LET'S READ STAR FOX COMMAND - Tis Better To Have Loved...

Oh, this was Q-Games! I never suspected the folks that made those decent PixelJunk games were responsible for this shit.

Is this done? Is there more? I have no idea whether to move this to on hiatus or complete.

Help!

It's FAR from done I just haven't worked on it in forever because the lunch breaks where I used to churn out entries have been overtaken by other duties.

You can call it a hiatus if you want but now that I've been forcefully reminded of it I'm totally gonna try and update as fast as I can just to keep it out of on hiatus.

Moved to 'on hiatus'

Yeah I'll get back on it as soon as Bad Rats is in the can no worries.

OH SHIT.
BACK ON THE WAGON.

SCENE 3 PATH 4: ROLE MODEL
AKA: MISSILE ATTACK

Commissioner Beltino is in every way an archetype of the fatherhood ideal. A caring, smart and helpful (if somewhat goofy) individual full of fatherly wisdom, trying to find the balance between providing his son guidance, and allowing him to forge his own path. It's obvious that slippy loves his dad very much, to the point where much of his life is modeled after him.
Falco's Arrival heralds the coming of this mission's boss, the dreaded "Bio Brain". However, it is but a distraction, much like everything else in this war. Fox and team make short work of it.
The thing that sets Star Fox Command so far above other works of literature is how it manages to tells us so much from so little. For example, this small exchange not only gives us valuable insight into the characters of the 3 active members of Star Fox, but also elevates them into symbols, through which it delivers commentary on the world. Here, Falco Slippy and Fox represent different soldier archetypes. Falco is the glorious conqueror that "loves every dogfight". Slippy is the worried young man who just wants to make it out alive. Finally Fox is the machine. Brutish and Mechanical, accomplishing his mission and doing little else.

It should be noted that of these three characters, Slippy is the only one with a happy family.
Fox is quite obviously unhappy about the prospect of begging his ex to rejoin the team. Falco and Slippy are clearly hoping Fox and Krystal will get back together, both of them having grown sick of Fox's Endless moping, and wishing to return to the earlier days when the four of them could hang out and nobody had to pick sides. Beltino holds no such hopes or delusions, and cuts to the core of the issue with an outsider's clarity. It's a war. We need everybody we can get, regardless of personal history.

As such Fox does not get to decide if he wants to try to re-recruit Krystal. The decision is already made, and he will do what he must whether or not we, the readers, decide to accompany him.
Regardless of who we decide to go with, we are treated to a short scene of Beltino outfitting Fox's craft with new offensive capabilities, just as his son Slippy has done for Fox many times before. Like father, like son.

CHOOSE
GO MEET KRYSTAL
SAY GOODBYE TO FOX

screw you fox you're useless

ditch that sucker

SCENE 4 PATH 4: OLD DOG
AKA: HOLD FIRM KATINA

Bill Grey is one of Fox's oldest and best friends. They they've known each other since childhood, and went to the Cornerian Flight Academy together. Beyond their shared history, he's also helpful, loyal, a strong leader, and good-natured in general. He is 100% the friend Fox should be talking to in his post-breakup depression.

I bring all this up, because Bill only appears in two chapters of this story. And in both of those chapters, Fox is nowhere to be seen. Bill is only ever seen interacting with people he knows because of Fox. He helps them, and they help him, but at no point does Fox, the man Bill knows better than anyone, enter the equation.
Falco and Slippy both have great respect for Bill, and jump right into helping him clear out the enemy forces on his home planet of Katina.
Bill is a dog. Unfortunately there is not enough information on racial tensions in the Lylat System (if they exist at all) to judge whether his analogy would be found offensive or not. Slippy and Falco do not comment.
As a longtime friend of Fox, it's notable that Bill seems to know more about Krystal's side of the story than he does Fox's. The information he chooses to divulge here implies that he would rather Fox stay far away from Krystal. Nothing about her since her leaving the team is anything Fox would approve of.

