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Chapter 35: Counter Coup d'État

The Cornerian Defense Force supply depot was at the far corner of the military side of Corneria City Spaceport. A major artery in the life blood of the military, cargo transports would land and launch daily, delivering the logistics necessary for sustaining the fleet of warships and support vessels necessary to defend the Lylat system. Operating in three shifts, it was an ever-busy hive of activity with hundreds of personnel going about their tasks.

It was during the second shift, two hours after sunset that a supply transport from the Dauntless landed at one of the many shipping and receiving platforms. Its arrival had been deliberately timed to coincide with a lull in activity. Most of the platform workers were taking a dinner break, with just a lone fennec of small stature on hand to receive them. The loading ramp in the rear of the vessel lowered, and Bill Grey stepped out and handed the requisitioned cargo manifest to the waiting sergeant. "Everything all set?" he asked.

"Everyone's eating right now." replied Tony Quentin. "They will not be back for another 30 minutes." As he said this, Falco, Katt, Fay, and the Cerinians with them came down the ramp. Emotions of sadness accompanied the smile he displayed when he saw one particular vixen among the Cerinians that emerged from the transport. "Hello Missus McCloud."

Krystal frowned to the fennec. "It's good to see you are well, but why are you so sad? Are you and your family alright?"

"They are fine, thanks to you. We'll never forget what you did to save them and me." Tony replied with a watery smile. He would always be grateful to Krystal for helping him clear his name after he had been coerced into sabotaging Fox McCloud's Arwing all those years ago. "I just wish....I'm so sorry about your husband..."

Fox and Krystal were once again reminded that many in the military had always been supportive of them, especially the veterans. Sensing how despondent Tony was feeling, Fox realized he no longer wanted people to mourn for him. With this thought in mind, he stepped forward to stand next to his wife. "Hello my friend. You'll be happy to know that I'm alive and well."

Tony Quentin suddenly noticed this strangely familiar vulpine. He sounded like Fox McCloud, but had a strong Cerinian accent. His fur was blue, but the white fur around his muzzle and the white blaze on his head were identical to that of the well-known former leader of Star Fox.

Sensing his confusion and uncertainty, Fox confirmed his identity to the fennec. "It's me. Fox McCloud. I....faked my death after that car bomb was discovered in my ground car at River Rapids. We had to get away from..."

"It is you!" Tony exclaimed in wonder. He rushed forward, grabbed Fox's hand, and shook it vigorously. "I'm so glad to hear you're alive. I can't wait to tell my wife and daughters you didn't die in that explosion."

"And you're not upset?"

"How could I be? After all the shit you had to put up with from the tabloids and those stupid enough to believe all those conspiracy theories, I can understand why you'd want to disappear." Tony took in Fox's blue fur and nodded. "I'm guessing you've been living among the Cerinians since then."

"Yes, but I'm back. General Striker has taken over CDF HQ and the Senate. We're here to put a stop to him and his followers." Fox explained.

"I knew something was off when we got reports that Cerinians tried to overthrow our government." He nodded to the telepathic foxes that had gathered around them. "There's no way I would believe that your people would do such a thing to us."

"And it's so fortuitous to have you here." Krystal affirmed.

"The posting was perfect for me. I service the ships that land, and can be home to my wife and daughters each day after my shift." His smile broadened. "Krystal just turned six years old a few weeks ago, and is already your biggest fan."

Fox's wife felt the heat of a blush warm her face. She had been, and still was, deeply touched that Tony had named his second daughter after her.

"So, what can I do to help?" Tony asked.

Renjiro nodded to the two vixens in their group who were not guardians, and therefore unskilled in combat. "Akina and Kasumi will be staying behind and remain hidden inside this transport. We'll be needing them to provide us with remote support and communication to the Dauntless." He then looked back at Tony. "Could you see to it that they are not discovered?"

"Easily. I'll flag this transport for maintenance and do the work myself. That way, it will delay any cargo loading operations for as long as I'm working on it."

Seeing that they were all set, Fox took the lead. "Alright everyone. Let's move out." While Akina and Kasumi retreated to the interior of the supply transport, Fox, Krystal, Renjiro, Isamu, Falco, Katt, Fay, and Bill quickly walked off the brightly-lit landing platform and into the shadows.

They quietly snuck along warehouses, service buildings, and hangars, keeping to the shadows as much as possible to avoid being seen. Every telepath in their group passively scanned for the usual night patrols, which they endeavored to stay clear of.

"I'm starting to get worried. Where are Striker's people?" Falco asked through their group mind link.

"None of us sense them yet," Renjiro replied, "but we are being careful to not actively reach out with our telepathy to avoid tipping them off."

They continued walking along one building after the next and had reached the Arwing flight training building. With the telepaths leading their group, they had managed to stay out of the line of sight of one passing patrol, but in doing so, another group of CDF military police spotted them. "We've been seen. Everyone, stay calm and make no sudden move."_Fox advised. _"Bill, see if you can divert their attention away from the rest of us."

Keeping his cap low over his forehead to hide the diadem he was wearing, Bill stepped away from their group and walked towards the patrolling soldiers. Ever vigilant, they rested their hands on their holstered blasters, ready to draw them out, but soon relaxed when they recognized Bill's voice when he stopped in front of them and saluted. "Evening. Just showing these new cadets the Arwing training facilities."

The bulldog leading the patrolling squad, a Sergeant Milo Argus, returned the salute while the soldiers he led relaxed their posture. "Evening Commander Grey. I have to say it is highly irregular to be touring anywhere on base this late."

Bill shrugged disarmingly. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn't have time to clear it with HQ, but saw no harm in giving them a quick tour just before sending them off to bed." But try as he might, he could not engage the full attention of the other three soldiers that were part of the sergeant's squad. Even in the gloom, there was no hiding the dark vulpine tails of four of the uniformed individuals that were accompanying Bill.

Then there was the other group that was patrolling the area. They had just come back into view, and its leader shined a light in their direction. The lead sergeant called out, "Is everything alright there?" In the glow of his flashlight, the blue vulpine tails were immediately noticed. The soldier nearest to Sergeant Argus saw them. His eyes were then drawn to the light blue fur covering the hands and muzzles. He immediately realized what it meant, and cried out. "Cerinians!"

Blasters were quickly drawn from their holsters by all eight soldiers that surrounded them. Seeing that the situation was quickly spiraling out of control, Krystal and Fox reached out with their telekinesis. Eight blasters in quick succession flew out of the grasps of Sergeant Argus and his fellow soldiers and into the outstretched hands of the McClouds. Immediately right after, all their comm units were crushed, rending them inoperative.

The soldiers stood there, utterly petrified from being confronted by the telepathic vulpines they were told were responsible for brutally killing many with their mental powers. Bill vainly tried to reassure them. "Guys, it's not what you think. They are here to help..."

"You expect us to believe you?!?" the sergeant accusingly asked. "They tried to take over our military, killed General Hare, and almost overthrew our government!"

Knowing that it was pointless to hide his identity, Fox strode forward and spoke, "The Cerinians were not responsible. It was General Striker who was behind all of it."

"Why should I believe you, Cerinian?"

"I'm not just any Cerinian." He replied, taking off his cap to fully reveal his head and face. "I'm Fox McCloud."

"Don't you dare insult his memory!" the sergeant retorted. "Fox McCloud is dead! He was killed in that car bomb months ago."

"I faked my death." Fox explained. "Look at me. My fur may be blue, but I have the same white markings."

Milo eyed the Cerinian vulpine fearfully, but it was apparent that he was not convinced. "You don't even sound like him." Fox face-palmed himself in response, even as he heard Fay through the group mind link. "He's right. You really don't sound like you used to, Fox. It's that accent you picked up from the Cerinians. Even your body language and mannerisms have changed."

"Another approaches." Renjiro informed them. _"We need to act fast before our presence becomes widely known." _ Moments later, a large, burly husky came into view that Fox immediately recognized. It was the quartermaster they had met the very first day they had started teaching at the CDF Flight Academy.

Master Sergeant Mitchel Brown had just finished a late shift and was walking towards his ground car when he noticed the commotion near the Arwing training facility. The large, burly husky changed course and strode over to the gathering. "What's going on here?"

Milo glanced back and shouted. "Quick! Run for it! Cerinians are attacking us!"

Strangely, every telepath in their group could sense neither panic nor fear from the large, imposing canid. Instead, his demeanor was calm and neutral. Krystal though recognized the husky. "Mitchel! It's me. Krystal." Upon hearing his name being called by a vixen he knew and remembered well, Sergeant Brown exuded bemused affability.

