By Gray Lancer

Authorís notes: Wolf OíDonnell has been given an elite commando army to use in terrorist
tactics. The Cornerian Military is powerless to do anything, Star Fox is off fighting
Andross, Mercenaries are unwilling to take the job... the only hope against Wolf and his
forces are a group of young warriors who must face their destinies and fight on the side of
good.

Visit my web page for more writing: http://StarFoxObsession.OnTheWeb.Nu

-Virit Point, Aquas

        Rob Territ and his wife Samantha walked down the beautiful streets of Virit Point, a floating city
on Aquas. The sun was shining down brightly and the sea air was being stirred up by a light breeze. In
short, it was a perfect day.
        They turned onto one of the many pedestrian-only streets in Virit point and walked towards a
small cafe near the end of the street. There were lots of other people walking the streets, but the crowd
didnít make things seem cramped. On the contrary, it made things seem more alive.
        Rob turned to his wife,
        ìLunch is on me.î
        She nodded and smiled,
        ìGood. Nice day, isnít it?î
        ìYeah. Coming to Virit Point for a week was a good idea. Iím feeling better already.î
        ìUh-huh. Iím just glad you decided to take some time off from your job to come here. You need
the vacation.î
        Rob laughed and nodded. He looked around the crowd and sighed.
        A loud sound rang out, followed by a scream of pain. Rob and his wife looked around the crowd.
The people were beginning to panic. Someone shouted out,
        ìHeís been shot!î
        Another sound. Rob realized it was the sound of gunshots. Someone was firing down into the
crowd with a semi-automatic rifle.
        The shots grew more frequent. Rob and Samantha ducked down to keep out of sight. Rob heard
gunfire coming from the ground now. He looked around and saw police officers firing weapons at the
gunman.
        Rob grabbed his wifeís paw and they dashed towards the cover of some nearby buildings.
        They never made it. Rob saw his wife Samantha get hit by one of the large caliber bullets and fall
down dead. He gaped in horror at the sight. The next and last thing he remembered was one of the same
bullets impacting his body. He was thrown to the ground... dead before his body could even hit.

-Corneria Elementary School playground

        Jennifer Bridgetís best friend Lisa shouted across the playground the puma,
        ìHey! Jenny! Come here, come here, come here!î
        Jennifer jumped up from where she was sitting and ran over to her friend, a kit fox about the
same age as her. Lisa stopped to catch her own breath and continued speaking at a normal rate,
        ìThe boys wanna play war with us.î
        ìWith us? What?î
        ìStar Fox war. They need someone to be Katt Monroe aní Fara Phoenix.î
        Jennifer rolled her eyes and sighed. War had to have been popular back when everyone was still
swimming around in the ooze that had been Corneria. The real-life war against Andross just gave kids a
new set of characters to pretend to be.
        Lisa cocked her head at Jennifer, as if expecting an answer. Jennifer finally responded,
        ìOh, Ok. But only if I donít get captured this time!î
        The last time they had played war, Jennifer had ended up captured by enemy soldiers. And the
time before that, and the time before that, and so on back to when she had first been conned into playing
war with the boys.
        Lisa nodded understandingly and dashed off at top speed to where the boys were. Jennifer
followed as fast as she could. They found the boys sitting around a group of bushes and talking. Tom
Mahki, a fennec fox in the grade below Jennifer, was arguing about his role,
        ìI donít wanna be Slippy! Slippy is the worst! I hate beiní Slippy aní you always makes me
Slippy!î
        The lead boy, a fox named Jaret who was obviously Fox McCloud, sighed and rolled his eyes in
exasperation,
        ìListen, yer Slippy cause you is the youngest. Would you like to be Andrew instead?î
        That shut Tom up. The role of Andrew, which wasnít usually filled, was reserved for anyone who
had particularly annoyed Jaret.
        A fat young groundhog named Ralit, who was playing Pigma, turned and saw Jennifer and Lisa
approaching,
        ìëello! ëey Jaret, ëtis Jenn... er... Katt aní Fara... heh heh heh... that be them alright. Ahoy!î
        Jennifer and Lisa waved to the overweight groundhog. Jaret finally noticed their existence and
addressed them,
        ìThere you two are! Youíre late.î
        Lisa stuck her tongue out at Jaret and he frowned,
        ìHey, you stop that...î
        Lisa finished in a mocking voice,
        ìOr Iíll hafta be Wolfís girlfriend. I know. I was Wolfís girlfriend for the past week, remember.î
        Jaret shrugged,
        ìWhatever. We need a Fara more than we need Wolfís girlfriend.î
        Someone shouted at Jaret,
        ìHey, ya gonna stand aní talk all day or are we gonna play war?î
        Jaret looked around for who had spoken but couldnít find them. At last he stopped looking and
addressed everyone,
        ìOk, letís go! First... hmmm... what should be happening?î
        Someone threw out a suggestion,
        ìHow about Katt is captured by Wolf!î
        Jennifer groaned. Jaret smiled broadly,
        ìThatís a pretty good idea! Ok, Katt is captured by Wolf and we hafta rescue her!î
        Jennifer groaned again. This was beginning to look exactly like the last time they had played
war. Of course, the good guys would win in the end and Slippy would be humiliated nearly as much as the
bad guys. Jennifer sighed. Of course she, as Katt, would be rescued and help the good guys in the final
battery.

