Star's Quest-Part Four: The Fate of Lylat *Preface* This part of the story takes place nearly a year later. Most camps have been liberated, Fortuna and Katina are the only completely free planets. Small teams have joined the rebellion and operate through the free concentration camps. Venom remains powerful, though it is greatly challenged. Star has been creating constant problems for Andross. Fox is alive, though he wishes he was dead. Bill isn't very bad off. Leon still hasn't had the chance to torture Falco. Escape is futile on Venom and nearly unthinkable. No camps have been liberated there. Jo'hara was able to get the old ship the Star Rebels were using to work. It now has operational shields, weapons, and different rooms, such as a kitchen, separate bedrooms, a gym, lounge, computer room, laboratory, etc. Star and Storm's relationship has expanded beyond being just friends, though both of them refuse to think of marriage until after the war. And now, the long awaited....Fate of Lylat Chapter one "Love is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of eternity." Helen Hayes, Earth "How are you feeling, Liz?" Darwin asked, walking into their bedroom with a tall glass of chocolate milk. "Alright," Lizbel said. "I've been better." "Here, drink this," Darwin handed her the glass. "Star says it'll help you get better." "I can't believe how close I came to dying," Lizbel shook her head sadly. "Don't think about it," Darwin said, hugging her gently. "You're ok now." "Is this a private party or can anyone join?" Dekslan asked, leaning in the doorway. "Anyone, or you?" Darwin asked, jokingly. The two remained good friends even after the marriage. "Funny, cougar-boy," Dekslan said. "Star wants your advice on something." "Why doesn't she ask her beau?" Lizbel smiled. "They're never more than a few feet away from each other." "May I remind you, you two were like that, too," Dekslan grinned. "Get lost, Dek," Darwin said, tossing a pillow at her. "No way!" Dekslan threw the pillow back. Soon the two of them were engaged in a wild pillow fight. Lizbel retreated to a corner to keep away from the flying pillows. "A-hem," some coughed loudly in the doorway. Darwin and Dekslan looked up to see Star and Storm in the doorway. They jumped up quickly. "I'm sorry, Star, Dekslan was annoying me," Darwin said. "I'm sorry, Darwin scared me," Dekslan shivered. "He looked at me." "Hey!" Darwin yelled. Star laughed and leaned back against Storm. He smiled, good-naturedly. "I didn't come in to yell at you. I need you in the main room. You too, Liz. This is very important." "I'll be there in a minute," Darwin said, as Dekslan followed Star out of the room. Lizbel gulped down her chocolate milk and walked into the main room with Darwin by her side. She had caught a rare, nearly incurable disease in her death camp, but it was slowly fading with Star's medication. Her martial arts skills were rusty and flying on her own was shaky. After she got better, she'd really have to pull her act together. In the main room, Jo'hara sat at the main computer, his back to the room. A giant holo-graphic map was projected in the center of the room. Natlarn sat on the couch next to Tigress and Dekslan. Tera sat on the floor beneath them. Terra sat in a large over-stuffed chair, while Storm relaxed in the captain's high-backed chair with Star on his lap. The two were locked in a steamy kiss. Darwin pulled up two chairs and sat next to Lizbel. Natlarn coughed loudly, rousing the vixen and wolf from their lip-lock. Star jumped up, almost surprised, but she smoothed down her hair and began to talk. "Ok, as you can see from our map of Corneria, only two concentration camps remain in Venom's grasp. The reason for this that they have extremely concentrated forces around the camps, preventing us from getting through to the camps. This is the problem at the other bases as well, so I've come up with a new strategy, something even Venom won't expect." Star paused to look at Jo'hara and nodded. Jo'hara changed the holo-image to a map of the main Venomian base. "We're going to attack this base." "What? Are you crazy?" Natlarn asked. "You'll get us killed!" Tera said. "Settle!" Star yelled, calming the murmurs quickly. "I know it sounds stupid, but I've studied this base carefully and in great detail-" "How can you when you're always here?" Terra asked. "I'm here, but are Destiny and Dan?" Star smiled. The two other teams looked around and slowly realized that the spy and technician were absent. "Where are they?" Tigress asked. "They're on Venom," Star said. "Jo'hara's been monitoring them, so we know they're safe. They're gathering information so we can storm this base quickly, yet efficiently." "How do you know they won't get caught?" Lizbel asked. "The best spy in Lylat never gets caught." "Dan, do you know the code yet?" Destiny asked, getting impatient. She was standing guard over Dan as he hacked into secured Venomian files from an outlet leading to the main computer room. "We can't stand here forever." "I'm almost done," Dan said, typing as fast as he could. "I think I've got it. Let's go." "Who's there?" a voice asked loudly, causing Destiny and Dan to jump. "Uh oh," Destiny whispered, drawing her laser. "Wait," Dan whispered back. "That's Guy Mion, a young pilot and deadly with a gun. If we run, we'll get killed, if we shoot at him, we'll most likely miss and be killed. Just hold still." "Who is that?" Guy asked, coming around the corner of the hallway. His laser was drawn, ready to fire at a moments notice. He was a young sparrow, no more than seventeen. Oh no, Destiny thought. This is the guy that's friends with Andrew. I remember that he picked me out as a spy nearly a year ago because of my eyes. Destiny looked down, trying to keep her bright, green eyes out of view. "What are you doing here?" Guy asked. "Lights out was two hours ago." "Then what are you doing here?" Dan asked. "I'm on guard duty, what are you doing here?" Guy replied. "There was a short circuit in communications, we were fixing it," Dan said, talking as fast as he could think. "Oh yeah?" Guy asked, looking sly. "Then what's with the artillery?" He gestured to their lasers with his. "Last time I checked, technicians didn't need guns." "Uh..." Dan's quick thinking slowed then stopped. He began to panic. What do I do? What did Star do when she was up against this guy? Guy's experience with Star had wizened him up in more ways than one. He wasn't about to back down now, and he could easily shoot Dan. He just had a problem with shooting females. Just the thought would give him nightmares. That's why he couldn't shoot Star. "Well, you never know when another base is gonna be raided," Destiny said quickly. "We need to be prepared in case they try to raid this base." "Ha! Star wouldn't be stupid enough to raid this base," Guy laughed, keeping his gun below his waist, ready to fire. You'd be surprised, Destiny thought. "If she was desperate she would. Now we've gotta get back to work." "Hold on, I'm calling in to make sure this technician thing is accurate," Guy said, clicking his com on to call Ramsy. As soon as he heard it click on, he knew that the communications were up. He raised his laser at Dan. "One move and you're dead." "What?" Dan asked. "I didn't do anything!" "Oh, I'm so sure," Guy said, never letting his laser stray from the dog's head. "What is it, Guy?" Ramsy asked sleepily over the com. "Ramsy I've gotta couple of trespassers here, I need back-up," Guy said. "I'll get right on it," Ramsy said, waking up slowly. As Guy reached up to turn his com off, Dan shoved his laptop into Destiny's hands and pushed her down the hall. "Go! He won't shoot you!" Destiny took off, clutching the computer tightly, her short black hair flying out behind her. A few laser shots bounced of the walls, but they were badly aimed. Destiny made it to the docking bay, jumping into Shadow, her jet. She fired up the engines and flew off towards her home ship. "What's going on?" Ramsy asked, running up behind Guy who was holding his gun on a dog. Ben and Liam followed him closely. "This dog broke into our computer system," Guy said. "He had a partner, but she got away. I think she was the spy I identified on Macbeth." "Great, you let a spy get away!" Liam yelled. "Like you never let anyone escape," Guy shot back. "Break it up!" Ramsy