Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Beltino Toad sipped his coffee, looking bleary-eyed at the monitor on his desk. The computer's clock showed 12:03 am. Just looking at the time made him feel exhausted, but he knew he wasn't going to finish what he was doing if he fixated on that. About a week ago, the top brass gave Beltino's team a project they needed done yesterday, and he and his team had been scrambling to finish ever since. This was his fourth late night in a row. Often he thought of his work ethic with a mark of pride, but not tonight. He just wanted to get out of here, go home, and collapse into bed.

After readjusting his glasses, he resumed pounding the keys, glancing out his office window every so often. The Cornerian military's largest base spread out around his laboratory building, and the lights still glowed brightly despite the late hour. After all, they had to be ever vigilant and ready to defend their planet. Andross taught them that well. Past the mountains to the south, some of Corneria City's taller skyscrapers peeked over, twinkling in the night.

At last, the final words appeared on his screen. Smiling, Beltino emailed his report to General Peppy and shut down his machine, as he headed to the door. Grabbing his coat off the wall and turning off the lights never felt so good. The elevator brought him to the first floor, announcing his arrival with a small 'ding'. The doors slid open, leaving nothing between him and his car but a dark hallway and a quick walk across the parking lot. The lot's lights shone through the glass doors at the far end of the corridor, calling his name.

As he approached the exit, three dark figures blocked the light. Just by their silhouette, he recognized them as wearing standard issue Cornerian soldier uniforms, complete with helmets, body armor, backpacks, and laser rifles. Beltino didn't even blink at the sight. This was a military base after all.

One of them swiped a key card at the reader next to the door, opening it up. Beltino slowed his step. Strange... For the most part, only scientists were supposed to have access to this building, not to mention entering at this late hour was suspect.

As the three stepped in, one of them pointed at Beltino. "That's him! Get him!"

A wave of panic washed over Beltino, as he spun around and ran the other way. Heavy boots echoed along the hallway behind him. What's going on?! Why is this happening to me?! Am I having a nightmare?

Beltino ran as fast as his legs could carry him, diving around a corner. An alarm button hung on the wall nearby. He pounded on it as hard as he could, but nothing happened. Surprised, Beltino hammered it several more times. Why weren't the alarms going off?! The soldiers rounded the corner, leveling their weapons at him. Beltino raised his hands up, heart pounding. They formed a triangle around him.

Beltino tried to get a look at who the soldiers were, but all of them had visors that concealed the top halves of their faces. The long muzzles and tails gave all of them away as canines, but that didn't help much, considering the vast majority of Cornerian citizens were canines anyway. One of them was a husky, one of them was a jackal...

The last one grabbed him round the shoulder and yanked him in close. The toad cried out, the canine's grip almost pulling the arm out of its socket.

"Dr. Beltino Toad?" The canine spoke with a calm, but firm voice.

His hot breath fogged Beltino's glasses with how close together they were, giving the toad chills. Why does his voice sound familiar?

"Beltino Toad?" the canine repeated.

"Y-yes?" He adjusted his askew glasses.

The canine let out a little chuckle, raising his helmet's visor.

Beltino gasped. How?! How did this man get in here?!

The wolf's right eye, shining in the dark, sized up the toad like a predator sizing up his next meal. A computerized eye patch covered the other eye, a long scar running underneath it and through the dark gray fur surrounding it. Wolf O'Donnell. Wolf's wicked toothy grin looked like it could've come from Death himself. "Pleasure to meet you. You're coming with us."

He wrapped one of his arms round Beltino's armpit, one of the fake soldiers getting the other side. They carried him down the hallway, his feet dragging on the tiled floor. As they rounded a corner, Beltino spotted a security camera mounted near the ceiling, looking right at them. Wolf and his cronies acted like it wasn't even there.

"Please! Someone help me!" Beltino cried out to the camera, craning his head towards it. "Wolf O'Donnell's got me! He's in the base! Call security!"

The fake soldiers laughed at him, Wolf even stopping to give the camera a grin and the finger.

"You think we're that stupid?" He pointed at the camera. "Your security guards are watching looping footage of empty hallways. They're blind and they don't even know it. Nobody is coming to help you."

A cold chill gripped Beltino, those final words ringing in his ears.

The group entered the building's maintenance section and boarded a large cargo elevator. Without warning, Wolf grabbed the badge lanyard around Beltino's neck and yanked it off, almost knocking off his glasses in the process. Moving the badge across a scanner, the scanner's light glowed green and the elevator descended.

He's taking me towards the classified vaults under the base? What could be down there that he wants? Oh god, he'll have all of Corneria's military secrets at his fingertips!

Still, there was one last hope. A round-the-clock security detail always manned the entrance to the vaults, with a minimum of four guards there at all times. They had armored security booths, and they'd be waiting for Wolf's crew once the doors opened. Beltino said a silent prayer.

Thunk!

Beltino opened his eyes. Next to Wolf, the fake husky soldier crouched down, unzipping his large backpack and pulling something huge out of it. Beltino's heart stopped when he saw what it was. It was a scaled down, man-portable version of a plasma mini gun that the Cornerian military normally mounted to vehicles, but it could still shred through many common types of armor easily.

Husky extracted an ammunition cell out of the backpack, attaching it to the weapon's charging port with a loud clack. Hefting the weapon, he stepped towards the crack in the elevator doors, leveling the weapon at it as the floors ticked by.

Ding!

Husky opened fire as the doors opened, waving the gun from left to right for maximum coverage. The gun illuminated the elevator with a blinding red glare, the weapon's muzzle roaring. Beltino closed his eyes and covered his ears, crying out from the assault on his senses. He thought it would never end. The toad curled up into a little ball on the floor, pressing his head to the floor, wishing it would stop.

Suddenly, it did, the elevator quiet again, but the smell of burnt metal and flesh now filled the air. Beltino didn't want to open his eyes. What would he see if he did? He couldn't keep his eyes shut forever though, so he pried them open.

The security checkpoint stood before him. There were two armored security booths, one on either side of a corridor, a path leading between them. It looked like it had been on the front line of a battle. The mini gun had punctured holes straight through all of it like it wasn't there. What now? That was the last thing between Wolf and the vaults!

Speaking of, the vault door waited past the checkpoint, the two-meter thick door taking up most of the wall at the end of the hallway.

Wolf pulled him between the booths towards it. Jackal shot the lock off of one of the booths, stepping inside and dragging a guard's body out, also covered with holes. Glancing inside, Beltino saw the other guard had fallen on top of the alarm button in front of him, but again nothing had happened.

As Wolf's compatriot pulled the first guard's corpse along the floor, Beltino looked into the dead body's eyes. That poor young man...his expression said it all. He didn't have time to feel anything but utter shock when that mini gun ripped him to pieces. At least it had been quick.

Wolf stepped in front of Beltino, looking at him. Beltino froze. What is he going to do to me now?! But without a word, Wolf whipped Beltino's glasses off, and pushed him towards an eye scanner on the left side of the door. Jackal pulled the corpse towards the scanner on the right, also pulling a badge lanyard off of it and handing it to Husky.

"Ready?" Wolf looked at his two teammates. "Three, two, one!"

Wolf shoved Beltino's eye into the retinal scanner, while Jackal did the same with the guard on the right. At the same time, Husky entered the badges into card slots next to the retinal scanners. A green light illuminated over the vault door, the entrance grinding open. As they waited for it to finish opening, Wolf passed back Beltino's glasses. With a shaking hand, the toad put them back on.

"All right Mr. Beltino." Wolf pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. After reading it, he returned his attention to the toad. "We're after one specific thing here. Nothing more, nothing less. You're going to help us find it."

Only one thing? The vault complex contained millions of items, going back hundreds of years of history. What could Wolf want down here?

They stepped through the vault door into a small parking garage. Instead of cars, small carts waited in an orderly line along one wall, all plugged into charging ports. Wolf grabbed Beltino round the wrist and flung him into the front passenger seat of one of the carts, before getting into the cargo bed behind him. The toad felt the tip of Wolf's blaster prodding him in the back of the head. Jackal took the driver's seat, while Husky tossed the guard's corpse into a second cart and got behind the wheel.

"Lucky man today Beltino." Wolf chuckled. "You get shotgun."

Setting out, they glided through an industrial gray hallway, garish fluorescent lights reflecting off of the smooth concrete. These vaults spread out like a maze, expanded many times over several decades through a natural underground cavern beneath the base. You could get lost for hours down here if you didn't know where you were going. That didn't seem to deter Wolf though. He read off the slip of paper, calling out to Jackal which way to go at each intersection.

How did he learn so much about our security system, and how to compromise it? How does he know the layout of this place? Beltino trembled, eyes cast towards the lupine behind him. And what's he going to do with me once he gets what he wants? He won't need me anymore after that! I've got to escape, but how?!

"How's your son doing these days?" Wolf placed his muzzle on the toad's shoulder, speaking into Beltino's ear. "Still working for that pup Fox McCloud?"

The toad froze. It still felt unreal that one of the most wanted men in Lylat sat behind him, pointing a laser at his back. Hard to believe not twenty minutes ago he'd just been typing out a report...

"Boss, we're here." Jackal pointed at the door beside them.

Another thick metal door towered above them, set into the right side wall. Like the entrance to the vault, it too had a double key card, double retinal scan setup. After repeating the unlock routine with Beltino and the guard's corpse, the vault door hissed open. Cool mist poured out through the opening.

A massive warehouse greeted them on the other side, racks of metal shelves standing several stories tall. Shiny metal boxes and cases of various sizes filled the shelves, the room so large you couldn't see the other end from the entrance. Wolf stepped into the warehouse first. He didn't look happy as he eyed the size of the place.

"All right, Mr. Toad." Wolf whirled around. "We don't have all night. What's the fastest way to find a specific case here?"

While frightened, Beltino got an idea. Security would notice the break-in eventually, no matter how careful Wolf had been. If I slow him down, that could be my best chance of surviving this.

"W-w-well..." Beltino cleared his throat, pointing at a terminal set into the wall. "That computer has a search program."

"Then get to work." Wolf shoved him towards the terminal, Beltino almost falling face first into the mounted keyboard. After catching his balance and dusting himself off, he typed in his user name and password, pressing the enter key. A message appeared on the screen in big red letters.

Invalid User Name/Password. Two attempts left.

Wolf narrowed his eye. "Problems, doctor?"

"S-s-sorry, hard to focus." Beltino readjusted his glasses. "I must've hit the wrong key somewhere. Let me try again."

He typed his credentials in again.

Invalid User Name/Password. One attempt left.

Wolf growled, stepping right behind him. "For your sake..." The lupine let his breath linger on the toad's neck. "You better get it right next time."

"Of course." Beltino wiped the sweat from his brow, this time punching each key one by one, as if to make sure he wouldn't mess up this time. He pushed the enter key.

Too many failed logins. Your account has been locked.

Snarling, Wolf grabbed Beltino round his collar and smashed his face into the concrete wall next to the terminal, shattering his glasses. He screamed, eyes shut as he felt the glass puncture into his flesh. His face burned in pain as he rubbed his hands over it, trying to brush away all the shards.

Before he could finish, Wolf whirled him back around and yelled into his face, teeth snapping with every word. "You can't remember your stupid password?! How the hell am I supposed to find what I'm looking for now?"

Beltino winced, feeling spittle stinging the wounds on his face. He couldn't speak with how blinding the pain was, but finally managed to stammer out a reply. "S-s-sorry! I don't work well under pressure!" The toad forced himself to open up one eye, the other having gotten nicked across the eyelid by one of the shards.

Wolf glowered at Beltino for a moment or two. Taking a break from speaking seemed to have calmed him down a bit. "Okay Mr. Toad, since I'm in such a good mood today..." The lupine pushed him away to arm's length. "I'll give you a second chance. Do you know another way to find the case? Because if you don't, you're useless to me."

Those last words floated through Beltino's head, as he tried to stay calm. "U-u-uh," Beltino stammered, "the cases might be arranged in numeric order. It's worth a--"

"Harry! Franco!" Wolf turned around, hollering at his men. "Check the racks by number! I'll stay here with Beltino."

As the two ran off to search, Wolf dragged over a nearby crate and sat on it, blaster drawn and pointed in Beltino's general direction. Several minutes passed without a word. The toad trembled where he stood. Was there anything else he could do to get away?

"Harry!" Franco called out. "Find a forklift! Case might be high up!"

Beltino blinked. That gave him another idea. Some time ago, the technology division on base created an app to control the vault's forklifts with your smart phone. It was done to cut the number of people who'd need access to the vaults, but when Beltino first heard about it he thought it sounded silly. Nonetheless he had gone to a mandatory training class on the app along with everyone else who had vault access, but that was a few months ago. Since he only came to the vaults once in a blue moon, he'd never really used the app and forgotten about it until now.

But if I could get it working...

Beltino knew his phone well enough to hit the buttons without looking. Maybe he could start the app with the phone still in his pocket. He entered his password, and peeked when Wolf wasn't looking. The main menu showed on the screen, as well as he could tell without glasses. If he remembered right, the forklift app was the last icon on the left on the bottom row, on the third page. Beltino swiped a couple times and then tapped, checking what he'd done.

Success! He saw a live camera feed on the screen, showing a forklift somewhere in this room. Where was it though? Beltino moved his finger across the screen. A pile of crates collapsed behind Wolf, exposing the forklift connected to his app.

Wolf turned around, gaping at the sight. "Eh? Why's that thing moving by itself?"

