Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox or Warhammer 40,000. They are property of Nintendo and Games Workshop.
Star Fox 40,000: Promises
But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost, American Poet
The Great Fox II sailed through the material void that was the Lylat System, where on board it's occupants were once again fast asleep after a near Hellish day of fighting against those who dared threaten the integrity of life. It was interesting to note that the ship's design itself was different than the previously craft, having being destroyed by the Aparoids months ago. It looked like that of a Cornerian Aircraft Frigate.
It was past midnight and only one of it's crewmembers still couldn't get to sleep, as he laid there motionless on his bed in his quarters which had been graciously provided by his fellow mercenaries, on board their mothership and central command the Great Fox. He rolled onto his side, the blankets covering his well-muscled frame. He looked out the window and how the light coming from the stars shined on him.
It had been two months since the exiled human being known as Jacques Mortensen had been inducted into the alien mercenary company Star Fox. With having no place to go and his unbelievable tolerance for those not of his kind, he wasn't reluctant in accepting their invitation to join as the Heavy Weapons specialist.
He exhaled softly as he looked up at the ceiling, not concerned of he was going to fall asleep or not, knowing that he can go almost forever without having to close his eyes and drift off into slumber. He looked over at his power armour and how it was in it's glass case next to the bed, where it instantly reminded him of all the times it had saved his life throughout his service to the universe as one of it's guardians.
He looked down at himself and his physique, instantly reminding himself that he was a Space Marine, a member of the Adeptus Astartes – The defenders of the Imperium of Man and the Emperor of Mankind's finest. Trained in the use of various weapons equipped in near impenetrable power armour and with a near perfected, muscled yet scarred frame, he views himself as one of the universe's best chance for survival against those who seek to bring it to it's knees.
Strange, it was always at night when Jacques would think this much and without distraction. Possibly because Falco's cynical, annoying tongue would always cut into his thoughts during the day, as well as Slippy's constant humming and whistling while working on his next project. Also of Fox's orders in the heat of battle and Peppy's advice and instructions whenever they were out on a mission. So far they had made superb progress in pushing back Emperor Andrew Oikonny's dwindling forces.
Jacques rolled his eyes, deciding on what to think next in this momentary time of peace. He thought about each of the alien 'furries' he now worked, fought and coexisted with...and whom had managed to find him adrift amongst the ruins of Cerinia after it was tragically destroyed by the Ruinous Powers a lifetime ago.
Fox McCloud – Level headed vulpine commander of the Star Fox unit. So far Jacques was proud to be serving alongside an individual with such karma, ability and nerves of steel. He was the one who offered him a place in Star Fox in the first place and was indebted to him for preserving him from the clutches of the Venomians and their crazed leader. So far he considered him his closest brother-in-arms.
Slippy Toad – The always resourceful and reliable technical expert of the team, where Jacques believed that if he was human, he would have risen up in the ranks of the Techpriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Imperial Cult of the Machine. The Machine Spirit must favour him immensely, even if he did not believe that he existed. Although awkward and downright hilarious at times, he had found within him a rather amusing and trustworthy companion especially when he helped him with the ship's maintenance.
Falco Lombardi – Even though at times he wanted to rip his tongue from out his mouth to curb his frequent cynical remarks and bad jokes, Jacques respected his ability to pilot those flying metal beasts known as Arwings. And his cool nature even in the heat of the worst battle was something to admire. Often Jacques thought about the fact there were few people like him in the human race…his own species. He was still curious as to why Falco resented humanity, and sometimes even himself, though he doesn't show it.
Peppy Hare – The eldest of the group and the voice of reason. Jacques always had a deep respect for those of advanced age, seeing them with the most wisdom and knowledge. Peppy had a high interest in the history and origins of humanity and always enjoyed the Marine's company, where Jacques shared with him what he knew of his race's glorious history and of Holy Terra, humanity's homeworld. What intrigued Peppy the most was of the Emperor of Mankind and how he ascended to his place as the God of humanity, and that Jacques had told him that he sees all in the universe. Peppy wasn't quite sure about that, but he respected the human's believes anyway.
