"Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, the other is gold."
-old English proverb
--Old Friends, New Strangers--
Dirk awoke to the sound of static coming from the speaker by the door of his room.
"Dirk," called the gruff bass voice from the intercom, "Wake up, naptime's over."
The ferret sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning, noticing for the first time that he was wearing the same thing as when he arrived at Station 13-M.
Then he remembered the black metal box he had picked up from the meeting room table. The little lights had gone out.
Dirk shrugged it off, opened the dormitory door with his PIN code and locked it as he exited. Heading down the hall towards the meeting room, Karn met up with him.
"Greeting, mate. How'd ya snooze?"
Dirk hunched his shoulders briefly. "Okay, I guess." He was mildly intimidated by the fact that the panther was almost twice as big as him.
The black furred wildcat placed a heavy paw on the ferret's shoulder. "Well, couldn'a been worse than I did."
Dirk gulped slightly. "Why is that?"
"Have you ever had a room next to... er, Marko? No... that wolf..."
"Mikkal?"
"Oh, yeah. He snores loud enough to knock this station out of orbit!"
The ferret and panther entered the meeting room and took their designated seats.
Garthon nodded, cleared his throat, then signaled to Rose, who stood behind him. "This is special meeting 463391-NX."
The vixen, now wearing a magenta work suit but her headfur still in a bun and the little glasses on the end of her nose, put the recorder on the table in front of the Board Head and turned it on.
"Okay," said the badger, calling the meeting to order, "Special meeting 463391-NX is now in session.
"It is my pleasure to announce that we have on board with us, the one and only Starfox team of the Lylat System!"
Everybeast broke into chatter of the Starfox team.
"Wha ah thay heah?"
"When did they get 'ere?"
"Did we... ah... do something... wrong?"
Garthon held his massive paws in the air, almost immediately silencing the Board.
"As you all remember, the plan for a Star Force was accepted and put into motion. It just so happened that Fox McCloud and his team were passing by from a previous public appearance and Star Force training. Receiving word of our participation from General Pepper, who had gotten our message a few hours after our meeting, they agreed to make their visit now." Nods and murmurs rose from the Board members.
"Currently, they are in the large common room of Sector B, in the guest accommodations. They are undoubtedly preparing their speech and training material for the many beasts attempting to earn a spot on Mossflar's Star Force team." Jonas shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Grellus looked on from the docking bay doors in silence. Rose searched frantically through her mind for an explanation to Shean Cordassis. Garthon smiled.
Falco yawned, his wings folded behind his head. "I really wish we had planned speeches."
Peppy laughed in agreement. "I'll say. It's difficult enough to have to go out of our way to see these beasts, then we have to go and talk to them."
Fox McCloud sighed. He too felt discouraged to meet the beasts of Mossflar, but not for the same reasons as his companions. Fox felt discouraged because his team had lost their enthusiasm.
When the Starfox team went out to the first USO system, they were eager to pass along their skills to other beasts. As sessions came and went, they lost their ambition after seeing off teams they knew would never make it or have anything to defend against. The Starfox team felt as though they were wasting their effort and time.
Fox looked at his watch, which he had set to Mossflar Main Time, and back up at his companions. "Well, all set, gang?"
Falco stretched and sat up on his bed. "Yeah, I guess."
Slippy, who had just finished unpacking, slid his suitcase under his bed. "Ready, Fox."
The hare sighed, nodding. "Same here."
Fox nodded in return, then said, "Okay, let's head out and go talk to the board."
The captain led his teammates out of the room and to the meeting hall, where they were greeted by the seven Board members.
A hedgehog marched down the hallway on the thirty-ninth floor. Jannis crept out quietly, still wearing her purple silk robe, and spotted the hedgehog just as she passed the otters' hotel room.
"Dinni?" she called down, recognizing the brown khaki shorts and green short sleeve collared shirt. The hedgehog turned, hearing her name.
"Jannis?" The hedgehog ran back to the otter. "Wow, what 're you doin' on Loamhedge?"
Jannis shrugged. "Kinda jes ended up here, I guess."
"How did you come up with the money for a starplane ticket?"
"I sorta jes did..." Jannis paused before asking, "Dinni, did they find my parents yet?"
The hedgehog sighed, "No dear, not yet." She hesitated before adding, "I haven't been to Ates recently, though. I came here in search of bigger and better things."
Jannis laughed. "The old tales of fame, fortune, and adventure like you used to tell me when I was an otterpup?"
Dinni chuckled slightly. "Well, sort of. Money mostly. I've got family troubles back home too, an' that doesn't make things any better."
The otter raised an eyebrow. "Family troubles? Like what?"
Dinni sighed, scratching her short blonde-brown hair, saying, "Well, Larrey an' I got divorced..."
"Divorced?" Jannis stared at the hedgehog in shock. "What happened?"