Beltino couldn't believe he was about to do this, but it was his only chance left. Taking a deep breath, the toad slid his finger across the touch screen. The forklift's rubber wheels squealed on the polished concrete floor, the machine barreling straight at Wolf. He just managed to jump out of the way before it crashed into a wall. Beltino ran out the open vault door, jumping into one of the electric carts, peeling out as he sped away. Goodness, it was like being in an action movie or something, but it scared the hell out of him. Did Slippy do things like this with Star Fox every day?

A laser flashed past his shoulder, almost scorching his white coat. He ducked, sparing a glance back. Wolf drove after him in the other cart, firing his blaster. Beltino weaved his cart back and forth, trying to keep the mercenary from getting a good shot. But it was hard to see much of anything without his glasses, the walls looking like giant white blurs in his vision.

One shot struck Beltino in the back. The toad screamed, clapping a hand over the blaster wound. The pain was so blinding he shut his eyes, unable to focus on the road ahead. With a loud crunch, the cart buried itself into the concrete wall at the end of the corridor, sending him flying head first over the steering wheel. He hit the wall with a sickening smack, sliding down the wall and coming to a rest on the cart's crumpled hood.

~X~

"Got ya, sneaky toad." Wolf holstered his blaster, stepping out of the cart.

He rushed towards the wreck. The toad laid there, knocked unconscious. Wolf sighed and shook his head. Should've been paying more attention. Not as sharp as I used to be when I was younger, I guess.

Grunting, he leaned over to pick up Beltino. "Damn you're heavy for a short guy." Wolf heaved him off the wreck, carrying him over to the second electric cart. After laying the scientist in the back, Wolf took a moment to crack his neck, rotating the arm he'd used for carrying. He looked back at his captive again. Makin' my work harder than it needs to be too. If you just cooperated I wouldn't have had to shoot you! I was gonna just tie you up, once we got what we wanted. Someone would've found ya later and ya would've been fine. He tapped the radio on his chest. "Harry, Franco, I'm coming back. Beltino tried to sneak off but I caught him. Keep looking."

"Roger," Franco answered.

The lupine steered the cart back into the warehouse, looking for his teammates. Despite the massive size of the space, it wasn't too hard to find them. Every sound echoed, so Wolf followed the sounds of boxes being pushed around. Rounding the corner, Wolf spotted the pair inspecting a handful of small cases stacked on a shelf.

"So, found the case yet?"

"Yeah boss, just in time." Franco smiled as he held a small silver case by its handle.

The case almost looked like a businessman's metal briefcase, exempting the government branding and the heavy duty metallic brackets holding it closed. Seemed innocent enough, but what was inside would make Star Wolf a fortune. It had been almost a year of prep work to make it to this moment. Wolf motioned for Franco to hand it over, the jackal passing it to him. Holding his breath, Wolf compared the number on the case's bar code to his slip of paper. It was correct, but he checked twice to make sure. This is it! We've got it!

"Well done, boys!" Wolf laughed, grinning at them. "You'll get a nice bonus for this!"

The other two chuckled back, giving each other a glance.

This job's gone better than I hoped. Wolf kept looking at the case, hardly believing it was in his hands. Would've liked to bring Panther and Leon along for this ride, but no way we would've been able to pass for Cornerian soldiers with their species. He looked at Harry and Franco again. Still, these two guys have been nothing but professional. Somethin' we need more of in Star Wolf right now. I think promotions are in order once we get back to the Retribution .

Wolf's smile faded away, as he assessed the logistics of what came next. They still had to get out of here with the case, after all. Until now, all Star Wolf had known about the case was its vault and serial number. Wolf had been afraid the item would end up being something bigger and heavier, but this was small enough to slip inside one of their backpacks. That'd make it a lot easier to get it out unnoticed.

"Must be something really important in there." Franco turned his head to look at it from all sides. He turned to the husky. "What do you think it is, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "Dunno, but I'd really like to know."

Wolf's curiosity was aroused too. However, the client specifically said not to open it. If they did, the contract was null and void, and that contract had a one hundred million credit payment.

Franco spared a moment to look back at the rack they'd taken it off of. "Hey, there's another case here. Looks just like that one."

Everyone crowded to take a look. Sure enough, it was as Franco said. Same metallic briefcase and same heavy-duty brackets sitting on the shelf.

"Makes you think, don't it?" Harry eyed the second container. "If there's two of what's in this case, why weren't we told to get both?"

While intrigued, Wolf needed to keep his teammates on task.

"The client's contract was to steal only this case." Wolf slipped the case into his backpack. "If she wanted both, she should have had that in writing. The other case isn't our problem." He slid the backpack back over his shoulders. "Anyway, we got what we came for, so let's scram. Giichi's done a great job with the security so far, but we're lucky an alarm hasn't gone off yet."

As if on cue, loud klaxons echoed through the underground vaults. Wolf cursed himself. Harry and Franco looked around, the lupine seeing the panic in their eyes. "Hey, look at me." He stepped over, using his hands to point their muzzles towards his face. "We're not caught yet. Let's focus on how to get out of this, okay?"

A loud groan rose up from the electric cart nearby. Wolf turned around to see Beltino still in the back, moaning but still unconscious. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten about him.

"Hmm..." A toothy smile crossed Wolf's face.

Chapter Text

Jeeps sped towards the research building, all of them screeching to a halt and surrounding it within minutes. The Cornerian soldiers within piled out, forming a perimeter and training their weapons on the doors and windows. A gunship hovered overhead, training a spotlight on the broken glass entrance door.

One more jeep pulled up amongst the others. A four-man team in heavy body armor and helmets climbed out. One of them, a Dalmation, stopped to look at the surrounded research building.

"Wonder what's going on in there…" he muttered, as he checked the charge on his laser carbine. "Who'd be crazy enough to try attacking this place?"

"Good question, Sonny." A brown hedgehog stepped up next to him, grimacing. "We'll soon find out. I'm in no rush."

That was Maurice, the point man of Sonny's four-man squad. Sonny himself was the element leader. Instead of a carbine, Maurice held a metallic shield in one hand and a handheld blaster in the other. His shield contained miniaturized version of deflector shields from military spacecraft to deflect blaster shots. The field could be expanded or shrunk just by rotating a dial. Maurice would go in first and provide cover in front for Sonny and the others.

Sonny stood around with his unit, waiting for the order to go in. However, Sonny didn't feel all that afraid. He was a veteran of the Lylat Wars after all. What could this be compared to that? Some nutjob shooter with a deathwish? If so, he'd be dangerous, but also crazy and stupid, so not difficult to subdue if appropriate measures were taken.

"All armored teams!" Sonny's radio squawked. "Sweep the building! Repeat, sweep the building! Use caution. Unknown number of assailants."

"You heard the man." Sonny flicked the safety off of his carbine. "Double time it!"

Sonny's squad rushed across the open ground between the perimeter and the building itself, along with several other teams moving into the building through other entrances. Maurice ran ahead of them first, bringing up his shield and setting the deflector to a low setting as he passed through the broken glass door. Meanwhile, Sonny and the other two in the back covered with laser carbines. The sound of clomping boots echoed through the hallways, along with occasional radio chatter over the mics. Sonny's team was only inside for a few moments when someone called out.

"Help! Help! We've got wounded here!"

Sonny held up a fist to signal for the group to stop. If he recalled the layout of the building, the shouting came from the cafeteria. Sonny pointed at Maurice with two fingers, then pointed down the hallway towards the canteen. Maurice, take point. Then he faced the other two and pointed up, spinning his fingers in the air. You two, on me. Maurice nodded, turning the setting up on his deflector shield. Sonny and the other two fell in formation behind Maurice, Sonny covering ahead while the other two watched the flanks. The cafeteria door was just ahead at the end of the hallway.

Someone pushed the doors open before they could get there. The four-man group stopped, Maurice ducking down in front so the other three behind could aim their weapons over him. No fear touched them, no hesitation to get into formation, their training taking over.

"Stop! Identify yourselves!" Sonny called out.

Three Cornerian canine soldiers stood there, a gray and white one using his shoulder to support a scientist.

"Hey… That's Beltino," Sonny whispered. The Dalmatian knew that the toad loved working late.

One of the three unknown soldiers stepped forward, raising his hands up and letting his rifle hang by its shoulder strap. He looked like a husky by the tail. "Don't shoot! Beltino's been shot! He needs medical attention ASAP! Let us through!"

Sonny wondered who these three grunts were, but then again Beltino looked to be in really bad shape even at this distance. Red blood stained most of his white lab coat a dark shade of crimson. He needed medical care fast.

"Okay," Sonny said. "Let them through."

The team stepped aside, allowing the three soldiers to hurry through with Beltino. Sonny watched them as he left, frowning. Nonetheless, he brought his headset's mic up to his mouth. "Be advised. We've got a civilian worker down. Beltino Toad. There's three soldiers escorting him out of the building right now. Get a medical team down here fast."

Sonny watched them leave. He wanted to find out more about what happened from them, but they still needed to clear the rest of the building of hostiles. Ah well. Maybe the perimeter guard would question them and then they'd get updates over the radio. The Dalmatian signaled for his team to keep searching.

~X~

As Wolf and his two cronies turned the corner, Wolf sighed with relief. The plan was working…so far anyway. As long they kept up this act, no one was going to get in their way. They could just breeze right out of here. But it was too early to celebrate. They encountered other teams as they left, Harry or Franco repeating the same excuse of getting Beltino medical attention. Wolf thought his voice might be recognized, so he let the other two do the talking. All of the soldiers took the bait, but Wolf couldn't breathe every time they had to stop. They finally reached the broken glass door they'd used to enter the building. Spotlights bathed the pavement outside the door in blinding light compared to the building's dark interior.

"Okay pups, here we go," Wolf whispered. "Harry, you know what to do."

Harry took a look at the perimeter surrounding them, a tense but composed look on his face. He turned back to Wolf, nodding. The husky walked out first, again holding up his hands so no one would shoot. Franco walked out after him. Taking a deep breath, Wolf turned his head down and brought up the rear, shouldering Beltino and praying that the helmet and visor would be enough to conceal his identity.

Wolf glanced upwards, and then wished he hadn't. The headlights of the jeeps almost blinded him, the searchlight from the gunship overhead making it even worse. And the sheer number of soldiers, just barely visible past the lights, sent a shiver down his back. Nonetheless, he kept his face blank and marched forwards, looking down towards the ground. It felt like it took hours to cross through the light to the perimeter, Wolf feeling very naked and vulnerable under all of the eyes.

At long last they passed by the circle of jeeps. A terrier soldier rushed up to them, a white armband bearing the red cross on his shoulder.

"Here!" the terrier shouldered Beltino's other arm, helping Wolf to move him. "Just follow me. We've got a field ambulance over this way."

They walked through the crowds of soldiers, the terrier calling for them to make way. After a few moments, they were at the ambulance. It was a jeep like the others, but modified to provide medical care in the field. Wolf helped the terrier settle Beltino down onto a nearby stretcher. The terrier and another medic, this one a squirrel, went to work.

While the other medic collected supplies and looked over Beltino, the terrier questioned them. "So he was shot? Any other injuries?"

"Uh…" Harry paused, looking frozen in place. Suddenly he turned to look at Wolf, perhaps for guidance. Wolf felt a sharp terror shoot right up his back, as he averted his eye to look at the ground.

Don't look at me! Don't look at me! Or then  they'll  look at me!

"Yeah…" Harry recovered. "He looks like he hit his head a couple times. You may want to check for concussions."

The terrier nodded, looking back at Beltino on the stretcher. "Ok, we'll take good care of him. Are any of you hurt?" He looked back up at the three.

"Oh no, no!" Harry laughed, maybe to cover up the pants-crapping terror Wolf figured they were all feeling. "We're all fine!"

"You?" The terrier looked at Franco, not picking up on Franco's nervousness. "You hurt?"

Franco just shook his head no, not saying anything.

Then the terrier looked Wolf in the eye. "How about you sir?"

Wolf felt his body trembling, but tried not to show it. He couldn't speak for a moment. The terrier raised an eyebrow.

The terrier smiled. "It's OK, you're safe now buddy. Nothing's gonna get you here."  Blissfully ignorant of the irony of that statement, the terrier patted Wolf on the shoulder.

The lupine almost jumped out of his skin at the surprise physical contact. Nonetheless, Wolf forced a smile and nodded at the medic.

The terrier didn't seem to notice, as he returned his attention to Beltino. "You better stay here with me. Bet they'll wanna debrief you. I'll call the base commander and let him know you're with me."

The medic walked towards the ambulance, reaching for a radio handset…

"That's fine, that's fine!" Franco put a hand on the terrier's shoulder, getting him to stop. "We'll just go see him right now."

Wolf held his breath. The terrier frowned, looking between the three of them. Nodding, he reached for the handset again. Franco was about to reach out again, but it was too late.

"Hey, I've got the three guys who saved Beltino. They're…uh…" The terrier looked at the nametags on their uniforms. "Sandusky, Schmitz, and Smith." The medic spared a laugh. "Hmm. How about that…all S's. Okay. They'll be at your office soon." He put away the handset. "Okay. You're good to go."

And just like that, the terrier went back to his work, talking to the squirrel as they took off Beltino's shirt so they could get a better look at his wounds. Wolf looked at Franco and Harry, nodding his head in the direction of the airfield. And then Wolf started walking that way, the other two going with his cue and falling in step behind him.

"Hey, hold on!" the terrier called out.

Thinking his face must look as white as a sheet under the fur, Wolf turned around, eye wide in terror.

The terrier was smiling at them. "You did a good job. Thanks for saving Beltino. He would have died if you hadn't brought him out like this."

Wolf would have laughed at the irony of that statement if he wasn't scared out of his wits right now. 

"Don't mention it." Harry nervously grinned. "I hope he sleeps peacefully tonight."

"Yeah, I'd like that too…" the terrier's smile faded. "But I hope he wakes up soon. We need to ask him about what happened."

