way back when.”

“We’ve split apart due to...unforeseen circumstances involving problems with the unit’s finances.”

“But General Pepper got in contact with us years later, and gave us the training we needed to join this service.”

“And here we are, two years later, in the secret service,”

“My name’s Miyu Lynx,” she extended her hand.

“And I’m Fay Spaniel,” she also held out her hand.

James took them one at a time and shook them, “Well, so you were a part of Star Fox with my son, then? Then it’s an honor for me to meet you. My names James McCloud.”

The two women felt their jaws drop in surprise. Miyu spoke, “No...way! You’re the James McCloud???”

The spaniel coughed in surprise.

“The one and only,” he replied.

“Oh my word!” said Fay, her face flushed red with embarrassment, “I’m so sorry!!”

James chuckled “It’s quite all right.”

“We all thought you vanished years ago! Fox told us you disappeared in a black hole in Lylat!”

“There’s that black hole story again,” James playfully rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t worry, as you can see, I made it out in one piece.”

“Clearly,” said the lynx, “I’m sorry, too. So what the heck has Fox been up to these days? Still taking out the trash and taking names?”

“You could say that,” said James with a proud smile.

“I miss Fox and the rest of the team, but I think I like being here just a little bit more,” said Fay.

“You got that right,” said Miyu.

“So what’s this service about, anyway?” asked the ex-leader.

“You just get here?”

“General Pepper told me to come here to be officially accepted, so, yeah, I suppose.”

“Then you’ll find out for yourself, Jamesie,” said the lynx, standing up from her seat, “as said, the ceremony won't start for another while. C’mon, let’s go get some chow.”

“Have you combed through the entire bases yet?” Fay asked James.

He shook his head, “No I haven’t, not yet anyway.”

“Have you eaten anything?” asked Miyu.

James shook his head.

“Then let’s go together,” she said, “I’m buying.”

“Uh, no, I got some money in my-“ James reached in his pocket and grabbed his wallet, but Miyu grabbed his hands, and took his wallet.

“I said-“ she placed the wallet back in his pocket, “-I’m buying. My treat to you, Mr McCloud, and to my service partner as well.”

“Aw Miyu!” said Fay, blushing.

“Oh, well...that’s very kind of you,” said James, “thank you.”

“Not a problem. It’s the least I can do for our new recruit, and for the father of our former leader!” said Miyu.

***

Together, the three made their way to the cafeteria, which was bustling with pilots and other servicemen, and servicewomen, taking their lunch trays, sitting down in chairs, and setting their trays on the tables in front of them.

“This service is pretty big for something kept secret,” James said, “how in the world do they manage?”

“We don’t know,” said Fay with a shrug, “they said the officials have their ways, but-“ she saw Miyu walk ahead of them, and Fay walked quickly, “hey, wait up!”

James sighed and walked quickly to catch up. The two women grabbed their lunch trays and sat at a table, with James joining them soon after.

“The chicken burgers here are awesome!” said Miyu, tearing off the wrapper from the chicken sandwich she ordered.

“The chefs here put a lot of care into their food,” said Fay, poking around at her ham salad, “it’s not like those other military lunches where they just toss food on a tray and leave it at that.”

“Most of them are made from scratch, so you know they put care into them!”

“And they’re not fattening, either. You have to be at your best, and in tip-top shape, if you want to keep up in a place like this.”

“That’s understandable,” said James, before taking a bite of his turkey wrap.

“The service pays well enough so you don’t have to worry about not having money for food.” said Fay.

“And for safety and security reasons, outside food is not allowed here,” said Miyu, taking a napkin to her mouth, “you either eat what the service provides, or go hungry.”

James set his wrap down on the tray and said, “Now they won’t let you do that, will they?”

“What? Go hungry? Oh, you’d be surprised, McCloud. So like we said, it’s a good thing they put a lot of care into them.”

He ignored that remark and finished up his lunch. Afterwards, he threw away any garbage he had on the tray, and went to return it, setting it on the tray rack for the employees to wash up.

“It might be time to head to the ceremony room now,” said Miyu, her walking turning into a run, “c’mon, let’s get there before they announce the new recruits!”

Fay tailed behind, followed by James. As he ran, various doors in the halls and people walking down them passed his blurred vision. He kept his eyes forward, to pay attention to where he was going. Right when he turned a corner...

BAM!

