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Chapter 14: Legacies - Part 1

The Dauntless and Great Wolf were now parked into orbit around Corneria. From the Dauntless' hangar, 26 Arwings launched. Three Wolfens soon followed. Panther and Miyu flew to the Great Wolf while Wolf flew alongside the Arwings. With Corneria City coming over the horizon below them, Fox activated his comm. "Corneria Orbit Control, this is Arwing Training Squadron, requesting clearance to descend to Corneria City CDF Base."

"Arwing Training Squadron, we have you on scanners. You are cleared to de-orbit on filed flight plan."

"Orbit Control, will de-orbit on filed flight plan," Fox replied. He then heard Wolf O'Donnell call out on the same frequency. "Corneria Orbit Control, this is Wolfen 1, requesting clearance to descend to Corneria City CDF Base."

"Stand by, Wolfen 1. Receiving flight plan from Space Dynamics." There was a ten-second pause. "Wolfen 1, you are cleared to follow Arwing Training Squadron to CDF Base."

"Roger that, Orbit Control. Following Arwings to CDF Base."

Fox grinned to himself and felt his wife doing the same. "Sounds like Wolf didn't waste any time contacting Vanessa."

"Not surprising. He was eyeing all of us in our pressure suits."

Fox had indeed noticed the appraising look Wolf had given all of them when they had showed up on the Dauntless' hangar deck, suited up and ready to fly.

As one, the 24 Arwings of Bulldog and Husky Squadrons formed up behind Fox and Krystal's Arwings. Wolf maneuvered his Wolfen alongside the Arwings and all fighters continued coasting in orbit next to the Dauntless for another five minutes. Then, as one, all 26 Arwings decelerated, soon followed by the Wolfen accompanying them. While the Dauntless and Great Wolf continued on ahead of them, the 27 fighter craft descended into Corneria's atmosphere.

Wolf glanced at the 26 Arwings still maintaining tight formation next to him as they plowed through Corneria's upper atmosphere, their forward shields already aglow with plasma. He was once again very glad he had left his criminal ways behind him. This was a fearsome, battle tested group of pilots molded in Fox's image, and more were to come. Wolf nodded to himself, knowing that life was only going to get even more difficult for the criminal elements in the space lanes of Lylat.

Before long, they were in sight of the CDF base. Still maintaining a tight formation, the Arwings flew over the center marker and veered towards the landing area, where they all touched down onto the tarmac together. Wolf soon followed suit and landed his craft at the end of the row, next to Fox's fighter.

Fox went through his shutdown procedure, and with his Arwing secured, he released his canopy, letting the hot afternoon air in. He, along with his wife and the other Arwing pilots each in turn climbed out of their Arwings. Fox saw Wolf standing there next to his Wolfen and waved to him to follow.

Inside the training facility and its conditioned air, Fox lifted his helmet's visor. "Follow us, we'll introduce you to Vanessa."

Wolf nodded and followed as he watched Fox and Krystal disconnect the air hoses on each side of their helmets, break the seal on their neck rings and remove their helmets. The two vulpine quickly pulled off their balaclavas, shaking their ears free.

They found Vanessa in her lab and with her was another longtime friend. "Fara! Didn't expect to see you here."

The heiress to the Phoenix corporate empire and head researcher for Space Dynamics waved to her former boyfriend. "Hey Fox. Glad to see you made it back in one piece."

"I guess you heard of my unplanned spacewalk." Fox approached the white vixen standing next to Fara. "Vanessa, if it weren't for Krystal cutting me out of my Arwing before it blew up and for your wonderful spacesuit design keeping me from sucking in vacuum, I wouldn't be here now." He then gripped each of her arms below the shoulders and fixed the vixen in his gaze. "Your spacesuit design saved my life."

Vanessa became flustered, unused to having her personal space invaded by such a handsome tod. "Oh...Um...Well, I was just...doing my job." she stammered. "You...mmm?!"

With her eyes bulged out in astonishment, she found herself on the receiving end of a heart-felt kiss by the playful fox while his wife stood by grinning. Fara's jaw dropped. She had never seen her old boyfriend being this forward. Wolf folded his arms and just stood there, smirking.

Fox released the white vixen and stepped back while she stood there speechless. Before Vanessa could catch her breath, Krystal moved into her field of view, gripped her head with both hands, and kissed her just as hard. Fara burst out in laughter, the hilarity of the situation having quickly eclipsed her initial shock. While not outwardly showing any overt emotion, it was Wolf's turn to be astonished. This was a side of Krystal he'd never seen before. Fox stood there and licked his lips, enjoying the kiss a second time through his telepathic bond with his wife.

Once Krystal had also released a now completely dazed vixen, Fox turned to address the lupine next to them. "Now that Miss Chambers has been properly thanked, I think proper introductions are in order. Wolf, I'd like you to meet Vanessa Chambers, designer of the spacesuit Krystal and I are so grateful for." He then turned to the white vixen in question, who stood there still dazed. "Uh Krystal?" He paused and waved a hand in front of Vanessa. "Did we break her?"

Before Krystal could reply, Vanessa snapped to her senses. "Oh you two! I don't know if I should be mad or start looking for other ways to save your lives."

Fox and Krystal both exploded into matching fits of giggles. After a few tries, Fox managed to recover and finished his introductions. "Vanessa, I'd like you to meet Wolf O'Donnell, leader of Star Wolf."

Vanessa, still all hot and bothered by the McClouds' idea of a 'thank you,' found herself looking up at the tall, masculine wolf. She had of course heard of him, but had not realized he was so large and muscular. And while his prosthetic eye may have been disconcerting, his whole demeanor still exuded this aura that screamed 'Alpha Male.' "Uh, it's a pleasure to kiss...uh, I mean..." She broke eye contact with the wolf and shook her head, grumbling to herself, "Damn crazy foxes..." Vanessa then took a deep breath and started over. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister O'Donnell."

Wolf rolled his eye and grunted. "You don't know the half of it. Somethings I think marriage has made those two even more nuts, especially when they fly together." He gave a polite bow to the vixen. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Chambers."

Fox and Krystal grinned, picking up the unexpected level of attraction the snow vixen felt for the large wolf. "Well, we best be off." they said together. Fara had a hard time hiding her smirk while eyeing Vanessa and Wolf, wondering if she should leave the two alone. "See you around, you two."

When they arrived at the pilot locker room, most were in the showers. Bill was already washed up and getting back into his CDF uniform at his locker. He saw his two vulpine friends enter. "Hey guys. General Hare stopped by and said that we are all to meet him at the base auditorium at 1700 in full dress uniform."

"Okay, Krystal and I will make it quick and join you there." Not wasting any time, Fox and his wife helped each other out of their spacesuits and dashed off to each of their showers just as the rest were emerging. Both made a quick affair of it and were quickly dressing up again, their pelts only slightly damp.

Fox then got a texted message on his communicator from Peppy.

I want to see you two at the auditorium at 1700 this afternoon. Come in wearing your Star Fox flight suits.

Fox quickly typed back, Will do. Krystal and I will need to go home to get our old flight suits. What's the occasion?

They quickly dressed and had gotten into their ground car when Fox got a one-word reply: Graduation.

Back at their home, they went to their closet and withdrew their old Star Fox outfits. For the first time since before his wedding, Fox donned his green flight suit, put on his white and blue-trimmed jacket with the red Star Fox logo on the arms, and pulled on his white boots with the titanium toe and heel guards. After a moment's thought, he pulled on his gun belt, realizing it was an integral part of his uniform. He then slipped his leather gauntlets on and finished off with the red ascot around his neck.

Fox looked at himself in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction, seeing once again the leader of the Star Fox mercenary team. This was the image most in Lylat knew. Krystal then came into view in the reflection, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder and Fox's mouth went dry. She was once again wearing her purple and dark blue flight suit and boots, with her silver-colored belt draped over her hips. The last time he saw her in that uniform, he had been shy and reserved with her. This time, he let his passions for his wife take command. Without hesitation, he drew her into his arms and mashed his muzzle against hers in a hungry kiss while grinding himself against his vixen._ _ "Spirits Kurisutaru! That suit looks so good on you."