While he's clearly concerned about his friend, Bill is an active member of the Millitary, and cannot abandon his post. Slippy and Falco say their goodbyes and, leave to meet Fox on Titania, both privately wondering how on earth they're going to deal with their basketcase of a leader.

CONTINUE

SCENE 5 PATH 4: BITTER TENSION
AKA: THE WORM
Krystal makes no attempt to disguise her foul attitude about working with the team again, and immediately starts swinging for the fences. Her pot shot at Slippy serves no purpose other than to put everybody on edge. She won't be happy until nobody's happy.
According to the best sources available it's true that Andross did, at one point in his life work for the advancement of society. However, as time went on his experiments grew increasingly dangerous, unethical and even inhumane. When the government ordered him to stop, he blatantly ignored the command. At long last, one of his illegal experiments went wrong, resulting in a cataclysmic explosion that killed millions. That was the event for which he was exiled. He dedicated the remainder of his life to attempting full scale invasions of Lylat resulting in even more death and destruction. This went on until his big face-to-face confrontation with Fox, where he was finally killed.

I bring all this up to illustrate how completely ridiculous Krystal's stance in this argument actually is. At best it ignores the vast majority of his life in favor of a few minor accomplishments from his youth. At worst it's outright false, as Andross had no "remaining days" after his battle with Fox. Finally her bringing any of it up is completely unrelated to the task at hand: finding one of Andross's old inventions, so they can safely enter venom airspace. Krystal stood up for Andross here not out of some misguided belief he was was a good man, but because at the moment's she's onboard with anything that makes Fox unhappy, regardless of how poorly it reflects on her.
Please note that Krystal left the team some time ago, and had her own craft while working with Wolfpack. Slippy maintained and upgraded her Team Star Fox Craft while she was away on his own volition.

For all his ambitions Andross died alone in a hole in the ground. The symbolism in this level's boss is all too obvious: The only one that cares about the dead are the worms that ate them.
The worm's token resistance for its dead master falls quickly enough. There is Irony in its death: By destroying Andross's final creation, Team Star Fox is now free to fulfill Andross's Final dream. If anyone recognizes this, they keep ti to themselves.
Do not speak to Slippy like he doesn't know your pain. He knows all too well.

SCENE 6 PATH 4: THE NEW STAGNATION
AKA: FOX AND KRYSTAL

Zazan and The Anglar Emperor's conversation implies that their entire race was the creation of Andross. They are lifeforms designed to live in a terrible inhospitable sea. We don't know why Andross also designed a device to remove the sea's acidic properties. It's entirely possible Andross made them just to kill them. A sad, doomed existence.
Slippy is the sort of man who wants everybody to be happy, and is willing to do whatever is needed to accomplish that end. A fine personality trait to have, but in situations like this one, it would only make things worse.
The Anglar dies the same way he was created, as an afterthought. A side effect of a much larger battle. It is not the incredible last stand of a king who would have been a god. He's just a casualty.
Finally, the happy ending this story deserved! With the Anglars defeated, Lylat saved, and Krystal back on the team, our heroes set a course for Aquas so slippy can finally introduce everybody to his blushing bride-to-be. It was a rough trip, but we're finally in the clear. Right?

END

ENDING PATH 4: NEW DARK AGE
Wrong. Fox's breakdown-induced pleas for Krystal to come back, is a rash and poorly thought out choice, as is her relenting to his begging. The reformed Team Star Fox consists of three people who genuinely want to be there there, and two people desperately pretending that they've managed to bury the past. While the addition of Amanda, will provide some stability, Star Fox is as doomed as it ever was. Eventually Amanda, Slippy and Falco will all need to move on with their lives, leaving Fox, Krystal, and the elephant in the room that is the tension and distrust between the two.

As the whole campaign was but a mirror of the Squadron's problems, so the fate of the Lylat system mirrors their resolution. Dash wishes to build venom as Fox wishes to build his organization. And like Fox and his grandfather before him, it seems doomed to fail.