James collided with another serviceman, a Siberian husky wearing a navy suit. Both fell to the ground, dazed.

“Hey!” said the husky. James felt his scarf being grabbed and he was lifted off the ground, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

James remained calm, despite the angry look in the dog’s eyes, “Pardon me, sir, but I was just on my way for-“

“Are you in that much of a hurry that you have to run down the halls like a mad-man?”

“Sir, please, I-“ James then saw the badge on the man’s uniform, “oh, you’re one of the officials here?”

“That is correct, sir,” he replied, releasing James, “Sparks Husky, working for combat support and machine repairs.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“Sorry sir? That’s a weird name for a fellow like you.” Sparks was teasing, but outside, he maintained the seriousness of an official.

“No, I’m James McCloud, former leader of Star Fox. I just joined yesterday.”

“Star Fox? Never heard of them. Well, you listen here, Rookie McCloud, you run down these halls like that, and someone’s bound to get hurt. I work in machine repair, not crew repair.” Again, there was Sparks’ humor, but it flew over James’s head, “Anyway, you keep an eye out and be careful next time buddy.”

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,”

“Let’s hope not. Wouldn’t want you or anyone else getting injured on your first day of the job, you know?”

“That would be a problem.”

“Yes it would.” he said, “Have a good say, sir.”

“You too,” said James.

***

Getting that little experience out of his head, James lost sight of Fay and Miyu. Instead of going to the announcement room, he walked down the hall to find General Pepper’s office. As he stood in front of the door, he lets out a couple knocks.

“Come in,” he heard a voice on the other side.

The ex-Star Fox leader opened the door, and indeed, General Pepper was waiting for him on the other side, standing in front of a large glass window as he looked out of it. Several fighter ships zipped in the air, probably testing the aircrafts, and some were just arriving from their missions.

Pepper turned around and said, “Ah, James, just who I needed to see. Come in, take a seat.”

James did so, walking inside the large office room and pulling out a chair. He sat down and clasped his hands together.

“I wanted to tell you this in person: As you can clearly see, we offer the best the service is capable of providing us, but we also had to make some...sacrifices and cut-backs to help maintain this service as well.”

“Sir?”

“We lack the proper funds to build new Arwings and machinery for this service,“ explained Pepper, “our repair crew puts their blood and sweat into refurbishing the Arwings we receive from other units.”

“Hm?"

“The service officials, who are also chiefs of the Bulldog Unit, Husky Unit, and Team Cougar, have donated some Arwing fighters to this service. We have made some repairs on them, and field tested them just a week ago. They are in good shape and run very smoothly.” Pepper continued, “James, how would you like to pick out an Arwing to aid you in this service?”

“Does it matter, really, what Arwing I get? I mean, aren’t they all the same?”

“Not all of them. Some of them have been around since the first mission that Star Fox have taken.”

Again, the Black Hole incident flashed through James's mind, but he shook it off.

“Then I’ll do it.”

Pepper smiled and headed out the door, “Follow me to the docking bay, then.”

James held no further questions as he did as ordered, following General Pepper out of his office quarters and to wherever they needed to be.

[ganondorf2]

Good job so far.

[The Melee Master]

Thanks! Also, short chapter is short.

Chapter 3

Pepper opened the door in a building and walked inside. It looked like a garage for semi-trucks, but was built for air fighters. Inside sat several Arwing fighters and mechanics working on them. To James, the Arwings...looked very...familiar.



“As you can clearly see, we’ve no choice but to receive hand-me-down fighters from other units,” said Pepper, “it’s a way to save money to help maintain this service. We’re paying this service as well as several others, so as of yet, we don’t have enough money to buy brand new equipment and machines.”

“I understand,” said James, “but those Arwings. Are they-“

“The same Arwings used for Star Fox’s very first mission? Yes, they are.” (Think of the SNES game Star Fox)

“And they still work??”

“As if they’re brand new. Even donations are widely accepted from different parts of Lylat. We’ve had the bases of Katina, Titania, and even Macbeth, donate various weaponry, and some money, of course, which was used to refurbish the very first set of Arwings we’ve created, like the ones you see before you.”

“General, how could you ask them for money like that?”

“We didn’t have to. They’ve donated it of their own free will. You see, major military bases such as this one offer each other support. Most of the major bases in the Lylat System know about the secret Cornerian service, and do everything they can to help out.”

“And?”