His eye downcast slightly when he thought of Krystal, the cerulean vixen whom he had made a pledge to protect no matter what. It during the final battle of the First Cerinia Conflict against the Forces of Disorder, namely the Dark Cerinians, nearly a lifetime ago, as a promise to his closest friend among the Cerinian populace.
King Onyx…Krystal's father.
--- 13 YEAR AGO ---
The middle-aged, golden armoured Cerinian male gripped his gold-encrusted double-bladed katana firmly in his hands, his back to Jacques as he in turn held his rusty chainsword in one hand, a bolt-pistol in the other. Blood ran down the Cerinian's face from a cut on his forehead and into his eyes, where he blinked it away. His face was that of pure anger as he and Jacques was surrounded by dozens and dozens of orks, each brandishing either a sword or an axe in each hand.
The ground around them was littered with Cerinian, Imperial Guard and Space Marine corpses, each one having fallen in battle against the Green Horde, where they still held their weapons close to them, and most of which were happy to have died to in battle…more so the Cerinians. Doubted were the Imperial Guard and Space Marines, having still tried to figure out the main reason why they had fought for an alien world.
Amidst the growls and snarls from the orks, Jacques said, "Your Highness, I doubt our chances for survival are high, as that of the people in the capital."
The Cerinian narrowed his eyes, "I know that. We just need to buy them time to escape. Are you with me, Jacques?"
The Space Marine frowned determinedly from behind his helmet, "Always, King Onyx. Always."
"WAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
The orkish horde let out a loud and massive warcry, where they all moved in on the Space Marine and the Cerinian King. Onyx's katana charged with elemental power where he then swung it, where one might clap of energy later dozens of orks were sent flying in all direction, their weapons cluttering all over the ground. He drove his katana through the chest of one ork, before pulling it out and beheading another, followed by one mighty swing and rendering four more orks in half, their blood splattering onto the ground.
Jacques discharged his boltpistol in the face of one ork, before kicking it down and crushing it's skull with his foot. He then relieved another ork of his arms with his chainswords, before slicing his chest open and his innards splashing out all other the place. Jacques then hurled himself a trio of orks, knocking them all down, before he slowly and painfully cleaved one ork in half down the middle. He then aimed his boltpistol and delivered three separate headshots to the fallen orks.
Onyx felt an axe skim down his back, where he gritted his teeth in pain and countered with a quick across the neck, cutting the offending ork's throat, where he staggered back clutching it. Onyx then sweep kicked the ork of it's feet and crushed it's windpipe with his foot. He then sliced through five more orks, sending their severed limbs all over the place.
As Jacques continued to fight, he could sense how the king fought so well against so many orks at once, as the both of them cut down the small army. It was just like a story that Jacques heard when he was a child – the legend of Oliver and Roland and how they fought a massive army side by side. They were cut down eventually of course, but Jacques was determined to not let that happen now.
So he pistol-whipped the brains out of the ork he was fighting, before rushing over to Onyx's side and tackling several orks that were about to jump the king. Onyx spun around, taken by Jacques save of him, only…
"ARGH!"
…to feel the point of a sword pierce his back courtesy of another ork. His eyes widened in pain, before he swung his sword and decapitated the ork and continue fighting, fighting the pain. Jacques quickly got back up onto his feet where he griped his boltpistol and expended the rest of it's ammo into as many orks as possible, which was a dozen. He then dropped his pistol and dove for the nearest boltgun, holding it with one hand as he pulled the trigger and fired.
The king pulled his katana out of the gut of his current antagonist and plunged it into the skull of another. A deafening roar was heard a Nob jumped before him, gripping it's large axe in his hands. Onyx frowned.