"You look good too. I'm happy to see you wear your suit again. It's the same outfit you wore when we first met, when you rescued me."

Fox continued to caress her sides and hips. "As much as I want to continue worshiping you like this," he thought while giving his wife's rump a firm grope for emphasis, "we need to get back to the base for that graduation ceremony," he finished, thinking again in Lylatian.

After giving her husband one more sensual kiss, Krystal reluctantly parted and the two stepped back. "Then let's get back to see what Peppy has planned for Bill and his crew."

Less than five minutes after the other pilots of Bulldog and Husky Squadrons were gathered, Fox and Krystal arrived. Before they could take a seat though, Peppy signaled to them. "Up here, you two."

Fox and Krystal walked up to the CDF general at the front of the stage. Peppy was also wearing his old Star Fox uniform. Next to him on a table was a case with 24 gold pins shaped in the Star Fox logo. Off to the side stood Walter Kent with video and audio recording equipment for Lylat News.

"Remember when you were wondering about what I wanted to do with all that money I won in the bet on your sparring match all those weeks ago?" Peppy rhetorically asked. He then nodded to the pins on the table and smirked. "Well, now you know."

Krystal gave the old hare the widest of smiles. "That's a wonderful idea."

Fox also gave his blessing. "I know Dad would have approved."

"Of that, I have now doubt," Peppy affirmed. "So I want you two to assist me in presenting these pins when I call each one in turn."

Peppy then turned to address the gathered pilots of Bulldog and Husky Squadrons. All stood at attention. "In the past few weeks, I have been closely following your progress. What I have read from Fox McCloud's reports and seen from gun camera footage has exceeded all expectations." He paused and took a moment to make eye contact with each pilot. "I now address you not as the commanding general of the Cornerian Defense Force, but as a founding member of the Star Fox mercenary team. The maneuvers and tactics I saw recorded by the Dauntless and from Arwing gun cameras are very much reminiscent of what I've seen and done in my Star Fox career. I can say with conviction that James McCloud would consider each of you worthy of being Star Fox pilots." He then briefly glanced to Fox. "And his son also agrees."

"I therefore am presenting to each of you one of these gold pins, shaped into the emblem of the Star Fox team, which Fox and Krystal McCloud will affix to your uniforms. Come forward when I call your name." Peppy then paused and called out. "Commander William Grey and Commander Rachel Summer."

The lead pilots of Bulldog and Husky Squadrons each walked up to Fox and Krystal. Fox took one of the golden Star Fox emblems from the case and carefully pined it to the lapel of his long-time friend's uniform. "Congratulations Bill. You're a Star Fox pilot now."

Bill Grey's chest swelled with pride while he grinned back at the vulpine who had been such a good friend since they were children. When Fox was done, Bill took a step back, gave the retired leader of Star Fox a crisp military salute, made an about-face, and walked back to his seat.

Next to Fox, Krystal was affixing the emblem on Rachel's lapel. "Congratulations Commander Summer, and well done."

The female husky lead pilot smiled back at the vixen, who could sense the same pride in herself that she felt in Bill next to them just a moment before. Rachel then stepped back, snapped her boot heels together and saluted Krystal before doing the same about-face and returning to her seat.

Peppy then called out the next two names, "Lieutenant Ernie Green and Lieutenant Julie Ambrose."

And the process was once again repeated, with Fox pinning the Star Fox logo on the Bulldog pilot and Krystal doing the same for the Husky pilot. Peppy continued calling out the names in pairs until each pilot of Husky and Bulldog Squadrons had received their Star Fox emblem. The old hare then concluded. "Congratulations, all of you. This concludes the ceremony. You are dismissed."

All pilots barked out a cheer and Bill declared, "Everyone, let's celebrate. To the Pub."

The celebration was memorable. Krystal, having learned her lesson from her previous time, was careful to have only one alcoholic drink. Walter Kent, who was popular and welcomed by Bill and his fellow pilots for his fair and favorable reports of Fox and Krystal, joined Peppy, the McClouds, and Bill at their table to informally interview them while they celebrated. The following day, the exploits of Bulldog and Husky Squadrons would be known throughout Lylat.

*****

By the following week, Rachel Summer and the rest of Husky Squadron were assigned to escort the CDF fleet that would be sent to Venom to pursue the faction that had been responsible for the plot on Fox's life. Bulldog Squadron would be assigned to escort the exploration expedition that had been planned. It would, at Peppy Hare's insistence, not be put off any further.

In a private conference room, Bill Grey met with Fox and Krystal one final time before he shipped out. The bulldog was already suited up and carried his helmet under his right arm when he walked in. "Well, this is it. I and the rest of Bulldog Squadron are off on our exploration mission."

Fox placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You are all ready for this. Good luck."

Krystal stood next her husband, swallowing a lump her throat with a painful ache in her heart. All of them were thinking of the prophecy made by her deceased father. Bill drew the vixen towards him and rested his forehead against hers, feeling her focusing gem against his head and thinking of the message she had planted in his subconscious. "Don't worry Luv. We'll find them."

"I know, but it may not be this time around. There's no knowing how long it will be before they are found."

"Well, General Hare ordered that the expeditionary fleet be sent out towards the Cerinian star system." Bill assured her. "So hopefully, it will be sooner than later."

Tears welled in both Fox and Krystal's eyes. Fox drew in and rested his head against his wife's and friend's heads so that the three stood together in a circle. "I understand that Lupo Ramius has been made Fleet Captain. Do impress upon him that the Shards of Cerinia are sacred ground."

Bill could hear the reverence in the name Fox had given to the asteroid remnants of Cerinia and understood clearly that they were to be treated with the same respect as graves in a cemetery, one that was to a people brought to the brink of extinction. "I will."

They then walked out together onto the tarmac. Bill slipped on his balaclava and helmet, with Fox helping to connect the air and cooling hoses to his helmet. The McCloud couple then stood back and watched Bill climb aboard his Arwing with the other 11 Bulldog pilots already strapped in and waiting for their leader.

With the growing whine of engines coming to life, Fox and Krystal watched Bulldog Squadron lift off, hover for a moment and then turn eastward to accelerate away and up into the skies.

*****

In the weeks that followed Fox and Krystal continued teaching Arwing flight, selecting only the best pilots from the CDF flight roster. They had found another 24 candidates and had trained two more squadrons of Arwing pilots. The remaining 223 Arwings had been delivered from Space Dynamics and now 199 still needed to be filled.

They were sitting together in their shared office, going over training and military files and gun camera recordings of potential candidates. Fox sighed and tossed his data tablet onto the desk with a clatter. "This one is so unprepared for space combat. It's no wonder we had to bail the CDF out so often."

Krystal sighed and nodded. "Bulldog and Husky Squadrons were truly the elite of the CDF." Together, they evaluated the next candidate. "Well, this one has potential. That brings us to 16. If we can find eight more, we'll have two squadrons."

"Maybe we should contact Rachel and see if she and the rest of Husky Squadron would be willing to train new recruits so that they're up to our standards and ready to handle Arwings." Fox mused. "And maybe even put some of these candidates through remedial training."

"Not a bad idea." Krystal agreed._ "We'd have more Arwing capable candidates then."_

Just then, Fox's communicator chirped. Seeing who was calling, he answered it. A moment later, Peppy's holographic image appeared above his wrist. "Fox, I need to see you and Krystal in my office. Can you come over now?"

"Sure thing. We'll be there in a few minutes." Fox looked up at the wall chronometer. "Good timing. We could use a break. Want to head to the commissary for lunch after we are done meeting with Peppy?"

Krystal stood up with her husband and the two linked hands. "Sounds good to me."

_ _

Having ascended to the top floor of the Cornerian Defense Force headquarters tower, they walked the short distance from the main elevator to Peppy's office. Upon entering, they found that their friend was not alone.

Peppy was seated as usual behind his desk. Five chairs were arrayed around the front of the desk, with three of them occupied by General Gordon Striker, Lieutenant Jabari, and a civilian grey cat in a white lab coat. Peppy indicated the two remaining seats. "Please sit down." He indicated the bullmastiff and the serval. "You know General Striker and Lieutenant Jabari. With us today is Doctor Morris Cattus from the University of Havenwood."