“Don’t worry, we trust them enough not to let word leak out to the wrong ears,” Pepper reassured James, who breathed out a gentle sigh of relief. Pepper continued, “I would have you test one of the Arwings, but...seeing that you’ve just started, I don’t want to take any risks just yet.”

“I understand,”

“Later, you’ll be able to test the air crafts and get accustomed to them, pick out what you’re comfortable with, then the real training begins.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and James?”

James’s ears turned slightly to the sound of Pepper’s sudden seriousness, “Yes, general?”

“Once you have been officially accepted, don’t expect anything more than what you already have.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You were once leader of Star Fox, and was highly praised as a hero once we got word of your capture...of course, considering what everyone had thought at the time-“

“I hardly consider myself a hero, general,” James said plain and clear, “I was just doing my job.”

“Ahem, yes, well, everyone in Corneria seem to think otherwise,” said Pepper, “the unit I’m about to put you in, however, will mark the end of your leadership.”

James tilted his head, lowered his sunglasses, and raised his left eyebrow in question, “Pardon?”

“In this service, we do assign groups, much like Star Fox, and partners if the mission is small enough for two or so people, rather than a team of four or more. No one will be taking control of the group, or of that individual. As a member, you are simply doing your job, no more and no less.”

“Oh. OK, now I understand.” he put his sunglasses back over his eyes.

“After you get some training in, I’ll assign you a partner based on how well you perform.”

“I’m looking forward to it, General.”

“Now let’s get to the ceremony hall before we miss our introductions.”

***

James followed General Pepper through the hallways and into the ceremony room, where one of the chiefs of the secret service was announcing some changes made to one of the unit’s flight crew, including new recruits and the like.

Clapping was heard after the speech and announcement was made. James took a seat next to an English bulldog, who looked at him out the corner of his eye, then went back to watching the ceremony. James took his sunglasses off and put them in his front jacket pocket.

“...so without further ado, allow me to turn this over to one of our best chiefs in the service unit, General Pepper.”

The clapping commenced, and the general was seen proudly walking on stage. James smiled at that.

“Thank you, Jeff,” he said with a bow, “now then, I’m sure everyone has heard of this service receiving new members.”

Clapping was heard.

“Ahem, yes, well, we have received three new members who I believe are sitting out in the audience right now. As I call your name, would you stand, please?” Pepper cleared his throat as he grabbed a sheet of paper, and read off the names, “I would like to welcome our newest recruits: Kalina Lion, George ‘Leopard’ Bishop, and James McCloud!”

Again, the roaring sound of clapping filled the room as the three new recruits stood from their seats and took a bow. Shivers of not nervousness, but excitement, shot down James’s body like lightning, despite maintaining a calm outlook, as he and the others were allowed to sit back down.

***

The ceremony went on for at least another hour as the officials of the unit talked about receiving hand-me-down machines in the near future, as well as upcoming missions for select groups.

“...And if you have any questions, please see Sparks Husky, Sam Shepard, or General Pepper for assistance.” One of the officials finished up, “This marks the end of the ceremony, and I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day.”

Clapping and cheering filled the room, and several of the servicemen and women stood and walked away from their chairs, to either head back to their rooms, or continue with their jobs. James stood and stretched out his arms, legs, and back. Since he didn’t have any questions for any of the officials at the moment, he decided to head out to explore the bases, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Excuse me, Mr McCloud,” the person turned out to be Sparks, “if you don’t mind, I would like you to come with me.”

James held no further questions as he did as he was ordered.

***

“I’m sorry to have taken you like this so suddenly,” said Sparks as he and James walked through the corridors of a large building, “but we’ve assigned you a permanent room right before the ceremony. I figured you would want to get settled in right away.”

“You guys work quickly,” James said with a smile, “can’t say I’m not impressed.”

Sparks chuckled, “I just hope you find it to your liking,”

They stopped at a door. James took a quick glance around him. The doors in the hallways were spaced out, and looked much like a hotel, but much nicer. Using a key, Sparks unlocked the door and opened it, allowing James to walk inside first.

The room was quite large, looking like a luxury hotel room, complete with a bed, a TV, nightstand with a lamp, and on one side of the rooms was a kitchen area with an electric stove, a fridge and freezer, a sink, and a microwave. Right beside the kitchen was a bathroom. The door was open, so James peered inside. Again, it came complete with all the bathroom essentials: toilet, sink, and bathtub/shower combo.