"You wish to fight me?" he asked, "On your head be it, pawn of Disorder!"
The Nob smirked, not particularly caring of the dead and gutted orks lying at his feet, "I'm gonna skin ya' blue git. Ya' an' da humie too."
Jacques finished off the ork he was fighting by decapitating it, then realising that he and king had killed every ork except the Nob, he turned towards it, chainsword in one hand and boltgun in the other. He wanted so much to tear his helmet off and give it his patented stare of death.
"You pawns of Disorder are going to pay for what you have done to this world," Jacques said threateningly.
"I did'n think ya' care fer deze furries, humie," the Nob laughed, "I always though' ya' care 'bout blowin' planets up wit' ya lancers."
"Enough talk," Onyx growled, "If our race is to become extinct, then we're taking you with us!"
The Nob swung it's rather large axe, where Onyx and Jacques were quick to dive out of the way. They glanced at one another, nodded and charged. The Nob growled and shoulder charged the Marine, knocking him off his feet and landing flat on his back, and slamming his head against the ground – where he was knocked out cold.
Onyx cried out with rage upon seeing Jacques fall, where he charged forward and slashed the Nob across the chest. The Nob, in pain and unamused, swung it's axe again. Onyx's katana suddenly generated a shield, which deflected the Nob's blow. The Cerinian then attacked with a psionic blast, knocking the axe out of it's hand and scattering it all over the battlefield.
"YA FUCKIN' FURRY!" the Nob exclaimed rather offensively, "I DON' NEED A AXE TA KILL YA!"
And with that the Nob charged at Onyx and lunged at him, where Onyx drove the blade into it's gut. But the Nob delivered a crushing punch to the king's face, knocking him down onto the floor. The Cerinian was dazed and before he could react he felt the Nob bring both his fists down on his chest, cracking it. He gasped in pain, where blood shot out from his mouth and into the Nob's face.
The Nob smiled, and was about to strike again when…
"N…n…NO!"
…Jacques staggered back onto his feet, gripping his salvaged boltgun where he pulled the trigger and begun firing at the Nob. The Nob smiled and charged, not minding the bolter rounds that were hitting it's armour. The Marine struggled to keep his eyes open, having forced himself from unconsciousness. The Nob gave Jacques a slap across the head and sent him falling back onto the ground.
Jacques then noticed that Onyx's katana was still embedded into the Nob's chest, and before it could reach for the Marine's throat, he reached forward and pulled the double-edge katana from it's chest, where the Nob cried out in pain. It was silenced when Jacques drove it through it's head from underneath.
He then got back up and punched it in the face, driving his fingers into it's eyes sockets and plucking them out. If it wasn't for the katana piecing the speech centre of it's brain it would have cried out. As his final resolve Jacques then grabbed his chainsaw and slowly sawed it's head off, where it fell onto the ground, followed by it's body.
Jacques shook his head, ridding the remaining stars that floated around. He then realised that the king had fallen and rushed to side, where he dropped onto his knees and held the king by the shoulders. Onyx looked up at the only Ultramarine he trusted with his life, and with his family.
"Jac…Jacques…"
The Marine tore his helmet off and unlatched his gill, where Onyx could see a look of distress on his face.
"Do not speak, Your Highness," Jacques begun.
Onyx spat out more blood, before he gasped, "Kry…Krystal. You…must…protect my…daughter…AWK…!"
Jacques could sense that he was dying, and that he begun to speak to him in his mind.
Jacques, my dying wish is for you to protect my daughter. She is our species, and the universe's, last hope. Until she is of age, I want you to protect her with your life. I left her with some evacuees that should be at the star port.Jacques' eyes widened, taken back by his psychic communication. He narrowed his eyes.
Promise me, as your spiritual brother…find and protect my daughter. Will you?
The Space Marine nodded determinedly.
It will be done Your Highness. I had sworn to safeguard the Imperium's allies, and that is what I shall do.