-Corneria Central High School

        Jack Furis fell back and raised his fists into a fighting stance. He swung at the tough-looking
cougar standing opposite him. The cougar jumped back and avoided Jackís blow. Jackís friend Leira
Asojub, a male rabbit also in his last year of high school, cheered his friend on,
        ìRush ëim! Rush ëim! Knock ëim down good!î
        Jack grunted and ducked a punch from the cougar. The fox swept his foot out and caught the
cougar square in the chest. The cougar grunted and fell back, clutching his chest. Jack ran up and pressed
the attack, punching wildly at the cougarís face. The cougar tried to avoid the rain of blows but failed
rather miserably. The cougarís nose was bleeding and his right eye was swollen. Leira grinned and
clapped his paws.
        Jack was about to land another punch when he felt a strong paw on his shoulder. He looked back
and saw the face of the school vice principal. Jack lowered his arm. The vice principal frowned and spoke
in a low voice,
        ìCome with me please.î
 
        ìWhat are we going to do with you, Jack Furis? This is the third fight youíve gotten into this
WEEK alone! What do you have to say for yourself?î
        Jack merely shrugged his shoulders at the vice principalís question. The vice principal growled
and continued,
        ìYou were always such a good student... now youíre getting into all these fights! Iíve heard that
youíre angling for the academy when you graduate. Do you really think that theyíll accept someone with
this kind of record?î
        Jack shrugged again.
        ìYour parents have been notified. Also, you will be suspended from school for three days. That is
all, get out of my office.î
        Jack got up and walked out of the vice principalís office. He walked down the hall with his head
hung. His parents were going to kill him.
        Jack heard someone behind him and spoke without turning,
        ìGo away, Leira.î
        He heard a definitely female giggle behind him and turned around. He saw one of his classmates,
a vixen named Sarah Jenik. She and Jack were very good friends. Maybe even a little bit more than that.
She laughed again,
        ìIím sorry. Listen, I was listening to what the VP said to you... itís not really fair, you were
provoked by that cougar.î
        ìYeah, but I still got suspended... for three days.î
        ìI know, I heard. Iím sorry. Hey, can you walk me home?î
        She smiled winningly and walked up next to Jack. Together they walked down the halls of the
high school and out into the sunlit outdoors. Sarah slipped her arm around Jackís and he blushed.
        ìDo you think itíll matter?î
        Sarah raised one eyebrow,
        ìWhat?î
        ìAll these fights. Do you think itíll keep me out of the academy.î
        Sarah laughed,
        ìYeah right. Am I talking to the fox who can get an 856 on the hard level training simulator?î
        ìWell... yes.î
        ìTheyíll care more about that than whether you got into a few fights in your last two months of
high school or not.î
        Jack nodded. She was probably right, he was a good pilot and that was what the academy cared
about. After all, Falco Lombardi had been in a gang when he had joined up... now he was with Star Fox!
Jack looked over at Sarah and spoke,
        ìAre you going for the academy?î
        Sarah shrugged,
        ìI guess so. They say that thereís a big need for cap ship bridge crew... maybe Iíll go for that.
How ëbout you?î
        ìIím gonna try and get into the fighter squadrons that fly off of carriers. That looks so cool.î
        ìYeah, youíve got the skill to do it... honest! What about that rabbit whoís your friend... Leira?î
        ìOh, him. I think he wants to go into special forces or something. So know how it is with him
and the military.î
        She nodded and smiled. Leira Asojubís obsession with all things military was well known
throughout the school. If that rabbit couldnít get into special forces, he would keep on going down the
ladder of military jobs until he found something theyíd accept him for... no matter how bad it was.
 