"Well, I'll be. Krystal McCloud. What are you doing here, and under such dubious circumstances?" he drawled.

"We are here to stop General Striker and his rogue telepaths." Fox answered.

Mitchel tilted his head and took in the strange, yet familiar-looking blue vulpine standing next to Krystal. "Do I know you?"

"It's me. Fox McCloud....and no, I'm not dead."

The husky folded his arms and glared down at the tod. "Dead or no, you don't exactly look like the Fox McCloud I knew, and only vaguely sound like him." He then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If you are who you say you are, then what did we talk about that first day after we met at the gymnasium in HQ?"

"Krystal had inadvertently followed me in the male side of the locker rooms and was so embarrassed that she practically ran back out." Fox chuckled to himself. "I explained that we had only been recently married and were used to doing everything together and that she had forgotten she was not allowed to follow me there. You laughed and commented that she was not likely to forget what she saw."

By the time Fox finished, Mitchel was grinning and wagging his tail. "Well, I'll be damn. Back from the dead after all." He then noticed the other non-telepaths accompanying Fox. "Falco Lombardi, Katt Monroe, and Fay Spaniel...You have some explaining to do, all of you."

Milo's jaw dropped at the unexpected turn of events. "Wait. You mean that blue fox really is Fox McCloud?" The astonishment among the two patrol squads was apparent, even to the non-telepaths.

Fox nodded to the nearby door leading inside the training facility. "Guys, let's go inside. We'll explain everything."

Out of view of everyone else on base, Fox told to his audience why he had let all of Corneria think he had died, changed his appearance, and sought refuge for himself and his family in New Cerinia. Falco then chipped in, telling them of the mission General Hare had sent him on to enlist the aid of the Cerinians. Bill also confirmed that Peppy was in fact still alive and was the one who had set an explosive booby trap for General Striker's rogue telepaths when they stormed his office on the top floor of Headquarters.

Mitchel nodded to himself. "That certainly is more believable than the nonsense we've been getting from HQ and Lylat News. I had the day off when the attack happened, and saw the live broadcast of the attack. Those telepaths definitely did not have any blue fur, and some of them did not even look like foxes."

"But when Lylat News came back online, they reported that the Cerinians were disguised." one soldier pointed out.

"Humph!" Mitchel scoffed. "And you believe it? If it had been Walter Kent at the anchor's desk, I'd have given that claim more credence, but it was some other strange news anchor I had never seen before. Who was she, and why was the live broadcast interrupted in the first place?"

Kasumi, who had been listening in on the conversation through her bond with Isamu, provided the answer. The vixen, still safely hidden aboard the Dauntless' cargo transport, had not been idle. She had tapped into the Corneria planetary media network and been reviewing the propaganda feed from Lylat News. So she was able to provide the answer. "Her name is Pricilla Kane. She became the editor in chief of the Corneria Enquirer after the previous editor was killed in a car bombing. She was called to replace Walter Kent after unknown agents interrupted his broadcast. Mister Kent's whereabouts are unknown."

Katt relayed the information. "Pricilla Kane of the Corneria Enquirer. That's who. She replaced Walter Kent after Striker's agents knocked Lylat News offline."

"What?!? Has Lylat News become a tabloid now?" Milo exclaimed, utterly aghast.

"More like a propaganda tool for General Striker." Bill growled. "Guys. You all knew that traitor had been after the Cerinians for their telepathic powers. It was common knowledge. And now, he's finally done it. He's created his own telepaths to take over our government and military, and is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. He's used Lylat News to push all those conspiracy theories and had our people turn against the Cerinians because he knows they are the only ones capable of stopping him."

"That does explain all the odd things I noticed at HQ since the attack." Mitchel observed. "The guards in the lobby are all new, and they have a look about them that is off."

"I noticed it too with the guards at the gate." Milo added.

"They are likely Striker's telepaths." Fox handed the soldiers back their blasters and cautioned. "Guys, you best stay low and out of their sight. If they read your thoughts, they'll kill you, or worse, rip your minds to shreds." He nodded to Falco, Katt, Fay, and Bill, who all still wore their borrowed focusing gems. "We'll be able to protect our friends from telepathic attack, but none of you will stand a chance."

Parting ways with the CDF soldiers, they exited the building and gazed across the tarmac towards the Cornerian Defense Force Headquarters building. In the gloom, they could see that the top floor was darkened. Windows had been blown out, with their frames twisted. The worst of the damage could be seen where Peppy's office once stood. A charge gaping hole in the side of the building where the general's office had been was a testament to the old hare's resourcefulness. "Dayamn! Gramps does not mess around, does he?" Falco thought.

"Reports are that the explosion was heard clear across town."_Bill mused. _"General Hare took out quite a few of Striker's telepaths when they triggered that booby trap."

"They know he's at large too." Kasumi added. "He somehow managed to kill one telepath that was guarding the security gate."

"Where did you learn that, Dearest?" Isamu thought back to his vixen.

"I managed to hack into the comm channels between General Striker and his followers." The vixen replied smugly. "And I just sent word to Fleet Captain Ramius while embedding it with a routine resupply report to the Dauntless." Akina added. "I got a reply hidden in a requisition request that they notified Peppy that we are here."

"Excellent!" Fox mentally replied. "Now we just have to clean out CDF HQ of these traitors." _ His eyes roved over the wide open space between their location and the building that was the heart of the Cornerian Defense Force. _"I don't think we'll be able to sneak across to the entrance."

"Then we don't." Falco suggested. "We march straight to their front door like we belong here."

"That just might work." Bill mused. "We all are wearing CDF uniforms. We could be mistaken for the patrols, and I am a bulldog like Sergeant Argus."

"Sounds like a plan." Fox agreed. "Bill, Fay, Katt, and Falco, march in front of us blue-furred foxes. We'll be just two steps behind you. Hopefully, nobody looking out the front will have a good look at us until it's too late."

"Telepaths, mental barriers up tight." Renjiro commanded as their group formed up and marched out in the open towards their objective.

They were halfway across and it seemed like they would be able to successfully storm the headquarters building. The feathers around Falco's neck began to stand on end. His tail feathers splayed. Katt's tail began to lash back and forth before she reigned in her excitement. Fay's hackles rose over her neck. Bill was the calmest of the four, but even he could not completely suppress the tension of anticipation. The Cerinians behind them though were utterly calm.

"Everyone, maintain your cool." Bill admonished himself and his non-telepathic teammates. Fox could not fault his friends. None of them had developed the mental discipline he had learned under Hiroshi's tutelage. But it was looking like none of the untrained telepaths they knew must be hiding within the building had picked up on the emotions from their group.

They were three quarters of the way to the entrance, less than a hundred meters, when they heard the fast-moving rumble of two armored personnel carriers approaching. Every telepath in their group picked up on the emotions of their enemies, and knew that their cover had been blown. "We've been discovered." Renjiro announced.

Over twenty individuals rushed out the front door and faced them. All reached out and focused their powers on Bill, Fay, Falco, and Katt. Each felt the frightening sensation of claws scratching at the edge of their consciousness. It was an unwholesome presence pressing against their minds that left them feeling unnerved. For Krystal, Fox, Renjiro, and Isamu, the attack against their minds was sloppy and unfocused. Though it demanded all their concentration, the combined mental discipline of the Cerinians rendered their mental barriers like diamond-hard walls.

While shaken, Falco, Katt, Bill, and Fay reigned in their fear when they realized their minds were indeed protected by the Cerinians in their company. The approaching APCs then arrived and more of Striker's rogue telepaths disembarked, fanning out in front of them. Their numbers now had grown to 54 and they joined in the telepathic assault against them.

Fox and his fellow Cerinians hissed and redoubled their mental fortifications. They needed to deal with this threat against them before they were mentally worn down. Each withdrew and extended his or her staff. When Renjiro and Isamu planted the ends of their staves on the ground. Falco and Katt suddenly saw an image of themselves with blasters drawn crouched next to Renjiro. Bill and Fay saw flash through their minds a similar vision of themselves next to Isamu.

None questioned the mental command that had been projected into their minds. They understood the plan and acted upon it. When they were in position, their Cerinian protectors extended energy barriers from the tips of their staves down to the pavement. Blasters were drawn, and they immediately began shooting the hostile telepaths. Thirteen were killed outright. Fox and Krystal rushed towards them while shooting multiple fire blasts with their staves, killing six more, before the survivors withdrew their own blasters and started shooting back while taking cover behind the APCs.