While neither Fox nor Krystal had been there, both knew of the college town of Havenwood, which was one of Lylat's biggest, most prestigious centers of learning, located only 50 kilometers east of Corneria City. They acknowledged the academic feline. Fox then turned to Peppy. "So what's this about?"

Without pre-amble, General Striker got straight to the point. "Mister McCloud, we are interested in your wife's telepathic abilities."

With a growing unease, Krystal turned to the bullmastiff. "What about my abilities?"

"Missus McCloud, I understand that you have the ability to mentally communicate with those around you. I cannot imagine a more secure form of communication. Nobody can monitor what you think to others." The brigadier general then glanced to the serval next to him. "Lieutenant Jabari here tells me that you and your husband were in constant telepathic communication during that battle with the pirate carrier that attacked Bulldog and Husky squadrons on their final training exercise, despite said carrier's jammers."

Fox found himself sharing his wife's unease and really didn't want to reveal details of his bond with his soulmate. Krystal nodded to him and squeezed his hand before giving a vague answer. "General, I can mentally communicate with my husband during combat only because I am very familiar with his mind. With others, I can communicate somewhat if they are close friends with me, though it takes me more effort to do so, and they have to be comfortable with my telepathy and open to hearing me mentally."

"I...see." It was apparent that there was disappointment in his demeanor, but the brigadier general went on. "But you can read the minds of others beyond close friends, like Sergeant Quentin in regards to that assassination attempt on your husband."

"Well yes....but I only did that to help him remember details of the Venomian agents who were coercing him, and I read his mind only with his permission."

General Striker nodded and smiled condescendingly to the vixen. "That is quite commendable, Missus McCloud. I admire your sense of ethics and desire to respect the privacy of others around you."

Krystal was not reassured. She could sense a determination in the mind questioning her about her abilities. Her unease only grew with the general's next question.

"But what about if it's a case of planetary security with lives at stake?"

Krystal shook her head. "That is a slippery slope that I would avoid. You have your spy networks and other means of gathering intelligence. Forcefully invading other minds was on my world the highest of crimes, even over murder. Murder could be forgiven, but mind rape was an unforgivable crime, punishable by banishment from our society."

Gordon Striker had anticipated this possible response from the telepathic vixen and quickly changed tracks. "Well, I wouldn't wish to ever impose on asking you to do something so deeply against your beliefs. Missus McCloud, the fact remains that there are at times no quick way for agents or scanners to get critical information on potential threats, like the plot on your husband's life. There is the possibility that others may have already infiltrated our ranks."

Peppy then spoke up. "I wouldn't be too concerned about that. Lieutenant Jabari informed me that the decoys planted in Sergeant Quentin's home were able to capture the Venomian agents, who had on them data crystals that led us to break up several cell networks, which are leading to even more data."

While Gordon Strike was able to hide his annoyance with his superior officer, Krystal could easily sense his irritation. "That is true, General, but there may be times were we might need that extra edge to catch that first agent that lead to others, which is why Doctor Cattus is here with us today."

Taking that as his cue, the feline spoke up. "Miss Krystal. I am geneticist. If you would allow, I'd like to take genetic sample from you for me to study."

Krystal sat in stunned silence. When she first came to Corneria, she had kept quiet about her telepathic powers. But such things are difficult to keep secret forever, especially in the course of her actions on Star Fox. The secret that she was a telepath eventually became public knowledge, but to her relief, nothing much was said or done about it....until now.

Gordon went on to declare, "Missus McCloud, I have gotten approval from the Cornerian Intelligence Committee to head a research project on telepathy. Doctor Cattus here is our top geneticist. It is our hope that with a genetic sample from you, we may eventually have our own telepathic agents. So then we'd never need to put you in the position of violating your beliefs."

Krystal slumped and sighed. "When it became known that I was a telepath, I had hoped this day would never come. I'm sorry, but I must refuse."

General Striker frowned. "Why? I mean, all it would take is a blood sample from you, and then your involvement would be over. You'd be free to continue on living your life unaffected by any of this."

Krystal shook her head sadly. "But I would be affected. All of Lylat would be affected."

"But..."

The vixen raised her hand, cutting off the bullmastiff. "First of all, having my genetic code is not enough. Telepathy takes training and mental discipline, which requires the guidance of a trained telepath to impart on any individual you made telepathic. As I am the only known telepath around, I'd be very reluctant to train them, knowing what they may potentially do with their new abilities."

"Is there..."

Krystal cut him off again. "I am not done, General. There is more you need to understand why this is a very bad idea. What do you think would happen if our enemies found out you had agents who could read any of their people's minds at will?"

Gordon tried to reassure her. "We'd make sure that was an advantage that was kept secret."

Peppy, who had been listening quietly then spoke up. "And if you think that is something that could be kept hidden, you are a fool. Military secrets are the most fleeting. Agents on Venom and elsewhere would eventually find out."

"Yes, and they would seek to attain that ability, most likely by capturing one of your telepathic spies. You'd then have a telepathic arms race on your hands." Krystal began to rant. "Centuries ago, my world was almost torn apart by clan wars, with each alliance of families seeking to breed the strongest telepaths to assert mental dominance over their adversaries. My world was saved from self-destruction when all warring clans decided to enact a code of ethics that with following generations became so ingrained in our society that the idea mentally scanning someone against their will became a taboo subject."

Krystal abruptly stood up, her voice getting louder as she vented on the general her worst fears. "I lost my home when Andross destroyed Cerinia, and I refuse to lose my new home by allowing Lylat to destroy itself from within like Cerinia almost was centuries before I was even born!"

Fox could feel through his bond with her that she was upset and was equally upset himself. He stood up and gave the bullmastiff a baleful glare before turning to his wife to give her a comforting hug. "We are done here."

Jabari sat there, quietly observing and listening to the exchange between his superior officer and the telepathic vixen. When General Striker had first approached him with the idea, it had seemed like a really brilliant notion. As a security officer himself, he was always mindful of potential threats to Corneria and Lylat as a whole. He could understand the general's passion for wanting Corneria's military to be the best.

A strong military made it much less likely that they would be openly attacked by an enemy, and a strong intelligence network would go a long way to protect them from threats within. The idea of having telepaths under his command, or even becoming one himself, appealed to him. He could not forget how helpful Krystal had been during the investigation into the assassination attempt on her husband.

But now, he grew thoughtful, unable to ignore the telepathic vixen's impassioned warnings. "General, Missus McCloud does have some valid points and does speak from the experience of her people. Perhaps we shouldn't be doing this."

"Lieutenant! You are here to support me in this important mission to protect Corneria from our enemies." Gordon growled.

Jabari was not intimidated though and replied quietly, with a measured voice. "No sir. You invited me to this meeting with the purpose of giving my expert advice on matters of security. While your idea originally seemed like a good one when you first proposed it to me, I am now not so confident that it is." He paused to gather his thoughts while the general sat there fuming. "As it stands now, our operatives on Venom and elsewhere have discovered no evidence that any of our enemy are researching telepathy. Consider also our own people. While there will always be a natural mistrust among a minority of the populous who believe in conspiracy theories, that mistrust may grow in credibility if it became known that we had telepathic agents."

"And what about the affair with the assassination attempt on Mister McCloud?" growled the brigadier.

"Oh, there's no denying that Missus McCloud here was extremely helpful." Jabari admitted. "Just her presence alone at the interrogations, without her doing anything, was most effective and she easily could tell when the corporal was lying without even reading his mind." He paused thoughtfully before going on. "Perhaps I failed in my report to convey how she went about extracting the information from Corporal Quentin's mind."

"Yes! Yes! You said she did not force herself into his mind." The general waved impatiently to the vixen.

"It's more than that, Sir. Missus McCloud went out of her way to get the corporal's permission to read his mind. I believe she would have refused to scan him otherwise, and even then assured him that she'd respect his private thoughts." He regarded the vixen standing there being comforted by her husband. A soft smile formed on his muzzle. "I understand that Sergeant Quentin now has a newborn daughter and has named her Krystal Quentin."

