Promotions and Upgrades

Fox sighed softly as he pulled the lever up on the steering wheel neck to put the car in park. He leaned against the steering wheel, thinking a bit before he went into the base. He knew that this was contrary to what he had wanted. If he went through with this, he knew that his squadron would be held contempt to military rules and regulations, no longer able to employ the tactics and strategies that made them so successful.

The vulpine sat there for quite a while, losing track of time while he thought when he heard a soft tp on the window of his car. He looked over, seeing a white gloved hand. He followed the hand back to the arm it was attached to, and then worked his way up to see the black visor of n officers hat, encircled by red. The hat was nudged up so Fox could see who it was. When the hat moved, it revealed the concerned face of General Pepper.

Fox's breath hitched in his throat as he opened the door, stepping out and saluting the old hound. His salute was returned, but with an air of hesitation. The General reached over and pulled Fox's paw down, puzzled. "Fox, you don't have to salute me, your not part of the Cornerian Army, you and I both know that." He stared at the vulpine for a few moments, then took a deep breath. "Fox, is something wrong?" The hound could tell Fox was stressed about something, but didn't know what. "Fox, walk with me, I know you have something to say, so let's get it cleared up" He put a hand on the squadron commander's shoulder, leading him along.

Fox didn't know what to think of the General's actions as he spoke up. "I'm sorry General, it's just that...I need to talk to you about something. Before you called that job in to us, I thought the Gret Fox was going to shut down entirely, that we would have no food, that our Arwings would cease to function. Our jobs since the war have been too far between to keep us going at peak efficiency. Our mercenary lifestyle won't be able to stay afloat much longer, which is why I'm asking if your offer to fuze with the army is still on the table" The General looked over at Fox. "Yes, of course it is. I knew that from what Slippy had told me while you were on Sauria. He confessed that he was worried, and thanked me for sending you on the job. I never knew jobs were that uncommon for the team."

Fox nodded, letting his pride drop out of him as he swallowed and continued on with his question. "Can...Can I take you up on the offer General?" Fox was hoping that the officer would allow it, and his hopes were granted as the hound smiled and nodded. "Is that what was troubling you? Why didn't you just say so, Fox?" Fox's ears flattened against his head as he began to explain. "I didn't want to be hindered by the rules nd regulations that the military uses. Rules would keep us from running our best, and I didn't want to take away the team's freedom." The General continued to smile. "If you really want to continue like this, then you can, you'll be placed in the special forces wing." Fox perked up. "Thank you so much General!" Fox was shocked that the General was so lenient on the matter.

Fox suddenly began to slow down, his ears flattening against his head again. "Can I ask you one more thing?" Pepper nodded, urging him to continue. "Can I get Krystal into a class at the flight academy?" Pepper began to laugh softly. "Of course you can, just as long as she isn't a daydreamer, like you were when we first crossed paths" Fox's eyes darted down and his ears fell further as he began to remember his first day at the academy.

The flashback proceeded as if time had stopped, Fox was back in his body, sitting in his desk at the academy. He had picked a seat near one of the windows, looking out he could see the green foliage and the sapphire sky above. It was perfect for a first day at school, if it could be called that. A dog was sitting next to Fox, and a toad in front of him. Fox quickly recognized them. Slippy turned around and stared at the dog, flashing a grin and shaking nervously. It had taken quite a bit of work to get into the academy, even for Fox. The dog returned the grin and looked over at Fox. "Well, buddy, I see you made it in here too, huh?" Fox recognized the voice as one that belonged to Bill Gray, a friend he had known since kindergarten, along with Slippy.

Fox chortled at the question. "I should be asking you that, Bill" Fox had scored considerably well on the entrance exam, Bill fell in behind him, and Slippy placed in the top five. Slippy quickly quieted the two as the door to the classroom opened. The rest of the class fell silent as a hound in a freshly pressed officer uniform slowly walked into the room, stepping slowly and putting his weight into the steps, making it clear that even though his head and eyes were straight, he was already observing them like a vulture eying a new meal.