Falco and his crew continued to provide cover fire, even while hostile blaster fire impacted against their energy barriers. Most importantly, in those few seconds, the enemy was unable to take aim at Fox or Krystal, giving them time to leap in the air and slam the ends of their staves down onto the ground right between the two armored vehicles. The concrete cracked in successive ripples that quickly radiated outward and toppled both APCs in a violent upheaval of the ground beneath them. The amplified ground quake radiated outwards, knocking every single attacker off their feet.

Beyond the area of effect, Bill swore out loud, "Shit!" He locked eyes with Renjiro. "You Cerinians have some crazy powerful weapons!"

The leader of the guardians returned the bulldog's gaze and replied. _"And we best make use of them while the enemy is off balance." _ As a group, Renjiro, Isamu, Bill, and the Star Falco crew charged at the remaining rogue telepaths. A dozen more fell to the combine volley of staff and blaster fire before they regrouped behind one of the toppled APCs. Falco, Katt, Fay, and Bill took cover behind the other wrecked armored vehicle.

In an attempt to flank the enemy, Renjiro and Isamu moved to one side between the fallen armored vehicles. They took turns erecting energy barriers while the other sent out fire blasts. Fox and Krystal did the same on the enemy's opposite flank and also used their combined telekinesis to wrench blasters from the hands of several of them. Five more rogue telepaths fell under the combined crossfire.

One of the rogue telepaths then threw a thermal grenade at the McClouds. It had the effect of distracting Fox, who had to use his telekinesis to repel the explosive away from them. Both he and his wife quickly erected energy barriers as the grenade impacted the front door of the headquarters building and detonated.

In that moment of distraction, Fox briefly lost his mental focus and suddenly found 18 hostile minds driving past his telepathic barrier into his mind. For three eternally long seconds, he felt like his head would explode and be torn apart from within. Staggering under the mental assault, Fox sank down to one knee while holding himself up by his staff, squeezed his eyes shut, and concentrated on regaining his mental focus.

While immensely worse than what he had experienced from Elder Hiroshi during his telepathic defense exercises, it was nonetheless a matter of mental concentration. And bolstered by his wife, Renjiro, Isamu, and even Kasumi and Akina who were at the far side of the base, he was able to drive out the undisciplined minds attacking his.

To the utter shock and disbelief of those loyal to General Striker, they were confronted with a mind that was impenetrable. This blue-furred tod then locked eyes with them, and all were filled with utter, abject terror that filled their cruel, sadistic hearts. Fox McCloud was outraged. These disgraceful telepaths were an affront to everything he held dear to his heart as a full-fledged Cerinian. The acts of mind rape they had committed on others, and what they had attempted to do to him, were against the core precept of the Telepathic Code of Conduct.

Such people could not be allowed to harm others. Fox took advantage of the lapse in their sloppy concentration and reached into the minds of the two nearest to him. In quick succession, he ruthlessly ripped their minds apart. Seeing two of their numbers collapse to their knees while screaming with their hands pressed against their heads unnerved the remaining 16. Still terrified, they vainly tried to shield their minds, but Fox punched through their weak barriers and ripped two more minds. Krystal, Renjiro, and Isamu soon joined in the telepathic assault, together causing seven more to collapse while shrieking in agony as their minds were also destroyed.

Being confronted by four furious Cerinians with telepathy far superior to their own, the remaining seven rogue telepaths threw their blasters on the ground and dropped to their knees. "Mercy!" "Don't hurt us!" "We surrender!" several pleaded.

"MERCY?!?" Renjiro roared. "You disgraceful excuses for telepaths....YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF SUCH POWER!!!!" The leader of the guardians seethed as he paced back and forth in front of the prostrating telepathic Cornerians. "And since you acquired your ill-gotten powers through the blood of one of our own, you shall be subjected to Cerinian justice. You will submit to having your powers forcefully taken from you." He then stopped and glared at them. "In the years to come, you might grow to regret the atrocities you have committed, and perhaps seek us out in friendship, but none of our kind will ever acknowledge you again."

Krystal in turn snarled. "But I doubt any of you will ever get the chance. The people of this world are not likely to forgive any of you for the acts of mind rape you have committed against many of them. I suspect all of you will spend the rest of your lives in prison." She then projected her own rage towards the cowering, defeated followers of General Striker. "But make no mistake. If any of you attempt to telepathically attack any of us, we will not hesitate to destroy your minds."

Having witnessed the telepathic battle from within the group mind link, Falco, Katt, Bill, and Fay were taken aback by the mental powers the Cerinians had displayed, and they knew without a doubt that their longtime friend Fox was one of them. He truly was Fokkusu in the fullest of sense. "Damn. Glad to know the Cerinians are on our side." Falco declared.

Bill added his own sober thought. "The power they wield is outright scary."

"We use our telepathic powers like this only when necessary. This is what our clan wars were like three of our centuries ago, and none of us have any desire to return to those days." Akina mentally said to them. "We prefer to use our telepathy to express our love for each other and our friends, to heal troubled and broken minds, and form strong bonds in our communities." _ She then added. _"It is also a good way for us to communicate. It has allowed me to relay your success to your superiors. General Hare is on his way with reinforcements."

The reassuring thoughts went a long way to easing the minds of their non-telepathic friends. It was a reminder of all the warm, friendly telepathic interactions they had experienced with the people of New Cerinia. It was also a reiteration of how sacrosanct the Cerinians held the minds of others around them. Even from within their group mind link, they knew without a doubt that their private thoughts would be respected. It also allowed them to experience the beauty of such powers. Falco and Katt for the first time in their lives had been able to hear each other's thoughts. Bill and Fay knew the feeling as well, and would be forever closer to each other because of it.

The one person in their group that was still profoundly unnerved was Fox McCloud. He gazed down at the ones who had fallen to his telepathic attack. Some were already dead, having suffered massive brain hemorrhages. They laid there with eyes looking up vacantly and blood having flowed out their eyes and ears. And those that were still breathing were completely brain dead. This was the dark side of telepathy, and he had committed these horrific acts.

Thoughts of remorse though were forcefully pushed aside by another presence. "Fokkusu, Stop!" Renjiro sternly admonished his friend. "You have not violated the Telepathic Code of Conduct. Your training as a guardian was not only in telepathic defense, but also offense. And while it is a power all of us hope to never use, it is sometimes necessary to do so."

"I know I should..." Fox began to think, but was interrupted.

"This was a telepathic counter attack against hostiles who would have mind raped us all if they had been able to. We each have every reason to be furious with these monsters. Do you not sense how cruel and sadistic they were?" Renjiro pressed on. "They would have gleefully bereft Makasu and Ofiria of their mother and father. Kushinju and Nozomi might have grown up never learning that Kurisutaru is actually their older sister." _ Akina practically shouted through their group mind link her own outrage. _"And their leader, General Striker, wants us all dead. If he had his way, our race would become truly extinct!"

Fox closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. His fellow Cerinians were right. And as disturbed as he was by what he had done, he would do it all again. Being reminded of his children and his wife's twin baby siblings drove any lingering remorse from his mind and heart. With renewed resolve, he opened his eyes, looked down at the rogue telepaths he had mentally slain, and felt nothing but contempt. "Right. And we are not done yet."

Before any further action could be taken, their group heard the familiar rumble of heavy armor approaching. From across the tarmac they saw several armored personnel carriers and Landmaster Tanks rolling towards them. Fox, Krystal, Renjiro, and Isamu reached out with their telepathy, but sensed no hostility directed towards them. When Bill, Fay, Falco, and Katt saw their telepathic friends stand at ease and sensed no emotion of alarm from them, they relax and holstered their blasters.

The vehicles all arrived, and several squads of soldiers poured out of the APCs. They fanned out with blasters drawn and pointed their weapons at the defeated rogue telepaths. The platoon of Landmaster Tanks turned their guns outward away from the gathering, ready to unleash their fire on any approaching enemy. Out of the two leading tanks emerged Peppy Hare and a white wolf that looked like an older version of Fleet Captain Lupo Ramius. Fox grinned in elation. "You've missed the party, Peppy."

"I think we both know that this was a fight only you and your team could win." Peppy countered. "But we've been busy ourselves. The five CDF bases around Corneria had been taken over were in the control of only a handful of telepaths each. We were able to take most of them out with snipers from a distance."

"So that leaves us just the Senate then." Fox surmised. "I'm betting that is where Striker his holed up."

"What of your prisoners?" asked the white wolf.

Fox frowned and glanced to Peppy. This wolf was an unknown to him. He then glanced back at the telepaths they had defeated. He knew the only reason they were not attacking any of the soldiers around them with their powers was because they feared him and his Cerinian friends. "We'd need to keep them secured in isolated cells away from the rest of you until we can deal with them."