IT DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THIS WAY...

SCENE 4 PATH 5: THIRD WHEELS
AKA: KRYSTAL

Panther Caruso of Wolfpack is sort of guy who's cup runneth over with fire and passion. While it's easy to write off his grandstanding as the empty words of a wannabe Casanova, he has never in his life cheated or fooled around, and takes his relationship with Krystal as seriously as such a commitment requires. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he doesn't care who sees it.

Also notable is Fox and Krystal's reactions to eachother. Fox's shock at the fact that Krystal has found someone else betrays his belief that she wouldn't, or perhaps shouldn't be able to move on when he couldn't. Krystal on the other hand immediately assumes that Fox knew everything about her new life, and was here for no other reason than to ruin her day. The resentment she holds towards Fox outweighs her ability to recognize that there are valid reasons for his presence, leaving her to assume he's only here for some sort of pathetic revenge.

Leon Powalski, an original member of Wolfpack, enjoys flying ships and using them to blow up other ships. His life is dedicated to the straightforward pursuit of doing that as much as possible. He is simple and uncomplicated while still somehow managing to be totally fucked up.
We've all been at that one party where someone's ex turned up, and wouldn't leave their former squeeze alone. Panther remains oblivious to the whole thing, that's just how he always acts. Krystal, is less than receptive because she's busy being mortified by Fox's desperate grabs for attention. Leon, in an odd twist from his usual roll of "the crazy one" spends the entire time subtly keeping Fox in check and making sure nobody loses their shit.

Star Fox Command has turned love into a literal battlefield, complete with a wingman that pilots a fighter and flies in formation.
Once the battle is over, Fox loses his cool, and falls into the classic terrible ex strategy of begging for forgiveness and saying whatever seems like something their ex might want to hear. Krystal to her credit, was gunning for this reaction since he showed up hitting him with one cutting comment after another and delighting in his misery. Their pretensions of stoicism or of moving on have completely fallen aside, and it is in this fragile state that Krystal must decide what she does next: Seek something resembling closure, or continue to tell herself she doesn't need any.

Meanwhile Leon's hollering "Whhhhkkkksssshhhh!" or some shit. I dunno what the fuck's up with that.

CHOOSE
GO WITH FOX
LEAVE WITHOUT FOX

It's whip noises. Leon is saying that Fox is whipped.

Oh

OH

OH SNAP!

SCENE 5 PATH 5: WOLFPACK
AKA: STAR WOLF RETURNS

After spending so much time watching Team Star Fox, and the myriad reasons why it can no longer function, the game gives us an opportunity to see Wolf O'Donnell in his element: as the the leader of Wolfpack. Before Krystal joined, his team consisted of a borderline psychotic and a foppish narcissist, a seeming recipe for disaster. In spite of this, they work well together, and suffer from none of the interpersonal issues or drama that endlessly plagues Team Star Fox. The contrast is obvious: Wolf O'Donnell has managed to take dysfunctional people and turn them into a functional team, something Fox is wholly incapable of.
This short exchanges demonstrates why Wolfpack can survive when Star Fox cannot. Panther sees a problem with his current relationship and addresses it immediately, prepared to face whatever the results might be. Leon laughs at the whole scenario, refusing to be affected by someone else's issues. Finally Wolf takes control of the situation with an outsider's clarity, making sure that his squadmate's relationship issues do not affect the task at hand.

No matter what choices are made by the characters of this story, the fate of the Anglar Emperor is always the same. An inglorious death.
Leon's logic is, as always, bulletproof.
Wolf is not completely without honor and recognizes that for him to enjoy this victory, Team Star Fox had to be left behind. He doesn't let it bother him for long though. His team took on this undertaking simply so they could leave the past behind, and with their mission finally accomplished, none of them have any time for what came before.

Well, almost none of them.