yelled. "Let's get this guy to the prison and get back to sleep. I'm tired." "Right, Ramsy," Ben said, grabbing the dog's arm and pulling him down the hall roughly. "Let's move it, mutt." "Did you hear the news?" Wolf asked, dropping the morning paper on the table. "Star hasn't made a move for months, now we suddenly catch two spies in our base!" "Correction, I caught them," Guy said. "No, you caught one of them," Liam said, pushing Guy from behind. "You let the spy get away." "I couldn't help it, she was too fast," Guy protested, regaining his balance quickly. Of all his teammates, he liked Liam least. Maybe it was because his cousin was Leon, or maybe it was because he hung out with Wolf. But it was most likely because Liam was only a few years older than him and got special treatment from Andross. "C'mon, Guy," Andrew said, tossing the sparrow his helmet. "We've got practice to do." The three best teams on Venom would be competing in a drill tournament today. The teams were Starwolf, the Conquest Squadron, and the Sapphire Paladins. The Sapphire Paladins were a team led by Amy Johnson, the first female ace pilot on Venom and Leon's girlfriend. Gregory Nothrana was a myrmidon soldier who followed orders unquestionably. Westly was the egotistical spotlight hog on the team, always trying to become famous or make more money. Nedra Benson was Amy's best friend and had a crush on Gregory. Ramsy ran his team through aerial drills for nearly three hours every day, two weeks before the contest. Wolf made Andrew and Pigma run through the drills constantly, but himself and Leon were good enough to watch, not fly. The Paladins practiced all together in their free time. "And now, will the three teams report to the front desk?" a voice boomed over a loud speaker. "Destiny, what's wrong?" Star asked as Destiny pulled into the docking bay. "Where's Dan?" Storm asked, helping her down from her jet. "They caught us," Destiny explained, handing Dan's computer to Star. "I got away, but they've got Dan. They're gonna torture him if we don't save him." Destiny's pretty green eyes were wide, her usually neat hair was wild. Her small, weasel face wore a worried expression. "Calm down, Destiny," Star said. "We'll get him back. And soon," Star grinned as if she knew a secret she wasn't telling. "Let's get inside and let you calm down." Destiny nodded and followed Star and Storm inside. Storm's arm was wrapped around Star's waist and Star walked close to him. They're such a cute couple, Destiny thought, trying not to smile. It really had surprised her when Star fell for him, but it was the real thing. After the war, Destiny hoped to see them go steady. "Tera, could you get some hot chocolate for Destiny?" Storm asked. "Sure," Tera said, getting up and heading for the kitchen. Storm flopped down into the recliner and pulled Star onto his lap. "Man, this place is seeming more like home than ever," Storm said. "I liked my den better," Star said. "This place is like Great Fox on a smaller scale." "You've got a better way of concealing it," Storm pointed out. "And plenty of room for additions." "That's true," Star leaned her head back against Storm's shoulder. Their friendship had developed to the point where they were ready to consider marriage, but neither of them wanted to talk about it until after the war. Star had never loved anyone before, and the feeling was completely new. Like a new world was opening up. Right now, she was content to sit on Storm's lap and just be. But, she was willing to go a little farther with the relationship. Marriage seemed like the next step, and after that, maybe some children... Storm also had never cared for anyone like he cared for Star, and he too, would like to see the relationship go farther. He touched the silver feather necklace he wore lightly. There was a legend behind it that he hadn't told Star. The legend said it would warn the wearer of false love and what was the real thing. In the past few months, the necklace felt warmer and more comforting when Star was around. If he held the necklace when he was close to Darwin and Lizbel, he could see a gentle, green aura around them that meant devotional love. The aura around himself and Star was strong and blue, meaning true love. He had learned to read these auras over the years when his father had given him the necklace. After the war, Storm planned to propose to Star. He already had the ring. He had bought it on Katina a few months ago when he was supposed to be getting oil for their jets. The bases liberated there opened up small businesses. The valuable items, such as rings, jewelry, watches, were pooled together and sold at high prices so that the merchants could afford supplies from Cornerian camps that had also been freed. Storm bought the ring from one of those merchants for five-thousand credits. It was sapphire blue and matched the color of Star's eyes. Too bad he'd have to wait til the end of the war. Dan sat in a dark cell, shivering from cold. He looked at the laser bars guarding his cell. They never should've put me in here, Dan grinned, pulling a screwdriver from his boot. He jammed it into the bottom of the lasers base. The laser blinked out, leaving a gap between the bars just big enough for Dan to slip through. Then he set up a small holo-graphic projector, about the size up a hockey puck and the width of a quarter. It projected a laser/ray that looked exactly like the original. Dan slipped silently down the hall, pausing only to avoid being detected by motion censors or video cameras. He found the prison marked "PASSWORD NEEDED TO ENTER." Dan used his photographic memory to remember the long password he had discovered with his computer before he was captured. It was a reasonably long password, twenty digits and numbers long, but it wasn't as long as most codes, most likely because a lot of people needed to remember it. Dan gained access and slid inside. The guard was asleep, just as he had expected. Dan was able to swipe the key chain from the guard carefully, and open the prison cells. He opened Katt's cell first, since it was the first cell in the hallway. "Don't come near me," Katt whispered, backing away to the far side of the cell, fear on her once pretty face. Being in the jail that long had made her pale and rail thin. Her long white hair was in knots and unkempt. She looked terrified of Dan, but ready to fight as well. "Calm down," Dan said gently. "I'm with the resistance. I'm here to help." "Really?" Katt asked, her eyes brightening. "Shhh. I don't want to get caught," Dan whispered. He then turned to Falco's cell and opened it. Falco was asleep, but the sound of the lasers turning off awakened him abruptly. Katt flew into the cell and hugged him tightly. Looking surprised, Falco hugged her back and looked at Dan, who was already opening the next cell. Soon, Starfox was freed, with the exception of Fox and Bill. "C'mon, let's get outa here," Dan said, waving the team towards the door. He gently lifted the guard's laser out of it's holster. "What about Fox and Bill?" Peppy asked. "Star'll take care of them," Dan said. "I was ordered to just get you out, not them." "We can't just leave them here!" Katt protested, standing close to Falco's side. The guard woke up suddenly. "What's going on?" he asked, confused. Dan shot him quickly then opened the door. "There's not much time left, let's go!" Reluctantly, they followed him out to the docking bay, where the four of them winced as the bright sunlight hit their eyes. In the cells, there wasn't a night or day, it was all dismal darkness. A transport stood waiting. It had Venomian markings on it, yet it seemed different somehow. As if altered by someone. "C'mon, let's go!" Dekslan whispered, motioning to Dan and the others. They hurried to it quickly. "What's going on?" Slippy asked, confused. "I'll tell you later, for now, just get inside!" Dekslan said, motioning them to hurry. Dan got inside his jet and blasted off beside the transport. The other Crimson Firehawks and Justice Cadets were in the sky, waiting for the transport. "Where's Star and Storm?" Dan asked. "And Destiny?" "Destiny's on our ship," Jo'hara replied. "Star and Storm are down there somewhere." "The contest may now begin!" the voice boomed over the loudspeaker. Guy, Pigma, and Westly lined up in their jets, oblivious to the break-in