"I might have the place." the wolf offered, and then identified himself. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Wulfred Ramius, director of the Cornerian Security Agency."

_"Woah. The head honcho of the CSA?"_Falco thought to their group.

_"I'm sensing from you that there is some significance to this."_Renjiro observed.

_"All espionage conducted by the Cornerian military is carried out by the CSA."_Bill explained.

_"And this guy is in charge of all the government's spies."_Katt added.

The revelation was not reassuring to the Cerinians. If there was any agency who would covet their powers the most, it would be the one headed by this wolf. Wulfred did not need such abilities to see the uneasy glances they shared. Knowing that it was best to be upfront with them, he spoke honestly.

"Seeing you in action against these traitors, I do admit I'd love to have a team of telepaths working for me." Wulfred confessed. "There's no denying that a telepath would be the ultimate spy, but unlike Gordon Striker, I respect the chain of command. And our Senate has ruled that we shall not pursue that avenue." He then looked balefully at the seven surviving traitors who were still on their knees and trembling in fear. "And knowing what they have done to us, I am forced to admit that Minister Frost was right. Telepathy is best left to Cerinians."

Renjiro sighed and smiled to the Cornerian spy chief. "It is gratifying to know that you understand the true consequences of what General Striker has unleashed." His ears then flattened and his posture sagged. "This battle we won is uncomfortably reminiscent of our clan wars centuries ago. It has forced us to commit acts that we had all hoped to avoid."

Wulfred could see that it weighed upon them. Even this new Fox McCloud, who for all intents was completely Cerinian, was troubled. "I am truly sorry we could not stop Striker in time. I do hope we can make amends to your people somehow, when this is over." He then smirked. "That being said, once you are done making pups and have passed on that duty to the next generation, I hope that I can convince a few of you to work for me."

Fox could not fault this wolf for not giving up on his desire to recruit them, but shook his head. "Sorry to break it to you, but we'll be busy raising all those pups for decades."

Wulfred shrugged disarmingly. "Ah well, I had to ask. In the meantime, we have isolation cells where we can hold these prisoners until you are ready to deal with them. They will be joining the agent we captured just before Striker and his followers attacked us."

"We should sweep headquarters first to make sure none are hiding." Fox advised. He and his wife nodded and turned to their non-telepathic friends. "You guys, come with us. Renjiro, Isamu, keep watch over the prisoners." With the McClouds leading the way, they swept through every floor of the CDF headquarters building. None were found until they reached the top floor.

The entire level was utterly devastated. The charred bodies of six rogue telepaths were found scattered around where the entrance to the general's office had been. "Wow. Peppy does not mess around." Fay mentally exclaimed.

"Striker must have been furious when he found out." Katt mused.

"He's probably even madder now. He's bound to know we are coming for him." Krystal pointed out. She then indicated the bodies. "These corpses still are likely to have intact telepath DNA in them."

Falco unholstered his blaster and confirmed that it was at its highest setting. "Then let's make sure there is nothing left of them." He then fired on each body, disintegrating them to their atoms.

*****

They were soon gathered again in front of the headquarters building, and loading the prisoners into one of the APCs, accompanied by the Cerinians, with one Cornerian soldier driving. The convoy then drove across the base to the CSA headquarters where the prisoners were each locked away in seven separate cells, deep inside the lowest subbasement level. Afterwards, they were joined by Tony Quentin, who had brought Akina and Kasumi safely to them.

Wulfred Ramius watched the two vixens, who were instrumental in their clandestine activities, embrace their husbands. Sergeant Quentin had acquitted himself in ensuring the safety of these vixens. He intended to put in his name for promotion to master sergeant. Renjiro's wife had provided the communication between the CDF and this team led by Cerinians that was utterly impossible to intercept or jam since it was via telepathy. He especially admired Isamu's wife. She had hacked into General Striker's communications network without being discovered. Perhaps in a decade, when she was done giving birth to Cerinian pups, he could convince her to work for him. But there were more pressing matters at hand. "So what are we going to do with these traitors?"

"We have a means of stripping them of their powers. It was the punishment we dealt on Cerinia to anyone who committed the high crime of mind rape." Renjiro explained. "When we have defeated Striker and his followers, we'll make arrangements to deal Cerinian justice to these criminals."

"What's the situation at the Senate?" Fox asked.

"We knew something was wrong when they sent orders to destroy New Cerinia, especially given that the Senate just the day before voted to gift Eladard to the Cerinians."

"Eladard?!?" Fay exclaimed. "That planet is in ruins, what with all of Andross' factories littering the place without regard to the pollution they put out."

"It is now." Wulfred nodded. "And it will take decades to clean up and then terraform, but that is the plan."

Peppy put in. "Estimates are that it will take 20 to 25 years to first scrub out all contaminants, and then another 60 or so years to terraform the planet, using seeds taken from your Legacy." The general walked up to Renjiro and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It is good to hear that so many pups are now being born in New Cerinia, but estimates are that you'll number about a million in 87 years. That will put a strain on the Cape Claw area and start to encroach on the local Saurian population. It would not be fair to them, especially when they were kind enough to give you a home to start rebuilding your civilization."

"Yes. And we are grateful to them for it." Renjiro nodded. "I do admit that with only about 100 of us, including the 50 children that were recently born, thoughts of what our civilization would be like 90 years from now was the farthest thing from my mind." The tod closed his eyes and a tear ran down the side of his muzzle. "To think that in my old age, I might see our numbers grow to over a million..."

What Wulfred and Peppy had just revealed began to sink into his mind. "And your government was planning to gift us a whole planet? And turn it into a second Cerinia with the seeds from our Legacy?" he asked in a voice choked with emotion.

"The planet would be cooler than your old home, and it would have polar ice caps, but the equatorial regions would be close to what the temperate regions were on Cerinia." Peppy explained. "Regardless, the planet is large enough to easily sustain a population of over a billion, especially if your people are able to adapt to the cooler regions away from the tropics."

"A billion..." Renjiro could not even begin to wrap his mind around such a large number of his people. "We were only 500 million on our world...."

"The report I read gave an estimate that it would take about 145 years to fully restore your old population if all successive generations of your vixens continue to each have 20 pups in their lifetimes." Peppy affirmed. "And Sauria cannot sustain that many without driving out their indigenous population, which would not be right. The only alternative would have been to scatter your people among the habitable worlds of Lylat: Corneria, Fortuna, Katina, Zones, Aquas, and eventually Fichina, once it was terraformed."

"It would have made it difficult for us to maintain our culture and traditions, let alone for our vixens to continue having pups from our Legacy." Renjiro surmised.

"Precisely, which is why the Senate had approved funding to clean and terraform Eladard for your people." Wulfred put in. "So when the very next day they sent an order to eradicate all of you, we knew it had to be false. It would also fit with General Striker's motives. He knows that you are the only ones capable of stopping him without resorting to massive bloodshed."

The director of the Cornerian Security Agency, the branch of the government tasked with espionage and counter intelligence, then briefed them on what his agents were able to determine. "Long range observations indicate that no senator has left the Senate building since the attack yesterday. Guards that we have identified as telepathic followers of General Striker are now posted at each entrance to the Senate building."

"Any communication from inside?" Fox asked.

"Only a single message from one of the senators saying that they had everything under control. Voice analysis of the recording indicate that he was highly agitated and afraid." Wulfred replied. "And none of our agents have been able to approach, even with stealth suits, given that the enemy are telepaths."

"Lend us stealth suits. They'll not be able to see or sense us." Fox assured while he and the other Cerinian guardians ejected spent energy crystals from their staves and replaced them with fully charged ones.

It was now well past midnight. A passenger van drove along the streets of Corneria city through the light, after-hours traffic towards the Senate building and pulled into a dimly lit parking lot a few blocks away. Out of public view, the doors opened and then closed, with nobody appearing to have exited or entered the vehicle.

Navigating the sidewalks towards the Senate building while invisible proved to be somewhat of a challenge in order to avoid colliding with the few pedestrians out this late at night, and would have proved impossible to do so during the day. Thankfully, the number of Cornerian citizens thinned out in the final city block before reaching the open plaza in front of their objective.

Keeping the cowl of his stealth suit over his head, Fox gazed through his binoculars at the entrances to the building in the distance. "It's like Director Ramius said. There are guards posted at each entrance, even the side ones."

"How are we going to get by them?" Falco mentally asked.

"By keeping our emotions in check." Renjiro advised. "We could not fault you for your unease when we attacked the headquarters of your military. Having not gone through the mental discipline that we telepaths go through, you had no way of knowing what to expect. This time, you do. You've seen how we protected your minds from telepathic attack."