END

ENDING PATH 5: AN UNFORGIVING PLACE
In a cruel twist of fate, Krystal alone is unable to escape her past life and enjoy her new future. It seems odd that the public would mark her as the villian of the whole affair, as the other members of her new team all have long-standing criminal records.

If you will allow me a moment of speculation, I might posit that it is not the hatered of the public that drove Krystal to become Kursed, but Krystal herself. Wracked with self-loathing and guilt, and having no one to blame for her misery, she projected her self-loathing onto the public, convincing herself that they were the ones who unjustly hated her to avoid the fact that her problems were purely internal. Having decided upon an appropriate scapegoat, she withdrew from society in an attempt to flee from issues that could not possibly be outrun.

This is all conjecture, of course. It's entirely possible that I'm mistaken and the public really had made life in the lylat system completely intolerable.

Could you deal with such scorn?

Could anyone?

IT COULD HAVE GONE SO MUCH BETTER...

This is all well and good but why is ROB on Star Wolf ships again?

Also I recall some Fishina planet we could've gone to way the hell ago. Go there.

Haha, that dog is the best.

Also Kursed. That is the best too.

SCENE 2 PATH 6: PRODIGAL DAUGHTER
AKA: FOG OF WAR
Star Fox Command is a story filled with realistically flawed characters, and Slippy is no exception. His intentions are good, he only wants Fox and Krystal to be happy once again. That said, the only way he can think to accomplish this is for the two of them to re-enter an unhealthy relationship. It's a conclusion reached by a combination of personal bias and naivety. Being with Amanda makes him happy, so why shouldn't Fox and Krystal have that same happiness?

Wolf O'Donnell is less about thinking and more about doing. Logically, he and his team should have gone out of their way to put as much distance between themselves and Team Star Fox the second they realized they were there, considering the are bounties on their heads and the history the teams share. Instead he boldly announced their presence and charged headlong into battle, like the consummate warrior soul he is. Alas, this is currently Fox's story. Wolf's defeat is inevitable.

Lucy Hare is Peppy's Hare's only daughter. It's common knowledge that she always wanted to be a pilot, and she understand the mechanics of flight so well that she was able to build her own custom fighter. She also has a great deal of knowledge about the ongoing conflict, including the enemy's strategy and the identity of their leader. This all makes it very odd that in spite of all this, she only works in education, and has yet to contribute to the war effort in any way.

Worry not, dear reader, there are explanations to those oddities. On certain paths, we might come across them.

CHOOSE
FIGHT OIKONNY
GATHER INTELLIGENCE

SCENE 3 PATH 6: SHACKLES OF LEGACY
AKA: OIKONNY STRIKES BACK

Andrew Oikonny, nephew of the warlord Andross, is practically a case study in ambitious failures. He was kicked out of Wolfpack, and his attempt to invade Lylat with the remnants of Andross's fleet were brushed aside without a second though. He now acts as one of the Anglar Forces many minor commanders, ignorable and disposable.

Also note, Andrew is the only characters in the story to go by his last name instead of his first. Instead of being recognized as an individual, he is only known only because of his family.
The area is an active combat zone, far more than just "a little bit dangerous". Lucy has no intention of leaving, regardless of Fox's opinions on the matter. Fox does not put up much resistance to the idea, which is unusual considering how his supposed concern for Krystal's safety resulted in her being ejected from Star Fox. Then again, dangerous combat missions were far from the only issue that faced Fox and Krystal.
Of all the foregone conclusions in this tale, the outcome of Oikonny vs Fox, Slippy & Lucy is one of the most obvious.
Lucy is an absolute powerhouse in combat and defeats Oikonny quite easily. That said, instead of declaring the victory for her own, attributes it to her Father, Peppy Hare. Bearing that in mind, we can see that both Lucy and Oikonny personify the issues of being trapped the shadow of their family's legacy. Oikonny projects his family history onto himself and assumes that he's destined for greatness. As a result he habitually takes on far more than he can handle and inevitably ends in failure. Lucy on the other hand, fears she'll never live up to her family's accomplishments, and thus credits whatever success she has not to her skills as an individual, but to the fact that she's "General Peppy's daughter". They are both trapped by their forefathers in profoundly different ways.
Even Slippy, who as discussed earlier, wants very much for Krystal and Fox to get back together, thought that was a bit much. Fox was wrong to break up with her using concern for her safety as a false pretense, but what's done is done, and can't be taken back.
Fox and Slippy will head to Aquas, and Lucy will continue to search for her father. The choice presented to us, the readers, is not really a choice at all. We are simply deciding who's point of view we are going to follow.
Even when wracked with worry, over his beloved Fiancee, Slippy finds the presence of mind to fully outfit Fox's Machine with new weaponry. He is, in every possible way, the best man for the job.
CHOOSE
GO TO AMANDA
CHECK OUT CORNERIA