Krystal's eyes widened at this news, feeling her heart swell at the honor she had been given.

This didn't seem relevant to the general though. "So what is your point, Lieutenant?"

"My point is that Krystal McCloud carries with her the legacy of a people who were telepathic as a whole. Their society went through the tribulations and hardship that it entailed and developed a code of ethics where telepathy was a normal part of their society just like sight, hearing, and smell. This is a legacy that we do not share, and our enemies most certainly do not share. Perhaps this is a genie best left in the bottle."

Gordon Striker abruptly stood up and furiously paced back and forth. "No! I refuse to believe that! I was there from the beginning of the Lylat War. We were caught flat-footed when Andross attacked. We also underestimated the Anglar threat. That was all because of poor intelligence." He glared at all those gathered around him. "Millions of lives could have been spared if we had had telepathic agents monitoring them."

Peppy spoke up with a word of caution. "Better intelligence would certainly have helped in both these cases, but I think that having telepaths for spies would have made it worse. Imagine if Andross managed to steal that from us. Let's not forget he was a geneticist himself. We'd have had to face telepathic abominations he would surely have unleashed against us."

The hare then nodded to the serval. "As Lieutenant Jabari pointed out in his report, he had decoys in place even before Krystal scanned Tony Quentin's mind. Those operatives apprehended the Venom agents without any telepathy." He then turned to the mastiff. "I do agree with you that a strong military is key to keeping the peace in Lylat. It is why I pushed to acquire all those Arwings and why you have my full support for giving our ground forces Landmaster Tanks. Better intelligence is also important, which is why the Cornerian Intelligence Committee has agreed with both of us to more fully fund our espionage and counter-espionage efforts like they should have even before the Lylat War."

Peppy's voice then hardened. He needed to once again establish his rank with the hot-headed brigadier general. "However, taking all arguments for and against into consideration, I have to conclude that we should not pursue this avenue of developing telepaths."

Gordon Striker's countenance also hardened. He had been denied victories in the Lylat War and against the Anglars and been forced into hiding when the Aparoids tried to assimilate them all. He would not be denied again. "Your opinion is duly noted, General Hare. However, I have a directive from the Cornerian Intelligence Committee itself to begin research into telepathy. They have ordered us, including you General, to begin at once. Missus McCloud, I must now insist that you relinquish to Doctor Cattus here a sample of your blood."

Krystal was horrified. She shook her head and looked pleadingly to Peppy. "No. I cannot....I will not...."

Peppy raised a hand to reassure the vixen whose friendship he held dearest to his heart. "Don't worry dear. He can't make you."

"Oh yes I can!" shouted Gordon Striker. "You are in service of the Cornerian Military and are hereby ordered to give a sample right now!"

Fox stood in front of Krystal with his hackles standing on end and snarled at the general while assuming a combat stance. He was ready to attack anyone who would threaten the vixen who had given meaning to his life.

Before he could even step forward, Jabari spoke up again. "Actually General, you cannot order Missus McCloud. She is a civilian and free citizen of Corneria. As such, she does not fall under our chain of command, including orders from the Intelligence Committee."

Striker rounded on the serval, enraged at having his orders questioned. "WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON, LIEUTENANT?!?"

Folding his arms and staring impassively at the general, Jabari found himself losing respect for the decorated leader of Corneria's ground forces. "I am on the side of the people of Corneria and Lylat. Our mandate is to protect and defend them from threats outside and from within. In trying to infringe upon the rights of one of our citizens, you have become a threat I must protect her against."

Gordon Strike was seething. He replied in a tight voice. "Very well, Lieutenant. Your observations have been duly noted." Standing up, he quickly walked to the door and glared back. "I will make arrangements to have her drafted into the military. Citizen Krystal McCloud will become Private McCloud, and will be ordered to give a blood sample or face court martial for insubordination!"

After he had stormed out, Morris Cattus also stood, looking disappointed. He tentatively addressed the vixen. "Miss Krystal, are you sure..."

Peppy cut the grey cat off before he could continue. "That will be all, Doctor. You may go."

The academic sighed, his posture slumping, and shook his head to himself while he shuffled out the door. Once he had left, Peppy threw his hands up in the air. "Just great! That's all I need! That pompous martinet has decided to go over my head."

Fox drew a quiet, shell-shocked Krystal tightly into his arms while addressing his old mentor. "Can he really do that? Can he actually draft someone in peacetime like that?"

Peppy sighed and ran a hand tiredly over his face. "He can't, but technically, the Intelligence Committee can petition the Senate to invoke the draft, and they might do that if they convince the Senate that Krystal's telepathic abilities are vital to planetary security."

Fox growled. "Fine. Then Krystal and I will renounce our citizenships and leave Lylat."

Peppy though didn't seem to hear Fox's last reply. Krystal noticed a grin slowly form on his muzzle while he murmured to himself. "Yes....I don't see why not...."

"Peppy?"

The aged hare met the vixen's eyes and smiled widely. "If Striker wants to go over my head, then I'll go over his head. I say we bring this issue up in the Senate. Theirs will be the final word on the matter." He then turned to Jabari. "Can I count on your support, Lieutenant?"

The serval stood and straightened his shoulders. "Yes Sir. You'll have it."

Peppy then got up from behind his desk and walked around until he stood in front of Krystal and placed a hand on her shoulder. "My dear, for this to work, you'll have to do your part. Are you prepared to stand in front of the Senate and convince them that telepathy is best left to Cerinians?"

Krystal squared her shoulders and nodded with a renewed sense of resolve. "You can count on me."

*****

Two lightyears from home, the carrier CDF Dauntless, along with the destroyer CDF Vigilant, and the science vessel Nebula cruised along towards a lone star system. Three rocky worlds circled it close to its yellow star, each a barren inferno, devoid of any life. Out towards the outer edges, two massive gas giant worlds, both encircled with majestic rings of icy boulders, orbited the star. Between these two groups of worlds was an asteroid field, still clustered close together in one quadrant. This was all that was left of Cerinia, Krystal's home, shattered by anti-matter warheads detonated near its core.

On the bridge of the Dauntless, the mood was somber. Each officer gazed out the view screen from his or her station. None could understand how anyone would commit murder on such a scale, or why Andross felt he needed carry out the genocide of the Cerinian race.

Lupo Ramius gazed out at the asteroids, some of them still glowing from remnant heat dissipating into the void of space. The white wolf sighed and shook his head, the same thoughts going through his mind as that of his crew. "So this is all that's left of Krystal McCloud's home world.

Bill Grey, fully dressed in his pressure suit and carrying his helmet under his arm, stood next to his captain and nodded. "Yes sir. These are the Shards of Cerinia."

Lupo turned to leader of Bulldog Squadron. "Is that what they are called now?"

"Yes Sir. Fox McCloud named them when he and his wife saw me off." Bill replied, feeling his heart ache for the plight of Krystal's people. He broke his gaze upon the devastated world and faced his commanding officer. "Captain, whatever we do here, we must treat this as hallowed ground. Th-This is a cemetery Sir."

The wolf grew concerned upon seeing his normally level-headed squadron leader becoming choked up. "Command Grey, as tragic is this is, you need to keep it together."

Bill sniffed and nodded. "Yes Sir. Forgive me. I guess I'm still a bit affected by Krystal's emotional pain."

The bulldog closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on stilling his aching heart. "Just before they got married, Fox got Krystal to let out all her buried grief at her loss. Apparently, Krystal lost control of her telepathy in the process, and all of us nearby experienced her pain. It was more horrifying than you can imagine, Sir....Krystal was here in orbit above her world when it happened....A world of telepaths, mentally crying out as they all died, and she took the brunt of it."

Lupo Ramius inhaled sharply. "Great Maker...."

The Cornerian exploratory fleet continued along its hyperbolic trajectory, approaching the Shards of Cerinia. Upon reaching the remains of the destroyed world, each ship fired its retro-thrusters, slowing down until they paced the asteroid field.

From his command seat, Lupo Ramius activated his comm. "Nebula, begin detailed scan of the asteroid field, but do not approach. I repeat. Do not approach."