"Yeah…" Franco replied, sounding distant in his voice. "Well, we better hurry up and talk to the commander. See you."

"Bye." The terrier turned back to assist the other medic.

As soon as the terrier looked away, Wolf started walking, moving as fast as he could without it looking suspicious. Franco and Harry followed from behind again. They walked behind a storage building of some sort. As soon as they were out of sight, they all collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh…oh oh oh…" Wolf rubbed the back of his neck, feeling dizzy from the terror he'd just gone through. He felt as happy as hell to finally be out of that mess. It was like that feeling where you had a near death experience, and then every little thing afterwards felt wonderful and amazing. The cool night air felt like euphoria. "All right… All right…" Now that he'd semi recovered, he looked over to his compatriots. "Okay…dropship." He paused, breathing heavily. "Fifteen minutes. Be there."

And with that, the three of them separated. Despite all the close calls, Wolf felt pleased with the performance of both Franco and Harry. Normally he would have brought along Leon or Panther, but that would have just been too dangerous for a job like this. Given the makeup of the core Star Wolf team, it would look suspicious if a wolf, panther, and chameleon happened to be hanging out together in this base. So instead for this job, Wolf decided to bring along some of his lesser cronies who also happened to be canines. Wolf knew they would blend in much better here. Most of the Cornerian military was dogs after all. Looked like the strategy had paid off.

Wolf allowed himself to relax as he strode down a roadway towards the airfield. It was all the better for his cover to relax, after all. There was no need to lurk in the shadows with this uniform. He nodded towards some off duty airmen as they walked down the road the other way.

Don't mind little ole me. Just some patrolling grunt out on the graveyard shift…

Nobody seemed to have noticed the backpack yet, and definitely not the case within. Again, Wolf thanked his gods that they didn't have to steal anything bigger than that case. And he also thanked the gods for Giichi, the hacker who thwarted the security system. Stealing a head admin's username and password was the easy part for him. After that, Giichi spent months studying the system and making sure he wouldn't get tripped up by the safeguards. But it looked like all that hard work was about to pay off too.

Several minutes passed, and before long he saw the massive hangars of the airfield looming up ahead. As he walked past one of them, he couldn't help but get a little anxious. Sure, everything was going good now, but all kinds of other things could still go wrong. What if he turned the corner and their dropship was surrounded by soldiers? What if the dropship was just gone? What if Franco and Harry weren't there? Taking a deep breath, he stepped around the corner.

Ah, thank goodness. Their dropship was right where he'd left it. It was a stolen Cornerian shuttle they'd used to sneak into the base, painted white and green. She wasn't much to look at. Basically it was a metal tube with a cockpit on one end, an exit ramp on the other, and wings in the center with hoverjets attached. When they stole it, it also came with a few uniforms and military-issue weapons, which they used to complete their disguises for this job.

Wolf noticed he was the first one back. He strode up the rear cargo ramp and took a seat on the bench. After setting down the backpack, he checked his watch. So far, eight minutes gone. Looking up, he stared at the wall on the opposite side. To pass the time, he decided to take the case out of the backpack to look at it. Wolf continued to ponder what was inside of this thing and why it was so valuable to his client. But that only occupied him for so long since he couldn't open it.  Shrugging, he walked to a cabinet mounted to the fuselage's wall and locked the case inside, before sitting back down.

Sitting here with nothing to do but wait was torture. The seconds passed as if they were hours. Every time Wolf heard a sound outside the ship he felt like he was going to jump out of his fur.

At the ten minute mark, Wolf heard footsteps approaching the rear cargo hatch. He turned his head towards the exit ramp, gripping one hand around the blaster at his hip. It was just Harry.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Wolf slumped back into his seat and let go of the gun. "You seen Franco?"

"No sir."

Wolf frowned. "Damn…" He checked his watch every couple seconds. Eleven minutes. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fourteen and a half. Rapid footsteps could be heard approaching. Both Wolf and Harry looked at each other, ready to draw and shoot at anything that ran up the ramp. It was Franco.

"'Bout time," Wolf muttered, as he walked to the cockpit.

"I'm not late! I checked my watch!"

Wolf wanted to cuss him out for nearly giving him a heart attack, but then remembered that would just slow them down in leaving. Besides, Franco was right. He wasn't late, and the two of them had done pretty good. Not bad at all, everything considered.

Clearing his head, Wolf withdrew an explosives detonator from his pocket. "Okay, the final touch." The lupine held down the arming button and squeezed the trigger.

Two explosions ripped through the base. One destroyed the radar tower used to track aircraft around the base and in orbit. That would allow them to fly away without being picked up on radar. The other ripped through a server building, which ran the security and surveillance network of the base. That would destroy any surveillance footage with them on tape, and hopefully all traces of Giichi's meddling. They'd planted the bombs prior to intercepting Beltino to cover the final escape.

Wolf turned around and walked through the cockpit's door, settling into the pilot's seat. The engines spun up, their humming very soothing and relieving. Within moments, he was flying the shuttle out of the airbase. Everyone was silent and tense, expecting a laser blast or missile to strike the ship at any second. But Wolf continued to push the ship up, farther, and farther, and farther, until they were leaving Corneria's atmosphere behind.

As the blue ball of Corneria faded into the distance, Harry rolled a hidden cooler out from underneath one of the jump seats and opened it up. He and Franco let out a loud cheer, as they both grabbed a beer and popped them open. The bumpy ride caused them to spill some of the foamy liquid over themselves, but they didn't care. Wolf didn't care either. They'd done it! They'd gotten away with the multi-million case! Wolf grinned and chuckled, and then Franco stepped into the cockpit offered him a beer. He was flying an aircraft, but…

"Thanks." Wolf smiled as he accepted the beer from the jackal and took a little sip, before he put it down in a nearby cup holder.

Corneria fell further and further behind, becoming nothing but a sapphire speck in the distance. In the meantime, the asteroid field Meteo came up into view. Wolf maneuvered the shuttle around the flying rocks like he was just flying his Wolfen. Even after all these years, Wolf still loved the simple pleasure of just flying. Sometimes it felt like nothing else existed while he was doing it. It was the perfect way to relax after a successful infiltration. He was about to take another swig and-

"Attention, stolen Cornerian shuttle!" the radio barked at him.

Wolf pulled the bottle away so fast he spilled some on his lap by accident. Wolf stared at the radio, unable to believe it. They'd come so far, and worked so hard to get to this moment. Surely fate wouldn't take that away from them now. He prayed he'd just imagined that and-

"This is Commander Bill Grey from the Katina frontline base! We know you're that shuttle that snuck out of the Corneria City base!"

"No…" Wolf's shock turned to anger. "No. No. No. No!"

Up ahead, a few Cornerian fighters in their signature green and white paint could be seen. They flew past the shuttle and took up formation behind.

"You will divert your course back to the base or you will be shot down! You have one minute to comply!"

Growling, Wolf dropped the beer bottle, letting it shatter on the floor. He clenched his hands around the flight stick. He had not come this far only to get captured by some lowlife hack pilot of the Cornerian government. 

"Hang onto something you two! This is going to get rough!"

Wolf put on the thrusters and accelerated full blast through asteroid field. It was dangerous to take a large ship deeper in there, but out in the open they would be sitting ducks. They had no other choice. The asteroid field also had a number of warp fields. Wolf intended to take one that would get him out of this sector and some place safer.

"Last warning!" Bill shouted over the radio. "Divert or you will be shot down!"

"Screw you," Wolf snarled, and then he broke the connection.

Bill answered back with laser blasts. They flashed past the hull, illuminating it and nearby rocks in a vivid green color. Since the shuttle was unarmed, Wolf put as much power as he could spare on the rear shields. It wasn't a moment too soon, as a few laser blasts pranged off the back of the ship. The shield status briefly flickered between green and yellow on the ship's displays. They were holding…for now.

Wolf slammed the stick forward, sending the ship into a dive. Two massive asteroids closed in on either side. Instead of slowing down or turning away, he aimed directly for the shrinking gap. The shuttle passed through close enough for Wolf to see the asteroids' rocky texture in minute detail, before the boulders smacked together.

However, the radar showed Bill catching up again, as more laser blasts struck the rear of the ship, sending the shield status into yellow. Wolf cursed having to fly this oversized lump instead of his usual Wolfen. If he had that today, it would be Bill running away instead of him.

Wolf continued to dodge and weave as best as he could, cutting very close to the asteroids and daring the Cornerian fighters to follow. However, he noted with irritation that Bill appeared to have figured out the strategy. Instead of following the shuttle directly, Bill used his craft's superior mobility and speed to take longer but safer pathways through the field, while keeping Wolf in his sights. Every time Wolf tried a daring maneuver through a cluster of rocks, Bill would simply fly around the cluster and catch up again at the other side. More laser blasts lit up the rear of the ship.

Wolf found his shields getting chipped away the longer the chase went on. The shuttle's shield display switched from orange to red. A few more shots and Wolf would have no more shields. Franco and Harry were getting anxious in the cargo bay, as they looked through the open door at Wolf's instrument panel. All of the gauges and instruments slipped into the red, and alarms began to echo through the cabin.

"Boss…are we—" Franco started.

"Quiet!"

Wolf knew that there was a warp field up ahead, as both his robotic eyepatch and regular eye scanned for the telltale blue aura. That was his planned escape route once they left Corneria. Once they were in the warp field, everything would be fine. He let that thought be the anchor for his calmness.

Sure enough, a few moments later he saw the blue warp field's aura up ahead, and guided the shuttle for it. Bill lit up the back of the ship with several more laser blasts. The rear shield's indicator changed to black, indicating the rear shield was now down. Bill's shots started to strike the shuttle directly, causing a shower of sparks to spit out of the back cargo hatch. The shuttle shook and vibrated as the lasers made contact. Ignoring the alarms, Wolf hit the thruster as hard as he could, willing the ship to go faster towards the warp portal. Bill let out one more stream of blasts, but by then the shuttle was through the portal.

The blackness of space became a blinding whiteness. Wolf shut his eyes against it, but before long the white melted away to reveal a rainbow-colored aura surrounding the ship. They were in the warp zone now. Wolf checked the radar, but Bill and the other fighter were no longer with them. Wolf laughed in triumph.

"Oh wow…" Wolf took his helmet off, wiping his brow. "Getting too old for this shit."

"Boss, sorry to ask this but—"

"Don't worry about it. Just ask." Wolf chuckled.

"Are we really safe this time?"

"Yeah, this time we should be. We'll be long gone by the time Bill can follow us through that portal. It's closed up again now." Wolf looked ahead, guiding the craft through the rainbow-colored dimension and dodging the psychedelic asteroids. It felt very soothing and relaxing after all they'd been through.

"All right… Fortuna here we come."

Sometime later, a bright flash of light illuminated the space over Fortuna. The stolen Cornerian dropship emerged from the warp hole. Wolf maneuvered the ship into orbit around the planet, heading for Fortuna's nearby moon, Genma. The dropship floated peacefully past the vast green jungles far below. Sure most of the gauges were still in the red, but they were almost back to the Retribution. It was Wolf's mothership, and Star Wolf's new home after being driven out of the Sargasso Space Station a year ago by Cornerian forces. Normally thinking about that caused Wolf to fume for a while, but he was just too tired and relieved about this job coming to an end to care-

Metallic shrieking filled the rear of the cabin. Wolf turned around, looking through the cockpit's door. The rear hatch. Wolf could see it buckling and twisting, spitting sparks everywhere. Its structural integrity was compromised from the chase before. Franco and Harry stared at it, frozen to their seats. With a mighty howling and screeching of metal, the rear hatch completely blew off, exposing the inside of the ship to the vacuum.

Chapter Text

After the transport's rear hatch popped off, everything not nailed down flew towards the new hole. The benches ripped right from their supports, taking Harry and Franco along with them. They didn't even have time to cry out.  The transport's safety system slammed the cockpit's vacuum-sealed door closed. It all happened so fast that Wolf couldn't believe it had happened at first. He just stared blank-faced at the closed door, wondering if this was just a bad dream.

The case…

He unbuckled himself from the pilot's chair, running to look through the door's small porthole window.

"Oh, shit."

He spotted the wall compartment he'd stashed the case inside.  It was still intact from what he could tell.  The case was still on the ship.

"It's all right, it's all right…" Wolf chanted, as if it were a magic spell. 

If he could just take it nice and easy getting back to the Retribution, maybe the case would stay where it was in that cabinet, and this job would be done.  He hoped that would be how it played out, because a lot was riding on this case job after the shit Star Wolf had been through recently.  

Last year, after Star Fox ripped apart half their space station in the Sargasso Space Zone looking for Pigma (who wasn't even goddamn working for Star Wolf anymore), the Cornerian Navy thought it'd be a great time to move in and wipe out what was left.  Now Star Wolf was only down to the Retribution, the one assault carrier that had survived the attack.  Yeah...cause retribution was what Wolf was going to give all his enemies once his PMC was back on his feet.  

But before any of that, this case needed to get safely home, and Star Wolf needed to get paid.  

He had to get back into the pilot's seat, but Wolf felt afraid to move away from the window. Despite being locked up in a cabinet, he thought the case might disappear as soon as he took his eye off it. If only he could go back there to get it, but there wasn't a spacesuit in this cockpit. That case was so near and yet so far away.

After a minute or so, Wolf worked up the nerve to get back into the chair and buckled in again. The lupine ran a quick diagnostic check on the shuttle's systems. More bad news. The computer reported both engines as damaged. Fortuna's gravity pulled him to the surface. The damaged engines wouldn't be strong enough to resist it.

"Damn it!" Wolf smashed his fist onto the console, leaving a little scruff mark on the metal.