of their base. The first contest was a speed test, the fastest flyer won. Guy was incredibly fast in his jet, but he also knew a lot of legal tricks to help him win. Pigma was good at speed tests back in the Academy and he was still pretty fast in the cockpit. "Ready....Set...." the flyers made their engines roar, to get ready to shoot off. "Hey, look at that!" Guy's concentration was shattered as a few laser shots flew at his jet, hitting it hard. The other racers were dealing with the same problem. "It's the Star Rebels!" someone yelled. "The winners of the ten thousand dollar prize is the team that shoots down all those jets up there!" the voice yelled over the speakers. But the rest of the teams hadn't waited for that, they had already blasted off into the fight. Star slid silently past the guard, dead at the front desk. Storm followed her closely. They stopped at the end of the hallway, the keys had been left on the floor near the last cell. Star picked them up and opened the last cell. Two ragged looking prisoners lay sleeping on the steel benches. They were soaked in blood and covered in burns. They were Fox and Bill after being repeatedly tortured by Leon for a year. Star gulped, looking at her brother, barely recognizable. "Fox?" Star asked quietly, hoping he wasn't dead. The motionless figure stayed still, though Bill moaned and rolled over. "Star?" he asked hoarsely. "Bill..." Star choked on her words, looking at her best friend. "W-what did they do?" "Long story," Bill shook his head. "Do you have any water on you?" As Star took off her canteen and poured some water into Bill's mouth; Storm held his necklace tightly and read the aura around Star and Bill. It was an orange color, which meant the love you'd feel for a close friend, not a lover. Star turned back to Fox and gently shook his shoulder, trying to rouse him. The aura around Fox and Star was a strong yellow one that was tight and allowed nothing to come between them. It meant the two really loved each other and nothing could destroy that love. Slowly, Fox stirred and opened his eyes. He looked dazed for a moment. "Mom?" "No, Fox, it's me," Star said. She poured some water into his mouth, then splashed some on his face. "Don't you remember me?" "Star?" Fox whispered. "Yeah, Fox, that's right," Star said, swallowing the lump in her throat. With all his strength, Fox hugged his sister and Star hugged him back. "I thought I lost you, Fox." "I thought so too," Fox said, crying. "Enough of that," Star said, stepping back. "I need to get you out of here and having you crying isn't going to help me any. Storm, there should be a wheelchair in the closet, can you get it?" Storm nodded and went to get the wheelchair. Star turned to Bill. "Can you walk?" "I think so," Bill stood up shakily. "He didn't cut me much, just shocked me a lot." "Leon?" Star asked. Bill went paler than before and nearly collapsed, Fox closed his eyes and shuddered. "Don't say that name," Bill said. "Not now." Storm wheeled the chair in and Star helped Fox into it. She wheeled Fox to the docking bay as Storm helped Bill walk. "We're almost there, guys," Star said, reassuringly. "Hold out just a bit longer." "We've held out this long, didn't we?" Bill asked, trying to laugh, but ended up coughing. He coughed up blood. Star bit her lip and hoped she could help him. In the docking bay, Dekslan had returned with the transport. Star helped Fox and Bill onto the transport, then turned to Storm. "You don't have to stay," Star said seriously. "I'm not leaving," Storm replied. Star nodded to Dekslan, indicating she should leave, then she turned down the hallway toward an old, deserted wing. The battle outside was hot. All the teams were putting up a good fight. Ben was giving Jo'hara one heck of a headache by sending over electric bombs and bugs. Tigress barely gave Liam a chance to flip. Guy kept Tera in knots, flying circles around him, but taking more hits than he was giving. Natlarn and Ramsy were fighting hard to try and knock each other out. The Sapphire Paladins acted more like snipers, taking quick shots at anyone who was tailing one of the Venomian ships. Nedra was concentrating on Destiny who was beginning to suffer from wing damage. Gregory was shooting at Dan's ship, but Dan blocked his weapons with an electronic bomb. Dekslan, flying the transport, soared into view and shot off out of Venom's atmosphere. "Ok, we're clear," Dan said. "Pull out!" The team shot for their home ship, losing their pursuers. Chapter two "I love Star for who she is, not because of her looks, her reputation, or her status." Storm Quiescent, Star Rebels General Pepper was hunched over in his cell. He looked dead already from lack of food and water. He was neglected and forgotten on several occasions, causing him be even more starved than other prisoners. He had forgotten what it was like to be outside. To be in charge. To have fun... Two stealthy figures slipped down the hall and stopped at his cage. Pepper looked up, confused. "Who are you?" he asked. One of them looked familiar... "Pepper, it's me!" the fox said, backing away from the cell. "Star?" Pepper asked. "Who's....What?..." "Sit tight and keep quiet," Star commanded, surprising Pepper. She kicked in the door to his cell. "Let's go." Laughter and clapping made the three of them pause. Evil laughter surrounded them and they could hear footsteps behind them. "Brilliant work, excellent show," Andross said, smiling and walking up to the refugees. "But I'm afraid the parties over. Very clever of you to break in and get your brother's team back. It's actually a shame you'll have to die." Pepper backed away, terrified of the ape. Star and Storm stood firm, ready for anything Andross could dish out. "Do your worst," Star said. "Oh, I will," Andross smiled. "I will." "Where are they?" Dan asked, worriedly. "They should be back by now." "I can't detect them any where in the base," Jo'hara said. "Where could they be?" Destiny asked. "Where are their jets?" Darwin asked. "They might be on their way." "I tried that," Jo'hara replied. "Their jets are still in the docking bay." "Were they discovered?" Terra asked. "Who?" Falco asked, walking into the room. A heavy silence fell over the room. "Star and Storm are missing," Tera said quietly. "What were they doing?" Falco asked, sitting down on the couch. "They were trying to free General Pepper," Dekslan answered. "After they did, we were gonna take over the base." "And we can't find them anywhere!" Jo'hara said, exasperated. "Could they have gotten caught?" "I thought spies never got caught," Natlarn said. "She wasn't spying," Destiny shook her head. "She was on a rescue mission, and rescuers often need rescuing themselves." "Ow! Stop shoving me!" Star yelped as she was pushed forward. Her gun and knife had been taken from her, her com had been smashed, rendering her weaponless. She was tightly pawcuffed and wasn't allowed to slow from her quick pace. Storm was as well off as her. "Where are we going?" Storm asked. "Look ahead of you," Wolf said, smiling evilly. An old building loomed ahead. It had been a small office years ago. Now it was a two-room, abandoned shack. It looked ready to topple over in the breeze. "Oh, and we're all very impressed," Star quipped. "It's Andrew's home." "Hey!" Andrew yelled. "Shut up and keep moving," Guy pushed Star with the butt of his gun. "Ooo, big man now, huh?" Star said with as much sarcasm in her voice as possible. "You've got the gun and I'm helpless. Yep, that makes you special. Let me bow down at your feet." Guy blushed and Ramsy pushed Star ahead quickly. "Just keep moving, we don't need to hear your mouth." "I know you don't need to, but if I'm going to die anyway, might as well make the best of it, right?" Star grinned. Storm nudged her gently and shook his head, indicating for her to be quiet. Star pouted playfully, but was silent until they got to the shack. "So what next?" Star asked. "Put us in a corner to think about what we did?" "Would someone please shut her up?" Wolf yelled. "Whoa, short fuse today, huh?" Star asked. Liam and Leon shoved Star and Storm into the room hard. Star was knocked over onto the floor. Her pawcuffs were knocked into the floor and Star heard a sharp click. "Now we leave you here," Leon said. "A bomb is set to go off in thirty seconds. We figured this would be