"Understood, Dauntless," came the reply. "Beginning long-range scans."

At the Dauntless' science station, they received the telemetry from the Nebula. Science Officer Lieutenant Janice Curtis examined the readings while her captain and Bill Grey stood behind her.

"Report Lieutenant."

"Yes Sir," replied the grey she-wolf. "Molten iron core, partially annihilated from the antimatter detonation, still cooling slowly. Several large planetary fragments and smaller asteroids. Gravitational forces are keeping them concentrated in several cluster...oxygen, carbon, silicates, water, various minerals...." She then took a deep sigh at seeing the readings. "Organic matter, Sir..."

Lupo Ramius closed his eyes, struck by the full impact of Bill Grey's words. "As you said, Commander Grey: a cemetery."

"Lieutenant, while the Nebula continues its readings, scan for any residual energy signature that could point to other possible ships leaving this area."

Janice directed the Dauntless' scanners to sweep around the star system, looking for possible evidence of other Cerinians who may have escaped their world's destruction. "Nothing Sir. It's been too long since this happened. I'm not even picking up any traces of Krystal McCloud's shuttle on any outbound vector towards Lylat...." The she-wolf's eyes widened at an unexpected discovery. "But I am picking up energy traces of an inbound vessel coming from Lylat."

"What?!?" Lupo's eyes snapped open. "Display readings on main viewer!"

Before them, a holographic rendering of the Shards of Cerinia appeared, and superimposed upon it was the ghostly outline of an ionized vapor trail leading into the planetary debris. From her station, Lieutenant Curtis reported further data. "Decay analysis indicates the trail is eight days old....Tracing it now." After a few moments, she announced her discovery. "I've located a ship in the middle of the debris." She then focused the scanners on the intruding vessel.

On the bridge's main screen, they could see a magnified holographic image of the ship. It appeared to be drifting. All its windows were dark. "Scanning the ship....It appears to be a Cornerian research vessel." The image quickly expanded to focus on its name. "The Paradigm Shift....Looking up registry....Ship belongs to University of Havenwood."

"What are they doing here?" Lupo stroked his chin for a moment. His features suddenly darkened and he uttered a growl. "They better not be taking anything out of there. I will not stand for grave robbers."

He looked again at the holographic image of the ship. "No lights or even an engine glow....Did they lose power?"

"Scanning....Ship appears to be dead....and Sir, I detect organic matter, but no life forms."

The lupine fleet captain turned away from the viewer and paced back and forth in front of his command chair. "What could have happened here?" he asked to himself. "We need to find out." He then turned to face Bill Grey. "Commander, I want you and your squadron to go out there to that ship. Do what you can to disturb this area as little as possible, but investigate this up close."

"Yes Sir," Bill replied and left the bridge.

*****

Twelve Arwings slowly and carefully navigated among the tumbling asteroids and other debris, edging closer to the derelict ship. Bill Grey kept a light touch on his fighter's maneuvering thrusters. A sense of unease filled him which he could not fully explain. It felt to him like they were being watched, but he didn't know from where or by whom.

He kept his eyes focused on the scanner readouts displayed on his VR HUD. A call then came on his comm. "Bulldog 1, I'm picking up a large object at bearing 340, mark 310," he heard Eric Tawney call out.

Bill immediately glanced slightly to his left, below the forward edge of his canopy window. On his visor's VR HUD, he saw the large blip. "I see it Bulldog 3. Let's investigate since it's only a slight detour. Everyone, keep your eyes focused all around you. We must avoid colliding with any debris."

As a group, they slowly maneuvered towards the large object. Getting close, they started seeing recognizable objects drifting into view: a broken window frame, a structural beam, twisted metal from a ground vehicle. Bill suddenly heard over his comm Evelyn Woods' agitated voice. "Commander! Cerinian remains!"

"Where Bulldog 5? Bearing and elevation?"

"My forward canopy window," came the whined reply. In her Arwing, Lieutenant Woods stared out in horror at the partial remains of a charred and desiccated leg, still covered in burned patches of blue fur. The sight became all the more painful when she realized how small it was and it sank into her that this once belonged to a young fox pup."

She heard her commander call out in a quiet voice, "Come to a full stop, Bulldog 5. Let it drift away."

The young she-dog nodded and reversed her thrusters, coming to a full stop, and watched drift away into the void ahead of her a poignant reminder of the precious lives lost. She activated her comm. "It was part of a Cerinian's leg....a toddler's...." she choked back a sob. She then groaned to herself, "and I think I shat myself," and groaned again when she realized she admitted that on an open microphone. "Damn!"

"Lieutenant....Evelyn, are you going to be alright?" came Bill's concerned query.

In his Arwing, Bill waited for his wingmate to collect herself and smiled when she replied. "I'm okay now, Sir. Was just a shock to see that smack on my forward window."

"Understood Lieutenant," Bill replied and paused, mindful of her feelings. "And as for that other issue, I wouldn't be so hard on myself. If a body part smacked my canopy like that, I'd shit myself too."

After several affirmations of moral support from the others in their squadron, Evelyn laughed, "Thanks guys. I needed that. I'm good to go now."

"Alright Bulldogs," Bill declared, "let's press forward. As we've all just been reminded, we are in a cemetery here. So be mindful to not disturb anything that floats by."

As a group, Bulldog Squadron continued to slowly maneuver through the debris until they reached their target. All gazed out in wonder and amazement.

"Wow! How did this thing ever survive intact?" commented Philip McDuff.

"I wouldn't say completely intact, Lieutenant," replied Bella Silvers. "I can see a lot of scorch marks and gouges."

"True, Lieutenant Commander, but it's still whole."

Bill Grey could only agree with Bulldogs 10 and 12. He was amazed and perplexed as to how this structure could have survive the cataclysmic destruction which happened under its base. Floating in front of him among the debris was a solid obsidian arch. On each side standing like tall pillars were buttresses that under normal gravity would have pressed down on the near vertical sides of the arch. Here and there, its otherwise smooth surface was blemished with pockmarks and deep gouges.

"Alright Bulldogs, since we're here, let's record a few seconds of this thing, and then we continue on." Bill instructed. As a unit, each Arwing slowly flew by around the lone arch while it slowly tumbled in the lonely void among the debris of the devastated world upon which it once stood. Bill then called out to the fleet. "Nebula, are you still receiving our scans and imagery?"

"Affirmative, Bulldog 1. Good work."

"Any idea on what that arch was about?" Bill asked.

"Negative, Bulldog 1. We have very little information on the Cerinian civilization."

"Understood." Nothing further was said. As a group, Bulldog Squadron continued to press on deeper into the asteroid field, leaving the mysterious structure behind them to float on in the void. They continued navigating among larger asteroids, approaching some of the larger shards of the once beautiful planet. One particularly enormous section proved truly heart-breaking. One side of it contained a section of the planet's crust. Upon that section, they could see the ruins of a city. Among the charred trees were sections of large buildings, still anchored down onto this upheaved section of ground.

They maneuvered closer to this portion of the shattered planet until they were coasting between ruined structures. Many buildings here had sections sheared off. Others were reduced nearly to their foundations. There appeared to be the remains of a park with now-dry, empty fountains. Amazingly, two small, three-story buildings stood side-by-side and appeared nearly intact, though all the windows were blown out and the walls appeared to be deeply scorched, both inside and outside.

Here, Bill maneuvered his Arwing next to one and shined his forwards lights into the building...and wished he had not done so, seeing the horrifying sight within. In a hallway floated the nearly complete bodies of several Cerinian foxes. All were badly burned, with faces frozen in a contorted rictus of agony. The canine closed his eyes and whined to himself in a chocked voice, "Oh Great Maker." He quickly turned his Arwing away and fired his boosters, blasting away from the carnage.

"Bulldog 1, what happened?" Nena Gordon called out.

"We don't belong here, Lieutenant Commander," Bill replied in a strained voice. "We need to focus on our mission and stop exploring this graveyard. Let's find this ship so we can get out of here."

"Understood, Commander." As a group, the squadron continued pressing on, leaving the ruins behind them. They continued slowly weaving between floating asteroids until the derelict vessel come into view.