And for the record, yeah we are getting pretty close to done here.

...and when that moment comes, the grand purpose of the internet will have been fulfilled. We might as well close it down by that point.

SCENE 4 PATH 6: UNRELIABLE
AKA: FATHER AND DAUGHTER

ROB and the Great Fox are present in every mission in the game, acting as a continual witness to all these disparate events. You could make the argument that the story of Star Fox Command story is a historical record, taken from Great Fox's data files. An unbiased account recorded by an unfeeling, logical machine. The perfect narrator.

Or is he? In a very odd moment, ROB implies that he cares about Lucy, and may even be infatuated with her. He catches his slip up immediately and makes a quick attempt at damage control, and Lucy is so preoccupied with the task at hand that she doesn't even realize it happened. Still, the fact remains that Great Fox's computer system might be able to favor one person over another, just like a person. And if we accept that the story is ROB's record of events, it may not be as unbiased as we assumed.
After clearing out the area, Lucy is finally reunited with her father, Peppy hare. Lucy is just overjoyed to find her father safe, but Peppy's actions are somewhat stranger. He jumps between berating his daughter to an oddly formal thank you, and then claims his deceased wife would blame him for the state of the war. He comes across as disorganized and almost paranoid, not as the proud commanding officer Lylat Needs.
Moments after Lucy finds him. Peppy demands she remain on Corneria and continue to protect the home front. He claims he has important news for Team Star Fox, but doesn't say what it is. He tells ROB to send fox a message, but neglects to include the news in it. He then sets out on his own to meet with his old teammates for one final mission.

I say final for a reason. Peppy is now an old man, so out of touch he doesn't even know how to address his own daughter. He thinks constantly of his wife, who passed on long ago. Instead of taking on a defense mission in a well fortified area, he blasts off into hostile space on his own.

Peppy has lost more than any man should. A relic of a bygone age, he's haunted by just how powerless the years have made him. He would never say it aloud, but he's at the point where he no longer wishes for a good life. Now all he desires is a noble death.

The only choice we have in all this is who's fate we will witness.

CHOOSE
HEAD FOR TITANIA
SAY FAREWELL TO PEPPY

SCENE 5 PATH 6: VALKYRIES
AKA: LUCY AND KRYSTAL
At the darkest hour, Krystal Shows up with reinforcements. The story gives no details as to why she chose now to involve herself or how she got in touch with fellow female pilots Katt and Amanda, but her actions speak volumes.