The officer had a double bar insignia, indicating he was a Captain, quite high for that of an instructor, which was usually reserved for a 2nd Lieutenant. The Captain stopped at the board and gingerly set a book on his desk, removing his hat seconds later to reveal the floppy ears that were common among the Cornerian populace. Most of the planet consisted of canines. He moved his eyes over the class and reached for a clipboard on the desk. He looked down it silently, then turned back to the class. "I am going to call roll. When I say your name, you will answer with 'Here, Sir', am I understood?" The class nodded in unison, The officer waited another moment as he continued to watch them, then turned his eyes down to the clipboard. Every name he called was responded to with the answer he was looking for. He continued to the bottom of the list, calling the last three names and looking at them. "McCloud, Toad, Gray. Is that everyone? Good. I am your instructor, Captain Pepper. You are in this academy to learn the rules of being a pilot and soldier in the Cornerian Army. It is my duty to make sure you know those rules. You will know how to recite them in your sleep by the end of the year." Fox didn't know it yet, and neither did anyone else in the room, but the instructor they would learn to loathe would one day become commanding officer of the Cornerian Army.

He began instructing the cadets, but Fox's mind began to wonder as he grew bored, noticing the way the room smelled of ammonia, it had been cleaned recently, the steel chairs and desks reflected the light well. He faintly heard someone calling his name. Bill grabbed his shoulder and shook him lightly, waking him from his daze. He looked at his friend, who in turn pointed toward the instructor, who was waiting patiently. "Mr McCloud, are you listening, or are you just daydreaming?" Fox was trying to think of an answer, stuttering out "No sir, I was listening" Pepper frowned and looked intently at the vulpine. "Then tell me, what was the answer to the last question I asked?" Fox mentally cursed. He was playing the question trick, just like teachers in grade school had done. "I don't know." He finally answered, sinking into his chair. Pepper pointed his ruler at fox, the light glinting off the metal like a sword. "If you continue to daydream and lose focus, I will fail you in this class, and you will not receive your pilot's license, am I understood?" Fox nodded. He had to pull it together.

The scenery around Fox began to dissolve, returning to the small confines of corridors characteristic of a Cornerian military base. He was back in the present, still processing the data that Pepper had just let seep into his brain. Fox sighed and turned to his old instructor. "Thank you, for letting me do this." Fox stopped as he noticed the General was holding a small box. "Fox, take this, do not open it until you return to your team. The names inside are under the proper insignia. Good luck with your decision...Lieutenant Colonel McCloud." Fox was puzzled, but didn't have time to think as Pepper snapped off a crisp salute. Fox returned it with an air of calmness surrounding him. He spun on his heel and exited the base, returning to his car.

The vulpine's mind was a jumble of thoughts as he drove the 20 mile distance home. As he arrived at the home occupied by his team, he slowly trudged up the stairs, still confused on what Pepper meant as he slid his key into the locks and opened the door. The Star Fox team was still where he had left them, and turned when the door opened. He quickly strode to where he had been sitting earlier nd looked at the box in his hand, Falco breaking the silence. "What's in the box, Fox?" The avian began to chuckle as he noticed he had made a rhyme. Fox continued to stare at the small wooden box in his hand. "I don't know, but we're about to find out" He announce, opening the box and almost getting blinded as a light reflected off of the items within. Four rank insignia were inside, sitting snug inside indents in the purple velvet holding them all in place. Under each insignia, was a rank followed by each last name. Fox had been sent straight to Lieutenant Colonel, just as Pepper had said that sent Fox into a jumble of confusion. He was now officially the rank of typical squadron commander in the Cornerian Air Force. Slippy had been promoted up to the rank of Captain, two silver double bars hovering just above his name. Falco was given the position of Major, a golden oak leaf sitting there in the box, one for each shoulder, and Krystal had been given a commission straight t 2nd Lieutenant. Fox handed out the ranks to the rest of the team and gazed at his own silver oak leaves.

Falco stood and walked to his room without a word, Slippy doing the same. Only Fox and Krystal remained. She admired the new insignia she had, twirling it about in her paws. Fox felt very at ease watching her. The vixen looked up at Fox and smiled. He returned the smile, absentmindedly twirling the insignia in his paw, forgetting he was doing it after a while.

Krystal bit her lip as she thought, wanting to start a conversation, but visibly nervous. Fox caught onto this and started it up for her. "So, Krystal, how have you been since you joined the team?" The vixen sighed in relief, but Fox didn't notice it. He was too intent on how beautiful she was to mind her sigh. He was beginning to blush through his fur as he thought more and more. Krystal giggled as she noticed it. "Um, Fox? I should probably tell you I'm a telepath" she said, stifling more giggles as Fox turned even redder. Krystal knew this was having quite a bit of an effect on the vulpine. "Don't be shy Fox, it's alright. I'm not going to probe your mind without your consent" She said, finally breaking out into a fit of laughter.