“Anything extra like food, clothing, and all other necessities, will have to be purchased on your behalf,” said Sparks to James, “we use to provide them, but then we ran into finance issues.”

“I’ll get to work on that once I receive my first paycheck,” said James.

“Other than that, I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Mr McCloud,”

“You too, sir,”

As Sparks left James alone in the room, the former leader shut the door behind him, looking around and taking in the looks and feel of his new home. He sat on the edge of his bed, taking out his wallet from his back pocket and opening it up. It revealed his Cornerian Army ID, which he wasn’t sure if he would still need it, a medical card, a credit card, and around $40 cash.

James looked around the room to see what he needed to buy. So far, the only things he could use were, of course, the necessities that were mentioned before: food, water, cloths...anything. Then maybe later, he'll explore around the bases. He headed out the door and locked it up tight.

Outside, he was calm, but inside, James had never been this happy and excited for this. He took a deep breath and exhaled, "Well...time to get started." And by that, he meant get started on his new life as an official secret serviceman.

[ganondorf2]

Very good.

[The Melee Master]

Thank you very much! This feels a bit rushed, but oh well. Sorry for the two year delay, but you know how it is with me and stories now days, sadly.

Chapter 4

The light from Solar signaled and greeted Corneria’s residents with the start of noon as the former Star Fox leader made his way to one of the shops around the base. It turned out to be a bakery, and as he opened the door, the smell of freshly baked bread hit him. After gathering what he needed and paying for it, of course, he left the bakery and headed to another store where they specialize in fresh produce.

“I guess by ‘outside food’, they meant food outside the Cornerian bases,” he thought to himself, “makes sense, I suppose. Wouldn’t want anyone sneaking in any ‘forbidden’ food...”

He stopped in his tracks as a thought came across him.

“Am I not able to leave the bases at all? Don’t tell me I’m trapped here for a while.”

“Hey, if you’re going to just stand there like an idiot in lalaland, you might as well wait until you get to your living quarters,” said a voice from behind. James quickly turned around, and he found himself face-to-face with a bulldog wearing the same attire as the fox. James assumed that he was just another service member, not an official.

“I can tell your new here,” he said.

“Yes sir,” said James, “how did you know?”

“Well, higher ranking members have badges outside their jackets, and you don’t seem to have any,”

“So how do you go from a lower rank to a high rank?”

“Take on the missions the service provides you,” the bulldog replied, “the more missions you complete, the higher your rank will go.”

“Such as...?”

“It differs from member to member,”

“Then how do you get assigned a mission?”

“That’s for the service committee to decide, not you. Talk to them, maybe they have something for you by now.”

“Service committee?”

“You know: General Pepper, Sparks Husky, and Sam Shepard. They’re the ones in charge of this whole thing, as well as several others who are behind the scenes, but don’t get your hopes up. Sometimes, it takes months, even years, to be assigned anything. It differs from member to member.”

“Do skills and experience happen to play a part in getting assigned?”

“Yes sir, and that’s where training comes in, if you don’t believe you’re skilled enough already.”

James was already an experienced pilot, but he didn’t believe himself to be so. To him, no matter how good you are at something, there was always room for more improvement.

“Then how about I start?”

“Uh, you’ll have to ask one of the officials to pencil you in.”

James nodded, “All right, then I’ll do that. Thank you.”

The bulldog waved goodbye, and James went off to his room to put away his groceries. After doing that much, he then went off to look for one of the officials. Of course, with the bases being so massive, finding one person would prove a challenge. He just had to memorize what the bases were and how to get to them.

“Their offices are at the main base, right?” he asked himself, “So I’ll head there and ask who’s available.”

He passed by a support beam that had a picture of the map nailed into it. James backtracked and took a quick look.

“Ok, so I’m at point A, which is right here,” he moved his finger across the map, “so to get to the office, I must go...here. OK then.”

After memorizing the map, or trying to anyway, James made his way to the main HQ building, where he hoped the staff's office was. Casually walking through the streets, he eyed some military passerby's with curiosity, most of which were service members like himself, wearing almost the same clothing he was wearing. James even noticed badges on their jackets, some of different kinds. He wondered if those badges determined ones ranking in the service, or whether or not they were officials.

Finally, the main building, which was larger compared to the others, was within his sights. James made his way toward it, and after reaching the doors, he pushed the doors open, and walked inside. Going by instinct, he made his way through the main room, and into the elevator, pressing a button and hoping it was the right floor.