Wolf wanted to hit it a few more times for good measure, but didn't want to risk crippling the ship any more than it already was. Closing his eye, he took a deep breath. He needed to relax.  A plan started to form in his head.

He'd have to land on Fortuna now, but Wolf thought he could glide into a crash landing. He'd just let gravity bring him down and only turn up the engines to soften the final impact. He figured that he wouldn't have to worry about help even without comms. The Retribution was expecting him, so no doubt they'd spot him on radar. Someone would pick him up before long. He just needed to stay near the shuttle and wait. 

And that case better not fall out on the way down. I do not want to tell Sable that it's missing. She was already pissy enough just giving us this job.

Wolf pointed the shuttle's nose upwards, as he prepared for reentry. Most of the dials hovered in the red, so he prayed his ride would hold together a bit longer. Steam and flames began to course around the hardened bottom of the ship. Wolf's heart pounded as he waited for the atmospheric entry to complete.

The flames gave way to blue skies. A blanket of clouds concealed the jungles below from view. Not liking where this was going, Wolf glided under them. Raindrops pelted the ship. A lot of them. He'd just entered a violent tropical storm. Visibility reduced to almost nothing within seconds. Spread out below, Wolf couldn't see anything but a solid carpet of dark green trees. No suitable landing zones anywhere. Growling, Wolf urged his ship onwards.

Another alarm klaxon blared through the cockpit. Wolf looked down at the ship's readout. The port side engine flashed red on the display, before turning black. Narrowing his eyes, he looked out to the left. The ship's little blue flame sputtered out and died, leaving just one engine to fly on. The ship listed to the left, with the starboard engine now struggling by itself to keep the shuttle up in the air.

Growling, Wolf pulled the stick hard upwards, willing the shuttle to fly for as long as possible. But no matter how hard he pulled back, the ship continued its inevitable descent into the jungle. 

Wolf snapped his head back and forth, looking again for a suitable landing zone. But he still couldn't see anything except for a solid blanket of treetops. After a second desperate search, he finally spotted a grassy field in the distance. But already he could hear the bottom of the shuttle grazing against the tops of the taller trees underneath.

Fixing his gaze on the clearing, Wolf fired up the remaining starboard engine with all the power it had left, as he flipped it over to VTOL mode. The sole engine howled in protest as it tried to keep the shuttle aloft, not designed to bear the weight of the ship alone. The shuttle went into a forty-five-degree slant downwards and to the left, looking as if it were held in the air by a string tied to the starboard wing. Wolf chewed his lip as he held onto the controls, willing the shuttle to just stay up in the air a bit longer. 

A large tree was coming up on the right where his remaining good engine was, and the ship didn't have the agility to evade it any longer.  He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. 

A loud crunching sound plus a heavy vibration filled the whole cabin, the engine noise cutting out as Wolf felt his stomach rising in his chest, the ship plummeting straight into the trees.  It was like being thrown inside a washing machine full of rocks, his seat bucking and kicking all over the place as he clenched his teeth, wondering if he was even going to be alive in a few seconds.  The ship still moved forward through whatever inertia was left, crashing through tree branches slamming into the front of the ship.  He wondered when the hell this ride was going to stop...when with a sudden slam the shuttle finally grinded to a halt, leaving Wolf with nothing but the pitter patter of rain drops on the cooling metal. 

He lay back in his seat, breathing a sigh of relief as he opened his eye.  While he'd crashed through a good part of the jungle trees, at least what was left of the fuselage had come to rest out in the clearing he'd aimed for...the viewport full of soft green grass.  While he needed to check on the case, Wolf figured he deserved a little break after what just happened.  Melting into the chair, he listened to the soothing sounds of the rain falling and hissing as it struck the hot metal. The stormy winds blasted the tall grass back and forth in a swaying, relaxing motion. It was a shame he couldn't take a nap. Wolf just realized how tired he felt, considering he had been up for the last eighteen hours preparing and then executing this mission.

Willing himself on, he moved to unbuckle himself, but then a violent bout of nausea struck him. Wolf sat still and waited for it to pass, but that wasn't in the cards.  Something rose up in his throat. He turned his head towards the floor next to the seat, letting out a deluge of vomit. Another helping was coming up. More vomit landed on top of the initial pile. He breathed hard, looking at it and wondering why he felt sick all of a sudden. Was it because of the crash? In any case, that seemed to be the last of the contents in his stomach.  Without any rags on hand, he wiped his face with the back of his hand.  Stepping up to the cabin's rear exit door, Wolf pulled the handle but realized it was jammed shut. After some more yanks, the door opened up with a harsh screech of metal.

Wolf gazed around the cabin to find the case, and--the whole rear compartment of the shuttle was gone.  Ripped clean away.  

The only thing past the door was more acres of more of the same grass, along with a long brown gash in the dirt where the fuselage had slid along the ground.  Beyond that was a long line of fallen trees and branches.

And the entire back end of the ship being gone also meant the case was gone.  

"Shit…"

Well Wolf, you up for a little jungle expedition?  He glared at the trees, not relishing the hike after what he'd been through.  A fresh bout of nausea coursed through his system, as the rain poured down in curtains, looking almost like a waterfall.  Screw all of that. It's one hundred million goddamned credits. I'm going out there.

He stepped back into the cockpit, snatching his laser rifle and Cornerian soldier helmet off of the floor. He checked the charge on the rifle, before slipping the helmet back on. Taking a deep breath, Wolf walked outside and into the storm. The rain drops began pounding down hard on his helmet and shoulders. Within seconds it was as if he'd walked into the shower while fully clothed. Sighing, Wolf pulled the helmet closer to his brow and pulled the visor down, to keep the water from dripping into his one good eye. At least the rain gave him something to clean up with. He turned his mouth up to the sky, taking in the water before spitting it back out. That helped get rid of the aftertaste of the vomit. He also wiped the moisture off of his uniform and used it to clean his hands.

He walked across the clearing, following the long streak in the dirt.  After a few minutes, he reached the tree line, now following the wrecked trees instead.  But once the trail of destroyed trees ended at ground level, Wolf found himself swallowed up by the vegetation of the jungle. Bushes, large leaves, and trees pressed in on all sides. He couldn't see farther ahead than a few meters. Finding anything in a jungle like this was going to be a nightmare, but he pressed onwards, hoping he could find the rear section of the shuttle where the case ought to be.  Surely even with all the trees, it wouldn't be hard to find something that big, right?

The ground turned upwards. Before long, Wolf discovered he was not walking up a grade, but a steep hill with running water and rock formations. The rain slicked the rocks to where he couldn't get a steady grip as he climbed over them. At one point he slid and fell backwards, falling into a nice, cold mud bog. The entire back side of his uniform got covered in the sticky goo.

"This is stupid!" he shouted to no one in particular, as he hauled himself out of the muck and started his climb again. "Goddamn you to hell Bill!"  After he killed Fox, Bill would be next.

Upwards he continued, fighting with the muck, the rain, and the thick brush, not to mention his general tiredness. By this point, water saturated his uniform. It weighed him down and chilled his body. Soon, Wolf felt as though he wore ice instead of cloth. But the thought of one hundred million credits kept him focused on his task.  

Forty minutes of being cold, wet, tired, and miserable passed, with no sign of the rear section of the ship or the case anywhere.  

The queasy feelings of nausea returned again, although this time Wolf had nothing to throw up. Again he wondered why he felt so sick all of a sudden. Was it everything he'd been through over the past couple dozen hours? A lack of sleep, sneaking into the base, being shot at by fighters, and then the crash landing? Or was it something he ate? Or had he caught a bug spreading through the Retribution? You couldn't get around living in tight quarters in space, after all, and most of his men weren't models of hygiene. Hell, it could be a combination of all of those things. Wolf just never remembered a time when he all of a sudden felt so sick during a mission.

But then Wolf saw something that lifted his spirits a little. Up ahead, the trees gave way to show a huge drop off. He could get a better vantage of his surroundings from there.  With sudden vigor in his legs, he rushed to the cliff's edge. But when he got to the vista, his wet clothes felt a lot colder, and the rifle felt a lot heavier. The storm reduced his visibility to about half a kilometer. Nothing but more and more trees lay out beneath him, an endless ocean of them.

A flood of distressing questions filled his mind. Was he still going the right way?  Or was the vegetation so thick he'd missed the rear section somehow?   Or what if he still had a much further walk to go to find it?  Or what if the rear section of the shuttle was just in pieces scattered all over the jungle now?  It could be any of those things or none of them.

As much as Wolf hated to admit it, he'd been stupid to go out in the jungle and search on his own, especially while tired and sick. Sighing, Wolf turned back around. He found a somewhat dry rock sheltered by some large palm fronds and took shelter there. Maybe he'd rest a bit, hike back to the cockpit, and wait for pickup. Then after pickup, he'd get all his grunts scouring the jungle for the rear section of the shuttle and hopefully the case. 

Once he felt like he had his strength back, Wolf stood up, stretching his arms and stomping his feet to get some of the feeling back in them. The coldness had started to numb and dull the sensations in them. He stepped out from under the fronds, and took one last look from the cliff's top. Suddenly, the nausea washed over Wolf in waves. Not to mention he felt like someone was taking a drill to his head. The headache's pain felt most exquisite. And then his veins felt as if they were on fire. Moaning, Wolf dropped to his knees on the jungle floor, closing his eyes. The pain increased to an unbearable level, as Wolf curled up on the ground in an attempt to make it feel better. It didn't work. Wolf opened his eye again, but now he couldn't see anything but a swirl of green, brown, and gray. Everything became a blur in his vision.

Am I going to die?

Wolf never considered the possibility, but it felt very real right now.  Wasn't this a bitch.  Dying of the jungle flu instead of in combat.  If he didn't make it back to the shuttle, the Retribution's crew would probably never find him.  He tried to haul himself back up off of the ground, but his arms and legs just refused to cooperate. They felt as though they were made of lead, and with about as much feeling. His blurry vision went dark, and he slipped under…

~X~

Slippy twisted and turned in his sleep, bundled up underneath every blanket he had in his cabin on the Great Fox II. He wore a few different night shirts at the same time, and a tent even covered the bed to trap more body heat. Slippy still felt cold and shivered relentlessly. He supposed there just wasn't much he could do, considering his four-legged ancestors were all cold-blooded.

"Stupid Aparoids…" Slippy muttered in his sleep, for about the thousandth time in the past two years.

If they hadn't lost the Great Fox during the Aparoid invasion, Slippy probably wouldn't be suffering through this right now. The Great Fox was custom built to order by Fox's father James McCloud, and consequently it was very expensive. The reward General Pepper gave them for defeating the Aparoids wasn't near enough to get an equal replacement.

So with their limited funds, Star Fox purchased a decommissioned Cornerian assault carrier and upgraded it instead of ordering a new custom mothership. Every day on this ship reminded Slippy of how much better the first Great Fox was in the old days. He had a lab on the old ship with custom-built machines, tools, and computers, and it took him years to put all of that together. All of it was gone with Great Fox Mk.1.

Plus on this new ship, Fox imposed all these new rations and limitations to save money for expenses and payments. Water rations, food rations, travel restrictions, heat turned down way too low, half the lights in the ship turned off, more rations, more limits, more cuts, on, and on, and on, and on, and on… Slippy knew Fox from childhood, but this was putting a strain on their friendship.

Plus, all of Fox's other wingmen left Star Fox a long time ago. Slippy was the only one left. Sure, the others had various other reasons for taking off, but the new rules on the ship just encouraged them to go sooner. Falco was a free spirit, and he hated being stuck with any group of people for too long. So he'd taken off, and he was probably running around with Katt or something right now. Peppy said he was getting too old to live the mercenary lifestyle, so he took up a job with the Cornerian Navy. And Krystal… She'd requested to leave the team for three months to take care of something outside of Lylat. But that was over half a year ago now and there was no sign of her coming back. Slippy could see it was breaking Fox's heart waiting for her...

Beep beep beep!

Slippy groaned from the beeping noise, as he drew the covers tighter over himself. However, it continued to pound away at his ears. At first he thought it was his alarm clock, but then he looked at the clock on the nightstand. It showed 2:00 am. Then it hit him. It was the ship's intercom system, and that was most likely ROB calling for him. While the flesh-and-blood crew slept, ROB monitored the Great Fox II for them. Fox told ROB to only wake them for emergencies, so no doubt it was something very important. That realization got Slippy moving. He slid out of bed and pressed the button to accept the call. ROB's face shimmered into view on the small monitor.

"Slippy, apologies for waking you," he said in his usual droning voice, "but there is an urgent transmission from Corneria for you."

"From who?"

"Peppy, calling from the Corneria City Space Navy Base. I will patch it in."

ROB's face disappeared from the screen. As he waited for Peppy's face to take its place, Slippy wondered what this could be about. The hare's face popped into view a few seconds later. If Slippy wasn't afraid of what the news would be, he was now. Peppy looked short of breath, wild-eyed as his pupils darted around. He looked like he'd been in a hurry to make contact.

"Slippy?" he asked, his voice sounding rushed.

"Yeah, what?"

"It's your father. He's been shot."

Slippy blinked, his mouth dropping open slightly. Had he heard that right? "You said…he was shot?"

"Yes…about thirty minutes ago, and it happened on base too. I wanted to call you as soon as I found out. A couple of gunmen snuck into the base with a stolen shuttle, and they flew off. We don't know what they were doing here yet."

Slippy found himself at a loss for words, staring back at Peppy. He shook his head, to help get him out of the shock.

"Is my dad OK? How is he?"

"Don't worry, he's alive but unconscious. He's been shot twice in the back and he hit his head. I'm sorry but I haven't seen him personally yet, so I don't know his exact condition."