the worst way to die, almost like what happened to your mother." Leon snickered, then closed the door. Star struggled against her pawcuffs and finally heard a snap. They fell of quickly. "C'mon, Storm, let's see if I can get those off you," Star said. Storm turned around, allowing Star to work on his cuffs. "How will we get out of this?" "I'm not exactly sure," Star said, breaking the lock on the cuffs. Storm shrugged out of them and turned around to face Star. He hugged her tightly and kissed her. "How can I think when you're acting like this?" Star asked lightly, allowing herself to be kissed. Storm let her go. "You're right, this isn't the time for that." He looked around. The door was tightly locked and made of steel. Not the easiest thing to kick through. The windows were heavily boarded over, the wood looked almost new. He looked up and saw an air vent. "Can you fit through that?" "Of course I can," Star said. "Can you?" "I'll try," Storm said. "I'll give you a boost to it, c'mere." Storm held out his hands and laced his fingers together. Star stepped into his hands and pulled the vent off the air shaft. She pulled herself up and inside, just as the bomb shook the building, knocking the vent loose. It crashed to the ground and was covered in rubble, knocking Star unconscious. "Did they get out?" Wolf asked, watching the house from a safe distance. "I didn't see them get out," Liam answered from the opposite side of the house. Conquest and Starwolf were stationed around the old shack, waiting to see if Star had escaped yet another death trap. She hadn't. They waited for nearly an hour and nothing stirred. "She's dead!" Wolf yelled, jumping up. "Yeah!" Pigma said. "It took long enough!" "Yes, I can't believe it!" Andrew tried to do a cartwheel, but ended up on his back. Guy helped him up quickly. "C'mon, let's go to a bar and celebrate," Liam said. "Andrew's treat!" The two teams were cheering enough for an entire stadium at a hockey game. Andrew didn't even object to paying for the drinks. "Star!" Fox yelled. He was heavily sedated and seemed to be having a nightmare. "Jo'hara, we've gotta call coming in from Venom," Dekslan said, excitedly. "Maybe it's Star!" Jo'hara stood up from kneeling next to Fox's bed. Destiny had medical training and was sewing and dressing Fox's wounds, but she needed all the help she could get. Jo'hara, along with several others, helped out. "Put it on the a/v," Jo'hara said, walking into the main room. The others looked up from their work to see the screen. On the screen, was a dagger. A small dagger, designed in a rare, Siamese cat design, meaning sly. "That's Star's dagger!" Bill yelped, seeing it on the screen. "She always kept that one hidden in her boot in a secret pocket, she fought with her other black-handled knife." "That's right," Andross's evil voice filled the room. "She did keep this one hidden, which is why I chose to display it for you." Andross picked up the knife. "Very nice craftsmanship, I like it." "Where's Star?" Jo'hara asked. "And Storm." "Please, we'll pay you whatever you want," Destiny pleaded. "Ha! I already have what I want. Star and Storm were killed. It was a magnificent performance actually. First the roof and sides caved in, and then the entire shack came tumbling down." "What are you talking about, you maniac?" Tigress asked, wishing she could punch Andross's ugly mug. "Oh, the bomb, of course. Star and Storm were killed in a bomb blast," Andross laughed. Jo'hara clicked off the screen. "That didn't happen, I just know it." He turned to another computer and typed in several commands. A clip came up and Jo'hara clicked on "play". The clip showed the couple being led to the shack, pushed inside, and then....the building blew apart, leaving only rubble where it had once stood. "Star, no!" Fox yelled again. He was still asleep and couldn't see the screen. The only alternative was that he had felt something happen to his twin. Slowly, Jo'hara turned off the computer, and said a silent prayer. Star came to slowly. She was aware that she was alive, yet aching all over. Pain ran through her body like electrical currents. She carefully flexed each muscle and moved every bone, feeling for anything broken or ruptured, but she was alright there. She wriggled through the ruined shaft and crawled out the other side. Where's Storm? Star thought suddenly. She ran into the rubble that had been the house and began to dig through the debris. "Oh God," Star gasped. Storm was under all the rubble, the life nearly crushed out of him. "No," Star whispered. "No!" She screamed it loudly. "Wake up Storm. Come on, I'm not letting you die on me now." She shook his shoulders, trying to rouse him. "Star?" Storm coughed weakly. Blood sprayed from his mouth. Star could tell almost all his ribs were broken and his collarbone had been shattered. He couldn't feel anything below his waist. "Yes, it's me, just relax, I'll get help," Star held Storm's head to her chest, trying to be reassuring when she was panicked. "Star, I-I..." Storm's voice faltered. "Sshh, baby," Star said, trying to keep Storm quiet. "I love you," Storm said in his dying breath. "Take...this." With his last bit of strength, he opened his hand to reveal his necklace. The one with the feather that had been passed down from generation to generation in his family. "No, don't you dare do that," Star said. "Take it back, I'm not letting you die." But it was too late. Storm was dead. "No, don't do this to me, Storm! Wake up!" Storm went limp and collapsed. Star backed away. "No," she whispered again. She sat beside him, not getting up, not crying, not moving. Chapter three "Never does the soul appear so strong and noble as when it forgoes revenge." E.H. Chapin, Earth "Drinks all around!" Leon laughed, gulping down another drink. He was laughing and having a good time. He had even forgotten that he wouldn't have the pleasure of torturing Falco because he escaped. "Man, this is the life!" Guy said, shooting pool with Andrew. They had had a few drinks, but not enough to make them as drunk as Leon was. "Cool it on the drinks, man," Liam said, grabbing Leon's whine glass. "Some of the rest of us need to drink, too." Ramsy grinned widely and poured two glasses of Scotch, one for himself, one for Ben. "Here, you deserve it," Ramsy pushed the glass towards his team tech. "No, that stuff'll kill you," Ben said. "I'm fine." "How can you be sober at a time like this?" Andrew asked. "Star's dead! Celebrate!" "I can have fun and be sober," Ben said. He looked over at Pigma who had passed out, drunk as a skunk. "Looks like someone had a little too much fun." "Aw, he's just a wimp," Wolf said, pouring himself a drink. "Here's to a Starless year!" "Here, here!" Leon said, raising his glass. The rest of them, except Pigma and Ben, raised their glasses and drank heartily. "I just can't believe it," Dan shook his head. "There's no way she could be..." Bill trailed off. "Why her?" Destiny asked. "And Storm?" "The two of them were so happy together..." Lizbel remembered. "It seemed like they'd get married after the war." "Storm was planning to ask her," Jo'hara said. "He even had the ring." "Are you serious?" Darwin asked. "Yeah, he showed it to me," Jo'hara said, on the verge of tears. "She never loved anyone..." Bill said. "Why'd they kill her when she was finally learning love?" "She really loved him," Dekslan shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. "She would have said yes when he asked her." "They were so young!" Terra said through her tears. "I can't believe they could be so cruel!" "What are you doing?" Fox asked, sitting up. He looked around at the teary faces. "Star's dead, isn't she?" Nods affirmed his guess. "So what are you doing?" Fox asked again. "Do you think this is what Star would have wanted? All of you just standing around talking about her doing nothing?" Fox shook his head. "She'd want you to do something, get back at Venom, not just talk about it." "Fox is right," Bill said. "Star would want us to do something, not stand here crying over her." "Right! Then let's do something," Darwin said, pounding his fist into his hand. Jo'hara spun around in his chair and began to work out a plan on the computer. Star sat next to Storm silently. It was impossible to tell for how long. It could have been a few minutes, it could have been a