"Well, that's just it. Nothing. Larrey stopped working, stopped takin' care of the young 'uns, stopped everything. Then he wanted to stop our marriage. Said he needed a break from life."
The otter was shocked. "Carly and Jaimon aren't by themselves back at Ates, are they?"
Dinni waved a paw at her. "No, no, they're with brother. You remember Darrin, don't you?"
Jannis smiled. "Uncle Darrin. How could I forget?" They both sighed, slightly remembering the times long past.
"So," said the hedgehog, breaking the silence, "What kind of work are you doing here?"
"Well, I'm planning on- hey, wait a minute, d'ya still need a job?"
"Er... yeah, why?"
"Why don't you come with me and Wes an' join the Star Force?"
Dinni thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I couldn't. You an'... Wes?" She laughed, slapping her leg. "You got yourself a boyfriend?"
Jannis nodded and shrugged at the same time. "Yeah, I guess."
The hedgehog patted the otter's shoulder. "Well, good for you." Dinni smiled, then said, "You know what? I think I will join you and your boyfriend."
Jannis clapped and hopped up and down like a dibbun. "That's wonderful!"
Dinni smiled. It always made her happy when Jannis was. "I'll be in room 1705 on the seventeenth floor if you want to find me."
The otter nodded. "Okay. See you again soon!" Jannis slipped back in to the room and quietly shut the door. She stood at the entrance, watching Wes as he slept. She thought he looked cute while he was sleeping.
Some of the surrounding passengers thought that Sanghi looked strange while he was sleeping. The lion had his head leaning back against the seat, his eyelids twitching as if threatening to open, his large mouth wide open, saliva dripping out one side, and his red mane hanging over his face.
Just as the starplane landed after its two hour flight, a sheep flight attendant reluctantly woke Sanghi up. Quickly regaining his dignity and disembarking the starplane, the lion headed out to the street, carrying his green duffel bag, and hailed a passing taxi.
The hovercraft rocked slightly as the heavy-set beast boarded it. "Rio Sol Resort," he muttered, rummaging through his bag and checking his belongings. The vehicle sped off towards the Stag Hare Freeway, the bright morning sun shining upon Redwall City.
Sanghi grumbled as the driver passed the Redwall City Convention Center. Many of the red and white banners from last night's concert still hung over the entrances of the auditorium, announcing a few of the bands performing and that it was the "Last showing on Loamhedge before Cafari on Shout!" Sanghi had hoped he'd get a chance to see the "Rock Hard" Tour. Now it was heading where he'd just came from. Still, he thought, it's not like I would have been able to go.
About fifteen minutes later, the vehicle stopped in front of the hotel by the Sun River and the Great Ocean. Sanghi grumbled as he paid the camel taxi driver the outrageous rate of $28.03 and headed into the hotel.
Sanghi checked in, receiving room 1714, and headed up. The lion growled slightly as the elevator ascended to the seventeenth floor; the music that was played while he waited was a recording of last night's concert.
Just as Sanghi stepped out onto the seventeenth floor, "Life Is Precious" finished playing. Unlocking and entering his room, which was seventh on the left, he sighed and tossed his duffel bag onto his bed. He still couldn't believe he was doing this.
"I still can't believe you're doing this!" cried the pig who was tending to Kerla's wounds.
Joe Sydney was prying metal panels off the walls off the walls of the air tunnel with a crowbar. "It's the only woy, maite. 's not loike the trahm's gonna stop foh us."
Before long, Joe had created a space in the wall of the tunnel to fit the thirty members of Corot, including himself.
"Naow," he explained, "Jes 'ang on to the metoh lewps on the bahcks o' the panohs. When the trahm pahsses, leggo an' maike surah tah keep in contahc' wid the wohs. The air pressha shod sloide ye 'gainst the soides o' the wohs."
Everybeast nodded slightly, including the partially healed Kerla who had her torso wrapped completely in bandages. She clung firmly to a rung on the panel in the hole.
Within minutes, the twenty-five miles warning lights came on. "It's aht the staition, maites! Get readay!"
The clean, white, bullet shaped Line Forty-Nine air tram slid smoothly into the downtown Eporue tram station. It was the midday hour, 0900, so there weren't many passengers. One of them happened to be Seth Kendar.
The mongoose had changed into a less conspicuous outfit, wearing a pair of loose sloth pants and a dark blue buttonless dress shirt. However, his mood was still as dark as his former apparel.
Seth chose a a seat in the back of the end cab and bought one of the dollar-newspapers from the vendor against the back wall.
The tram began inching forward as safety procedure checks were made over the P.A. The mongoose began reading the short article in the Board of Mossflar section on the front page, entitled "Starfox team arrives at Station 13-M".
In a few short seconds, the huge fans on the sides of the tunnel were pushing the tram at its top speed of 150 miles per hour. The lights on the walls were yellow far up ahead, red when the tram passed, and went back to green when they were behind it.