"Shot twice in the back…?" Slippy repeated, incredulous. His eyes narrowed, as he pictured what the hare just said. Who would do such a thing to someone like his father? A rare flash of anger tinged Slippy's words. "Who did it?!"

"We're still trying to find out ourselves..." Peppy sighed, as he looked at the floor. He appeared embarrassed that he didn't know more. As if to apologize, he turned back to the camera. "Listen… If you want to come see him, we're moving him to the base's hospital. I'll tell the tower to let the Great Fox II land at the airfield. I'll try to find out as much as I can in the meantime, OK?"

Slippy didn't respond. His mind couldn't process his father had been shot. He couldn't think of a more loving, caring person in the galaxy than his dad. He wouldn't hurt anyone over anything. Why…why would someone want to shoot him?  It was the last thing he expected to happen to his father.

"Slippy!" Peppy called out, moving his face closer to the camera. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Slippy wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's just….I-I can't believe this at all."

"You're not the only one who's surprised. Anyway, just get over here. I think if your dad were awake, he'd want you here. The Great Fox II is near Corneria right now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Slippy croaked out, a little tear running down his face. "Okay. I'll go get Fox. Thanks Peppy."

"No problem Slip. We'll see you soon."

The screen went dark. While Slippy knew that he should get going, he stood there staring at the blackness for a moment. He needed to sort through his feelings. It was an awful lot to take in with knowing that someone shot his father.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Slippy, can I come in?" He heard Fox's voice.

Slippy pressed the open button, and the cabin door whooshed open. Fox stood there, dressed in a tank top and pajama pants. Due to tossing and turning in bed, his trademark mohawk laid askew, and most of the rest of his fur looked matted and twisted. Nonetheless, Slippy felt very grateful to not be alone with his thoughts now.

"I was on my way to the bathroom, but then I heard you talking to Peppy." Fox rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed about the eavesdropping.

Slippy didn't care right now though.

"Did I hear right? Your dad got shot?"

"Y-yeah…" Slippy found it difficult to admit. Tears streamed his face in earnest. "I can't believe it."

Fox looked down at his friend, before he held his arms out. Slippy accepted the hug. The toad buried his face into Fox's chest, as the tears stained the dirty undershirt. It was like they were blood relatives.

"I've been here before Slip," Fox said. "This feels like when my dad went MIA."

The toad turned his face up to Fox, as he wiped away his tears. "Is it all right Fox? I know we're tight on fuel and all, but can we go see my dad?"

"Of course, Slippy," Fox said it without hesitation, smiling at his friend. He punched commands into Slippy's wall mounted monitor, hailing the bridge again. "ROB, set a course for the Corneria City base. Make it snappy."

Chapter Text

Storm clouds colored the Zoness sky and everything below puke green. Heavy raindrops pounded down while lightning and thunder rocked the sky. High above the ocean, a G-Zero course curved and darted through a maze of dark towers and metal works. In spite of the weather, dozens of G-Zero pilots raced around the track, spraying mists of water wherever they went and even drowning out nature's thunder on occasion. Cheering crowds filled the sold-out stands, defying the weather with raincoats and umbrellas.

The leaderboard announced three G-Zero machines entering the final lap: Silver Shadow held first place with Yellow Mistico right behind him, while Rosso Cavallo trailed in a distant third. The crowd went wild as they watched Silver and Yellow duel each other across the circuit. A few observers noticed Rosso closing in on the other two. Rosso's sector and lap times were way faster. At the rate he was going, some murmured this might become a three-way battle to the finish.

Rosso Cavallo entered the last half of the Zoness circuit, rocketing along and looking like nothing more than a crimson blur to the spectators. If an observer could slow down time, they'd see a low slung, snake-like curvaceous machine. Golden lines accented the curves of the red bodywork, further adding to the slippery looks. A rear wing the size of a park bench stood tall in back, while two massive jet engines pushed it forward. G. Twinkieland could be seen in white cursive script under the cockpit's canopy.

The audience jumped on its feet and cheered as Rosso flew past, but the pilot heard none of it over the screaming jet engines. The road held Giichi Twinkieland's full attention, the stands already a speck in his rearview mirror. He blasted along at over eight hundred kilometers per hour as raindrops slammed into the glass canopy like bullets. First and second held the lead by several seconds, and the race would be over within the next minute. He wanted that first place podium, and nothing was going to stop him.

The track dived downwards and skimmed above the stormy, slimy seas. Tall waves crashed against the sides of the track, spraying the canopy with the ocean's sludge. G-Zero racers came with a special coating to help moisture slide off the glass, but even this struggled to handle the slime.

Nonetheless, Giichi maintained pace while he waited for the glass to clear. Like a soldier in war, a racer needed to use every tool available to achieve victory. His memory filled in the gaps where his eyes could not see, since he'd raced on this track many times before. To assist his memory, he used the towers and cranes above as reference points for his location.

As the sludge cleared away, the track curved back upwards. That signaled the approach to one of the most dangerous turns on the Zoness circuit: the Kink. The Kink was a slight-right hander, and a real gut-check. Use the correct line and you could blast through it without laying off the gas. Misjudge the apex while going full speed, and you'd smash into the left wall. Heaven or hell. To win, Giichi needed to take it at top speed.

Two towers approached, one on the left side of the track and then one further away on the right. The first one marked where to start turning for the Kink, while the second marked the Kink's apex. Giichi needed to hit both marks on the dot. He moved to the far-left side of the track for the approach. The barrier flashed past his machine at nine hundred km/h, just centimeters away from the car's body. Were he not enclosed in an armored cockpit, Giichi could almost reach out and touch the wall.

He passed the first tower. Giichi nudged the stick over to the right, tracking the Rosso Cavallo inwards towards the apex. His hand moved the stick with the serenity and smoothness of a martial arts master, at odds with the car's crazy speed. Reaching the right side of the track, he almost scraped against the other barrier. The Cavallo rumbled as it flew over a rough patch beneath the second tower. The rough patch indicated the apex, so Giichi eased his grip on the stick and allowed the car to drift back to the other side of the road. As he completed the out-in-out maneuver at full throttle, he spared a small smile.

Only thirty more seconds to the finish. After a quick left-hander, the two remaining machines came into sight: the Yellow Mistico and the Silver Shadow. They moved so close together, it looked like a chain connected them. Yellow danced back and forth across Silver's rear, laying on the pressure as he searched for a way past. Equally as alert, Silver juked back and forth to hold the best line and block the road. Up ahead, a tall oil tower loomed above the track. The final 210-degree carousel turn curved clockwise around the bottom of the structure. After that, the finish line would be within spitting distance. Whoever came out in the lead after the final turn would win.

Silver moved left to take the optimal racing line on the outside as the carousel approached. Yellow moved to the inside on the right, looking like he wanted to try late braking. That would cost Yellow speed on the corner's exit, but it would probably get Yellow out in front while blocking Silver's out-in-out line. That left the carousel's outside open in the middle of the turn… While it would be a slow line, it played to the strengths of Giichi's machine. The Cavallo weighed a lot less than the other two machines, giving it lots of cornering power. Giichi had less straight-line speed than the other two, but he could afford to take the turn at a much higher speed, and with more varied lines. That would cinch him the win.

Giichi took a deep breath, as he kept his car on the left, throwing himself at over a thousand km/h towards the outer barrier. At the correct point, Giichi slammed hard on the brake pedals. Flaps shot up on the front of the car, while the rear spoiler turned downwards to increase drag. Letting off the brakes, he skimmed along next to the outer barrier at high speed.

Meanwhile, Yellow did as Giichi predicted, going inside and slamming on his brakes late to block Silver. Silver turned inwards, but then he bumped off of Yellow, bouncing towards the outside of the turn…right into Giichi's path. Giichi's eyes popped open, but his reflexes were ahead of his conscious thoughts. He flared the right-hand air brakes while juking the stick in the same direction, allowing the car to turn tighter to the right and just narrowly missing the back of Silver. Yellow cleared the apex, but he exited the turn slow since he had apexed early to block Silver at the start of the turn.

Time to pounce.

Giichi put on the machine's turbo boost just after he cleared the midway point of the turn, the extra power sending his back end into a drift. Yellow, seeing Giichi shooting past, got hard on the gas as the road straightened out. However, it looked like he'd spent all his boost trying to keep up with Silver, and had none left for the final straight. Giichi left Yellow in the dust, the Rosso Cavallo rocketing through a slight left kink and down the final stretch. Crossing the finish line, Giichi breathed a sigh of relief.

~X~

Wild cheers went up around the Retribution's recreational room, the crowd gathered around a large holoscreen in the corner playing a game of G-Zero GX. Giichi jumped off the couch with controller in hand, the yellow sand cat laughing and taking a bow to the mercenaries watching the game. Then he turned to a pissed off hyena and bulldog sitting on the next couch over, the drivers of Silver Shadow and Yellow Mistico.

"Loooooosers!" Giichi made an L-sign on his forehead with his fingers. "Losers the both of ya!"

The hyena folded his arms tight around himself, as if hoping he could make himself small enough to not be seen. The bulldog gave Giichi a glare that only a bulldog could, with his thick jowls and sharp teeth poking out from under his muzzle.

One of the hyena's friends, another hyena himself, laughed and patted his friend on the shoulder. "He gave you a twenty second head start, and he still beat both of you!"

"Oh shut up Ed!" The hyena jumped off the couch, turning around to throw a punch at his friend. However, Ed saw it coming and dodged out of the way.

"Okay, okay…" Giichi chuckled, calming down. "You know our bet. I doubled down on beating both of you with that handicap. Pay up." Giichi smacked his hand.

Grumbling, the hyena and bulldog withdrew two messy wads of Cornerian bills from their pockets, tossing them on the old scratched up coffee table in front of the TV. As they walked off, they pushed their way through the jeering Star Wolf grunts.

Meanwhile, Giichi smiled and counted the bills, stuffing them into his wallet. With that done, Giichi realized his eyes were dry. He had not blinked once during that last stretch of the race. After closing and opening his green slit eyes several times, the sand cat let out a big yawn, his ears rotating around backwards before snapping forwards again as the yawn finished.

With the game over, the crowd dispersed, going to other activities around the metallic-walled rec room. Some went over to the pool tables, bathed in soft light beneath old stained-glass lamps that looked at odds with the spaceship interior. Others played darts in another corner, an occasional thump sounding out when the dart hit the target, or a loud clang from the wall with a missed throw. Others gathered around a bar with a polished cherry wood top, the more drunken ones adding slurs, yelling, and laughter to the soundtrack of the room. Harsh fluorescent lights revealed clouds of cigar and cigarette smoke wafting in the air.

With the high from the win over now, Giichi frowned as he watched the scene.  Sure, the others had celebrated his win, and he felt more comfortable being around these mercs after a few months of being in Star Wolf.  But the sand cat never truly felt like he belonged here. Yeah, Wolf O'Donnell paid him a pretty penny to hack the Corneria City base's computer network, but he was just a computer nerd. His plain red hoodie and blue jeans didn't blend in at all with everybody else looking like a raider, a pirate, or what have you. Wolf assured Giichi he'd deal swiftly with anybody harassing him, but of course that lupine wasn't on the ship right now.

Oh well, Giichi supposed he'd just get out of here now.  He started for the doorway, cutting through the people milling about. The task turned out to be harder than he thought it would be. The Retribution was waiting for Wolf to return, without much work to do in the meantime.  Half of the ship's crew was probably in this room now, turning the trek to the exit into an obstacle course. Giichi brushed past a large buffalo lining up a shot on one of the pool tables, then dodged a dingo who'd obviously had too much to drink as he fumbled about, crashing into just about everything and earning the ire and yelling of other patrons.

Just when he thought he was safe, a new face stepped into the doorway, silhouetted by the hall's light. Giichi's blood ran cold when he saw who it was. Jet black fur contrasted against a blue and yellow flight suit, a narrow feline tail swishing around out back like an angry cobra. Yellow slit eyes bore down on Giichi, the light's silhouette making them appear to shine brighter. It was Panther Caruso, the Number Three of the Star Wolf gang.

"Hello there Giichi," A pleasant smile crossed the larger cat's face, his rich, deep voice halting Giichi in his tracks.

"Hi…?" Giichi craned his neck back to look Panther in the face. The sand cat's height only reached up to about Panther's chest.

Giichi didn't know Panther all that well, or Leon for that matter. After Wolf hired Giichi for this case job, Giichi pretty much worked only with the lupine, leaving the other two of the Big Three an unknown quantity. Why did Panther want to talk to him all of a sudden?

"You like G-Zero don't you?" Panther kept the pleasant smile as he leaned against the door frame.

"Uh…y-y-yeah." Surprised by the response, Giichi had some trouble forming his words. "Actually, we were having a G-Zero tournament over there just now." He pointed towards the TV with the gaming system, now occupied by four grunts playing team deathmatch in the game Duty Calls.

Panther smirked at the TV, looking down at Giichi. "You like fast things? I see you playing that G-Zero game a lot."

"You could say that?" Giichi raised an eyebrow, not sure where this was going.

"Well, how about I show you something fast in real life?"

"What? Like your fighter?"

"Oh no. I've picked up something else."  Panther's grin got even bigger. "It's not as fast as a space fighter, but I think you'll love seeing it. Want to take a look?"

While Panther seemed like a level-headed guy, some time ago a monkey in the canteen warned Giichi it was best if Leon didn't get to know you. Apparently, the screams Giichi heard at night from the engine room really were screams, and not just weird noises from the machines like Wolf said they were. And Panther was Leon's friend… What sort of person kept company like that?

Giichi didn't know if he wanted to take the bigger cat up on his offer, although curiosity got the best of him. "Well, what is it?"