Onyx smiled painfully, where he drew his last pained breath before he succumbed to his grievous injuries, where he grew lax as his head turned to the side and his eyes slowly closed themselves for the last time. Jacques still looked at him, where he put his helmet back on and he put his fingers to his neck. His face was glum as he felt no pulse.
"Farewell, Brother," he said softly, "You will be avenged."
--- NOW ---
Before he himself even realised it, Jacques had been wandering the halls of the ship whilst he was deep in his own thoughts. He rubbed his forehead somewhat embarrassingly, as this was rare for someone even like him. He had heard of sleepwalking, but this completely blew that out of the water…metaphorically speaking that is.
He found out immediately that he was standing outside Krystal's door, and that he did not sense that she was sleeping just as well as the others. At first Jacques thought his own psionic power (which was still unknown to the others) was haywiring again and that these were just premonitions, but that did not stop him opening Krystal's door and gazing into the room from the doorway.
Krystal was shivering with the cold, her blankets having come off her as if she had been rolling around in her sleep. Her face was that of distress as she was whispering inaudibly, her nightmares causing her great pain. Jacques could sense what she thinking and that it reminded him almost perfectly of his own tragic loss of his home and family.
"Mother…father…" Krystal said softly, "Please…come back. Don't…leave me…"
Jacques felt sadness well up as he realised that she was suffering within her own sleep. He had always believed that rest was the only way to get away from the hell that was the universe and he would be damned if her nightmares would cause her to experience such sadness and loss. If he could he would put an end to them, but this wasn't throwing himself at a group of Venomian soldiers chainsword in hand and stopping them from advancing on Krystal's fallen Arwing. This was of the mind and psyche and was way beyond anything he could do.
"Jacques…"
The Space Marine softly stepped over to her bed and looked own at the cerulean being. Not exactly knowing what to do, even for someone like him, he got down on one knee and reached over for the blankets, where he promptly pulled them over her so that it covered her up to her neck. Immediately she stopped shivering, and her pained whispers started to become less audible, until she stopped speaking all together.
"Please," Jacques spoke softly, where the softer side of him was in control, "Please…no more pain. Just this once, do not suffer."
Krystal turned to her side away from Jacques just as he got up on his feet and observed her quietly once again. He then softly turned around and stepped toward the doorway, where at that precise moment Krystal opened her eyes, having heard Jacques' plead cut through her thoughts and ease her nightmares.
The vixen sat up and turned to face the doorway just as Jacques disappeared down the hallway and her door close behind him. Krystal stared at the door for a long time, where she thought of what had happened to her outside of her mind. She noticed the blankets were pulled all the way up to her chest, and immediately recognised that voice.
That strong-willed, rough, yet gentle voice…
"Jacques…?"
----------
It was early next morning when Jacques, in his power armour, once again helped Slippy with maintenance on the Arwings, where he watched the frog turn the wrench, on the G-Diffuser engine, whistling a tune as he happily went about his work. He stretched his hand backwards Jacques.
"Screwdriver, please," Slippy chirped.
Jacques obliged, handing Slippy the said tool, where he was slightly amused at the fact it was the same once he used to stab to death those Venomian soldiers when he first came about the Great Fox, and that the frog didn't realise it. As Slippy continued to work on the engine, focussing on one of the power connectors on the engine, he noticed how quiet his companion had been since this morning. Even during breakfast he chewed his food slowly, as if not to make a sound; and in the simulator as he hacked down simulant Venomian troops he kept a straight face and his tongue behind his teeth. He turned towards him, where the Space Marine was already looking at him in the eyes.
"You ok, Jac?" Slippy asked, concerned, "You're awfully quiet this morning."
Jacques narrowed his eyes, "My apologies. I have just been thinking."
Interested, Slippy asked again, "My I ask what it's about."
The Marine shook his head, "Nothing you should be concerned about, Slippy. The engine?"