That she showed up explicitly to help, with no promise of success or reward means that she recognizes that this battle puts far too many civilian lives at risk for her to stand idylly by. The members of her team Wolfpack are nowhere to be seen, meaning that she had to abandon them to make this choice. Instead she is joined by Katt and Amanda, who she only knows as friends of friends of her ex. Seeking their aid meant swallowing her pride and putting aside all the animosity and anger she holds towards Team Star Fox. Her arrival here demonstrates nobility and selflessness of the highest order.
There is no name given to the enemy pilots. Their identities are completely irrelevant. They are the faceless forces of evil, seeking nothing but brute destruction. Who they are is second to their actions, and their actions demand they be stopped at any cost.
Against the combined force of the four women, those who would kill the citizens of Corneria were doomed. They were dead the second they boarded their ships.
While the earlier two (very brief) exchanges mean that Star Fox Command passed the Bechdel test, the vast majority of the conversation had by these women have here still focuses on the various men in their lives. There are, of course, in-story justification for this: While Krystal is fast friends with Lucy, she was only acquainted with Katt and Amanda through her former teammates Falco and Slippy. Now that the battle is over, some proper introductions are in order, and what better common ground is there than mutual friends?

That said, we still must acknowledge the fact that all these female characters defined themselves not by their own accomplishments, but by the men they know. Their very individuality is compromised by the sexism inherent in system they live in.
It is left deliberately unclear as to whether or not Lucy recognizes that Peppy's actions were borderline suicidal. Her father was her hero, and acknowledging how deep his problems run is not an easy pill to swallow. The refuge provided by denial is temporary at best.
And so with the news of Star Fox's success on the venom front, and the official end of the war, the four resolve to prepare a celebration for both of their victories. That said, given the issues these individual have had, and the sudden lack of a greater conflict to serve as a distraction, an exceedingly awkward evening is the best some of them can hope for.

END

ENDING PATH 6: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...
We can assume that Slippy and Amanda, arguably two of the most well-adjusted and intelligent characters throughout the tale were just happy to see each other. Kat and Falco's relationship is a bit more complicated, but the two have always maintained an air of ambiguity regarding each other. We the readers should expect their reunion to not be touched upon.

Lucy and Peppy's conversation, focused around the loss of Vivian, does not give a clear answer as to whether or not the two of them will be able to overcome their problems. However, it does show a glimmer of hope, as Peppy finally begins to fully open up to his child. The two of them have a ways to go, but it looks as though they'll get there, in time.

Fox and Krystal, on the other hand, cannot seem to help but slowly fall right back into the trap they were trying to escape from. Both of them having been under considerable pressure to get back together from their friends and both miss being with someone in spite of themselves. Fox, not wishing to fall back into the pit of loneliness he was in at the start of the story begs and pleads for Krystal to give him another chance. Krystal finally relents not out of love, but out of pity. The two end exactly where they started. No glimpse of progress to be seen.

One final note, The lighting in the last panel makes Fox, look gray instead of his natural orange, making him appear to us and to Krystal like Wolf O'Donnell of Wolfpack. This is a visual metaphor for Krystal convincing herself that Fox, and Team Star Fox by extension will have the same qualities that made her want to join Wolfpack. Unfortunately, it's an illusion. Fox is Fox, and nobody else, and the qualities that Krystal is hoping to find are just not there.

IF ONLY WE HAD KNOWN...

SCENE 5 PATH 7: BY DIGITAL REPLAY
AKA: ANDROSS’S LEGACY
With the return of Peppy acting as a pilot instead of a supervisor, Team Star Fox feels complete for the first time in ages. Suddenly the four are young again, unhindered by the responsibilities they picked up in the years after the Lylat invasion and ready to take on anything. There is only the mission. One beautiful final huzzah.
Suck it up Fox. Let the old guy have his moment.

For this final reunion tour, it's only fitting that Team Star Fox's first great adversary, the warlord Andross, make one final appearance. But of course, it's not what it seems. The "Ghost" of Andross is just a recording and and an old machine set to guard his final invention. It falls easily enough.
Like the monster under his bed, Andross is a fear that Fox and Company have simply outgrown.
Fox, perhaps recognizing as we all did that this is the best last huzzah Team Star Fox could possibly have, makes it official: After this final mission, he's calling it quits. On one hand, he's showing remarkable growth by recognizing that Star Fox no longer has a place in the world. On the other, his plans to reunite with Krystal are foreboding at best. As Falco said, her days as a pilot are not over. Fox refusing to accept that she wanted to fly was a key aspect of their breakup. What makes him so sure she'll take him back if he renounces flying completely?