-Corneria Central High School field

        Gwenneth Sarius, a hawk in her third year of high school, walked along the high school field
with her good friend Jill Kiris, a mink in the same grade as Gwenneth. Jill looked around the field and
spoke to her friend,
        ìNice day. You have Mr. Robinson for Cornerian Studies?î
        ìYeah, but he wasnít here today.î
        ìI know. I heard that heís involved with defense work in the war. Something about a terrorist
attack on Aquas. I think they wanted his expert opinion or something stupid like that.î
        ìOh. Yeah, Iíd heard about that but forgot it. Interesting. Oh well, itís nice to have a free
period.î
        ìNo kidding. You know that most of Star Fox had him for their CS teacher? So did people like
Katt Monroe!î
        ìYouíre kidding, right?î
        Jill shook her head vigorously,
        ìNo way. Iím not kidding at all.î
        ìThatís cool. Well, what do you wanna do today?î
        Jill shrugged her shoulders and grinned,
        ìI dunno. What is there to do anyway?î
        ìWe could just go home and watch TV for a while.î
        ìOr play a few video games.î
        Gwenneth smiled and they turned off the field onto the sidewalk. Both of them lived fairly close
to the school, so they walked in good weather. Today was a very good day, the sun was shining and the air
was warm... but not too warm.
        Jill nodded at last,
        ìOk, we can hang out at my house and watch TV. Thatíll keep us from thinking too much.î
        Gwenneth nodded. It was going to be a very good day.