"So guys. You think you can remain perfectly calm like us telepaths?" Fox asked.

"Damn right, we can." Falco declared with a renewed bravado. "You shield us with your staves and your telepathy, and we'll do the shooting."

Fox, Krystal, Renjiro, and Isamu could all sense the confidence in their non-telepathic friends and were deeply touched by their complete trust in them. But being the most familiar with ground combat from his years as a mercenary, Fox had to temper their enthusiasm. "They'll never see us coming, but let's hold off on the shooting first. There are bound to be hostages inside."

With the mental focus of disciplined telepaths, the Cerinians led the group across the plaza towards the Senate building. They were now ten meters from the front entrance, passively sensing the guards with their empathy. All they sensed were emotions of confident arrogance from these vigilant followers of General Striker.

Without saying a word, they silently walked away and went along the front of the building until they were around to the side. There, they came upon a lone black wolf. From his demeanor alone, they could discern that he was restless and agitated. The bleary eyes he gazed out of at his surroundings was also a sure sign of exhaustion. When a shout was heard from within the building whose side entrance he was guarding, the wolf flinched.

"He is struggling to control his telepathy." Fox observed. "It reminds me of what I went through when my own powers awoke, before Kurisutaru guided me through my first meditation exercise."

"Yes, this person is a prime example of a telepath who has never received training." Renjiro mentally sighed.

"I also sense regret from him." Krystal observed.

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage." Katt offered. Any further mental discussion was put on hold by the arrival of another individual. She, and the other non-telepaths in their group mentally quieted themselves and passively observed this brown and black feline who had emerged out the side entrance they were contemplating.

The wolf they had been discussing took a deep, shuddering breath, but remained where he was. "I'd rather stay at my post outside here, where it's quiet."

"Doesn't matter. The general doesn't want anybody to fall asleep at their posts. You are relieved." Replied the felid with an impatient gesture.

"And I don't care what Striker says. I'm not going inside." He growled while rubbing his temples in a vain attempt to relieve the throbbing headache that was tormenting him. "There are too many minds in there. Even out here, I hear the voices, but at least, they are not as loud."

"Well, get used to it! This is what we signed up for."

"I DID NOT..." He began to shout in a fit of temper, and then took a deep breath and whispered loudly to his compatriot. "I did not sign up to have voices shouting in my head, or to rip the minds of fellow Cornerians."

"Oh quit your whining." replied the relief guard with a roll of his eyes. "They were against us. They got what they deserved."

The callous way this person derided those they had telepathically killed infuriated the wolf. His hackles rose and his ears flattened against his head. The deep growl that welled up from within was both in anger towards this feline and disgust with himself. "They were CDF soldiers, just like us. They didn't deserve what we did to them just for doing their duty."

The felid hissed and drew back, not liking the disturbing aura that this wolf was projecting. "Fine! You want to mope and feel sorry for yourself? Then stay out here for all I care." With a final growl, he turned and stormed back into the building with his tail lashing in disgust.

Lieutenant Devin Wulfrick remained at his post guarding the side entrance to the Senate and gazed up at the night sky with despair and regret in his heart. Everything he had read on his favorite media sites seemed so plausible. He had truly believed that a leftist conspiracy had ousted Senator Starkey and Gordon Striker. So when he had been approached by one of the general's agents, he had jumped at the chance to strike out against a corrupt government. That the Cerinians were behind this conspiracy seemed doubtful to him though. Otherwise, Fox McCloud would not have sided with them.

He had eventually ended up at the secret base on Eladard and been offered the power to telepathically dominate those who enabled this corruption. A few days after the nanite injection, he had started hearing the thoughts of those around him. It had at first been disconcerting to hear so many voices in his head, but at least they thought along the same lines as he did.

Then came the training, or what passed for it. They soon figured out how to project thought and emotions toward each other. Telepathic attacks took more time to figure out though. Simian and reptilian civilians and agents from Venom had been captured and taken to Eladard as prisoners. Devin would never forget the day he had entered the interrogation room and faced that one ape who had been bound to a chair.

He had sensed her fear, and from her surface thoughts he knew why. She had heard of what had happened to the other prisoners. It took every gram of effort on his part to ignore her fearful pleadings. After a few attempts, he figured out how to forcefully read the prisoner's thoughts. Doing his best to ignore her sobs, he kept reminding himself that she was just an ape from Venom, an enemy world whose people had followed Andross.

It was with these thoughts that he capitulated to the urgings of his trainer. Under his guidance, he tuned out her terrified pleas and pushed deeply into her mind, and then telepathically ripped it out. With this final act, his first victim's cries turned to a screech of agony before she slumped over with a vacant look and blood trickling from her mouth, eyes, and ears.

And that had been just the beginning. His trainers had him telepathically interrogate captured Venom agents multiple times, both reptilian and primate. He actually did not feel as bad about that, especially with the intelligence they had gained against them. Yet, he was still disturbed by the act of destroying the minds of each prisoner when they were done with him or her. He could only surmise that his superiors were wanting to desensitize him from committing such horrific acts.

If so, it had not fully worked. When they had attacked the Senate and used their telepathy to kill the security force protecting the seat of Lylat's government, he had been horrified by what he had done. Ripping up the minds of Venom agents and civilians had been bad enough, but now he found himself committing such terrible acts against their own people. Was it really all for a good cause?

Having read the minds of the many senators, the seeds of doubt that had been planted were now in fact fully bloomed. Yes, there were some who were corrupt. Yes, quite a few were self-serving. But as a whole, the vast majority were reasonable, moderate individuals, with some leaning slightly to the left and others leaning a bit to the right of the political spectrum.

Their reactions to General Striker's takeover had been wide and varied, ranging from craven cowardice to outrage. It led Devin to one inevitable, unpleasant conclusion. General Striker and Senator Starkey were traitors, and by joining the general, he had become one too. With these thoughts in mind, his heart was again filled with renewed despair and regret. He so wished he had never been led so far astray. He wished he had never become a telepath. He desperately wished he could find a way out.

"We need to talk."

The voice that Devin suddenly heard was the last thing he ever expected. Even more startling was the fact that he could not sense anyone nearby. "Who....who are you? Why can't I sense you?"

"You cannot sense us because we have mastery over our powers. We are the ones whose blood was stolen that granted the powers you had no right to claim." replied the voice. Then, out of the gloom shimmered into view a vulpine form. Devin was filled with trepidation as he beheld this inscrutable apparition. But when his curiosity got the better of him and he tentatively tried to probe the mind of this visitor, his telepathy was rebuffed by a solid, impenetrable wall.

"Do not even attempt to probe my thoughts!" hissed the fox as he stepped into a pool of light from the side entrance. What Devin saw filled him with a profound, paralyzing fear that gripped his heart and rooted him on the spot. There was no mistaking the distinctive blue fur. Before him stood a Cerinian.

Added to his fear was an overwhelming shame for all the terrible things he had committed. Trembling, he tore his gaze away from this tod, unable to meet his eyes. "Please. Forgive me.... I..."

"There can be no forgiveness for the crime of mind rape!!" came the stern reply, making the wolf flinch under the harsh rebuke. But what this Cerinian said next kindled within him a glimmer of hope. "But that does not mean we do not pity you."

Tears welled in Devin's eyes and he nodded contritely. "I know what I did was wrong....I so wish I could undo it all...I wish I never had this power....You have to believe me."

"We do believe you, and would know if you were less than sincere." Fox assured the wolf. "It is also a fact that the punishment for the minds you destroyed would be to have your telepathic powers stripped from you and be forever considered a pariah in our society."

Devin was dumbfounded and uncertain. Was this really the only punishment he would face? Another Cerinian shimmered into view in front of him. "We have been observing you for some time. We've sensed your shame, regret, and despair." said Renjiro. Next to him, Isamu appeared and added. "We suspect that you would willingly submit to us to be stripped of your ill-gotten telepathic powers."

"Oh yes....Please. It would be a mercy." he declared. His voice then became choked with emotion at the kindness he was being offered yet felt undeserving of. "I know I'm not worthy of this power and would gladly be rid of it to silence the voices." Then, a blue-furred vixen appeared before him, one he immediately recognized, and told him of the price he would have to pay.

"But make no mistake. You still have to answer for the crimes you have committed against the people of Corneria." Krystal sternly informed him. "But if you help us against Gordon Striker and his followers, and then surrender yourself to the CDF, the judgment against you will likely be less harsh."