few days. It all seemed the same to her. Slowly, she came out of her trance and took the necklace from Storm's fingers. She slipped it into her pocket and stood up. The necklace would be a reminder, reminding her of Storm and what had happened. His dying words, his last kiss... So what do I do now? Star thought. A small thought was pushing itself into Star's head, and Star struggled to read it. Venom must pay. Yes, that was what the thought was, and that was what had to happen. Star set off at a determined pace toward the main Venomian base. "Alright, here's what we do," Jo'hara said. "Darwin, you lead the Firehawks around towards the back of the base. Natlarn, you'll take the rest of us to the main entrance. If we surround them, they won't have anywhere to go." "What about us?" Destiny asked quietly. She and Dan stood off to the side, a team without a leader or second in command. "You two can do what you want," Jo'hara said. "Someone's gotta be able to control the computer from up here and someone's gotta keep an eye on Fox." "I'm fine, you don't need to watch me!" Fox protested. "Someone needs to make sure your heart doesn't stop," Destiny pointed out. "You've got some internal bleeding we can't do anything about. We need to get you to a doctor." "I can operate the computer up here if you'll fly him to the nearest hospital," Dan offered. "Why can't we do anything?" Slippy asked. "You need to rest," Terra said. "Really." "But why?" Falco asked. "We can still fly." "Speak for yourself!" Peppy said, looking sick at the thought of flying. "You should all rest," Lizbel said. "Stay in bed and just wait until you're needed." "We've gotta go," Jo'hara said, checking his watch. "It's night time on Venom, we can catch them by surprise." "Then let's go," Natlarn said, grabbing his jacket and walking towards the docking bay quickly. The teams took off, flying quickly, but stealthily. They positioned themselves near the base on all sides, preventing anyone from escaping. Dekslan flew out into the open, Terra covering her wing. Dekslan blasted at the base, attracting the attention of several grounds Invaders, which were surveying the land, watching for attacks. They flew at Dekslan, firing quickly, but Terra shot them down before they could do any damage. Dekslan continued firing at the base until she downed the main power line, temporarily cutting off the base's communications; Jo'hara was working on downing the back up. "Sir, we're under attack!" a panicked lizard yelped, watching his computer. It blinked out in front of him. "We're surrounded and we don't have any power!" "What about the back-up?" Andross asked. "Negative, it's been downed." "Where are Starwolf and Conquest?" Andross asked. "Partying somewhere in a bar in the base," the lizard replied. Andross swore. "I'll bet there isn't a sober one of them down there. Get our best pilots out there now!" "Will do, sir," the lizard said, turning in his seat to a chipmunk trying to fix his computer. "Go get all of our best pilots and tell them to get their tails out there. And forget Starwolf and Conquest, they aren't in any condition to fly." The chipmunk nodded and darted into the halls, calling out to the pilots who needed to fight. His yells faded out of hearing distance after awhile. "What else needs to be done, Your Emperorness?" the lizard asked. "Is there any way to watch the fight?" Andross asked. "Not unless we stand outside to see it," the lizard replied. A laser shot cut through the room, nearly going through the lizard's throat, but he dodged it at the last second and it burned a hole through his shoulder. He screamed and Andross spun around, his laser drawn. Andross turned pale, then looked ready to faint. "Y-you're dead!" Andross yelped, backing away. "Tsk, tsk, haven't you learned by now?" Star asked. "I don't die, Andross. At least I won't until you die first." "How did you get past the guards?" Andross asked. "That little servant-" "You mean this guy?" Star asked, kicking the dead chipmunk into the room, his eyes wide and sightless, a laser burn through his heart. Andross took that moment to throw the lizard in front of him and dart out the back door. Star shot the lizard and followed Andross at a slow pace. She knew that the door only led one place, and Andross wasn't about to get away. "Got him!" Tera said, downing one of the last ten fighters. "Is this the best they can offer?" Natlarn asked, killing off two in one shot. "Those Venomians are cowards," Tigress said. "They don't want to come out and fight." "Let's go in on foot," Darwin said, landing next to the docking bay, after the rest of the pilots were picked off. His team landed close to him and the Justice Cadets landed not too far off. Darwin, Natlarn, and Dekslan, stood in front of the door leading to the docking bay, while Tigress slipped on her brass knuckles and punched the door in. She jumped back and out of the way as the trio behind her began firing into the garage, killing any guards stupid enough to stand just inside the doorway. Some guards had hidden behind jets and closets inside, making themselves hard targets. As Darwin, Natlarn, and Dekslan backed away from the door, Terra jumped in front of it and tossed in a hand grenade. It instantly killed any of the guards in hiding. They entered the garage warily, ready for anything or anyone to jump out at them. "Jo'hara, can you find Andross's location?" Natlarn asked. "The power is out entirely," Jo'hara said, shaking his head. "I can't do much of anything unless I can plug my laptop into a functioning socket." "Then we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way," Darwin said. "We'll split up and search for Andross. Take no prisoners, kill anything Venomian." "Right Darwin," Natlarn said. "Tera, you're with me, Tigress, you go with Jo'hara." "Alright," Tigress said agreeably. Jo'hara followed her down a hallway leading east. Tera and Natlarn went north. "Terra and Dekslan, stick together," Darwin said. "Lizbel and I are going west." "Sure, just leave us to do all the work while you two make out somewhere," Dekslan grinned, making light of the situation. "Get going, Dek," Darwin said, pushing her to a door leading north-east, south would lead them outside the building. They separated, hoping they'd all be in one piece when they saw each other again. "I'm taking Fox to Katina," Destiny said, grabbing the keys to the transport. "There's a good surgeon there." "Alright, but be careful," Dan said, monitoring the two teams progress on his computer, via the tracking devices in their coms. "Venomian units may be in the area if Venom was able to send out a distress signal." "I'll be careful," Destiny said, helping Fox into the wheelchair. She wheeled him down to the docking bay. "How close are we to Venom?" Fox asked. "A couple hundred miles past it's atmosphere, why?" Destiny asked. "I can almost feel my sister, like she's alive," Fox said, looking at something distant, as if reliving a memory. Oh gods, he's getting delirious on me, Destiny thought. "She's dead, Fox" Destiny said as gently as she could. "I know," Fox replied, sounding back to normal now. "It just felt that way for a moment." Destiny pushed the wheelchair into the transport and jumped in front of the steering mechanism. This is more my speed, Destiny thought. She was a spy, not a pilot. Flying a jet to her, was like Falco driving a tank, she was just more used to the ground. She was used to Venomian transports because she often had to make deliveries with new rocks mined, or to pick up more supplies for mining. Mining may not seem like very profitable spy work, but the information Destiny could pick up was surprising at times. "There!" Fox yelled. "I felt it again!" "Felt what?" Destiny asked. "I felt Star," Fox sounded excited. "I think she may be alive." Destiny shook her head. It's going to kill him when he finds out she's really dead. "Wouldn't she be out of range by now?" Destiny asked, gently. "No, if she could mind-speak to me, she could do it from this distance," Fox said. "Once we pass Solar, it'll be too far." "Oh," Destiny said, stepping on the gas to speed up. They were just over Macbeth now. Destiny wondered what was happening on Venom right now... A guard fell as Tigress's brass knuckles came into contact with his face. Jo'hara winced and said a quick prayer. "Why do you always