-Cornerian Military HQ, Corneria City

        The Cornerian Military HQ was the biggest, most heavily defended fortress in Corneria City. The
building itself was huge and sturdy, quite capable of withstanding an earthquake or say... a direct hit with
a large nuclear weapon.
        Deep inside this fortress, far below the street level, was a meeting hall with a large oval table.
Around this oval table sat the most important and brilliant people in the Cornerian Military.
        In front of them stood a large gray wolf. His name was Sennik OíDonnell. Many had asked him
whether or not he was related to Wolf OíDonnell... Sennik hated those questions.
        He was related to Wolf all right. He was Wolfís uncle. He was Wolfís uncle and he hated his
nephew with a vigor.
        Sennik was being brought before a war council for a special reason. The meeting was just
beginning and the council head, a ferret named General James Kofman, kicked the meeting off,
        ìSennik OíDonnell... are you at all aware of your nephewís recent... ahem... involvements?î
        Sennik squinted at the ferret,
        ìWhat?î
        ìOk, youíre not aware of it so letís start from the beginning. Your nephew...î
        Sennik growled,
        ìWill you stop calling him my nephew. I donít like to be reminded!î
        General Kofman nodded and continued,
        ìAnyway, Wolf has been given command of a fairly large and very skilled force of commandos.
On top of that, heís been given a new squadron to command.î
        ìNot Star Wolf?î
        ìNo. Theyíre calling this one Dark Wolf. Hereís the profiles.î
        The general threw a packet on the table. Sennik opened it and flipped through,
        ìGive me the short version.î
        ìRight. First and foremost is Kemp Featherlight. Heís got about one card left in the deck, if you
know what I mean. Escaped a few months ago from the Titanian Institute for the Criminally Insane.
Known for his erratic tactics and tendency towards cowardice. This is one loony duck.î
        Sennik pulled out the duckís profile and looked over it. General Kofman continued,
        ìNext we have Cecile Burgundy. Sheís an arctic fox known for good looks and flashy flying. Not
much of a fighter but good luck hitting her.î
        Again, Sennik looked over the profile and nodded.
        ìThe next one is a little bit of a mystery. Her name is Calysto Firewake. Rumor is that sheís one
of Wolfís illegitimate lovers. We canít confirm these rumors but theyíre probably true, knowing Wolf.
Sheís a red wolf and totally lethal. The only weakness we can find is that if she ever meets someone
named Gray Lancer, sheíll go nuts.î
        ìWho?î
        ìHe was a special forces commando, now a merc. The only reason he shows up in this at all is
because he and Calysto go pretty far back.î
        ìAn affair?î
        ìNot exactly... they want to kill each other.î
        ìLovely.î
        ìRight. The last member of the team is a panda named Aragon Rigelis. He never panics or loses
control. Thatís a good thing because other than that heís pretty mediocre. Nevertheless, heís dangerous
and you should watch your back around him.î
        ìThat it?î
        ìWell, we figure we should tell you a little about Wolf himself, since you obviously havenít been
following him.î
        Sennik glared,
        ìI try to avoid it.î
        ìFine. Anyway, he is in total command of this new unit, which consists of Dark Wolf and a mini
army of elite commandos. About Wolf himself... his many... ahem... side missions... have produced
several children. He doesnít give much of a damn about good old moral values, so we canít really say if he
has one lover... wife... girlfriend... whatever. According to most sources, heís as neurotic and cruel as
ever. Heís nice enough to those he really likes... but a vicious killing machine to everyone else. You know,
itís surprising that we even need to tell you this... you are, after all, his uncle.î
        Sennik growled,
        ìListen, I stopped ëfollowingí Wolfís progress a long time ago. The minute he betrayed his
former friends, I decided Iíd had enough. Which is too bad, really. Iíve heard that his children donít really
take after him.î
        General Kofman shrugged,
        ìWell, what can you do? His kids are supposed to be polar opposites of him, by the way.î
        ìGreat, great. Thatís just freakiní great. To be very honest, I hate Wolf. I have no compassion in
my heart for that damned fool. I want him dead as much as any of you... probably a lot more.î
        ìThatís part of why we called you here... see... we need a little help...î
        ìWhat is it this time?î
        ìWell, to put it bluntly, we are incapable of dealing with this new threat.î
        ìWHAT?! The entire CSF is supposed to deal with things like this!î
        General Kofman pawed his collar nervously,
        ìWell... not exactly. See, a while back we formed a project called Dead Watch to deal with
situations like these, but it went under several years back... before Andross even came into the picture.
The normal CSF is unavailable, theyíre too busy with the rest of the war. The normal Cornerian Military
is in no way skilled in these sorts of things.î
        ìWhat about the CSWAT?î
        The Cornerian SWAT team was known for its general efficiency. They had good people who
knew what they were doing. But, for some reason, General Kofman shook his head energetically,
        ìNot anymore. The new commander of the CSWAT is a hyena named Gerry Terace. The guy is a
complete idiot. Heís redirected the CSWAT forces and effectively crippled their anti-terrorist
capabilities.î
        ìSo what the hell do you want me to do? I donít have any elite anti-terrorist force.î
        ìWe want you to reinstate the Seras-Markson project.î
        Sennikís eyes opened wide and he stared at General Kofman,
        ìYou arenít kidding, are you?î
        ìNo. This is deadly serious.î
        ìBut all the subjects in the original Seras-Markson went nuts and committed suicide after a
month!î
        ìWe know. We know. This is our last hope.î
        ìBut there has to be a better way! What good is the Seras-Markson project if the candidates off
themselves after a month of training?î
        General Kofman glared at Sennik,
        ìListen very carefully, Sennik OíDonnell. We are reinstating the Seras-Markson project and you
are going to succeed this time. We will not tolerate another failure. You will find the next five suitable
persons and you will form the team. You do not have a choice... you owe us, Sennik OíDonnell.î
        Sennik bowed his head and nodded,
        ìI understand. I still think itís a stupid idea and a waste of time and lives... but Iíll do it anyway.î
        ìYes you will. The first mission is to form the team and get it working. We will give you a
mission assignment when we see fit.î
        Sennik nodded again. General Kofman stood up and walked to Sennik. He extended a paw,
        ìWell, good luck.î
        Sennik merely turned around and marched out of the room. He stopped in the doorway,
        ìHow can you do things like this to the Seras-Markson candidates? Theyíre only children!î
        ìTheyíre our only hope.î
        ìAnd youíre a monster in disguise.î
        Sennik continued out the door, slamming it behind him.