The Corot members in the niche in the tunnel held on for dear life when the lights nearby changed yellow.
"Chainge o' plahns, maites," said Joe, removing a cable with a metal hook on one end from his belt, "Ah'm gonna hook this 'ere onto the bahck o' the trahm.
When Oi gives the signoh, grab on."
"But that's crazy!" said the same pig who was healing Kerla.
"Weoh," he said, looping the cable around his arm, "If ye want the fahns to chop ye op inte liddle paices, go on ahead, maite."
Suddenly, the tunnel began to rumble with the force of the tram pushing the air back against the walls. "Hohd on, ev'ryone!" Joe shouted. The yellow light briefly showed red before the tram passed the hole quicker than the blink of an eye.
Everybeast immediately unclasped their paws as they were sucked out of the hole. Thirty beasts swirled about behind the tram, headfur and limbs flying around as though they had a mind of their own. Shouts of excitement or fear were lost in the wind that was more than twice as strong as a hurricane.
Joe flung the weighted end of the cable, hoping it would catch onto some part of the tram. The force of the wind shot the metal hook forward so hard that it dented the back wall of the tram before latching onto a railing at the base of the back window.
Seth nearly jumped out of his seat when something slammed into the outer wall of the rear trailer, knocking the vending machine with the newspapers over.
Fortunately, nobeast else was there in the twenty beast cab. The mongoose heaved a sigh of relief before getting out of his seat to look out the back window.
He nearly jumped a second time when he saw the group of beasts frantically trying to grab hold of a dingo hanging onto a cable that was attached to the tram.
The mongoose assassin looked around the cabin for some way to open the back or stop the tram and came up with nothing. He considering signaling to them but immediately dismissed the idea, knowing they wouldn't be able to see or hear him. Seth finally decided to just stand at the window and catch up to them when the tram stopped.
Just as the last Corot member, Kerla, the Siamese cat, grabbed onto the beast at the end of the chain, the tunnel fans stopped and reversed direction, causing the tram to slow down. "Hahng on, maites," Joe shouted back, "And whatevah ye do, don' le' go!" The dingo's voice faded as the fans blew against the tram. Everybeast held tightly to the beast's footpaws in front of them as the fans threatened to blow them back down the tunnel should anybeast let go and break the chain.
Seth watched helplessly from inside the tram as beasts dug their claws into each other's legs. The driver announced the tram's decreasing speed every five seconds over the P.A. while the mongoose stood at the door, waiting for the airlocks to open out into the station and the tram gates to slide down.
As the Corot members were dragged the last leg of the trip while the fans were off and momentum carried it forward, the plexiglass wind shields of the station were lifted. The thirty beasts stood up, climbed out of the air tram track, and sat down in the waiting area to catch their breath.
The mongoose jumped out and ran over to the dingo he had spotted before. "Wow," he said, extending a paw, "You guys were amazing!"
Joe shook Seth's paw. "Er... wot'd ye saiy, maite?"
"Uh... I said you guys were amazing..."
The dingo put a paw to his ear. "Come agin?"
Seth shook his head. "Let's talk later..."
"No, we need to talk now!" Arin Ringtail hit the ground with her bushy tail on the last word.
"But mom," whined Nami, "Dad was a soldier of Mossflar too!"
"And he died on the battlefield!"
"He died doing what was right!"
Nami was glad when she found out that Lohi would be allowed to enlist, but was enraged when she found out she couldn't.
It was obvious to Arin that her daughter hated school with a passion, and had a feeling that had something to do with it when Nami asked to leave to become a member of Mossflar's Star Force.
"Oh," said Arin, paws akimbo, "So it's fine to go and get yourself killed as long as you're doing it for somebeast else?"
"For the benefit of somebeast else."
Arin sighed, changing to a softer tone. "Nami, I don't want to lose you too. It was bad enough when I had to lose your father."
"You don't think it hurt me too?" The young raccoon stood up from her seat and pounded a clenched paw on the table. "I'm doing it to avenge his death!"
Arin placed a paw on Nami's shoulder, who shrugged it off roughly. "Revenge is never a reasonable answer. It only leads to more lost lives."
"So then I'm supposed to just let the beasts the murdered my father live?"
The raccoon widow shook her head. "Nami, they'll eventually get what they deserve."
"Yeah, an' I'm gonna give it to 'em!"
Arin shrugged and turned away from her daughter. "Fine. Do whatever you want. If you get killed, I'll mourn your death, know that now. If you come back having killed the beasts that murdered your father, don't expect me to be glad you did." She left for her room, locking the door, leaving Nami standing alone in the kitchen.
The raccoon stood there, tears streaming down her face. She promised to herself, through clenched teeth, "Either way, mother, I'll make you proud of me."