Jacques nudged towards the G-Diffuser and Slippy's eyes widened, where he immediately got back to work. He exhaled slightly, where his eyes slightly lit up as he sensed her standing in the doorway towards the hangar.
"Krystal," he said softly.
He stood up and turned around to greet her, where she was walking, albeit shyly, towards him. Jacques looked questioningly at her, while Slippy was too busy in his own little world of gadgets and gizmos to even notice that she was there.
"Jacques," Krystal begun, eyes looking at the ground, "About…about last night…"
Jacques eyes widened in mild shock, "How did you…?
He immediately silenced himself, not wanting to interrupt her, even thought she was at a loss for words and where she forced herself to look up into his green eyes. Krystal smiled slightly at Jacques, where she rubbed her left arm slightly, as if nervously.
"I…I must…thank you, Jacques," she finally said.
"For what, Krystal?" Jacques queried.
He was taken back immensely and his eyes widened when Krystal suddenly leaned forward, hands on his chest plating, and gave him a soft kiss to the cheek, eyes closed. It was at the moment when Slippy looked away from his work and saw the exchange between Jacques and Krystal, where the Space Marine felt every muscle in his being tightened and he couldn't move an inch.
Noticing Jacques reactions, Krystal explained, "That was for vowing to protect me, even in my sleep and my nightmares. I don't know what I would do without you, brother."
She then smiled, where she took her hands off his chest and stepped back towards the doorway, where she took once last glance at Jacques and smiled beautifully, where he instinctively returned the smile. He felt utter disappointment when she disappeared around the corner. He then turned around saw that Slippy had been watching.
Slippy smiled, "Wellllllllllll…I think Krystal's taken a liking to you, Jacques."
The Marine gave the frog one of his deadly stares usually reserved for those he was about to kill, and Slippy felt his blood run cold with immense fear. He turned around and resumed working, whistling very quickly and nervously, where he didn't notice Jacques smile and glance back at the doorway.
"You are welcome," Jacques said softly, "Your Highness."
I would like to take this opportunity to mention and thank some of my fellow authors…
SF Ghost – I must thank you immensely for your overwhelming support and your encouraging reviews. If it weren't for you, I would have called it quits long ago. And I appreciate that I somewhat inspired you in your own excellent G-Wing series.
Fox the Cave II – Though at first I disliked the way you highlighted the weaknesses of my story, especially in your final verdict, and I even shown some disdain towards your comments…I have come to appreciate your reviews and feedback. And I have acted accordingly in trying to improve my writing quality for all to understand. I respect you immensely as an author, and for highlighting some of the evils of today's cruel world in your own fics.
Deathblade Prime – It's always good for someone to have the same interests as you. Thanks for pointing out to me some of the lore that is Warhammer 40,000.
ArcanisTheWizard – Thank you for your positive reviews. About General Strunn, he's going to become a major character in the sequel and instrumental towards Lylat and the Imperium's continued survival in a universe bathed in blood.
Stinger – VX442 (formerly Anti-Gravity 5-1-0) – Thanks for putting me back on track when two of your reviews pointed some of the story's flaws immensely. As if have learned, it's never too late to learn from your mistakes.
Ultimus Romani – Thank you for your enthusiasm towards the reality of a Warhammer 40K/Star Fox crossover.SPG inc. – Thank you for your review which finally pushed me to start writing the sequel, and this short story.
vergstrangest – Thanks for the info on Space Marine deployment. Just for that I plan to elaborate on the Space Marines presence on Cerinia in later stories.
And to the all the other Anonymous reviewers, especially the ones who goes by the names of mecha-ghost, angelus288, Ace77, AncientLynx, foxmc, KB3MJR, bookworm101 and dark knight virgil, thanks to you all for your continued support.
And to all the other Star Fox fan fiction writers who are reading this…you all keep the spirit of the imagination alive through your works of literal art.
KEEP ON WRITING.