-Jack Furisí apartment, Corneria City

        It hadnít exactly gone as planned. Jack hadnít really walked Sarah home... well, not in the usual
sense. They had decided to go to Jackís house for a while after school. The main reason being that Jackís
parents werenít home that day.
        Jack was lying on the floor next to the couch. Sarah was flopped over the couch. They were
watching TV and talking. Jack had his small personal computer open and was logged onto the internet.
He looked up at Sarah,
        ìLook at this. All these people on the internet message boards. Theyíre all arguing fiercely about
things that, if you stop and think, make absolutely no sense.î
        Sarah let out a short laugh. Jack put the computer to the side and moved closer to Sarah. She
sighed,
        ìYeah, itís kinda funny what people will do when theyíre not thinking.î
        ìIs that some kind of subtle hint.î
        She laughed and squinted at him,
        ìNot very likely. Maybe itís the light... but you look kinda good.î
        This time it was Jack who laughed,
        ìI think it is the light.î
        He reached out and touched Sarahís face lightly with a paw. She blushed lightly and lowered her
eyes.
        ìYou look pretty good yourself.î
        She giggled,
        ìThanks... I guess...î
        Sarah rolled off the couch and onto the floor next to Jack. He shut off the TV. Sarah looked into
Jackís eyes and smiled,
        ìYouíre really going off to the academy?î
        ìOf course! I wouldnít do it any other way. You too?î
        Sarah nodded,
        ìMmm-hmm. But with the war on Iím always worried about something...î
        ìWhat?î
        ìWell... Iím worried about... losing you...î
        She blushed and turned her head aside. Jack held her shoulder,
        ìIf youíre really so worried... Iíll think it over... maybe I could get into one of the non-combat
positions.î
        Sarah smiled and laughed,
        ìI know you better than that. You want to fly and nothing is going to stop you.î
        Jack looked at Sarah and moved a little bit closer. She nuzzled up close to him.
        And, as if on cue, the door chimed. Someone was there. Jack jumped up and looked at his watch,
        ìWhat the hell? My parents arenít home for another three hours...î
        He walked over to the door and opened it. Outside stood a bear wearing a military uniform. It
wasnít a Cornerian Military uniform, but it looked similar. On the left side of the breast was a patch. The
patch had an unfamiliar logo on it. The bear looked down at Jack and spoke in an even voice,
        ìAre you Jack Furis?î
        ìWho wants to know?î
        ìMr. Furis, I have direct orders from Sennik OíDonnell, signed by General James Kofman of the
Cornerian Military Command, to take you to Cornerian Military HQ. There you will await transfer.î
        ìWhat?! What the hell is this all about?î
        ìYou are being assigned to a special project.î
        ìHold on a second... I never signed up for any project. Donít I get a say in this?!î
        ìNo. Please come with me.î
        Sarah had walked over to the door and was now standing just behind Jack. She squinted at the
bear,
        ìHey, youíre not wearing a Cornerian Military uniform. What is this?î
        The bear sighed,
        ìI am assigned to a special project. I have been ordered to take your friend to the Cornerian
Military HQ to await transfer.î
        Sarah stared at the bear,
        ìTransfer to what?!î
        ìI cannot talk to you about classified matters.î
        She shook her head,
        ìNo, no, no! If youíre taking him, you take me too.î
        ìIím sorry, but that is not possible.î
        The bear drew a pistol from a side holster and pointed it at Sarah. He squeezed the trigger and
Sarah was thrown back by a bolt of energy. Jack yelled at the bear,
        ìWHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!î
        ìShe will wake up in about half an hour. That was only a stun beam. Please come with me or I
will have to use it on you as well.î
        ìLike hell you will.î
        The bear nodded and pointed the gun at Jack. Jack saw a bright lights, felt a brief moment of
agonizing pain, and then nothing but blackness and quiet.