DING!

Of course, the elevator made a couple stops for other servicemen and women to get on before he finally made it to his destination. James got off the elevator and looked around. There were offices down the hallway, and he looked at them upon passing.

Office 104: Bulldog Unit

Office 105: Husky Unit

Office 106: Leopard Unit

Office 107: Sparks Husky's Office

James noticed that General Pepper's office was no where in sight. Perhaps it was on a different floor. Deciding to take a chance with Sparks, James knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a familiar voice.

The ex-leader opened the door to find himself in a large office. In the background, windows were seen, and many tall buildings were visible, as well as Arwings of different kinds flying to and from the bases.

The Siberian husky general looked to be writing down notes. He looked up at James, "Can I help you with something, McCloud?"

James cleared his throat, "Yes, I was wondering about when I could take a mission, eventually," His question came out more blunt than he originally intended, making Sparks raise an eyebrow.

“Sorry James, but I can’t schedule you a mission until you receive the proper training,” he went back to his paperwork.

“I’m aware, sir,” he said, “I was going to ask if I could get some training done as soon as possible,”

That caused Sparks to lower his pen, and looked at James, “Now hold on, we can’t just throw you a mission and call it a day. Look, I don’t care how good of a pilot you say you are, Mr McCloud," he said sternly, "just like everyone else, whether they’re masters at their jobs or not, you’ll be taking baby steps with everything around here. Am I clear?”

“I don’t expect anything more,”

“Good! Now then, for the first few months, you will be going on missions with other members of the service. They will be chosen by random each time, and after those months are up, you will be chosen a partner based on compatibility. Sometimes, you’ll be joined by one member, sometimes you’ll be joined by two, or it might be a massive group effort. However, your partner must always be with you! Only thing we forbid around here is members taking on missions by themselves. It’s too dangerous. You must ALWAYS be with your partner, no matter what.”

James nodded, “I understand,”

“This’ll make things easier for us, in case one member goes missing or is killed during a mission.”

His ears perked up at that, “That’s happened?”

“This service is to be taken as seriously as anything else, and we have had some casualties here before...” he looked up at James and took off his reading glasses, "and no, I am NOT going to sugar coat everything just because you're a rookie. This military operation is to be taken as seriously as everything else, understand?"

This ‘Rookie’ term was starting to bother James, but he knew that unless he improves his rank, the rookie term will stick. Instead, he made a comment about what was being talked about.

“Please don’t,” said James, “I don’t want to be given false expectations and have my guard let down. The last time I did that, I got myself captured.”

“Very well. Now then, you will not be given nor participate in a mission until you receive the proper training, as I said before.”

"I understand."

"Do you, McCloud?"

"Yes sir!" James said firmly.

"All right," Sparks went back to his paperwork, "as soon as I finish up this paperwork for a LandMaster repair, I'll be heading to the training arena. It is located across this building, next to the main weapon warehouse. Meet me in the training arena at 1500."

"Excuse me?"

"We use military time here, McCloud, so I suggest you learn it, and learn it fast," he said, "3:00, on the dot. It's 2:00 pm right now, so do what you gotta go before then, and meet me there. Do NOT be late. We're strict about arrival timing here, because us officials have work to do of our own, after all. Be late, and the deal is cancelled. You'll have to try again tomorrow. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," James said with a nod.

"All right. Remember: 3:00 on the dot! Meet me there. Dismissed!"

"Thank you, sir," James bowed, and Sparks waved.

***

While James was waiting for his hour to arrive, he decided to take the time and walk around the city, while remaining within the main base's range of sight, of course. He came across a building with a large sign: Bolivia's Gift-shop. Curiosity struck, and James walked inside.

"Welcome," James looked to see a female cheetah standing behind a glass stand, "may I help you with something?"

"Uh, no thanks, I'm just browsing." he replied.

The inside definitely looked like a gift shop. There were glass statues, as well as books, cloths, and snack foods. It greatly reminded James of what people call 'Tourist Traps', but it couldn't of been a 'Tourist Trap', since the only people allowed to be in there were members of the Secret Service like himself.

James slowly strolled through the shop, stopping to look at what looked like hooks, in the shape of a tree, with keychains hanging off them. One, in particular, caught his eye. It was a key-chain of a Blue Marine. James took note of the amount of detail it was put into it. After being satisfied of his browsing, he walked out of the building. Of course, he wasn't going to buy anything, especially not with the amount of money he had on him at the time. That was emergancy money, more than anything.