do that?" Tigress asked. "We've seen enough death already, can't we just tie them up and leave them?" Jo'hara asked. "They killed Star and you want to let them live?" Tigress asked, spinning around to look at Jo'hara, but the lights were out because the power had been downed and the hallway was completely black. "Where are you, Jo'hara?" "I'm right here," Jo'hara sighed, tapping Tigress's arm, making her jump suddenly. "Don't do that!" Tigress yelped. "Do what?" Jo'hara asked innocently. Tigress growled and continued down the hall. She stopped suddenly, Jo'hara bumping into her. "What is it?" Jo'hara asked. "Sssh," Tigress hissed. "Do you hear anything?" Jo'hara listened intently, straining his ears to hear. Faintly, he could hear voices. "Where are they coming from?" "This way," Tigress said, pushing on ahead, and colliding into a wall. "Hey! Who put that there?" Jo'hara stepped up to the wall and felt around it. A huge tapestry was hanging down over it, covering what seemed to be a dead-end. It was too dark to tell what kind of tapestry it was, but it probably had Andross's picture on it. Jo'hara yanked it down and felt the wall behind it. "There's a door here." "Let's go!" Tigress said, stepping eagerly through the door. She shot her laser to illuminate the room. It was another hallway. "Man, I hope the others are having more success than us." "Ow! Tera, you stepped on my foot," Natlarn said, pushing the badger away. "I'm sorry," Tera whispered back. "Where are we going?" "Somewhere in Andross's base," Natlarn said, getting a bit impatient. "I don't know where we are." "Sorry, geez," Tera said. Natlarn shook his head, sorry for snapping at his friend. "Look, Tera, I-" A laser shot through the air just above his head. Natlarn and Tera both shot in front of them, Natlarn's shot going wide of the guard, but Tera's finding it's mark. The guard fell down, dead. "Thanks." Tera grinned. "What are friends for?" The cheetah reached over and messed up Tera's hair. They both paused as they heard a yelp somewhere far off down the hall. "Hurry up, someone's out there," Natlarn said, jumping up and running down the hall, Tera fast at his heels. "Hey, don't aim that thing at me!" Terra said, jumping back as Dekslan picked up her laser to look at it. "Sorry, I was trying see if the recharger was working," Dekslan began to fiddle with a few knobs on her gun. "That last shot was weak, I think the proton-charger pack may be blocked from the barrel." "Oh," Terra said, walking silently beside her teammate. The hallway was dark and quiet, sending chills up Terra's spine. A shot ricocheted off the floor and hit the wall behind Terra. She jumped and fired down the hall. "Whoops, that was me," Dekslan said. "This old gun mis-fired on me. Never did that before." "Geez, Dek! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Terra yelled. "What are you trying to do? Kill me?" "Whoa, I'm sorry!" Dekslan said, defensively. "I didn't mean to!" Terra sighed. "I'm jumpy, that's all." "We all are," Dekslan patted her friend on the arm. "Let's just keep moving." A voice down at the end of the hallway yelped, and Terra pulled out her gun again, but didn't shoot. Dekslan darted quickly down the hallway, following the noise. Lizbel shivered, the awful silence giving her a feeling of premonition. She hated the silence. Darwin dropped his arm around her shoulder in a comforting way. "If a guard catches us like this, we'd be dead," Lizbel said, though she liked Darwin's arm around her. "I'd die happy," Darwin replied. "I wonder if that's how Star died," Lizbel thought aloud. "If she and Storm kissed before they died and died in each other's arms. That would be so sad." "I think Star would have been looking for a way out, not kissing her lover," Darwin replied. "But it would be sad, like some out of that play...Les MisÈrables or something like that." "I love plays," Lizbel said. "That one made me cry." "I'll take you to see it again when we get out of this," Darwin offered. "I'd love that," Lizbel smiled. A loud crash startled them both, Darwin raised his laser and Lizbel got into a fighting stance. "What was that?" she asked. "I dunno, but it came from in here," Darwin said, pushing open a door open nearly concealed against the wall. Darwin nearly collided with Natlarn, stepping into the same room from a different door. "What are you doing here?" Darwin whispered, surprised. "I heard something," Natlarn whispered back. Tera came up behind him, panting. Another door creaked open and Darwin turned to see Tigress and Jo'hara step out. "Great, now we're only missing-" "Hey, how'd you guys get here?" Dekslan asked, followed by Terra. "Well, the gang's all here," Natlarn sighed. "But where's here?" Lizbel asked. "Approximately 500 feet below Venom's surface," Jo'hara replied. "We've been gradually sloping downwards for almost an hour at the same speed and distance so distance times rate-" "Alright, we get it, Jo," Tera said, stopping his teammate. A voice behind them made them all jump and look into the room. The room was lit by a separate power generator than the rest of the building, so it had lights. A small figure was forcing a larger one to back up against a wall, practically into a corner. The smaller figures voice was familiar and teasing. Somewhat like the way a cat would toy with a mouse before eating it. "Whatsa matter, Andross?" the small figure asked. "Can't fight on your own?" "Who is that?" Tigress whispered. Natlarn shrugged and watched the two figures with interest. "How did you get away?" Andross sounded panicked. "Let's stick to the current issues," the figure dropped a laser and kicked it away. "Do you know how I killed Stella Durnam? I killed her with my bare hands, I left my weapons on the floor. I'm not afraid to fight you Andross. Are you?" "Stella?!" Darwin asked. "Star killed Stella." A chilling silence covered the teams as they thought about the figures last comment. "It-it wasn't my fault!" Andross protested. "I always liked you, I wanted you to join me! To rule with me! It was Starwolf's fault to-" "Shut up and fight, you coward," the small figure darted in with a fast, sharp punch to Andross's stomach. He tried to jump back, but his robes got in the way, causing him to fall. The other person kicked him in the side, her face finally turning in the direction of the Cadets and Firehawks. "Star!" Lizbel yelped. "But you're dead!" Natlarn shouted, backing away. Star's concentration broke and she looked up to see her friends in the doorways. Andross took advantage of that moment and yanked her ankle out from under her, sending her crashing into the floor. He grabbed her around the neck tightly and picked up her laser as he dragged her up to her feet. "No one moves, or Star gets it!" Andross yelled. "Again...I guess." "I'm already dead, Andross, remember?" Star asked. She slipped out of his grip and kicked him swiftly in the stomach, but she misjudged the kick and only hit Andross's robes. She nearly fell over from being off balance, but she regained her balance in time to duck away from the shot Andross fired at her. She darted in close to his body and flipped him over her hip. Andross went sprawling and lost the laser. He stood up and darted toward the nearest doorway that would take him outside. Star lunged at him, but realized him was holding a hand grenade. "Get back!" Star yelled, pushing her way past Jo'hara and Tigress and into the hallway. The other teams followed her as the blast resounded off the walls. "Well, that was a little close," Star said, picking herself up off the floor and brushing some dirt off her clothes. The others were watching her like she was some sort of vision. "Would you knock it off? Yes, I'm alive, no, I'm not dead. Any other questions?" "How....?" Dekslan stammered. "Never mind that," Star said. "Let's liberate this base and get the Hell outa here. Too many bad memories." "What about-" Lizbel started. "He's dead," Star answered shortly. An uncomfortable silence settled over the group, everyone thinking their own thoughts. Questions flying through their minds like arwings on hyper speed. It was actually beginning to give them all headaches, wondering how Star had managed to survive this time, but not Storm. "I want to get General Pepper out first," Star said, breaking the silence. "The rest of you should take care of the