-Derris, a small town 40 miles out of Corneria City

        Jennifer Bridget didnít live inside Corneria City. She lived in the small town of Derris. She took
the rapid transit systems into Corneria City in the morning for school, and back out in the afternoon. It
only took about ten minutes to get into or out of Corneria City that way.
        She stepped off of the platform and began to walk to her house. It was only a quarter of a mile to
her home and she usually walked.
        A black car darted in front of Jennifer. The puma jumped back startled. The car skidded to a stop
and one of the back doors opened. A tall red fox wearing a black suit and sunglasses stepped out and
approached Jennifer. She backed up. The fox produced a Cornerian Military badge and spoke quietly,
        ìMs. Jennifer Bridget. Please come with me, this is a matter of planetary security.î
        Jenniferís parents had always told her to obey any military officials while the war was still on.
She had to do her part against Andross. That usually just meant following the silly little rules.
        The young puma swallowed and nodded. The fox led her into the black car and she sat down
inside. He closed the door and got in the front, leaving Jennifer alone in the back of the car. She felt the
car begin to move again.

-Seras-Markson Training Facility, Corneria

        Sennik OíDonnell stood in the center of the Seras-Markson Training Facilityís expansive bridge
and looked around. Techs were still unpacking, getting the SMTF back up to speed. It hadnít been used in
years. After all, it had been abandoned almost completely after the failures of the last time.
        Sennik frowned. The failures... they had all committed suicide. Was that always the fate of those
chosen for the Seras-Markson project.
        And they were always so young. The candidates had to be children. The oldest were seniors in
high school, the youngest had been in elementary school. It didnít matter how old they were later on... it
only mattered that they were children when they started receiving the special training of the Seras-
Markson project.
        Someone came up to Sennik and saluted. It was one of his numerous aides. The aide cleared his
throat,
        ìSir.î
        ìWhat is it?î
        ìOur field operatives have reported that we have procured three of the candidates.î
        ìExcellent. Was their any resistance?î
        ìOnly one of them. He was stunned. Heíll be fine.î
        ìGood. What about the other two?î
        ìField operatives have found both of them. Expect results inside the hour.î
        ìGood. Dismissed.î
        The aide saluted and turned around. He walked off to attend to other business.
        Sennik had made sure he knew plenty about the candidates before sending out the operatives to
retrieve them. He knew which one had given the agent trouble. He also knew that the same one might be a
problem later on. The Seras-Markson candidates were selected for two reasons: The ability to use the
Power... and the ability to work well together. Without a team effort, the Power was virtually useless.
        Maybe he shouldnít get to know them so well. It had really hurt when the last group had killed
themselves... one by one... the oldest were the first to do it. They were the most likely to break. It was
ironic, the youngest held on for the longest time.
        They had tried everything to prevent the failure, but nothing had worked. What was to say it
wouldnít just happen again?
        Sennik shook his head. That wasnít a good way to think. This time it HAD to succeed. No matter
what it took. Wolfís terrorist tactics couldnít be handled by the CSF, the CSWAT, or anyone else. To beat
his nephew, Sennik had to make this work.
        There was no margin for error this time around.