Fox's ears flattened out against his head for what seemed like the millionth time today. "Krystal, whe I went to talk to General Pepper today, to get the team into the military, I asked if he could get you into the Cornerian Flight Academy, it's where I went to learn to fly, and I thought maybe you should go there too. The General said he would instruct you further if you would like, with the rest of the team to observe and help in certain situations. He taught me, and helped me become the pilot I am today. I know that under his guidance, you'll become a great pilot, so what do you think about it?"

Now it was Krystal's turn to blush, the red tint seeping through her blue fur. "I don't know Fox, what if I'm not good enough?" The vulpine smiled at her, his blush leaving him. "I'm positive that you'll become one of the best pilots I know, you'll be learning from the best, and the person who taught the best. I promise you'll get the hang of it quickly." Krystal's face cleared as she smiled wider at her commander. "Thank you, Fox, for the motivation and the chance to become a part of the team." The newly commissioned Lieutenant Colonel flashed his trademark grin, one of his canines showing through and glinting at her. "Don't thank me, thank General Pepper." Krystal nodded. "I will. When do we start?" Fox thought about what Pepper had said earlier. "We start training you in three days, beginning at eight in the morning, and continuing on until three in the afternoon. Same hours he taught Slippy nd myself under."

Krystal thought for a moment, taking it all in, and beamed at Fox, running over and hugging him. "Thank you, Fox, for the opportunity, and that sounds great." Fox was back to blushing, very severely this time. "I-it's nothing, I just wanted to try and help you in replacing Peppy, and I thought you might enjoy it" He said, barely managing to get through the last words as Krystal unwrapped her arms from around the orange vulpine's neck.

It was getting late now, and the sun was beginning to set. The Star Fox team was no longer a mercenary unit, but it had transformed into a special operations wing in the Cornerian military. One conversation had changed the role of a team that had saved the entire Lylat System. Krystal was already up the stairs and into her bedroom before Fox came to his senses. He sat back and relaxed, thinking about how the day had progressed. It was all coming into view now. Despite the reluctance he had while making the decision, he could tell it was going to start paying off very soon.

The Colonel stood, stretching and popping a few joints, he traveled up the stairs and stopped at Falco's door, knocking softly and grasping the door handle as he heard his falcon team mate sy the door was open. He opened the white wooden door, spotting Falco sitting on his bed and staring at the golden leaves he had gotten earlier. The avian looked up to his commander, a small grin appearing on his face. "So, what did Pepper say earlier? About how we're getting set up?" Falco already knew the answer, knowing the old hound was quite lenient to the team. Fox smiled softly at his wing man. "It's almost like we never joined. I mean, sure we have to wear the uniforms and go with military regulations, but out there on the battlefield, we take orders from no one. He said we could stay in our own squadron, not bogged down by orders from higher brass." Falco grinned and stood up, walking past Fox into the hallway. "Let's tell Slippy, I'm sure he wouldn't mind either way, but might as well let him in on it now"

Fox nodded, repeating the procedure he had done with Falco and entering Slippy's room with the Falcon. Slippy took it all in pretty calmly, but had one question to ask. "Wait...what about the Great Fox?" Fox grinned at the toad, letting his answer out. "Pepper paid off the loan that my father took out to get her built. She's all ours now, and she's going under renovations and upgrades tomorrow. While we train Krystal in the cockpit, I want you to supervise the upgrades nd the new design, clear?"

The little green toad was ecstatic. "Fox, I'm starting to think that this was a great idea. We get to keep everything we had as a mercenary squadron, and we get so much more. No worrying about where our next meal is coming from, no worrying about wht our next job will be, now it's all set up in order, and our ship is going too be better than ever. If they upgrade the Great Fox, I'm doing some upgrading of my own to the Arwings and the Landmasters." Fox nodded at his mechanic. "I wouldn't have it any other way Slip, you start work on them tomorrow morning, so be at the base early, Peppy will be there to meet you, so get some rest, both of you." He said, smiling at Slippy and turning around. "Go on Falco, to bed with you too" The avian groaned and mumbled under his breath about meeting someone, but Fox didn't care, he was tired, so it didn't matter what Falco did, Fox planned to get a good night's sleep tonight, and that was final.

The vulpine crawled into bed, laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. He spent a while thinking about how the day had gone. It wasn't long before his eyelids grew hevy and he finally fell asleep.