other prisoners." Star turned down a different corridor and walked out of the Cadets and Firehawks's view. "I don't think I want to know," Natlarn said, shaking his head. "I think I want to know," Tera said, remembering Andross's terrified voice and Star's deadly coolness. "She's going to kill someone." "Hopefully it'll be Andross," Tigress said. The teams continued down the hall way until they came to the jail. "There's been a break in!" Ben reported, watching his screen, wide-eyed. "So invite them in for the party!" Wolf yelled, reeling drunk. "Why weren't we aware of this?" Ben asked, clicking a few buttons. "Great, it was because they thought we were all drunk." Ben turned to look at the rest of his team and friends and shook his head sadly. The leopard was the only one not drunk. Guy was throwing up in the bathroom, Andrew had passed out, and Pigma had done the same a while ago. Wolf, Leon, and Liam were really living it up, drinking as much as possible and trading wild fantasies and stories. Ramsy was nursing a headache with Tylenol on the couch. "Being drunk is such a nasty thing," Ben said, shaking his head. He had neighbors who drank a lot and one night one of his friends was killed by his drunk neighbor in a car accident. Ben never touched a drop after that. "I guess Andross made the right choice when he didn't alert us of the raid. We'd all be dead right now." "Hey, I got an idea!" Liam announced loudly. "Let's go to town and pick up some girls!" "Sounds good to me!" Wolf said, reeling drunk. He tripped over the table and went sprawling. Leon laughed hard, nearly spilling his expensive French wine on his shirt. Liam tried the door but found it locked. "Uh oh," Liam turned around. "We're locked in!" "We'll run out of air!" Wolf yelped. "The vents are working," Ben said. "We have plenty of air." "The walls are closing in!" Leon yelled, jumping away from the walls. "In a state of drunkeness, one often sees things called illusions," Ben tried to explain. "The walls aren't moving." "Stay away from me!" Leon yelled as Ben took a step towards him. "Man, you really lost it," Ben murmured. "You wanna go?" Liam asked. "Huh? I'll take you on!" "No, Liam calm down," Ben said, gently. "What? Chicken?" Liam asked. "Please, no racial slurs," Ben said shaking his head. "Scaredy cat!" Liam taunted. Getting fed up with the young chameleon's persistance, Ben reached into his pocket for a sedative pill. "No way you're shoving that thing down my throat!" Liam protested, jumping away. "Wanna bet?" Ben asked, getting into one of his rare I'm-seriously-getting fed-up with-this moods. He took a step towards Liam, but he backed up and busted open a bottle of wine. He held the broken part out and away from himself, ready to stab Ben with it. Of course I couldn't have just left the room when they started drinking, Ben thought to himself. I had to be stupid and stay here. Suddenly, a gas leaked through the air vents and started making everyone pass out. Ben was the last one to succumb to the gas and he thought, well, at least this way, I'll know the others won't be drunk when I wake up. Just hungover. "Alright, they're all sleeping," Dekslan reported from her position in front of a computer. "Can you find Andross?" Darwin asked. "No, he got away," Dekslan replied. "Someone's coming!" Terra reported from the doorway. "Impossible! This gas is enough to knock out an army in less than five minutes," Dekslan protested. "They must have been wearing gas masks like us," Lizbel said. "Where's Star?" "I can't find her on any of the security cams," Dekslan said. "She could've left without us, or she could be in a section of the building that doesn't have cameras. "What about the Justice Cadets?" Darwin asked. "They're freeing the prisoners," Dekslan replied. They'll be outside and safe within five minutes. We've gotta keep these goons away from the prison until then." "And after that we can blow this base to Kingdom Come," Terra said, leaning out of the doorway, shooting, then leaning back in. "Right, so let's take these guys down!" Lizbel shouted, pulling a dagger out of it's sheath. Star slid down the hallway for the second time that day. She reached General Pepper's cell and kicked it open again. Pepper jumped back, surprised. "Let's go, General," Star said, grabbing Pepper's arm and pulling him to his feet. He leaned heavily on Star's shoulders as he walked. The cell had been to small to walk in, and his legs were weak from misuse. Luckily, Star was strong enough to keep him from stumbling and led him to the end of the hallway. Listening intently, she heard a laser battle not to far away. A sweet and sour smell lingered lightly in the air. She knew that the Firehawks must have used some kind of poison in the air, but it was too weak to affect her now. Star turned in the opposite direction of the laser fight, and tried to hurry and get Pepper out of there. Lasers shot intensely at the opposition, not quite finding their marks. A few Venomian soldiers fell with fatal wounds, but the Crimson Forehawks moved with lightning speed, keeping a step ahead of the other lasers. Dekslan darted in and out of the computer room, taking her chances carefully, her aim deadly. Terra strategically shot the ceiling above the soldiers, causing it to crumble above them and crash down. Darwin ducked behind a few crates and shot carefully at the soldiers, wounding or killing them. Lizbel fought the hardest and fastest, using her knife more than her laser. She fought behind enemy lines, sneaking up behind them with quick, spine-snapping kicks or punches. She moved as fast as lightning and fought just as hard, yet was quiet enough to keep her position concealed. "The prisoners are out," Natlarn's voice shouted over the coms. "Get out of there!" "Retreat!" Darwin yelled, backing away, keeping his laser raised and shooting the lizards that came close enough to his sights. Lizbel back-flipped, disarming three soldiers who Dekslan promptly shot. The two slipped in behind Darwin. "You go on ahead," Terra said. "I'll hold them back." "Can you handle it, Terra?" Lizbel asked, unsure. "Yeah, yeah, hurry up," the bobcat snarled, shooting another guard down. As her team turned to run down the hall, Terra noticed as a figure all in black slipped past her, his sights set on Darwin. "No!" Terra yelped, jumping in front of the laser as it fired. She took the laser in her ride side, saving Darwin's life. The trio turned around and shot. Lizbel and Dekslan finished the rest of the soldiers as Darwin crouched by Terra. "Are you alright?" he looked worried for fear of losing a teammate. "I'll be fine," Terra tried to smile faintly. "I saved your life." "Thanks, Terra," Darwin said, feeling apprehensious. "Can you walk?" "I can try," Terra tried to push herself up, but she felt something tear in her side, like a muscle tearing. Blood rushed out, drenching her clothes immediantly. "Terra, laser shots aren't supposed to make you bleed!" Darwin yelped, as the blood soaked through her clothes. "I think it was set at six," Terra gasped, the pain making her feel faint. "At that distance and level," Dekslan said, coming up behind them, "that wound is extremely fatal." "Don't worry about me," Terra said. "I don't want to slow you down." "They've got re-enforcements!" Lizbel yelped, firing quickly into a new group of soldiers. "I'm not leaving you here," Darwin said, picking Terra up carefully as he resumed his retreat down the hallway, Dekslan and Lizbel covering his back. Before she blacked out completely, Terra smiled and thought, Death won't be so bad if he holds me like this while I die. "Let's go!" Natlarn yelled, seeing Darwin run into the docking bay, holding Terra. Lizbel and Dekslan followed. Lizbel slammed the door shut and Dekslan braced it with a crowbar through the handles. "That won't hold them long," Dekslan said. "We'd better hurry." "But Terra...." Darwin said, setting her down gently. "Don't worry, Darwin," Terra smiled faintly. "I don't feel any pain. I see a light..." "My God, she's dying!" Darwin gasped. Star stepped out of the shadows. "We've seen enough death today," she stated quietly. She pulled out her med kit and looked Terra's wound over. It was still bleeding and Terra was suffering from major blood loss. Star didn't bother with painkillers or numbing agents, Terra couldn't feel anything