-Outside Jill Kirisí apartment, Corneria City

        Gwenneth Sarius had just stepped out for a second to get some air. She hadnít expected anything
like this. Two people, a male jackal and a female cougar, were standing over her. They were both wearing
military uniforms and held Cornerian Military ID badges. The female cougar spoke,
        ìGwenneth Sarius?î
        ìY...yes...î
        The male jackal spoke next,
        ìWe have orders to take you back to Cornerian Military HQ.î
        ìW...w...what for?î
        ìYouíll find out everything later. Please come with us.î
        ìWhat if I d...donít want t...to?î
        The cougar spoke this time,
        ìYou have no choice.î
        Gwenneth nodded. The jackal and cougar led her to a sleek black car. The jackal let her into the
back of the car and closed the door. The jackal got in the passenger side of the front and the cougar got on
the driverís side. The car pulled out onto the street.
        Gwenneth had no idea where she was going. No idea whatsoever.

-Forward Interception Post #46, Venom Orbit

        A grim looking ferret listened carefully to the incoming message and printed out the transcript.
He shouted back to his commanding officer, a gila monster who was a major in Androssí army,
        ìSir! I got something from CP12!î
        ìWhat issss thissssss? The Cornerian obssssservation possssst?î
        ìYessir!î
        The lizard grabbed the paper from the ferretís paw and looked it over. The lizard hissed and
picked up a special secure com unit which went directly to Andross back on Venom,
        ìConnect me to Androsssssss.î
        A light on the console lit up to show a secure linkup had been set up. The lizard spoke again,
        ìAndrosssssss?î
        Androssí voice was cold and harsh,
        ìYes? You are wasting my time so this had better be very good.î
        ìIt isssssss, my masssssster. We have received a messsssage from CP12.î
        ìOur inside source! Tell me!î
        ìOur agent ssssssayssssss that the Sssssserasssssss-Markssssssson project hasssssssss been
reinssssstated.î
        ìWhat?! Under whoís command and why?!î
        ìUnder the command of Sssssssennik OíDonnell. It doesssssss not ssssssssay why.î
        Andross sounded a little more thoughtful,
        ìSennik OíDonnell... hmmm... this could be interesting. Does anyone besides you know about
this?î
        ìYessssssss, the one who intercepted the messsssssage.î
        ìYou know what to do.î
        The com shut off and the lizard nodded. He turned around to face the ferret.
        In an instant, the lizard produced a laser pistol from his side holster. He aimed it at the ferretís
head and squeezed the trigger.
        The lizard wiped the blood off the console and spoke to himself,
        ìAndrossssss will make me a general for thisssssssss...î
        The gila monster didnít have long to think about his potential promotion. For inside the orbital
forward interception post were buried a number of very powerful explosives... and in one instant all these
explosives went off simultaneously. The station, and everything inside it, was instantly consumed by fire.

-Seras-Markson Training Facility, Corneria

        ìSir! Sir!î
        Sennik turned to answer the calls of his aide,
        ìWhat is it, soldier?î
        ìSir!î
        The aide saluted briskly and continued,
        ìAll five candidates have been found. Theyíve also been transported here from the Cornerian
Military HQ.î
        ìAny other problem cases?î
        ìNo. All but the one seem to be doing this rather willingly... but they have no idea exactly what
theyíre doing.î
        ìBelieve me, I havenít the slightest intentions of telling them exactly what theyíre doing. The
less they know, the better off they are.î
        ìYes sir. Are you going to be addressing them now?î
        ìStart phase one training.î
        ìBut they arenít even settled.î
        Sennik growled at the aide and narrowed his eyes,
        ìListen... Iím in command, not you! Start phase one and let me do the talking!î
        The aide saluted and walked off. Sennik went over to a console and sat down. He switched the
console on and the screens around it lit up. They showed views of a strange arena. The arena was filled
with obstacles and had a small circular pad at the end of it.
        Sennik sat back and waited. He watched the camera view that showed the entrance of the arena.
        He saw the doors to the arena open and the five candidates came in. Sennik picked up the
intercom microphone and spoke,
        ìWelcome. I am your new commanding officer. From now on, you are all military personnel.
Jack Furis, Gwenneth Sarius, Leira Asojub, Jennifer Bridget, and Tom Mahki. You are beginning a
journey... I wish you luck.î
        Sennik paused and watched the looks on the candidates faces. He continued,
        ìThe objective is to get to the end of this obstacle course. Donít worry... THIS one isnít fatal if
you mess up.î
        He heard one of the candidates shout out... Jack Furis,
        ìWHO ARE YOU?!î
        ìFinish the course and Iíll give you the whole briefing. Remember, you canít do this alone.î