Devin bit his lower lip, looked down at his feet, and nodded in resignation. And then, he told them everything he knew of what they could expect inside the Senate chamber. He told them what had happened, which senators had become willing participants, which were uncertain, and who continued to protest, including Uncia Frost, who were all consequently mind raped. He told them which of Striker's telepathic followers just obediently followed the general's orders and who were the more fanatic, sadistic ones, and how many there were and where they were positioned.

He then gave them an account of General Striker's ultimate plans. When he was done, Devin for the first time sensed emotions slip through their telepathic barriers, a mixture of shock and outrage at the audacity and depth of Gordon Striker's treason. The moment though was brief. The wolf could not help but marvel as he watched each of the four telepathic foxes bring the tips of their fingers together in front of their muzzles, close their eyes, and take several slow, deep breaths. As they did so, they quickly faded from perception of his empathic sense.

Falco, Katt, Bill, and Fay had remained hidden from view under their stealth suits while their Cerinian friends interrogated the telepathic wolf. By virtue of the disciplined telepathy of their friends channeling through the focusing gems they wore, they had remained hidden from the repentant lupine. But they too could not suppress the indignation from welling up within them.

When they saw Fox and the other Cerinians begin to meditate, they heard their vulpine friend speak to them in their minds.

"Guys. We're as pissed off about this as you are, but we need to reign it in." Fox thought to them. "Anger's a really strong emotion that they are bound to pick up." To emphasize the point, the telepathic wolf Fox had been interrogating turned towards Falco and his crew, gazed in their direction, and said. "There are more of you, aren't there? I can sense them."

"Yes, but that's not important." Fox replied. "What you should be concerned with is what you'll be doing next. If any of the others inside come out, they will read your mind and know that you've told us everything."

Devin's ears wilted and his tail tucked between his legs. And though he felt better for having done so, it did not change the fact that he had double-crossed General Striker. "I...I guess I should go and surrender myself to the CDF now...."

Fox pointed towards the edge of the plaza that was still out of view of the front entrance. "Go in that direction. General Hare and his contingent will be waiting for you. We've already sent word to him that you are on your way. You'll be arrested for treason, but they'll treat you well since you've cooperated with us and shown remorse for what you've done."

"Thank you...." His voice then became choked with emotion. "I know what I've done is unforgivable, but I'll do everything I can to make amends." And with those words, Devin turned and fled in the direction Fox had pointed.

Katt watched the wolf leave and mentally confirmed to their group. "Everything recorded. That wolf's confession will go a long way to putting an end to the lies people like Senator Starkey have been promoting in the tabloids."

*****

Out of view of the Senate building to one side, the platoons of LandMaster tanks led by General Peppy Hare were gathered. With them were Akina and Kasumi, who had informed them of Devin's remorse and the information he had willingly provided. "He's on his way, General." Akina announced.

"And you're sure he's not going to try to mind rape us?" Wulfred Ramius asked.

"Positive. We could sense his sincerity, and even if he were to change his mind, we can handle him." Renjiro's wife assured the CSA chief. "We may not be trained in telepathic combat like our husbands, but this wolf has the telepathic skill of a pup."

It was not long before Devin came running around a corner and into view of the armed contingent that was waiting for him. A multitude of plasma riffles came up and nervously pointed at the rogue telepathic wolf, who sensed their fear of him. In response, he immediately dropped to his knees, placed his hands behind his head, and looked down at the pavement in front of him.

Devin shivered violently and cried out. "Please don't shoot me! I surrender!" He then remained passive and whined piteously under the assault of the many minds and emotions crowding inside his head. The many thoughts he was hearing were an unbearable jumble, made all the worse by the emotions of fear and hate assaulting his empathy.

Peppy was again reminded that this was what Fox McCloud must have gone through when his own telepathic powers had awakened. That notion was further emphasized when the wolf sobbed. "Please. Make the voices go away!"

At the general's signal, a medic accompanied by the two Cerinian vixens approached the wolf, who began to tremble even more violently. Devin could sense the Cerinian vixens and cringed at the emotions of disapproval they were directing toward him. Akina placed a hand on the nervous medical officer, who immediately calmed down under her soothing telepathic influence.

Devin sensed the calm that washed over this canid medic and looked at him. The medical officer though did not pay him any heed and focused only on his task. His eyes locked onto the hypodermic injector he was preparing. "Will that make the voices go away?"

Akina nodded her head. "It is a powerful sedative that will render you unconscious. It will take a few days to make arrangements to strip you of your telepathy permanently."

The wolf tearfully nodded and extended his arms to the medic. "Thank you...." He then felt the pressure of the drug enter his bloodstream and within moments sank into a blissfully quiet sleep.

Peppy sighed and shook his head sadly as he watched the unconscious wolf being loaded on a stretcher into the awaiting CSA truck. "He had a promising career in the CDF before he was led astray by lies."

Kasumi growled. "That may be so, but he chose of his own free will to repeatedly commit mind rape. We can pity him, but he can never be forgiven for a crime that is worse than murder."

"Don't get me wrong, dearest." Peppy assured the vixen. "Having had a taste of what that feels like on the receiving end, I am the last to say he deserves a pardon. I'm just disappointed in him." He then turned a baleful eye in the direction of the Senate building. "But there'll be no pity for General Striker and the rest of his lot."

"They are about to enter the Senate building." Akina informed them.

*****

Minutes earlier, Fox and his team had gone back into stealth and watched Devin disappear out of view of the Senate building. It was less than a minute later that the telepaths in their group sensed two individuals approaching the side entrance from within the building. So they quietly withdrew a short distance away and watched two followers of Gordon Striker emerged from the side entrance, one being the feline that had previously been ordered to relieve the wolf.

Armed with knowledge they had gained from the repentant lupine, they knew that these two renegades deserved neither pity nor mercy. _"We are clear of the side entrance."_Renjiro thought to his bondmate, who in turn informed Wulfred Ramius.

"Devin's gone!" growled the reddish-brown fox to his feline compatriot. "He must have deserted his post when we sensed the emotions of those unknown individuals."

"Stupid wolf! I should never have left him alone." the felid sighed.

"Yeah, you...." Whatever else the fox was going to say would never be known. Both his head and that of the feline vanished in a ball of plasma that streaked by and burned a crater in the earth behind them.

Fox and his team watched dispassionately these two rogue telepaths become lifeless, headless corpses that fell limply to the ground like puppets whose strings were cut. This naturally did not go unnoticed by the two guards at the front entrance who rushed towards where their comrades had fallen.

Moments later, they too were taken out by two more high-powered bolts of plasma energy to the head, shot by CSA snipers that had station themselves at the top of the two nearest skyscrapers facing the Senate building. The guards at the opposite side entrance were moments later also eliminated in a similar fashion.

Remaining invisible under their stealth suits, the group entered through the open side door of the Senate building.

Walking along the marble floor of the hallway, they could not completely suppress the sound of their echoing footsteps. Fox, Krystal, Renjiro, and Isamu kept calm and gently guided their non-telepathic friends in not letting the tense moment affect them. As they approached the Senate chamber, their lack of total silence proved to not matter though. Any sound they made was drowned out by Gordon Striker's rants.

"....I am a patriot! I have always believed in a strong military, ready to defend Lylat by any means necessary." Fox and his team heard him shout when they were just on the other side of the door to the Senate chamber. Quietly he opened the door and peaked in. Every person within was facing the center of the room. Those nearest had their back to the door, with those at the opposite end also fixated on the center of the chamber and not noticing the side door briefly opening and then closing again.

Still hidden under their stealth suits and the telepathic barriers they continued to maintain, they watched Gordon Striker pace back and forth while he continued his tirade. "It's because of some of you weak-minded fools who would not capitalize in this power to protect Lylat that I had to go into hiding! It took years for my scientist to crack the genetic code for telepathy." He then gestured to his most loyal telepaths who stood behind him around the chief minister's dais. "My takeover of CDF headquarters and this government is proof of how unstoppable my telepaths are, and they did it without firing a single weapon!"

"They did it by ripping the minds of loyal, CDF soldiers whose only crime was doing their duty! That's worse than using blasters, you traitor!" Senator Felicia Tawny shouted angrily.

"It's because of people like you that I've been forced to do this." Gordon retorted. "Now be silent!"

"Yes, be silent! The general is right!" cried Senator Joshua Howly. His words were backed up by the more craven members of the Senate who were ready to follow the renegade general.

Felicia shouted back, "Or else what?!? You'll have one of your minions rip my mind apart like they did to Chief Minister Frost!?"

"We'll have you removed on a vote of no confidence." Winston Starkey countered.