anyway. Star pulled out a needle and thread and began to sew the wound, first the muscle with dissolving thread, and then the skin with removable thread. She bandaged the wound and stood up. "All we can do now is pray, but she should be alright," Star said. A loud banging on the door and a creaking filled the air. Star jumped and turned towards it. "We have a problem," Star said. "I'm flying Midnight and Pepper's riding in the back. Terra can't fly and there's no room in the other jets. Can you fly her jet by computer, Jo'hara?" "I probably could," the puma nodded. "Then let's get off this rotten planet," Star stated, jumping into her jet. She led the way for the other jets, they followed her in formation. The formation was Star in front, with Darwin and Natlarn covering her wings. Jo'hara flew to Natlarn's right with Tigress on his left, while Tera brought up the rear. Lizbel and Dekslan covered Darwin with Terra behind, with Jo'hara controlling her jet. After almost an hour of flying, they landed in their ship's docking bay. Dan greeted them and looked excited they were ok, until he saw Star. "But- you're dead!" Dan protested, turning pale and backing up. "Everyone keeps telling me that," Star sighed. "No, I'm not dead, yes, Storm is dead. No more questions. Someone give Pepper a ride to Corneria." Star stomped off to her room, looking blank, like she had no emotions at all, except tiredness. *Two months later....* "I knew she'd pull through for us!" Fox McCloud, Starfox "...And after that camp on Venom was liberated and Andross scared into hiding, the other camps were abandoned by all Venomians!" General Pepper announced, speaking before a large assembly on Corneria. Fox, Bill, and Star sat together in the front row. Fox was still using crutches to get around and Bill's arm was still in a sling, but other than that, they looked alright. The Justice Cadets and Crimson Firehawks sat in the front row off to the left. Terra had been in critical condition for nearly a month after her wound on Venom, but was fine now. Destiny and Dan sat to Fox's right, each looking nervous. They were used to the solitude of their business on other planets, Corneria seemed almost foreign. "And we have an amazing amount of individuals to thank for this," Pepper continued. "First, I'd like to thank the Justice Cadets and Crimson Firehawks for their assistance of helping with the resistance against Venom. Could they please approach the podium?" Nervously, the teams stood up on the stage and received medals for bravery. Terra received an extra medal for being wounded while saving another's life. They shook the general's hand and sat down. "Next, I'd like for Destiny Lachesis and Dan Ladino to step up on stage," Pepper said, smiling to the two young fighters. "Destiny, for your years of loyal spying and for becoming part of the Star Rebels, I present you with the Golden Lavaliere. It is one of the highest honors we can give you." Destiny blushed deeply and accepted the medal. She then went on to take her seat. "Dan Ladino, for your faithful work on Katina as a computer specialist and new recruit trainer, I present you with the Golden Lavaliere. Good work, Sergeant Dan." "Thank you, sir," Dan said, beaming at the new rank and his medal. He quickly took his seat too. "Now, I would like to thank Storm Queisant, the pilot who played a major part in the rebellion. Storm, we hardly knew you and where you are now, remember we will always hold a place of honor and respect for you in our hearts." Pepper raised a Golden Lavaliere up, to show Storm's name engraved upon it. "We will keep this in a glass display case for all to see where it will never collect dust and will be kept sacred." Pepper paused to let the people wipe they're eyes. Star was still very unwilling to talk about Storm, and the entire story was not known. The rumors stated that he had saved Star's life while ending his own, which was almost true, but Star wasn't ready to tell the entire story. Not yet. "Next, we have an unusual award," General Pepper smiled. "Star McCloud, would you please approach the stand?" Star shook her head, trying to refuse getting up, but Bill and Fox were able to pry her out of her seat and push her up to the podium. Sighing, Star stood resignedly beside General Pepper. "Star McCloud, James's longest kept secret, was the one who united these three brave pilots and freed the camps owned by Venom. She was the one who saved us all and has brought us all here today. She has received the highest honor we can give, including the Golden Lavaliere, the Aureate Rhea, and the highest honor we can give her, the Misty Jade. This award was said to have been found in Aquas's depths, once a treasured item before the majestic cities were sunk, years and years before Corneria even evolved past the amoeba stage in life. Star is the first one to be awarded with this prize in over thirteen thousand years and is the first female ever to earn it." The crowd gasped and rose to it's feet as it applauded loudly. Fox and Bill whistled and shouted. The Justice Cadets and Crimson Firehawks yelled at clapped. Destiny was crying, full of emotion. Dan looked like he was ready to cry as well. General Pepper tried to hand Star her awards, but she pushed them away, telling Pepper to hold them for her. "And one last announcement!" General Pepper's voice boomed again. The crowd quieted. "This is the unusual part. Star has never been a part of the Cornerian army, and only officials who have been in the army for four years can become a commander. I've discussed this idea over with my most trusted officials, including Bill and Fox, and many others, and we've decided Star is worthy of the position. Star McCloud, turn and look at me." Star turned, hoping against hope he wasn't going to try and tie her in with the army. "Star McCloud, you are now a commander of the Cornerian army. You shall be referred to as Commander McCloud and will be equal to Commander Grey in rank. You are second only to me. Serve our cause to the best of your abilities," Pepper saluted Star. Star, too stunned to turn down the position, saluted back and stepped shakily off the stage. The crowd once again roared in her ears, causing her to think she'd go deaf. Star struggled through the crowd that had surged to it's feet to meet her. She found Fox. "Fox, I can't stay here. I need to get some air," Star explained. "You'll be back, right?" Fox asked. "Yeah, I just got to get outside," Star pushed her way out the door, undetected save for Fox. Once outside, Star walked until she came to a small hill under a small tree. Dark clouds gathered in the skies, ready to release torrents of rain and thunder and lightning. Star walked on. The rain came down hard and fast as she neared the top of the hill. The rain dripped down her face, mingling with tears. Tears that hadn't some since her mother had died. Tears long overdue. Lightning lit up the sky, followed by the crash of thunder. Star reached into her pocket and pulled out Storm's necklace and looked at it. The appearance was the same, yet it seemed different somehow. She didn't want to be a commander, she didn't want the highest award Corneria or any planet had to offer. The simple necklace with the silver feather seemed trophy enough for her. She slipped it on and around her neck. It felt warm, like a presence was with her, keeping watch over her. As the storm raged on, Star looked out over the hill into the clouds, and for a fleeting second, she could have sworn she saw a serious wolf's face among the clouds with stormy blue eyes, and a thoughtful smile.... The End ***And thus, the story ends. I hope you enjoyed it, please tell me if you thought it was good. I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for being patient until the end. A lot of the characters were J. Wolfman's, such as the Justice Cadets, the Crimson Firehawks, the Sapphire Paladins and I'm sure there were more, but I can't list them all. Thanks J. Wolfman, because you helped me with this a lot and really made it come alive with your suggestions and characters. Thank you, Amy Johnson, for letting me use your name briefly. Destiny, Dan, Liam, Ramsy, Ben, and Guy are my characters and can't be used without permission, and the same goes for Star. Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail me at k.starr@usa.net. Ciao!