Zero

"Fox?"

Peppy looked over the hanger of Great Fox. Three Arwings were on their launch platforms, the fourth had been lowered down to the hanger floor. Having passed by ROB on the bridge, Falco on the firing range, and Slippy fiddling around with the Landmaster, Peppy had no delusions as to who was working down here.

"Hey Peps."

Fox had given him the courtesy of the response, but not the courtesy of his gaze. His eyes were focused on his Arwing. The newest Arwing on the ship – a replacement for the one piloted by James McCloud.

"Another heart to heart is it?" Fox kept working on the ship. "Daddy time and all that?"

"Come on Fox, don't be like that." Peppy walked down the gangway, stuffing his hands in his trench coat. 'Daddy time.' He had enough trouble raising Lucy. He had no idea how to deal with James's son.

"Officially I'm team commander," Fox said. He kept working, and from what Peppy could tell, he was painting something on his shop. "In theory, I could order you dismissed."

Peppy laughed. "Star Fox is a mercenary outfit. Chain of command is a bit different from the Academy."

"Course it is." Fox dabbed his brush in the paint. "Falco's got attitude-"

"The same could be said for you."

"And we're treating a robot like it's an official team member."

"Slippy and I would argue that ROB is as much of the team as anyone."

"Yeah?" Fox returned back to his fighter. "You're welcome to do that."

Peppy frowned. And watched as he let Fox paint.

Two months and eleven days. That was how long it had been since James McCloud had been reported dead on Venom by no less than Peppy himself. Two months and eleven days since Pigma had betrayed them all. One month and twenty-eight days since Fox had left the Cornerian Army to take his father's place. And five days since General Pepper had sent him an intelligence report on construction of a space station in orbit of Venom, one that was theorized to be a defence satellite. Apparently the general thought that Star Fox was among those who "needed to know." A prospect that Peppy found both gratifying and concerning as well. If Corneria was turning to mercenaries this early on…

And that left Fox. And Peppy with the unenviable position of being the one associated with bringing the news of his father's death. Of being the closest thing the boy had to a father right now, even as he struggled with his own family life. Of being the one who might have to reign Fox in, even as part of him wanted to head back to Venom, pacify Andross, and throw Pigma into a black hole.

"You shouldn't do that you know," the hare ventured.

Fox remained silent.

"Painting, I mean. It's a fire hazard."

"There's a big red fox on the side of this ship. I think an Arwing can handle a little artwork."

"Uh-huh." Peppy decided to indulge Fox a little longer. "What is it?"

"Kanji."

Peppy remained silent – kanji. An archaic writing system that originated on Katina. Now written only by students who studied the arts on Corneria.

"What's it say?"

"Zero." Fox stood aside and revealed the symbol. A single symbol, with a line looping around from its base and coming back to it on the other side. "Old Katinan fighter pilots used to paint them on their planes."

"Planes? Really going back aren't we?"

"It's a new start," Fox said. "Back to zero. Fresh start. Clean slate." He put the paintbrush aside and climbed into the cockpit.

"Is this about James?" Peppy asked.

"No."

"Is it about-"

"Test flight, this is what it's about."

"Fox, we have a simulator-"

"Peppy, either tell me to use the brakes, or do a barrel roll, or whatever else you think I need to do." Fox glared at him. "But do me a favour and don't talk to me about daddy."

"Alright. Then I'll talk about my friend."

Fox began lowering the cockpit.

"Is it me you hate?" Peppy asked. "Or Andross?"

"Piss off Peppy."

"Is it Falco? Yeah, he's got a rough side, but you've got to admit he's the best pilot since-"

"My father was the best!"

The cockpit raised again, and Fox glared at his elder. Glared at him with the heat and fury of solar.

"My father was the best pilot around and you know it," Fox snapped. "You know it, I know it, even Falco knows it. And he's dead. And that little memo Pepper sent you – and yes, Peppy, I don't like it when you keep secrets – indicates that Andross has no intention of going out of his way to not kill any more pilots. Or soldiers. Or anyone else for that matter."

Peppy remained silent.

"So like I said," Fox murmured. "Back to zero. New start. Clean slate. Because when Andross comes knocking, I'm going to be the best damn pilot in Lylat, and that overgrown monkey is going to know it."

And Peppy's silence continued. Not because he wanted it, but because he didn't know how to proceed. Tell him that he already was the best? That James would have been proud? That if Andross did indeed declare war, no one pilot would turn the tide of battle? Say something else entirely?

And yet he cleared the deck and watched Fox fly outwards. Watched and waited.

Knowing it was exactly what James would have done.

A/N

It's been pointed out that the kanji used in Star Fox Zero is the kanji symbol for "zero." No surprises there. What actually surprised me was to see people claiming that the developers were glorifying Japan's role in WWII, per the existence of the Zero fighter. To which I say..."huh?"

Now, I'm mixed about Zero. That I don't own a WiiU aside, I'm iffy about what feels like another reboot to the series, the first being in Star Fox 64. Granted, SF64 was my first Star Fox game and remains the strongest in the series IMO, but the subsequent games still continued the storyline. Yeah, Command was utter bollocks IMO, but I'd still be happy to have a game set after it with new characters (e.g. Marcus, Dash, etc.). But no, we're going back to Andross because...reasons. But WWII glorification isn't among my list of misgivings.

Oh well, drabbled this up.