"You have no say in the matter." Senator Tawny hissed. "You were voted out of office by your own constituents." Senator Howly shouted back angrily. "That election was rigged!"

Felicia felt nothing but disgust at the cowardice of some of her fellow senators who were so willing to kowtow to a would-be tyrant in order to regain control of the Senate. "So you'll promote these ridiculous conspiracy theories and bow to this traitor for political gains?!?" Felicia sneered. "And consort with those murderous tabloid vultures who caused the death of Fox McCloud and of my niece, Felice? You make me sick!"

Tears of anger then welled up in her eyes as she glared defiantly back at the right-ring lupine senator. "Did you send out the illegal order to wipe out the Cerinians on Sauria to be on Striker's good side, just when we, including you, had voted yesterday to give them Eladard?" She then spun around and screamed at Gordon Striker. "They were our friends and allies! Future generations might have even joined the CDF. You'd have gotten the telepaths for Lylat that you wanted, you fool!"

Any further rebuke from Senator Tawny was brought to an end when she suddenly collapsed to the floor on her knees with her hands pressed against her head and shrieked in agony

An uproar of angry shouts erupted among many of the senators. "Stop it! Leave her alone!" one senator said. Another shouted, "You say you don't want to harm us, and then have one of your goons use their powers on anyone who disagrees with you?" Many glanced to the other three senators and the chief minister who lay brain dead behind the dais.

Felicia's agonized cries were suddenly replaced by a brief scream of agony from the rogue telepath who had been mind raping the senator. That particular cruel, fanatical follower of General Striker then collapsed dead, his mind utterly destroyed. In that one moment, Gordon Striker's sense of invincibility came crashing down in a jumble of self-doubt and uncertainty.

A sudden silence settled over the Senate chamber, interrupted only by the soft whimpers coming from the feline senator who was curled up on the floor. Gordon's initial shock turned to seething rage. "Who did this?" he asked, while gazing accusingly at the telepaths around him. He had been well aware that Star Falco, allied with a group of Cerinians, had taken back control of the CDF headquarters. The frantic call for backup had been cut short when someone hacked into his communication network. It was for this reason that he had posted his strongest telepaths to watch over the entrances of the Senate building.

Gordon Striker considered the presence of Cerinians on Corneria to be a major threat to his ambitions. He had every intention of taking over the government, and then having his most trusted telepathic agents maintain tight control over the other worlds of Lylat. His ultimate goal would be the invasion and conquest of Venom. Only in that way could he ensure a lasting peace in Lylat.

But there were no Cerinians nearby. The only telepaths he could see and sense were his followers. In his mind, that meant that one among them had double-crossed him. The bullmastiff uttered a deep grown of mounting fury. "Again, I ask. Who did this? Who is the fool who thinks to defy me?"

The answer came in the form of a blue-furred fox that shimmered into view right in front of the dais he was standing upon. "If anybody is a fool, it is you, Gordon Striker." said this tod with a white muzzle and prominent white blaze atop his head. "Being a telepath does not make you all powerful." Fox warned. "Not only were we able to recapture the CDF Headquarters for General Peppy Hare, who is quite alive and well, I'll have you know, but your telepathic agents who had taken control of every military base on Corneria have been eliminated by snipers and overwhelming numbers, without our aid."

And as had often been the case, none recognize Fox. By virtue of his blue fur and his accent and mannerism, none present saw anything but a Cerinian vulpine with penetrating green eyes. "And the guards you had posted at the entrances to the Senate have all been eliminated, thanks to CSA snipers."

"HOW DARE YOU!!!!" Gordon roared. The beginnings of his fit of rage though were cut short by Fox McCloud's wrath.

"NO!!!!" Fox thundered. "HOW DARE YOU!!! HOW DARE YOU PRESUME TO THINK YOU KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR LYLAT!?!" And to Gordon Striker and the telepaths near him, this Cerinian tod suddenly appeared terrifying, even as he continued with a dangerous growl in his voice. "You fool. You would set into motion the same horrors that befell my Cerinian ancestors three of their centuries ago."

He then turned his back to the general and faced the Senate. "Have you all forgotten the presentation by Krystal McCloud years ago where she shared with you our turbulent history and the horrors of our clan wars? Are those among you siding with this traitor so cowardly that you'd condemn Lylat to those same horrors just to hold on to power?"

"Who do you think you are, Cerinian, telling us what to do?" Winston Starkey tried to challenge, but recoiled in fear under Fox's furious glare.

Knowing that Kasumi had taken control of the Senate chamber's cameras and was broadcasting the entire confrontation over the Lylat network, Fox revealed himself. "Who am I? I am Fokkusu, formerly known as Fox McCloud, the great, great, grandson of Takara and Grace McCloud, and husband of Krystal McCloud."

The stunned silence that filled the Senate chamber was deafening, even as this blue-furred Fox McCloud gazed up at the cameras and rebuked those viewers who knew he was referring to them. "And I was content to live the rest of my life as Fokkusu, away from judgmental people who had no business telling me how to live my life, who were foolish to believe the lies of a media that would promote violence against me and my family because I fought back against their intrusion into my private life."

The irony of what he said next was not lost on those listening to him. "I chose to live my life among a race of telepaths who had a greater respect for privacy than any in the tabloids." He then jerked a thumb behind him. "But because of this traitor who stole genetic samples of my blood and that of my son to raise his own army of telepaths, I have come back to keep Lylat from being condemned to a civil war over telepathy? And make no mistake, Fortuna, Katina, Macbeth, Titania, and all the other worlds around Lylat would have rebeled against this traitorous tyrant and raced to develop their own telepaths to counter his followers."

He then rounded back on Gordon Striker and roared. "BECAUSE OF YOU, I AND MY FELLOW CERINIANS HAVE HAD TO COMMIT TERRIBLE ACTS WITH OUR POWERS IN ORDER TO STOP YOU AND YOUR MINIONS FROM MIND RAPING INNOCENTS!" His eyes then cast down upon the latest victim of such an unforgivable act. "...like courageous Senator Felicia Tawny here, whose only crime was disagreeing with you."

Had he known that he had already lost, that everything said and done in the Senate chamber was being broadcast live over the Lylat networks, Gordon Striker might have capitulated...or he might not have done so anyhow. It would never be known because the bullmastiff went into a fit of rage. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!!!!" He then lashed out at Fox McCloud with his own telepathy, and was shocked to hit the same diamond hard wall that his defeated follows had at the Cornerian Defense Force headquarters earlier that night.

Fox McCloud, a fully trained guardian under the mentorship of the last elder of Cerinia, stared back with hard, inscrutable eyes at the undisciplined telepath before him. "Are you so deluded to think you could mind rape me? You are pathetic as a telepath. Unfocused, undisciplined, with barely any control over your powers."

Several more of Gordon Striker's most fanatical followers joined in the mental assault upon this telepathic Fox McCloud, but his mental barrier held fast. To the Cerinian tod, they were weak when compared to Elder Hiroshi's powerfully disciplined mind against whom he had trained in defending from such attacks.

Fox decided to then and there put an end to this battle, but before he could focus his powers on the minds of his attackers, Gordon Striker called out. "Everyone, attack him!"

Suddenly, Fox staggered back under the mental assault of 62 rogue telepaths. Had he gone alone into the Senate chamber, his mental barriers would not have held under the telepathic pressure of so many hostile minds, no matter how poorly disciplined. But he was not alone. Bolstered by his bondmate's telepathy and that of the other Cerinians in their group mind link, his mental barrier held.

But all strained under so numerous a number of hostile minds focusing onto one of their own, and they knew it was only a matter of time before the enemy resorted to blasters. As one, the entire team appeared out of nowhere around Fox. As they had done against Gordon Striker's followers at the CDF headquarters, Falco and Katt crouched under the energy barrier of Isamu's staff and started shooting with their blasters while Bill and Fay did the same with Renjiro providing cover with his staff.

The sudden, surprise appearance of so many opponents momentarily broke the concentration of the rogue telepaths, and before they could refocus their attack or draw blasters, 17 of their number fell under blaster fire in the seconds it took them to dive for cover behind desks, tables, podiums, and chairs.

Pandemonium broke out in the Senate. In the ensuing panic, many dove for cover, with a few dragging Senator Tawny to a recessed corner of the chamber. Upon the telepathic assault being interrupted, Fox and Krystal extended their staves and killed six more with fireballs. While their friends provided cover fire, Renjiro and Isamu joined in the battle. Several senators also fell under the uncoordinated blaster fire of General Striker's followers.