Before them, the Paradigm Shift appeared intact, and yet lifeless. They could find no evidence of damage, no hull breach, not the least scorch mark. The ship gleamed in the harsh, unfiltered light of the star around which they revolved as if nothing was wrong. Bill maneuvered his Arwing around the side of the dead ship until he was adjacent to its airlock. "We need to get inside. Bulldogs 2 and 3, park your craft near mine. We are going to do an EVA and enter the ship through this airlock. The rest of you, form a defensive perimeter around us."

"Roger that, Bulldog 1," replied Ernie Green

"Copy that," followed Eric Tawney's reply.

When Bill's wingmates brought their Arwings up on each side of his, the bulldog activated his canopy. With a hiss, his cockpit depressurized and the canopy opened. He, along with Ernie and Eric each unstrapped themselves and floated free of their fighters, sustained by their pressure suits and independent life-support packs. Together, they floated to the derelict ship's airlock. Bill found the access panel next to the airlock door and pried it open. "With no power, we'll have to open this manually."

Each bulldog floated to one side of the door while Bill pulled the lever in the access panel. All three watched air rush out of the airlock into the silent void of space. They then each braced themselves on the frame and together pulled the sliding door open. As expected, the inner airlock door was sealed shut. All three floated inside, and turned on their helmet lights. In the gloom, Ernie quickly found the interior access panel. He pulled it open and found the lever within. With several cranks, he was able to manually pull the outer airlock door shut. They then repeated the procedure for the inner airlock and were finally inside the ship.

Eric activated his scanner on his spacesuit's wrist. "I detect an atmosphere, though the air is probably stale."

"We best keep our visors down anyhow, even if the air is breathable." Bill advised. "The crew has been dead for who knows how long, and I for one would rather not get a whiff of their decaying bodies."

They floated down the corridor of the ship, first going through the crew quarters. As expected, bodies were found floating in some of the quarters. Oddly, each seemed to have died with jaws open and eyes wide. Many also wore CDF uniforms. "Why would a civilian research vessel have CDF officers aboard?" Ernie asked.

"Good question. I'm also wondering why they all seemed to have died with a shocked expression." Bill observed.

They continued on, floating up one deck through an access hatch. "Looks like the main lab, Commander." Eric commented. Together, the lieutenants pried the door open and followed their squadron leader into the darkened laboratory. Panning his helmet's light around, Ernie's light shown onto a horrifying sight. "Ahhhh!!!"

His two wingmates quickly turned around and saw the same horror. "Oh fuck." Bill swore. Drifting across their lights was part of a dried, desiccated body of a male Cerinian Fox, its expression frozen in agony, with most of its deep blue fur still preserved. The left leg and part of the hip were missing, probably sheared off during Cerinia's destruction. The eyeballs were shriveled and sunken into their sockets. It even had a jeweled diadem across its forehead. Worst of all, the top of the skull had been cut open, exposing the brain.

Ernie moaned. "Fuck, I actually crapped myself. If this keeps up, we'll all have diaper rash."

Bill though, was not hearing any of it. His blood boiled with rage. "Those fuckers! Those fucking grave diggers! They were dissecting these poor Cerinians. It's not enough that they were all murdered by Andross, now someone from our world had to desecrate their remains!"

Eric was equally horrified, gazing wide-eyed at three more maimed Cerinian bodies floating by, each partially dissected: a vixen and a male and female fox pup. "I'm going to be sick!"

"Lift your visor, Lieutenant!" Bill shouted, when he saw his wingmate about to heave the contents of his stomach.

Eric barely had time to comply, glancing away from the horrifying sight before explosively regurgitating his breakfast onto the wall of the laboratory. The hapless dog became even more nauseated when his sensitive nose was assaulted by the rancid odor of decay permeating the lab and heaved again until he had nothing left in him. He then closed his visor, hyperventilating until the air filters in his life-support system expunged the horrible odor from inside his helmet. Taking a deep gulp of water from his drinking tube to wash out the taste of bile in his muzzle, he swore. "Fuck. I'm going to have nightmares from this shit."

Bill was angrily trying to blink away the tears from his eyes. His thoughts were of his friend Krystal and the emotional pain she had endured at feeling the death of her people. This desecration would break her heart. "Let's head up. We need to find out who's responsible for this."

Together, all three made their way out into the corridor and up through another access hatch to the bridge. There, they found the bodies of the bridge crew. All were dead with the same frozen expressions of shock.

Bill then noticed that the dead captain, a grey cat, had his hands raised up to the level of his eyes, which were fully dilated. "It's as if he was trying to ward off something...." Bill then looked around more closely at the other dead. All had the same wide-eyed expression with muzzles wide-open as if screaming. "It's as if they all died terrified...."

"Commander, look." Bill turned around and found Eric pointing at the engineering station. "It looks like there's some battery power left. It's not much. We'll be able to activate power here on the bridge, but only for about five minutes."

Bill looked around at the various stations. "Okay, but we'll activate only the ship's computer and communications." He remotely accessed his Arwing's transmitter and relayed his communicator to it. "Dauntless, this is Commander Grey. We are on the bridge of the Paradigm Shift. All the crew appeared to have died in terror. It appears they have been dissecting Cerinian remains they found in the ruins nearby. We found four partial Cerinian bodies in the lab."

On the bridge of the Dauntless, Captain Lupo Ramius growled in outrage but kept his voice even. "We read you, Commander."

"We have found limited battery power on the bridge. I'm going to bring the computer and communications array online. Be prepared to download the ship's log and security recordings." Bill instructed.

Lupo turned to feline albino Lieutenant Thomas Matson, his communications officer, who nodded his readiness. "We're ready to receive."

A moment later, the screen in front of the communications station lit up and within minutes the entire log and all visual and audio recordings from the bridge, laboratory, and all decks of the Paradigm Shift were uploaded onto the Dauntless' computer.

The lupine fleet captain then watched the deceased captain's log recordings, getting more and more outraged with each passing minute. "Bastards! Grave digging bastards!" He then read a dispatch, giving the captain his orders and knew who was responsible. "Fucker. General Hare will have his balls for this."

The final recording though sent shivers through the bridge crew of the Dauntless. On the viewer, they could see an ephemeral blur racing through each crewmember of the Paradigm Shift, who then screamed in terror before they died. In the laboratory, the lead scientist backed away from the Cerinian head he had been dissecting. "No!! Please!! No!! Nooo!! Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!" He then stiffened, when the same translucent blur slammed through him, and then collapsed onto the deck and moved no more. The recording then ended suddenly, right after the lights inside the ship went out.

"What was that?" asked Thomas from his communications station.

Lupo Ramius didn't answer though. He had not believed in such things.

Neither did Bill Grey. Moments before, while the bridge crew had been watching the security footage that had been uploaded to their computer, he, Eric, and Ernie had made their way back down to from the bridge.

"Commander," Ernie asked, "What are we going to do with this ship?"

"We are going to tow it away from here, Lieutenant." Bill replied.

"And the Cerinian bodies?" asked Eric.

They had just reached the door to the laboratory where Bill paused and closed his eyes, feeling a deep ache in his heart. "We are going to return them to where they belong." He turned to face his two wingmates. "We must undo this desecration." He eyed his young lieutenant. "You going to be okay, Eric?"

Eric Tawney nodded. Though feeling queasy, his stomach was empty. "I'll manage."

Together, they entered the lab. After some searching, Bill found some bandages and handed some to his two wingmates. "Let's patch up these bodies as best we can."

Without a word, the two wingmates each took a bandage roll. Though not medically trained, the three bulldogs each did their best to patch up the Cerinian bodies. Erwin then found black body bags, and all agreed it would be fitting to enshroud their charges in them, which they did. The tod and vixen each went into a body bag. The two children went together into the third. With a gloved hand still on the patched up Cerinian tod's corpse he turned to float it towards the exit, and froze. The sight that greeted them filled his heart with first fear, and then aching sadness.

Before them floated the ephemeral outline of a Cerinian male. Ornate, jeweled epaulettes graced his shoulders. A gold and silver weave belt girded his hips above his loincloth. On his head was a solid gold diadem with a blue sapphire over his forehead. His features were very distinguished and he regarded each of them with penetrating eyes that made all of them feel like they were being judged.