"That would spoil the surprise." Panther chuckled and shook his head, as if he were a parent who wouldn't tell his kid what he was getting for his birthday. Panther stepped out into the hall, looking back to Giichi. "Just come with me. You'll find out soon enough."

Giichi hated being talked down to like that, although he kept his face neutral. Sighing inwardly, he followed after Panther.

"There's a good cub." Panther smiled, as he walked and turned round to face the hallway, thin tail swishing behind him. "Let's get going."

As soon as Panther couldn't see, Giichi grit his teeth so hard that he thought they might shatter. Sure, he looked young enough to be a high schooler and he was tiny compared to most people, but he wanted to be treated like an adult. He was twenty-seven, after all.

Still, Giichi kept his thoughts to himself as they walked. Too bad Panther wanted to make more small talk.

"The news said there was a commotion at that military base in Corneria City a few hours ago," Panther said. "A scientist got shot, and fighters chased a stolen shuttle fleeing the base, but the shuttle escaped. I bet that was Wolf, so he should be back any minute now with the case." He turned around to grin at the smaller cat, speaking with genuine pleasure. "Since your work here is almost done, I figured I'd show you this as a goodbye present. You helped me get it, after all."

"I did?" Giichi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes." Panther chuckled. "I'll explain more once I show you."

They exited out of the hallway and into a large docking bay, their footsteps echoing in the large space. The starry night sky of space could be seen off to one side through the open ship portal, a force field keeping the hangar interior pressurized. A motley collection of fighters filled the open space, ranging from looking like they were held together with chewing gum and string to the latest and greatest models. Why would pirates waste money on bothering with consistency, after all? Aside from their footsteps, not many other sounds interrupted the silence. Most of the crew was goofing off elsewhere while waiting for Wolf, after all.

Wolf's, Leon's, and Panther's ships, all gleaming in Star Wolf's signature red, white, and black paint, occupied the hangar too. They sat in their own space apart from the other ships, with their own special supply of fuel, parts, and tools. However, Giichi noticed that area of the docking bay also had a large section blocked off by temporary metal partitions. The enclosed area looked almost big enough for another fighter. It was there when he'd arrived on the Retribution many months ago. Giichi had never asked about it before, but…

"Say Panther," Giichi started. "If you don't mind me asking, what's behind those walls over there? The ones near your Black Rose fighter? I've always been curious about it."

"Sorry Giichi," Panther shook his head. "I don't know. It's some special project Wolf has going. I always hear people in there working on something though. Lots of banging, cutting, and whatnot. Speaking of…"

As they approached the other end of the docking bay, those very sounds could be heard from a different area of the hangar. As they passed by the last parked fighter, a group of mechanics came into view, all of them gathered around a suit of burly power armor. Power tools whirred and hammers clanged as they worked to replace damaged metallic plates on the suit. A large brown bear off to the side called out directions in a peculiar language, looking very muscular under his green mechanic suit. Giichi could not place the language though. He sounded very agitated in any case. A piece of chest armor fell off by accident when one of the mechanics tried to fit it in place.

The bear ran over, calling out "Nein, so was!" as he snapped his large teeth at the tech.

The mechanic, a scrawny meerkat, looked like he was having trouble lifting the armor.  The bear ran over to help lift it. "Warte mal! Lass mich dir helfen."  The bear put the chest piece in place, holding it there while the meerkat used his power tools to screw it into place.

"Gut. Gut gut gut." The bear patted him on the back.

"That's Ooveh," Panther said. "Weird name, but that power armor's no joke. He can hold twin laser miniguns while in that suit. There was a rebellion on Titania we got called in to deal with, and he ripped them all to shreds singlehandedly."

"Well done for him then." Giichi wasn't sure if he should be impressed or afraid.

After passing the group, they walked into a hallway on the other side of the docking bay.

"So tell me some more about what it's like to be a computer hacker," Panther said. "Now that I've seen what you can do with it, I'm very interested."

Giichi looked up after he heard that. Panther sure wasn't interested before. Hell, this was the first time they'd had an extended conversation. The sand cat couldn't help but wonder if Panther had some kind of ulterior motive, so he decided to keep it uninteresting so Panther wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Not as glamorous as your job. Any job dealing with computers is mostly just about solving problems."

"Like what?"

"Fixing hardware, designing software, planning how to build a database, those kinds of things." That sounded boring enough to Giichi.

"Or figuring out how to break into a Cornerian Defense Force base's computer system." Panther gazed down at Giichi with a poisonous-looking smile.

Feeling awkward, Giichi returned the smile. "Thanks, but it's still all the same thing at heart."

"You're too modest. Seriously, I'd like to know how you did it."

Giichi went silent for a moment. He supposed discussing the topic wouldn't be that harmful. He started to think of a way to explain his hacking methods to where Panther could understand it.  Something that had to be done frequently in his line of work with the less technically inclined.  

"Breaking into a system isn't that different from being a burglar and trying to break into a house. You just look for the easiest way to get inside. And the easiest way is getting a key.  It's not uncommon for people to hide a spare key somewhere outside the house."

Panther liked the analogy. "Go on."

"Instead of forcing my way in, I try to get a key: a user account and password."

"How would you do that? It's not like someone on the inside's just going to give you that."

Giichi couldn't help but laugh. "You're wrong. There are lots of ways to trick people into giving up those things."

"Really?" Panther blinked.

Giichi smiled with pride. For once, he felt superior to Panther in this conversation. "There's a word for it. It's called 'social engineering'. You know those scam messages? Where they promise you millions of credits in return for your bank account number and pilot's license number and whatever else?"

"Yes, but who'd be stupid enough to fall for that?"

"People do fall for it. Otherwise, the scammers would stop.  Anyway, as for another example, you can send a message to a user and pretend to be tech support, and then make up a problem so they let you remote control their machine. Or you can make a fake login page that looks like a real one. They enter their username and password. It doesn't let them into the system of course, but now their keystrokes are recorded and you've got their username and password. I used all of these methods to get the accounts with the access I needed."

"It must've been hard work, since it took you months to get that much control over the security system."

"Yes, but it's much easier than just trying to crack the system. I started out by tricking some file clerk into giving me her username and password. Then I used that username to trick her supervisor into giving me his password, then the building's supervisor, and so on and so forth until I managed to get the head admin's password. And once you've got that, you have the keys to the kingdom. You can do whatever you want and then use the head admin's account to erase traces of you ever being there. That's exactly what I did to help Wolf."

"Really?" Panther smiled with admiration. "It almost sounds fun when you put it that way. Anyway, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere near that case without your help. I'm impressed with what you did, seriously. I'll ask Wolf to give you a bigger cut of the money."

The sand cat's eyes widened at that last bit. "Gosh. Thanks." He sure hadn't expected to hear that.

Back when Wolf first hired Giichi, he obviously hated having to call in outside help for such a big job. Giichi wasn't a part of his inner circle after all. From what Giichi observed working at Star Wolf, the Big Three liked to keep the planning of the big jobs to themselves. However, Wolf needed a hacker, so there he was. But whenever Giichi tried to tell him about the technical stuff, the lupine either nodded off or came up with some excuse to stop the meeting. After a while, Wolf mostly just left Giichi alone to do his thing.

So why this sudden interest from Panther now that things were winding down? Panther had little to nothing to do with this job. Giichi felt a little flattered by the attention but wondered if there might be something else going on with this conversation.

Panther stopped in front of a heavy steel doorway, with the sign nearby indicating it as a supply warehouse. "We're here."

Smiling, Panther punched a code into a nearby keypad. The double doors whooshed aside, revealing inky blackness.  Panther flipped several light switches on the wall next to the door. Shelves with miscellaneous boxes and containers came into view as the lights turned on. Much to Giichi's worry, Panther stopped to close the door and lock it behind them.

However, Panther just gestured for Giichi to follow him. The two felines walked past the racks to the back of the room, towards stacks of large shipping containers.

Panther stopped at a white container with a keypad on it, inputting another code. "Here it is!"  The sides of the container fell away, clattering on the floor.

Giichi's earlier fears melted away, as he gazed at the most beautiful thing in the galaxy.  He was breathless.  Before him sat an elegantly curved car, looking more like a piece of art rather than an automobile. He'd seen this car in the automotive news before, but to see it in person was quite another thing.

The vehicle looked like a low slung, sculpted wedge of metal and glass with wheels attached. The cockpit sat far forward to allow space for the big engine in the back. Vents built into the sides and above the passenger cabin piped air into the engine compartment to keep it cool. The rear racing spoiler possessed lots of special characteristics too. It only popped up at speeds where the downforce was needed. Plus when you braked at high velocity, it leaned downwards to act as an air brake, just like on G-Zero racers. All in all, Giichi considered himself blessed by the gods to be here today.

"This is an Aquila Hyoodin!" Giichi said.  "If I remember right, it's named after the Cerinian god of wind, and it produces fifteen hundred kilowatts…" Shaking his head in disbelief, he looked over at a smug-looking Panther. "Didn't Mr. Sergei Aquila say they were only going to make twenty of them? For like two point five million credits each?"

Panther gave a big laugh. "I was right.  You do know about this car."

"Oh yes, definitely! Thank you!" Giichi meant those words from the bottom of his heart.  He smiled at Panther, before looking back at the car. The sand cat walked over slowly with reverence. He glanced inside, gazing at the leather interior done in a brilliant shade of wine red.  Reminded him of red velvet cake, one of his favorite desserts.  Whispering, he made an aside glance back to Panther. "Can…can I sit in it?"

Panther let out another long laugh, but at the same time he shook his head.

"Now don't get ahead of yourself. Even I haven't gotten to sit in it yet.  Actually, why don't I do that now?" Panther pulled out a small key chain and pressed a button. The car gave a pleasant chirp, as the scissor doors rose vertically up into the air. Panther jumped into the driver's seat, taking a deep breath. The wine-red leather seats squeaked as he slid inside, while the dashboard's silver gleamed under the warehouse's fluorescent lights.

Giichi moved to the passenger door to get a better look.  While he loved looking at this car, a nagging question wouldn't leave the back of his mind. "Do Leon and Wolf know about this?"

Panther's smile immediately vanished. "Well…no."  He went quiet, not seeming to know what to say next, although he turned to Giichi with a pleading look.  "Don't tell them, please. They'd go crazy if they found out I was spending our reward money already."

"Deal." A devilish grin crossed Giichi's face, with the tips of his twin incisors exposed. "If you let me sit in it."

Panther was surprised at first but responded with his own toothy feline smile. "I knew you had a little backbone in you somewhere. Come on, sit."

Giichi jumped right in, with the touch of the luxurious leather feeling intoxicating against his fur. The two cats just sat there for several minutes, admiring the car in silent reverence.

"So," Giichi started, "if you knew Leon and Wolf would get mad, why'd you buy it now? Why not wait until the job was done?"

Panther sighed. "I wanted to wait, but like you said there are only twenty Hyoodins. I knew they'd all sell out to billionaires if I didn't act quickly. So, I put down a deposit fast, even if we didn't have the money yet. Speaking of which, I'm getting a little anxious now. You'd think Wolf would be back by now."

Giichi looked at Panther with narrowed eyes, before he resumed looking back out through the front windshield. 

"I'm sorry Giichi," Panther stepped out of the car. "But now I'm anxious about Wolf getting back. I'm going to ask the bridge crew if they know anything. Come on, out of the car."

Well, that's a shame, Giichi thought.  Seeing this car in person was like getting to meet your favorite super model. But he supposed he couldn't sit here forever. Reluctantly he stepped out of the car, as Panther tapped the buttons on the cargo container. The container's sides slid back into place, hiding the car from view again.

"Don't look so glum Giichi," Panther gave him a reassuring slap on the shoulder. "I'll tell you what. Since you liked the Hyoodin so much, I'll even let you drive it a little once we've got our reward money."

Giichi's jaw dropped.  He would get to drive it?  Really?!  Forget just meeting your favorite super model.  This would be like getting to bang them too.

Panther let out that customary soft chuckle of his. "I'll take it that's cheered you up then."

"Yeah, definitely."  Giichi kept staring at the closed container.  "It's my lifelong dream to drive a car like this. Thanks Panther."  He wouldn't say it out loud, but this sounded like a better reward than whatever money bonus Panther would try to get him.

"Remember." Panther wagged his finger. "Don't tell anyone about this car until after we get paid."

Giichi offered a salute, putting on a dumb smile. "Cub Scout's honor!"

"Good then." He waved for Giichi follow him. Giichi took one last look at the container, before they left the warehouse.

"Thanks for keeping this a secret."  Panther closed the door, smiling at the sand cat. "I just couldn't stand it. I had to share with someone. Hopefully Wolf will be back soon."

"Yeah." Giichi smiled. "Wouldn't want there to be any trouble, after all."

"I better get to the bridge. See you."

The two cats parted ways, going in opposite directions down the hall.

~X~

Panther smiled as he walked towards the Retribution's bridge.

Was nice having a friendly conversation once in a while. Everyone in Star Wolf fell into two groups: the Big Three and everyone else. But calling Wolf and Leon 'friends' was a stretch. The three of them were more like business partners and spent almost all of their time together talking about the next big score. Panther liked money as much as the next guy, but it got tiring to only talk business with those two. Meanwhile, everyone else in Star Wolf would avoid speaking casually with him due to his lofty position.

So he was happy Giichi turned out to be easy to approach.  Some time ago, he noticed the sand cat had posters of fast cars in his room, but no girls. You'd think he preferred making love to machines instead of women.  No surprise the idea of showing him the Hyoodin went off perfectly.  

