Star Fox: Eclipse

Chapter 15: The Calm Before the Storm

After escaping planet Venom, the Star Fox and Star Wolf teams fled using the Orbital Gate's teleportation system. Aside from Fox's emergency contact to Beltino, who brought them all back home, everything was silent except the occasional stir of Oikonny, kept prisoner with Fox. Six ships departed from the Orbital Gate and six ships returned home, though Krystal, Falco, and Katt were replaced by the Star Wolf team. Two Arwings, the Cat's Paw, and Oikonny's Wolfen were left behind on Venom, but no pilot was willing to go back and retrieve them yet. They were all fortunate enough to escape the planet with their lives and didn't want to run the risk of stirring more trouble with the Venomian natives.

Fox sighed as he approached Corneria's atmosphere, leading the remains of his team with Star Wolf following closely behind. He desperately wished that he could have searched for Krystal and his friends, but the enemy could have taken them anywhere in the Lylat System. The only thing left to do was fly back to Corneria so that whenever the enemy's whereabouts were discovered, the Star Fox team could respond. As soon as he heard the call, Fox would abandon anything to come to the aid of his missing allies. It felt like betrayal to leave them behind in enemy hands.

"Team Star Fox, the Cornerian military demands your presence at a meeting," Fox recalled the transmission he had received from General Peppy nearly an hour ago. "Meet with us at the Cornerian Defense Force headquarters as soon as possible," the hare commanded. He failed to mention exactly why this meeting was necessary and spoke in an unusually harsh tone that Fox did not expect from his mentor and friend. The need for the meeting must have been important enough to have the pilots meet in person, rather than speaking over a wireless communication.

I'm sure it has something to do with the bombing of the Lunastone Hotel, Fox thought as he adjusted his ship's gravitational diffusor systems to transition from space to Corneria's atmosphere. As if Corneria wasn't already at odds with us for trusting Star Wolf. It felt as if the lead pilot of the Star Fox team was not only losing Krystal, Falco, and Katt, but Peppy as well. "Can things possibly get any worse?" He mumbled to himself, soaring straight through a cloud without even bothering to avoid it.

"What was that, Fox?" Lucy asked through her ship's communicators. She spoke softly with concern, knowing how deeply he was hurting at his loss.

"It's nothing," he murmured, hoping that no one would have heard his question. Finally the waters of Corneria could be seen below, glistening in the bright sunlight as the six ships cast shadows upon the gently rippling tides. Fox descended until the wings of his ship nearly touched the water's edge, surprised when a new voice sounded from his communicator.

"This is the Cornerian Defense Force. Identify yourselves before receiving permission to land." The image of the dog's face appeared on a small monitor inside Fox's cockpit, a dark-furred bulldog wearing a Cornerian space helmet.

What are they doing, identifying pilots before they land now? "I am Fox McCloud, of the Star Fox team," he answered, wondering if recent events had caused the Cornerian military to become so paranoid. "I am tailed by Lucy Hare and Slippy Toad, along with Star Wolf. We have been summoned by General Peppy to meet with-"

"Star Wolf was not included for the summons," the lieutenant growled, barring his teeth. "This is a Cornerian affair, leave them out of this."

Fox could not contain his discontent any longer. The tension between Corneria and the two mercenary teams was more than he could bear. "If you so much as point your guns at Wolf and his team, I will personally ensure that you no longer serve the Cornerian Defense Force ever again. They will be landing with us, do I make myself clear?"