        Jack Furis growled,
        ìWho does that jerk think he is?!î
        Leira walked over to his friend and put a paw on his shoulder,
        ìHey man, donít freak out on us. Remember what he said... we canít do this alone.î
        ìHow the hell can you be so calm when all this crap is happening?!î
        ìListen man, you were gonna join the military anyway... think of this as advance training. Letís
go.î
        Jack finally nodded. He and Leira returned to the main group. One of the younger members,
Jennifer Bridget, looked around and spoke,
        ìWhich way do we go?î
        Jack shrugged his shoulders,
        ìHow should I know.î
        The other young member, a fennec fox named Tom Mahki, spoke up,
        ìWe go that way.î
        He pointed a paw to indicate a direction. Jack squinted at him,
        ìHow do you know?î
        ìIím not sure. I just do... please trust me on this.î
        Jack nodded,
        ìDoesnít look like we have any better options. Letís go.î
        They set out in the direction that Tom had indicated. Jack led the way with Tom, followed by
Gwenneth Sarius and Jennifer, finally Leira brought up the rear.

        Sennik sat back in his chair and smiled. They were getting it at last. He would have to watch
Tom closely... he seemed to be more in touch with the Power than the others. He didnít know it... but he
was very skilled. They all were. None of them knew anything about it.
        Their lives had just changed. The minute Tom had pointed the right direction and they had gone
off together. None of them could return to their former lives. They would either embrace this new life... or
die trying.

-Staff quarters, Seras-Markson Training Facility, Corneria

        The five friends sat around on beds or on the floor in the large room in which they were all
sleeping. Some didnít know the others when they had started, but they had taken to each other quickly.
They didnít know exactly what they had gotten into, but they knew that they were all in it together.
        Leira lay back on his bed and grinned like an idiot,
        ìThis is so cool! Weíre part of a real secret project! AWESOME!î
        Jack groaned,
        ìHow can you think like that? This is gonna be hell.î
        Jennifer spoke up,
        ìI donít know. Itís kind of nice to feel needed.î
        Leira nodded,
        ìYeah, sheís right! Jack... think about it. If you had gone into the academy, what woulda
happened? Youíd be some number in some random fighter. How important is that. Letís face it... look at
Star Fox and the CSF... this is becoming a war of heroes. This is our chance to do something important...
real secret agent stuff!î
        Jack groaned again,
        ìUhg... that makes it sound even worse. And think about the training... that obstacle course was
bad enough... what comes next? That Sennik OíDonnell guy kind of scares me, too.î
        Gwenneth, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke,
        ìWhat does it matter? Weíre committed to this whether we want to be or not! I think youíre both
right to a point. Itís a chance to do good... but Sennik is a little scary. But what does it matter? Weíre in
this together and need to see it through... so whoís with me on this?î
        She put her wing out and looked at everyone in the room.
        Finally Leira put his paw on top of her wing and spoke,
        ìYeah! All for one...î
        The others followed his example and put their paws on Gwennethís wing. They finished the
familiar phrase together,
        ì...and one for all!î
        They pulled their paws back up. They all got into their beds and the lights were shut off for the
night. They didnít know what would face them tomorrow, but none of them would have to face it alone.
 

           &nbs p;             ;        To be continued in part 2...