Panther reached the bridge's door and swiped his access card. The door slid aside, offering a view of Fortuna's moon Genma through the huge frontal viewing port. Despite living in space much of his life, Panther never got tired of seeing the view here. Something new always filled this window as the Retribution traveled the Lylat System.

He turned to look at the crew in the room. They all stood up and saluted him as he entered. Panther felt a little embarrassed by the show of respect and waved for them to sit down. It wasn't like these gentlemen were in nice shiny clean uniforms or anything, given they were a bunch of pirates.  Most of the crew in here just wore their best jumpsuits, and even those had lots of stains and tears. 

He approached the captain's chair.  A massive gray rhinoceros was sitting there.  Jamal was his name. Unlike everyone else, Jamal wore a Venomian captain's jacket over his jumpsuit, along with a matching Venomian military cap. However, they'd seen better days since the Lylat Wars. Stains and poorly-repaired cuts covered the fabric. Jamal also must have been thinner when he first got the uniform, because his girth prevented the jacket from buttoning up properly anymore.

But the Big Three were glad Jamal was here all the same.  He ran the Retribution's day-to-day operations while they focused on the big heists. 

Jamal quickly stood up out of the captain's chair as Panther approached, moving surprisingly fast for his size. "Here Panther sir, if you like."

"That's all right, Jamal." Again, Panther felt a little embarrassed by all this. "I just wanted to know if you had any updates on Wolf."

"I'm afraid not. If he went to the asteroid field and hit the warp portal like we planned, we should be seeing him soon."

"Captain, sir!" a crocodile called out from the radar station.

"What is it, son?" Jamal asked.

"I'm picking up an energy surge from where the warp portal lets out." The crocodile rolled aside in his chair to let the others see. On the computer monitor, a purple sphere representing Fortuna sat off to the left. On the right, a blue dot grew in size, shifting to green, then yellow, and then red as the mass increased. It flashed white for a second before disappearing.

The crocodile checked a radar screen next to the energy-detecting screen. The transponder flagged the vessel as a Cornerian troop shuttle. "That must be Wolf. That shuttle's got the same ID number as the one we stole for this job. The energy surge is gone, so he's through the portal now."

Panther jogged over to the radar station, eager for news. "Is he on his way back to the Retribution?"

"I think he's in trouble. See that thing there?" The crocodile pointed as a radar dot appeared behind the shuttle. "Something broke off the shuttle. And he's headed down towards Fortuna."

Panther's hear traced. While he felt concerned about Wolf of course, what would happen with him and the Hyoodin if they didn't get paid? He spun around to face a porcupine manning the communication post. "Send a rescue team now!"

"Already on it," he said, typing commands into his machine. However, the porcupine stopped when a buzzer alerted him to something. Pausing, he timidly turned around. "Uh…Panther…?"

Panther was already halfway across the bridge, sprinting for the exit. "Not now!"

"But it's Sable…"

Panther stopped in his tracks, forgetting to breathe for a moment. Sable was calling them? This was the first time they'd communicated in a month or two. What did she want? Wolf did all the talking with her. Should Panther take the call? But then again this was the lady paying them one hundred million credits to steal that case, so she shouldn't be kept waiting.

"Patch it into the main screen." Panther took a deep breath while he waited for the communication tech to do his thing. He didn't know what Sable looked like.  Wolf always looked a little terrified after every call with her. What kind of woman could shake up even him?

Sable's image buzzed into focus, revealing the face of another black panther, dressed in a cream-colored dress with a golden necklace and bangles. Panther sure didn't expect that. However, her coat looked to be a lighter shade compared to his. He could still see leopard spots against the dark fur, unlike his own solid black coat. Regardless, seeing her felt bizarre, almost as though he was looking at a long-lost sibling.

She looked equally surprised at the sight of Panther. "I'm sorry." She looked embarrassed. "Who are you?"

"Panther Caruso…" He paused, confused about her demeanor. She didn't seem that scary…so far anyway. "I'm third in command of Star Wolf, behind Wolf and Leon."

"I am Sable. Is Wolf there? I need to speak with him." She kept a neutral, businesslike tone, gently leaning on the desk in front of her.

"I'm afraid he's not back yet."

The black leopard leaned back in her chair, looking deep in thought. "The attack on Corneria's main base is all over the news. Did you get the case? Is Wolf bringing it back with him?" The neutral tone evaporated somewhat as Sable asked the questions, getting more anxious the longer she talked.

"Most likely that was Wolf," Panther answered. "But I can't say for sure if he's got the case."

"You can't say for sure? Why not?" Her gaze bored into Panther, tracking his every move.

Panther wondered if this is what it felt like when he himself stared down someone with his own yellow eyes. Nonetheless, he tried his best to stick to the facts. "We've maintained radio silence to not blow his cover. But his shuttle did make it back to Fortuna just now and—"

"So he's made it back with the case?" Sable interrupted. By this point she'd leaned back and picked up a pen off her desk. She squeezed it in her hand, probably to relieve stress.

Panther gulped. "N-not exactly…"

"And what do you mean by that?" 

"Uh…" Panther steeled himself. "The shuttle…it's gone down on Fortuna."

"What?!" The businesslike demeanor vanished. The pen clattered on the floor as she leaned on the desk towards the camera, her face almost filling up the entire screen. You'd think Panther just announced he'd killed her best friend.

"We don't know what happened yet. We're sending a rescue team down now to get Wolf."

She remained frozen in place, leaning against the desk. Her eyes wandered, as it appeared she was busy trying to process the news in her head and how to respond. After a moment, she picked the pen back up off of the floor. "Okay…" Sable said evenly. "So you don't have the case. When you find Wolf, I want him to call me back. And let me know when you get that case. All right? It's urgent you get it to us ASAP."

She put some commands into an unseen keyboard below the desk, terminating the connection without bothering to say goodbye or any other pleasantries.

The conversation left Panther with confusion rather than terror. Aside from being a little pushy with her commands, she didn't seem to be that bad to talk to. Perhaps she'd been a bit dry and businesslike but there was nothing wrong with that. In fact, she'd even been a little polite at first. Nonetheless, one hundred million credits was at stake, and he didn't want to disappoint her.

"Panther, rescue team?" The communications officer asked.

The words shook panther out of his thoughts.  "Yeah. Let's get Wolf, and our money."

Chapter Text

Fox had jumped back in bed after ordering R.O.B. to take them to Corneria, but he just couldn't go back to sleep while worrying about Slippy's father. Since it was close to his normal wake up time anyway, he decided to just go to the bridge and start the day. Fox took a sip on his cup of coffee as he approached, wearing his red scarf and silver jacket. He needed them to help ward off the cold. The ship's temperature was kept down during sleep hours to save money.

The bridge's door whooshed open. R.O.B. was in his usual spot near the front viewing port, plugged into the navigational system. The vulpine sighed. How depressing to walk in here each morning with just machines for company. They had their uses, but robots just didn't make adequate substitutes for a crew of actual people. Thank goodness Slippy hadn't left, or he'd be alone.

Fox picked up a sneeze from the communications station. Slippy sat by the radio. He wore a full coat plus a blanket draped over him, along with a cooling thermos of coffee sitting nearby. He glanced back at Fox, looking bleary-eyed, and turned back to the radio.

"How long you been here?" Fox asked.

"Since R.O.B. woke me up." Slippy sighed, pulling the blanket tighter round himself. "Couldn't sleep."

"Same. I'm real worried about your dad too."

"That's why I came in here." the toad paused to sip from the thermos. "I want to know right away if Peppy's got any news. He called about three hours ago. Dad's stable, but he's not awake yet."

"That's good isn't it?" Fox smiled, placing a hand on Slippy's shoulder. "Least you know he's going to be OK."

"I know, but…" Slippy sniffled, turning teary eyed towards the vulpine. "I don't understand. Why would someone shoot my dad? Why?!" The toad grabbed the lapels of Fox's jacket. "Why Fox? Peppy said bombs went off too!"

Fox raised his eyebrows. "Bombs?"

"Peppy told me he was trying to find out why." Slippy rubbed tears away from his eyes.

The vulpine found himself at a loss for words. This reminded him of how his mother Vixy died so many years ago at Sapphire City. Andross's lab used to be there, when that ape still worked for the Cornerian government. He was building some sort of prototype bomb in his lab. But one day, Andross accidentally triggered a chain reaction in it. He knew it was going to go off, and just flew away from the city to save his own skin instead of stopping to warn anyone else, the selfish bastard. Vixy happened to be in town that day, and she was completely vaporized by the blast. Nothing remained of Sapphire City now, except for a crater and a memorial.

The universe could be so cruel sometimes, Fox thought as he looked out the window. Made you feel like you were just its chew toy.

Fox shook his head. "I want to know too, Slippy. We'll just have to wait until we get there." He took a closer look through the viewport. Corneria could be seen now, looking like a shining blue gem in space. Smiling, Fox pointed at it. "Look, it's only a little farther."

The toad was still anxious, as he wrung the blanket in his hands. No, wait. Not anxiousness. Anger. The toad wrung that blanket like he was strangling somebody's neck, eyes narrowed at the approaching planet.

Fox stepped in closer, looking down at him. "You all right?"

The toad released the blanket, glancing over at Fox with a confused look, blinking rapidly. "Uh, yeah," he stammered.

Fox doubted that but put his mind towards their upcoming meeting with Peppy.

They entered the atmosphere, and the Corneria City Navy Base came into view far below, the sunrise bathing everything in orange. Even from here, Fox saw the devastation wreaked by the terrorists, or whoever did this. Smoke clouds drifted up from the rubble of destroyed buildings. The control tower looked like a burnt-out matchstick, the concrete and metal at the top scorched black. Emergency vehicles and personnel scurried about.

Who did this? Remnants of Andross's army? There were still a few loyalists hidden out there, even after Star Fox routed them on Fortuna a year ago. But Fox supposed he would soon get actual answers from Peppy, so he stopped dwelling on it. He took his seat in the commander's chair and buckled in for the landing. Within minutes, R.O.B. piloted the Great Fox II to hover just above the concrete.

But even before the ship fully set down, Slippy jumped out of his chair and rushed towards the door.

Fox raised up a hand. "Hey Slippy—"

But he went out the door like a shot. Fox rushed after Slippy, surprised at how fast the toad moved. Even before touchdown, he had already opened an exit door. Orange sunlight poured into the ship through the hatchway. Slippy ducked under the opening door.

Fox followed after him onto the exit ramp, the blazing orange sunlight filling his vision as he stepped into the open air. He raised up a hand to shield his eyes. There was the silhouette of a jeep at the bottom of the ramp, with someone short and a little portly standing next to it. Tall ears sprung out of the stranger's head. More details came into focus, including glasses and an impressive moustache.

"Peppy?" Slippy called out. "Is that you?"

Peppy allowed himself a small smile. He wore a scarlet uniform with gold embroidery. It shone in the morning light, making the hare appear to glow. Fox sure hadn't expected that uniform. Did that mean…?

"You're a general now?" Fox caught up to Slippy at last, both of them stopping next to Peppy.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Slippy's eyes were wide in amazement.

"Well…" Peppy shrugged, the smile fading away. "I only got promoted a couple days ago. Wanted it to be a surprise the next time we met, but then this happened." He cast a sorrowful look at the state of his base. Soldiers picked through the debris, calling out and looking for survivors.

"Shame you couldn't have told us under better circumstances." Fox looked at the destruction.

"Slippy," Peppy turned back to the toad, smiling. "Your father woke up a couple hours ago. He'll need some crutches for a while, but he should make a full recovery. We'll go see him now."

The relief felt palpable, not only to Slippy but even Fox himself. Slippy straightened up at the news, like someone took a big weight off of his shoulders. The toad rubbed his teary eyes, letting out a small smile. "Oh, that's great. Thank you…thank you so much Peppy!" Slippy wrapped his webbed hands around Peppy.

While surprised by the maneuver, Peppy just laughed and rubbed the top of Slippy's head. "Hey, just doing my job here. Sorry I couldn't tell you sooner. Had a lot of questions for Beltino after he woke up."

"What do you mean?" Slippy pulled away from Peppy.

"Beltino wasn't just an unlucky bystander." Peppy paused to adjust his glasses, narrowing his eyes. "It was Wolf O'Donnell, and he was after your father specifically."

Fox's jaw dropped. "Wolf snuck in here?!"

Slippy looked just as surprised. "What did he want my dad for? Why'd he shoot him?"

"It's a long story." Peppy turned towards the jeep. "I'll tell you on the way."

The three of them piled in, Peppy taking the driver's seat, Slippy riding shotgun, and Fox getting in back. The hare took it slow as he maneuvered through the personnel and vehicles going every which way.

"So about the break in," Peppy started as he passed an ambulance going the other way, "Wolf needed Beltino's clearance to access the vaults beneath the base. There was one particular case Wolf wanted to steal. Beltino tried to escape, but Wolf shot him."

Slippy's eyes widened. "After everything Wolf did to help us fight the Aparoids? I thought he was a good guy now…"

"I hoped the same too, Slippy." A sad look crossed Fox's face. He felt more disappointed than angry. Sure, expecting Wolf to just quit being a criminal was unrealistic, but Fox realized he'd held onto that hope regardless. How sad his rival had went back to his old ways.

"How did my dad get away at first?" Slippy asked.

"Aaaaah…" Peppy smiled. "Beltino, he's smart, but I never knew he could think on his feet so fast. He tricked Wolf into letting him use one of the terminals down in the vaults. Beltino entered his password wrong three times on purpose. When you do that, your account gets locked and an alert email gets sent to our base's IT techs. They'll see the account and where you tried to log in at. This happened in the middle of the night, long after most people have gone home. And the account is Beltino's, one of our highest profile users. That's going to raise some eyebrows. The techs called the guards at the vault entrance to see what was going on. When the dead guards at the vault entrance couldn't answer, the tech team sounded the alarm."