To the remaining 39 rogue telepaths, the four Cerinians were a terrifying sight. Never had they been confronted by such displays of mental power by opponents armed with such weapons. Their fear was amplified many times over when they beheld 14 of their number electrocuted under lightning unleashed from Fox and Krystal's staves. Four more fell to their knees screaming in agony when Fox and Krystal ripped their minds apart. Renjiro and Isamu telepathically destroyed six more.

Gordon and his remaining 15 followers dove for cover behind the dais. In response, Fox and his team broke up into four pairs: he with Bill, Krystal with Fay, Renjiro with Falco, and Isamu with Katt. They then fanned out with the intent to outflank this last remnant of rogue telepaths when Gordon stood up with his back to the wall and a blaster pointed at the head of a catatonic Uncia Frost. "One wrong move, and the chief minister will have what's left of his brain blown up."

When Devin Wulfrick had told him that the chief minister was brain dead from being mind raped, Fox had believed it because the wolf had believed it. But the snow leopard, though not responsive to his surroundings, was still breathing. Fox reached out with his telepathy and was astonished to still feel an intact mind, though it was deeply withdrawn.

"That's right, McCloud." leered Gordon. "You didn't think I'd destroy my own meal ticket to validation of everything I wanted to achieve, did you?"

Fox actually had no idea how this traitor expected using a catatonic chief minister as a puppet would help him achieve his delusional vindication, but he was not interested in hearing any of it, and neither was Krystal. Fox's wife had a soft spot in her heart for the career politician because all his supportiveness towards her and her people. While Gordon Striker was focused on her husband, she quickly reached out with her telekinesis and yanked Uncia Frost from the bullmastiff's arms.

Still oblivious to what was happening to him, Uncia flew into Fay's waiting arms while Krystal erected an energy barrier with her staff. Six more rogue telepaths around Gordon Striker fell in the ensuing blaster fire from Falco, Bill, and Katt. Of those six, four were slain outright while two survived with severe blaster burns. They immediately cried out for mercy and threw their blasters away in surrender.

Of the other nine rogue telepaths that were still unscathed, six fled the room while two of the remaining three promptly surrendered. Gordon growled furiously at seeing all but his last remaining and most loyal telepathic follower flee or surrender. Moments later, massive blaster fire was briefly heard from outside, and all in Fox's team knew that the four who had fled had been killed by the CDF contingent amassed in front of the Senate building.

All that remained was Gordon himself and what was obviously his most devoted, fanatic follower. This brown-furred cat with black stripes had a crazed expression in his disturbingly large, black eyes that left Fox and his fellow telepaths feeling uneasy. While Fox and Renjiro warily approached Gordon and his crazed cat with their staves extended, Falco and Bill fanned out to the sides with their blasters drawn, ready to lay out a crossfire should the general and his loyal minion try anything.

Isamu and Katt went over to guard Krystal and Fay while they tended to the chief minister. Katt glanced over to her Cerinian guardian. "Do you sense any more of Striker's followers hiding?"

"None, but we will sweep the building to make sure after we are done with these renegades." Still keeping his eyes roving and his telepathy actively reaching out to his surroundings, he asked his fellow guardian. "How is Chief Minister Frost?"

"He seems deeply withdrawn within himself." Krystal mentally replied while running her fingers against the snow leopard's temples. "I am no mind healer, but I think his mind is still intact deep down. He must of instinctively retreated there as a defensive measure against telepathic attack. Hopefully, Elder Hiroshi can help him out of this catatonic state that he is in."

"I'm sure your elder can help him." Katt grinned mirthfully. "He did help get Foxy's head on straight." Her smile softened and she gazed towards Falco. "Despite all the terrible things we've seen tonight, I think telepathy is a wonderful thing. It helped my Birdie figure out how much I love him. Because of that, we have a wedding to look forward to."

And through the group mind link, Katt felt a burst of love and joy well up from Falco. "I love you too, Kitty Katt, and can't wait to get hitched with you."

Moments later, General Peppy Hare and CSA director Wulfred Ramius walked in on the aftermath of the battle, followed by a large contingent of armed CDF soldiers. With them were multiple medical officers who fanned out through the Senate chamber to tend to the wounded. "It's over, Striker." Peppy declared. "You're little escapade to overthrow the government is finished."

Gordon glared back defiantly and snarled at Fox with blazing eyes full of anger and frustration. "This is all your fault, McCloud. If you had had your wife give us her genetic material, we could have shared in her powers instead of fighting against each other." He then turned to look at Krystal, who was still tending to the chief minister. And then, all the empathic Cerinians in the group sensed a volcano of total, absolute hatred explode from within Gordon Striker. "This is all her fault. Stupid selfish vixen!"

Then Gordon glanced to his last follower. It was the only warning they had. What happened next transpired over a matter of only a few seconds. Krystal sensed the malicious intent focused on her and gazed up past the top of Katt's shoulder. Her blue eyes locked onto the unnaturally large, black eyes of this mentally disturbed feline. In that moment, she heard his one thought. "Crush!"

None had had any inkling that there would be a telekinetic among Gordon's followers. The repentant wolf they had questioned earlier that evening either did not know of this fact, or had forgotten to mention it. It was only because of this feline's lack of control over his telekinesis that Krystal was spared. Katt though, was not so fortunate. Her chest violently compressed inwards with a sickening crunch of broken ribs. The expression of shock and fear that flickered over her eyes would haunt Krystal and Fox for years to come.

Fox looked on in horror through Krystal's eyes as Katt coughed up blood and collapsed forward onto the floor. "Katt!!!" Falco screamed in abject fear. While he rushed to his fiancée's side, Fox locked enraged eyes onto this crazed feline with only one thought. To make sure he could not harm others, he reached out with his own telekinesis and instantly crushed the head of Gordon Striker's last follower.

Gordon's muzzle and face were splattered with the blood of his follower's imploding head and he instinctively turned away from the gruesome sight, only to have his muzzled impacted with Bill Grey's fist. Before he could even spit out the teeth that had been dislodged, he doubled over from the bulldog's knee being rammed up into his gut. Bill then delivered the final blow to the side of the traitor's head, knocking the bullmastiff unconscious.

Time then seemed to speed back up to its normal pace. Fox and Bill rushed to their fallen comrade's side. Several medics converged around Katt and began to frantically try to revive her. "Great Maker!" one said in a hushed voice full of alarm. "Massive internal bleeding....multiple fractured ribs impaling the chest cavity....massive internal organ damage....cardio and pulmonary damage..." He immediately called over his comm. "I need emergency life support over here, stat!!"

Through a veil of tears, Falco looked up and saw Fox kneeling to one side of the medic with his eyes closed in desperate concentration. He glanced over next to him and saw Krystal in the same pose. "Please save her. I can't lose her...not now...."

"We're trying...." they thought back. But undoing damage to vital organs at the cellular level was proving to be an insurmountable task. Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics was as applicable to telekinesis as it was with anything else. It was always easier to destroy and break things than it was to undo such damage. This was especially true for cardiac tissue, arterial walls, bronchial tubes, and a multitude of other such delicate, complex biological systems.

Falco looked on helplessly from the medic desperately trying to keep Katt alive to Fox and Krystal who were beginning to tremble with the effort. In that moment, he knew and despaired. His mind shut down and he sat back, becoming completely disconnected. He looked on numbly as a team of medics rushed in and hooked up tubes and wires to her head and chest. Their frantic words, "she's fading fast." and "we're losing her." barely registered in his mind.

Then time came to a sudden halt. Fox and Krystal lifted their eyes and saw Katt's glowing pink form gazing down at her body. "Well, this sucks." she grumbled. Krystal then recalled security officer Jimmy Barker, who had nearly died during the failed hijacking attempt of the Ocean Breeze years ago. He too had had an out of body experience, and his soul could have gone either way. Fortunately for him, medical help had arrived in time and his spirit had been drawn back into his body.

Krystal and Fox both sagged in defeat. It was apparent now that it was going to go the other way this time. Katt looked down sadly at her friends. "Looks like this is it. Thanks for all the good times we had, guys." She then turned her gaze to Falco. Because he was still part of the group's mind link, Falco was able to see Katt's soul looking back at him. "Afraid we'll have to put the wedding off for a while yet, Birdie. I have to go now, but I'll be waiting for you."

Falco Lombardi looked up at the one girl he would have married and saw her drift away into a soft, welcoming light. He so desperately ached to follow her, wished with all his heart that he could in that moment die as well. Her final parting words were the only thing that would in the years to come prevent him from committing suicide. "You still have a part to play in this life, Love. We'll have our wedding when we are together again, and there will be no 'till death do us part'."

And with those final parting words, Katt Monroe's soul vanished into the light.