Bill Grey had never believed in ghosts, but he could not deny the apparition that now confronted him. Tears welled from his eyes, unabated. Confined within his space helmet, he could not even wipe the tears away. "I...I'm so sorry," he sniffed. "We've brought nothing but misery to your people. Andross...he came from our world....and he...he murdered all of you."

His friendship with Krystal and empathy for her sorrow, the horrors he had now witnessed in the wreckage of their world, and the ghastly desecration of their remains were finally taking their emotional toll on the bulldog, who now broke down and howled in a raging grief. "OH GREAT MAKER, I'M SO SICK OF IT ALL!! It's not enough that you were all murdered, they had to desecrate what was left!"

Eric wept as well, emotionally broken at seeing his commanding officer grieving so deeply and at the magnitude of the tragedy he was witness to. Erwin was even more affect and hugged the body bag of the two dead fox pups while weeping as well. While he knew that children had to have been killed in the calamitous destruction of their world, the poignancy of seeing the maimed bodies of these two fox pups tore at his heart.

Bill gazed forlornly at the ghost in front of him. "It's all our fault..."

The phantom looked back sadly to the three bulldogs and shook its head. It then drifted towards Bill and passed through all of them before fading. In that brief contact with the spirit, a sense of peace washed over all three. Somehow, each felt like forgiveness had been bestowed upon them.

The leader of Bulldog Squadron and his wingmates sniffled or took a shuddering breath. Bill then avowed to the spirits he knew were around them. "I promise, we'll make it right. I know of the other 49 that survived. We'll protect them and help your people return." He gazed down at the body bag floating next to him. "But first, we need to give these four a proper sendoff.

"Aye Sir, with full honors," Ernie affirmed.

"Right you are, Lieutenant Green." Bill then called out to the others outside. "Bulldog Squadron, we are coming out. Form up at the airlock for a burial in space ceremony."

"Roger that, Bulldog 1," replied Nena Gordon. She then asked, "For all the crew?"

"No. None of the crew." came back the reply, cold as the depths of space.

Nena nodded in understanding, having heard her commanding officer report of the horrors found aboard the Paradigm Shift. Soon, nine bulldog Arwings formed up in three rows of three extending out around the airlock exit and waited.

Inside the derelict ship's airlock, the inner door had been closed and the outdoor was opening. Bill then called out, "Bulldogs 4, 7, and 10, begin visual and audio recording and transmit to the Dauntless, Vigilant, and Nebula."

Slowly, the three body bags were floated to the exit threshold of the outer airlock door. Bill then spoke out in a clear voice, as if wanting to be heard by all those around them, both living and dead. "We are gathered here to pay homage to these four Cerinians. In doing so, we also pay homage to the untold millions whose lives were so unjustly cut short."

He then took a shaky breath and forged on in his eulogy. "We also hope, we beg that they will forgive us for allowing a monster from our world to murder them all. We are also here to make amends and undo the desecration of the remains of these four. We now return them to where they belong, in this most sacred part of the Cerinian star system. May their eternal rest never again be disturbed."

With a nod from his commander, Eric quickly opened the inner airlock door. With a massive roar, the interior of the Paradigm Shift depressurized. The blast of air catapulted the enshrouded Cerinian bodies between the three lines of Arwings and into the depths of the Shards of Cerinia.

Bill, Ernie, and Eric then pushed off the derelict ship, which was slowly drifting away, propelled by the air rushing out of the ship. The three bulldogs reached each of their respective fighters and climbed in. Once strapped in and their cockpits re-pressurized, they rejoined the other nine. Bulldog Squadron then as a whole towed the derelict Paradigm Shift back towards the Dauntless, Vigilant, and Nebula.

*****

Showered and refreshed, a subdued Bill Grey walked off the lift onto the bridge of the Dauntless. Lupo Ramius had been gazing at the holographic image of the derelict Paradigm Shift on the forward viewer when he heard the leader of Bulldog Squadron arrive. He glanced back at the canine. "How are your squadron mates holding out?"

Bill shrugged. "As well as can be expected, Sir." He then gazed out at the dead ship in front of them. "What are we going to do with the Paradigm Shift?"

"I haven't decided yet." Lupo gazed intently at the bulldog for a few moments longer and then stood up from his command chair and walked towards the conference room that adjoined the bridge. "Follow me, Commander."

Bill followed his captain into the conference room and sat down at the table across from the wolf. In the quiet of the private setting, the lupine began debriefing the leader of Bulldog Squadron. Bill began relating to his commanding officer everything that he and his wingmates saw. They also reviewed gun camera and helmet camera footage taking from the Arwings and transcripts of transmissions made.

Lupo Ramius mused at one of the most startling images, taken just before Bill, Eric, and Erwin left the Paradigm Shift's laboratory with the bodies of the Cerinians. "This apparition you saw seems to only appear as in indistinctive blur on our cameras, but your description is much more detailed."

Bill nodded. "I don't know how we are going to put this in a report. They'll think we're crazy, reporting ghost stories." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his short muzzle. "Damn, I wouldn't believe this report myself. I never really believed in ghosts, until I saw what I saw today."

"And you say it went through you?"

Bill closed his eyes and furiously blinked the tears that were threatening to betray how deeply he was affected by the encounter. "Yes....I don't know who he was, but I have the impression that he was some sort of high ranking fox in their society....It felt like he....forgave us."

"Yes, I heard over the transmissions. You were quite emotional, Commander."

Bill took a shuddering breath. "I've seen my share of war and carnage over the years. Most of us on Bulldog and Husky Squadrons have....We all managed to carry on and keep our cool. But this is beyond anything we've ever witnessed, and I'd have to be emotionally dead not to be affected by this, Captain." Haunted canine eyes met stoic lupine eyes. "Genocide....Have you ever been witness to the results of that?"

Lupo Ramius shook his head. "No....and while I still encourage you to maintain your composure, I do understand that these are exceptional circumstances, especially given your relationship to Krystal McCloud and her husband, and if I heard you correctly, she is not the last of her kind."

Bill Grey froze. In his emotional outburst to the Cerinian ghost, he had not realized he had spoken over an open microphone. "Oh damn," he groaned. "I was not supposed to mention that...."

"Well, you did, Commander. So now I want some explanations." And so Captain Ramius listened with growing incredulity the story of how Fox and Krystal McCloud were visited in a dream before their wedding day by their parents, and of the prophesy that Bill would find 49 other Cerinian survivors. "And you believe this, Commander?"

Bill looked down at his hands. "There was a time I'd scoff at dream visions and ghost stories, but after everything I've seen and experienced, I can't help but believe it all." He shrugged to himself. "Heh. Maybe it's because Cerinians were all telepaths that make them so spiritual. I wouldn't be surprised if visitations by ghosts were common on their world."

"Does General Hare know about this?"

"Yes. That's why he had us go here first."

Lupo Ramius shook his head in amazement. "I would never have imagined the general sending us here on the basis of a dream."

"Does it really matter, Captain? Regardless of the reasons, we exposed a conspiracy that can't be good for Lylat."

The wolf nodded to himself. "Yes, and now we must decide what to do with that information." He stood up and walk out of the conference room.

Bill quickly got up from his seat and followed the lupine captain out onto the bridge. There, he found the wolf again contemplating the holographic image of the dead ship.

"Science Station. Were there any evidence of electromagnetic disturbances inside the Paradigm Shift?"

"Negative Captain," replied Janice Curtis. "Scanners indicate that all electronics are intact inside the ship."

"So all their data aboard would be intact, Lieutenant?"

"Yes Sir, most likely," affirmed the she-wolf

"Including any data they gathered from the Cerinian remains...." the white wolf surmised. The wolf turned looked back at Bill Grey. "Like you said, Commander. Something that can't be good for Lyalt...."

Nodding to himself, Captain Lupo Ramius came to a decision. He activated the communicator on his command chair consol. "CDF Vigilant, this is the Dauntless. Bring the ion canon online to full power and target the Paradigm Shift."