CONTINUE

SCENE 6 PATH 7: TO WATCH ME DISAPPEAR
AKA: GOOD-BYE FOX

The device ROB launched into the venom sea completely removed its corrosive properties. The Anglars, however, thrived in those harsh conditions, as it's their natural state of existence. It would be like a saltwater fish trying to survive in a mountain stream. Their race is effectively doomed, all they can do now is put on a brave face and mount a token resistance.
With his mind finally made, for good or ill, Fox is finally free of distraction. There is only the mission.
In a story about the dangers of love and moving on, a monster at the bottom of the sea has no real purpose. And so he is buried there, an enemy that barely existed at all.
And so, with Team Star Fox's Final Mission complete, Fox disbands the team and flies off to chase after Krystal. His mind is filled with thoughts of creating a new life for himself and the woman he idolizes. Team Star Fox ceases to exist along with its last adversary, and its members, friends to the very end, wish their former leader the best of luck.

It all seems so very hopeful. Fox has finally broken free of the entity that trapped him, and can now walk on his own.

But is it a step forwards, or a step backward?

END

ENDING PATH 7: THE PRIDE AND THE PALLOR
While Fox arguably made the right choice to disband Star Fox and address his problems head-on, the only solution he could come up with was taking another shot at his relationship with Krystal. It's not made explicitly clear why she got back with him, so we are left to wonder if it was pity, or if he just begged her until she caved. Either way, it's reasonably fair to assume that Marcus was born due to the common misconception that having a child would somehow bring them closer together.

Growing up in such a loveless home, it's no surprise that Marcus joined the military at the first opportunity. While he showed remarkable skill as a pilot, he left the armed forces as quickly as he possibly could as well. A young prodigy that detested everything around him, seeking a way to deal with an uncaring world. There really was only one possible end point for him.

Star Fox.

Marcus creates the third generation of the organization that killed his grandfather and and transformed his father into a broken shell of a man. He's joined by representatives of both the Hare and Toad Families, and by original team member Falco. The only difference is Fox joined Star Fox as a way to try and fill the shoes left by his slain father. Marcus joined to get away from the family that failed him.

The sins of the father have passed fully to the sons.

THERE HAS TO BE A WAY OUT...

SCENE 1 PATH 5: ONE FROM THE CROWD
AKA: DECISION TIME

Amanda cares deeply about her husband-to-be, so there's nothing particularly odd about her request. Fox's reaction, on the other hand, is uncomfortable and stilted. In addition to the jealousy he feels towards Slippy, he whole exchange reminds him of his demands that Krystal stop flying for her own safety. The familiarity frightens him.
In the middle of the battle, fox receives some unexpected help from the local military. This lone pilot fights alongside him until the end of the battle.

Dash Bowman is one of the many pilots in the Cornerian Military. He does all he can to assist in the battle, then politely excuses himself as soon as it ends. Fox does not attempt to delay him, as Dash is a soldier, and presumably has superiors to report to and more battles to fight.
Alone once again, Fox weighs his options as to how to proceed from this point. The obvious choice of action is to meet up with Slippy and Falco, as he always planned to. The two of them are highly skilled Pilots that Fox knows and trusts. They are in every possible way, the men for the job.

Fox hesitates not because he has a better option, but because he doesn't want to see Falco and Slippy right now. He's wallowed in a pit of self-loathing for months now, and the idea of his two oldest friends seeing how their once great leader has become an utter wreck of a man. He's also afraid that they would pick up on how jealous he is of Falco's freedom and Slippy's stable relationship. The combination of all those elements could lead him away from doing the obvious thing, and down a somewhat different path.

CHOOSE
MEET UP AS PLANNED
GO TO FICHINA INSTEAD

Falco was always more skilled anyway.