***

Figuring that it was almost 3:00, he proceeded to make his way to the building he was scheduled to meet at. Running past crowds of people with no problem, he stopped in front of the warehouse where weapons were being stored. The building next to it was his destination.

James walked over to it and opened the doors, walking inside.

The interior was just like any other office building: carpet flooring, decorative walls, podiums all around...but there was no time to admire the inside. James hurried through the main office, hoping to spot Sparks, and soon!

"There you are!" a voice spoke, making James turn around.

Sure enough, it was Sparks Husky.

"I thought I was gonna have to blow the whole thing off and bark at you for wasting my time," he said rather crudely, which confused James.

"Uh, excuse me?"

"You're the one who drove me away from a very busy paperwork, and Pepper made me do it in your favor..." Sparks did NOT sound happy, which was a surprise from his attitude when James first met him. This was a different step than Sparks's happy-go-lucky attitude, which proved that even HE wasn't to be trifled with.

"I'm sorry for that," was all James could say.

"So am I, now let's get this over with. Follow me so we can pick out an Arwing for you."

Sparks walked away and James followed.

***

Eventually, they made their way to a garage looking area, where different models of Arwings and all could be seen. James remembered being here once before, with General Pepper.

"All right, now," began Sparks, "you can choose what Arwing you wish to pilot during this training course only. You won't be assigned a permanent Arwing until you get your training in like everybody else. Understood?"

"Yes sir," said James.

"Now, make your decision and choose wisely, as you will not be allowed to switch Arwings mid-training."

James took the time to study the different models of Arwings. There was the model he saw when he first walked in the building: the first Arwing models Star Fox had used before. Then were was another model that looked just like the others.

"What's the different between those two models?" he questioned.

"The models to the right have one key difference," explained Sparks, "those ones are equipped with an All Range Mode, as well as a brand new feature, well, new at the time. We had to build new Arwings in order to have it."

"Why couldn't you have just added it to the previous model? Wouldn't it cut cost or something?"

"Because to do that, we would have to tear down the Arwing just to implement it, and we didn't have the time to do that."

"Hmm..." James thought hard about this, "well then, may I use the Arwing with the All Range Mode for the training?"

"Yes you may, " said Sparks, "they've been thoroughly tested just three days ago, so you're in luck there! Head down there and we'll get you set right up, but first, take this."

Sparks gave James what looked to be a bracelet.

"That's a wireless transmitter," he explained, "it'll let me communicate with you on your headset and vice-versa,"

"All right then," James clipped it on his wrist, and pulled his glove down over it. He then took the stairs down and ran to his chosen Arwing model. Sparks pressed a button on a wireless communicator, and the Arwing c0ckpit opened up. James jumped inside.

"Before we begin, I want you to take the time to familiarize yourself with the interior," yelled Sparks, "I'll be with ya in a bit!"

Sparks walked into a room above where the Arwings were. That was when James felt vibrations inside his Arwing, and it began to move. The machine itself wasn't turned on, but rather, it was being moved by a crane that took hold of the Arwing. Eventually, James found himself in a room that looked to be one of virtual reality. The interior of it was blank, white all around.

The vibrations stopped as the crane released it's hold on the Arwing. The interior looked to be a standered Arwing, but a little more outdated than the one he was more use to.

Suddenly, the room turned from a typical white room, to what looked like a war-torn area, snapping James out of his thoughts.

"Well, this is a step-up from our old virtual training grounds," said James.

On a screen near the dashboard of the Arwing, static was seen before Sparks's face came up, his voice having a bit of static to it, "We figured it would give our members a more realistic sensation, as well as the fights themselves,"

"Excuse me?"

"The training you're about to endure is as realistic as we're able to make them," he explained, "you will feel the sensation of being shot at, as well as your Arwing taking damage, but it's still a simulated situation, so there's no ACTUAL damage done to the Arwing itself. Remember that!"

"That's good,"

"You ready, McCloud?"

James nodded, "Ready!"

"All right, let the training commence!"

The ex-leader powered on the Arwing, and vibrations were felt. As the door of the c0ckpit closed, he looked ahead to see aircraft fighters flying around like a swarm of bees.

James nodded, gripping the controls in his hands, "Let's go!"

[ganondorf2]

Pretty good.