After a momentary pause, he got a reply from the Cornarian destroyer's captain. "Paradigm Shift targeted."

"Fire."

In the void between ships, a massive bolt of ionized energy lanced across from the Vigilant to the Paradigm Shift. The dead and darkened ship lit up in a cascade of lightning racing along and through its structure. Every circuit and conduit within the vessel was rendered useless or outright melted.

Nodding in satisfaction from his command seat, Captain Ramius addressed his crew. "Secure the Paradigm Shift for towing back to Corneria. We'll let CDF Intelligence clean up this mess."

Before his orders could be carried out, Janice Curtis yelped from her science station. Before them appeared a blue-furred vulpine specter. Hackles rose from all long-furred canines aboard the bridge of the Dauntless. Next to Lupo Ramius, Bill spoke up in a quiet, reverent voice. "It's him...."

Nobody spoke. All gazed in apprehension at the same Cerinian ghost Bill Grey had encountered before aboard the Paradigm Shift. The distinguished male fox focused on the bulldog who whined and slowly approached the apparition.

The only one without fear, Bill tentatively reached out with his hand to the spirit in front of him, "Kind Sir....We restored them to their resting place as I promised....Is there something else?" Bill sniffled back a few tears, his heart still aching for the plight of this fox and his people.

When the ghost of this distinguished Cerinian focused on him, Lupo Ramius froze, transfixed by the dead fox's spirit, unable to speak. The wolf could no longer deny what he was seeing. The sight rocked him to his core. He sat there, very much aware of the presence in front of him, and felt like he was being judged. The smile that formed on the ghostly fox's muzzle told Lupo that he'd been judged favorably.

Bill looked on uncertainly, at a complete loss as to why this spirit had appeared before them. He smiled back hesitantly when the spirit turned to him and smiled. Suddenly a ghostly hand rested against his face and his world changed.

Bill Grey found himself standing on an alien world, gazing up at a partially demolished hangar. Most spacecraft within were damaged or outright crushed. Only ten were still intact. Suddenly the ground beneath his feet shook violently in a massive ground quake, and screams were heard throughout the city. It was then that he noticed the denizens who were running out of buildings or taking cover in doorways. They were all foxes: tods, vixens, and pups in various shades of blue fur.

With frightening clarity, it struck Bill that he was standing on Cerinia in its final hours. He had another shock when he saw the same distinguished male fox whose ghost had just moments before hurled him back to this fateful moment. This blue-furred vulpine now walked hurriedly towards him. Bill raised his hand to speak to him, but the Cerinian fox walked right through him as if he wasn't there.

Bill then had an epiphany. He was in fact not really on Cerinia. Yet, he felt compelled to follow that fox, and so he did. Quickly matching his pace, he found himself at the entrance of the main hangar where the ten shuttle craft were waiting. It is then that he noticed a large group of Cerinians gathered about or loading large, heavy canisters onto seven of the shuttlecrafts.

When they were done, all of them gathered around. Forty-nine foxes regarded the fox who had come to meet them. As Bill counted their numbers, he realized that there were 24 married couples. He could see each of them holding hands or standing with tails or arms about each other in pairs. The odd one out was a middle-aged tod who at that moment stepped forward. _ **"High Elder Shinkai, the cryogenic samples are all loaded."_**

"Were you able to get them from every population center?"

"Yes, from every continent, except for some of the outlying island communities."

The aged fox, who Bill now realized was Cerinia's High Elder, slumped in both relief and sadness. _ **"It will have to do."_**

"High Elder, what is going on?" asked one young vixen. _ **"Why the urgency?"_**

Shinkai regarded the vixen and all those gathered about him with a profound melancholy. _ "Our lead scientists have discovered the source of all the tremors. Four days ago, an alien slipped by our planetary sensors and landed in the center of Toba. This alien drilled through the crust at the base of the caldera basin and is sending what is believed to be anti-matter charges into the depths of our world."_

The vixen's bondmate spoke up, aghast. _ **"Anti-matter!! How much worse will the quakes get before this alien is stopped?"_**

"A contingency of guardians are on their way here to take three shuttles in an attempt to undo the damage and apprehend this alien." _ Shinkai paused and closed his eyes, and a tear trickled down from one eye. In a voice full of sorrow and regret, he pronounced Cerinia's doom. _ "But our prospects are bleak. We have only a few hours, a day at the most, and our world will implode from within and break apart, and everyone here will die."

The outburst of disbelief, wails of despair, and muted expressions of shock were as the High Elder would have expected, but he raised a commanding hand to forestall any further argument. _ **"Please! I know some of you have loved ones that will be left behind, but you must flee! These ships here are the last available. Our world is doomed, and there is no time to evacuate the entire population."** _ He pointed to the seven shuttlecraft and their precious cargo within. _ **"In there is our world's legacy. I am sending you with those canisters, in the hope that Cerinia will not become just a memory. I am charging you with this most sacred of missions. Now go, before it's too late."_**

Each vixen tearfully rushed up in turn to kiss the High Elder on the cheek and ran with her bondmate to one of the seven shuttles. The single, unaccompanied tod approached Shinkai. _ **"You could come with us. I'm sure we could fit you aboard one of the shuttles."_**

The High Elder shook his head sadly. _ **"No, my friend. It is by my failure that I allowed this alien to doom us. I will remain behind and perish with our people."** _ He placed a hand on the tod's shoulder. _ "You are among the wisest and most knowledgeable of the elders that I know, Hiroshi. I am charging you with preserving our lore and traditions. You have that legacy to pass on. Now go with them, and guide them."_

"Where should we go when we flee from here?"

Shinkai picked up a data pad that was hanging from his belt and motioned his friend over. In that moment, Bill knew why he had been plunged into this vision. Looking over the High Elder's shoulder, he focused on the readout, but it was in Cerinian script.

"Take this heading." said the High Elder to Hiroshi. _ "Our records show that you'll find the most promising prospects for habitable worlds in that direction. Hopefully, there will be one where you can begin anew."_

It then occurred to Bill that even though they were all speaking Cerinian, he had understood everything they had said. He didn't know why, but he did. He gazed down that the tablet and suddenly understood the flowing script!

Elder Hiroshi lunged forward and tearfully hugged the High Elder. _ **"I will miss you, my old friend. The Spirits willing, our people will arise again, and you will never be forgotten."_**

Shinkai returned the embrace with equal fervor, finally overcome by the tragedy they were facing. _ **"Goodbye my friend."_**

Reluctantly, the two friends parted and with tears in his eyes, Elder Hiroshi ran to the shuttlecraft awaiting him.

The Last High Elder of Cerinia watched the seven shuttlecraft lift off the ground in a cloud of dust and ascend into the sky and away from the cataclysm that would soon befall them.

_ _

And Bill Grey once again found himself standing on the bridge of the Dauntless, except that the ghost of the High Elder was no longer standing in front of him.

"Where'd he go?" one of the bridge crew shouted.

"Commander Grey, are you alright?" Captain Ramius asked.

Bill stood there on unsteady feet. He shook his head and blinked to clear his momentary disorientation. "Yeah....I'm okay....How long was I gone?"

"Gone? You never left, Commander. That apparition reached out to your face, and you froze there for just a moment, and then it vanished."

"Never left?!....It felt like I was gone for hours!" Bill placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head.

"Gone where, Commander?" The lupine captain quickly assessed that something important must have happened.

"Cerinia, Sir, in its final hours before it exploded....I...the High Elder's ghost wanted to show me something." Bill stood there and frowned, the vision he experienced already feeling like a vivid dream. His eyes suddenly widened and he gasped. "Ohhh!!! That's it!"

Like a hound intent on its quarry, Bill rushed to the helm and frantically shoved the young lupine Lieutenant off his seat. "Sorry," he absently apologized, and with a single-minded focus, called up the navigation star chart. Be it from Corneria or Cerinia, the stars, and their positions relative to each other were the same. Bill quickly called up the orientation of Cerinia's orbital plane and the location of the galactic center relative to where they were, and translated the heading that was now burned into his mind. "I know which direction the survivors fled to." He turned back and met his captain's gaze with a hopeful expression. "This is the heading High Elder Shinkai sent them on."