"Those dead soldiers…" Slippy trailed off, shaking his head. "But way to go Dad. If he hadn't done that…"

"I know," Peppy said. "Beltino would have died, the bombs would have gone off, and we wouldn't have figured out what happened until long after it was all over." Peppy told them the rest of the story, including how Wolf slipped out by 'rescuing' Beltino and then using the bombs as cover to escape in the stolen Cornerian shuttle and the chase in the asteroid belt.

If what Wolf did was the plot of a spy movie or something, Fox probably would have loved watching it. Too bad this was real life. Also, Fox found himself most curious about a missing detail. "What was in the case they took?"

"We don't know." Peppy sounded embarrassed.

Fox cocked his head. "You don't know? But that's your case, and your vaults!" Fox knew the Cornerian government could be inept at times (not that he was complaining too much since Star Fox needed work), but thistook the cake.

Peppy sighed. "Well…the vaults have a system for tracking cases as they move from one vault to the next, but the hacker disabled that."

"Do you have a backup plan for how to find out what he stole?" Fox stroked his chin.

"Yes." The hare took a deep breath. "We get a list of what was in the vault, and physically note every case one by one until we find a case number that's missing."

That didn't sound fun to Fox. "So how many cases are in the vault?"

"Eight hundred, twenty-three thousand, and two..." Peppy sounded tired just from saying the words. "Even with a hundred-plus soldiers working on it, we'll need a few days."

"Daaaaaamn…" Fox drawled, his big mouth accenting it. "Glad I'm not doing that."

"Well…" Peppy chuckled. "You can still help out, if you want."

"No thanks." Fox laughed it off. "Needle in a haystack there, Peppy."

"Oh no," Peppy grinned, shaking his head before he looked Fox in the eye in the rearview mirror's reflection. "I meant something else. Wanna get paid for getting that case back?"

The talk of money got Fox's attention, drawing his pointed ears erect and hanging onto Peppy's every word. "Color me interested." While he wasn't sure how he'd fight Star Wolf with just Slippy at his side, maybe he could figure something out.

Peppy nodded. "All right. We can talk about it later."

Fox held on to the roll bar as the jeep turned another corner, the base's hospital coming into view. This place was important to Fox. Back when his father James worked for the Cornerian military, he used this hospital for all of his medical needs since it was free to soldiers and their family. When Fox was born, this was where it happened.

They pulled up at the front door. After a quick elevator ride and a stroll down the hallway, they found themselves at the door to Beltino's room. Slippy went in first, with Fox following behind. The vulpine braced himself for what he was about to see, after what Peppy had described about the injuries.

But Beltino looked much better than expected. The elder toad sat upright in his bed, a mound of pillows behind him. Aside from the bandages covering the blaster wounds and the hit on his head, Beltino looked pretty good. He watched TV on the overhead monitor, but turned to look as Peppy, Fox, and Slippy walked in.

Beltino beamed a huge smile as the three of them entered. "Well, come on in boys! Don't be shy!" He waved his uninjured arm for them to come over.

"Dad, you're okay!" Slippy rushed over and hugged his father.

"Ow!" Beltino clenched his jaw. Slippy released him. In his excitement, Slippy aggravated his dad's wounds. In spite of the pain, Beltino still managed a smile. "My my son, your grip's getting stronger all the time."

"I'm happy you're okay," Slippy bawled, shedding a tear.

"How are you doing on the Star Fox team?" Beltino beamed and put an arm around Slippy's shoulder. "Do you like your new mothership?"

"Not as good as the old one." Slippy shot a disapproving glance at Fox. The vulpine looked away as his ears drew backwards. "But we're making do with what we've got."

"Hope things get better for you soon. Want to hear about the projects and inventions I've been working on lately?"

Beltino almost sounded like he was talking to a young boy, but Slippy didn't mind. "Sure!"

They talked on and on about various things. What the Star Fox team was up to these days, how things were going with the rest of the Toad family, and so forth. Fox was jealous about Slippy still having a living father, but he also felt ashamed for having those thoughts. He left them to their conversation and sat down on a nearby couch along with Peppy.

"It's hard to believe how happy they are, considering what brought us here," Fox whispered.

"I know." Peppy smiled.

The Toads kept going, but Fox let Slippy have all the time he wanted though. He deserved it.

After half an hour, Fox turned his head towards the door. Did he hear shouting outside? He thought he recognized one of the voices. The voices kept getting louder. Even Beltino and Slippy turned to look.

"Goddamn it! I'm a friend of Slippy! Let me through!" they said.

"You don't have authorization!"

"Screw your authorization! Just let Fox or Slippy know I'm here and—"

"Falco?" Fox poked his head out into the hallway.

Sure enough, he saw the blue avian standing there in a crimson red flight suit, attempting to get a mutt soldier to leave him alone.

When Falco spotted Fox, the avian just laughed and shook his head. "Can you believe these guys? They all know who I am, but they kept saying on the radio I had to turn back." He gestured to the soldier, before changing his tone to that of a mocking imitation. "'Oh no you can't land! Only the Great Fox II has authorization to land! Only the Great Fox II!' Crazy!"

"You're lucky you didn't get shot down, you SOB!" the mutt kept jumping in front of Falco, trying to bar his progress by holding his laser rifle like a barrier. "You may be a war hero but there's rules and—"

Peppy soon joined them out in the hall, looking a little amused at the incident himself. "Soldier, it's okay. You heard it straight from me."

The soldier looked back, spotting Peppy in the doorway with his grand general's outfit. The grunt's demeanor changed on the spot, albeit he didn't seem happy about having to let Falco go. Spinning around to face Peppy, he shouldered his rifle on his strap and saluted. "Yes General Peppy. Sorry for the mess." Spinning on his heel, he marched back down the hallway, out of sight.

Falco dusted himself off, muttering under his breath. He turned back to Fox and Peppy, beaming a huge smile. "Hey Foxie! Long time no see!" The avian threw out a hand, which Fox shook with a smile. "And Peppy…wow! Never expected to see you wearing that! You're doing well for yourself!" Peppy accepted Falco's second handshake.

"Falco?" Slippy stepped into the hall, wide eyed. "You came here too?"

"Of course, Slippy!" Falco chuckled, as if it shouldn't have been a surprise. "Your dad got shot for crying out loud. And I heard the Great Fox II was on the way here, so I thought I'd come too."

"It's just that, well…" Slippy looked down at the floor, cupping his hands.

"I called you names?" Falco stepped over, pulling Slippy's chin up so they faced each other. "Made fun of you? In the end, we're still friends. We help each other when we're down, right?"

"I…I guess so…" Slippy sniffled.

"How is your dad doing?" Falco took a step back, giving Slippy some space.

"He'll be fine." Slippy cast a glance back at the door to his father's room, faintly smiling. "I'm feeling a lot better now. You want to come visit him?"

"Of course," Falco said. "Why else would I come all this way?"

Fox moved to follow Falco and Slippy back in, but Peppy put a hand on Fox's shoulder. He turned around, giving Peppy a curious look.

"We'll catch up with you in a minute," Peppy called out to Falco and Slippy.

"Okay," Falco waved back, as the bird and toad disappeared into Beltino's room.

Meanwhile, the hare nodded towards an open doorway nearby, leading into an empty patient's room. Raising an eyebrow, Fox followed him in. Peppy closed the door and locked it.

"Let's have a little talk about you getting back the case." Peppy took a seat on the empty bed.

While he needed the money, Fox did have a big concern. "I'd like to, but it's Slippy and me alone against the Star Wolf squadron and whatever else Wolf's got? I don't like those odds." Fox wouldn't admit it, but he'd rather take Star Wolf alone than bring only Slippy along. At least then he could focus one hundred percent on the dogfighting instead of protecting Slippy. "But since Falco's here, maybe I can talk him into helping out. It'd be great with him at my back, but you know him. He's a free spirit and pretty much does whatever he wants. I'm just afraid he might bail on us in the middle of the mission."

"Falco did come all the way out here for Slippy of all people," Peppy said. "Once he knows about what Wolf did, I bet he'll be begging for a chance to get back at Star Wolf."

Peppy had a good point. Fox smiled. "Yeah…maybe it'll be fine. Three's better than two. But none of this matters if we don't know where Wolf is. You mentioned that Bill chased him into the Meteo asteroid field, but he got away through a warp portal?"

"He did." Peppy nodded. "But Bill identified that warp portal. It goes to Fortuna."

"Do you know if Wolf is still around Fortuna?" Fox leaned forward.

"Afraid not." Peppy shook his head. "Don't have many ships over there right now. With how much we lost in the Aparoid invasion, we can only afford to defend only our core territories right now. Fortuna's a low priority to us, so probably why Wolf ran there. I'm getting the closest fleets to set up a dragnet, but it'll take time. If we spot Wolf or learn anything, we'll let you know. Best we can do right now."

Fox nodded. "Now the case… Is there anything hazardous in it? Is it explosive or nuclear or anything?"

Peppy's eyes went wide at the mention of explosives. "Oh, heavens no, thank goodness." He shook his head quickly. "Definitely not explosive, at least. The vault Wolf broke into doesn't contain anything like that. It's also something small, because it fit into his backpack. Until we know what it is though, be careful."

Fox wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Then what is it? I'd like to know Peppy, since I'll be handling it personally."

Peppy fidgeted on the bed, uncomfortable. "I'm not at liberty to say. The contents of that vault are supposed to be secret. If I told you about everything in that vault, it would jeopardize planetary security."

"Peppy, you can trust me." Fox reached out to put his hand on Peppy's. "You raised me after my dad disappeared."

"I know Fox, but rules are rules." The hare didn't seem happy about saying that, though. "I'm not a mercenary anymore, so I've got to follow them now. The price I pay for a steady government paycheck."

True, but it wasn't much comfort to Fox. "Can't you bend the rules a bit, just for me?"

"As much as I want to, I can't." Peppy shook his head.

Fox's shoulders sagged, feeling defeated.

"Hey though, I am going to give you some support at least. I was planning to loan you a Cornerian pilot free of charge."

That was a surprise. "Who is it?" Fox asked.

Peppy's phone buzzed on him before he could reply. "Sorry," he whispered, pulling it out of his pocket. The hare's eyes widened at something on the phone's screen. "Oh, looks like she's here now." He started typing in a text.

"She?" Fox raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes. The pilot." Peppy smiled, as he typed. "You've met her before. Why don't we go out in the hall? She's almost up here."

Fox blinked. "Right now?"

"Of course, Fox. Don't tell me you still get shy around women."

Fox rolled his eyes. Peppy chuckled and stood up to open the door, waving Fox into the hall. As the vulpine exited, he was surprised to see who it was. A fennec fox strode down the hall, identifiable by the large pointed ears, pointed muzzle, and orange fur. She wore a dark violet jumpsuit with a Cornerian Navy flight jacket over it. It was Fara Phoenix, his old girlfriend from his school days.

"Fox," she smiled, extending a hand. "Been a long time."

Fox took her hand slowly, still surprised. "Not since the Cornerian Flight Academy."

Even though he'd put the failed relationship behind him a long time ago, this meeting was awkward. But Fara looked happy to see him in any case, so he supposed he'd try his best to return the favor.

"What are you up to these days?" Fox asked.

"Quite a bit." She brushed a hand through the fur on the side of her face. "I'm their chief test pilot for the Cornerian Navy now, and flight lead of Violet Squadron. Getting paid a really handsome salary for my dream job is icing on the cake, too."

"Sounds like you're doing pretty good," Fox smiled.

Fara nodded, an enthusiastic grin on her face. "Definitely. How about you?"

Fox went quiet, feeling embarrassed. "Uh…okay I guess."

He wouldn't admit it, but he was jealous of Fara's stable career. Leaving the PMC business and joining the Cornerian military made for a tempting choice in desperate times like this, but Fox liked his freedom too much. He doubted he could function well in the military's rigid command structure. It was the same reason his father quit the military.

PMC work pays a lot better too son, his father had said. Fox scoffed at that now. It was great being the hero of Lylat and avenging his father and all, but sometimes Fox wondered if defeating Andross was a mistake. The Lylat Wars left Corneria as the only superpower in the Lylat System. That meant peace, and that also meant little business. Were it not for the Saurian Crisis and the Aparoid invasion, Star Fox would've gone out of business years ago.

"So, you're going to go after that case Wolf stole?" Fara asked. "Peppy said you had room for one more, at least." She giggled.

He was put off by the teasing but kept talking. "Yeah…we do."

"Think you'd want to bring me along? It's sad about what happened here, but I wouldn't mind getting away from Corneria for a while."

"Oh yeah, sure." He remembered something, chuckling. "You know, I knew I'd get you into the mercenary lifestyle one day."

Fara smiled back, flashing her teeth. "Haha, I guess so."

Fara was always dead set on working for the Cornerian military back in their academy days. That was the reason they split. But maybe since both of them valued their careers more than the relationship, it wasn't meant to be anyway. Perhaps that's why he hadn't thought much of her for years.

Falco stepped out into the hall, probably hearing the talking. His eyes flared open when he spotted Fara, accented by the red outlines around them. "Whoa…Fara, didn't expect to see you here!"

"That's exactly what I thought." Fox laughed.

Fara chuckled, turning to Falco. "Life been good to you too? Haven't really seen you since that motorcycle accident took you out of the academy…"

Falco's mood deflated instantly, his face slouching into a frown. "Do you have to bring that up? I'd like to forget about it."

Fara rolled her eyes. "Was it all that bad though? You had that rich friend of yours buy you a fighter, and then you got to be a mercenary like you wanted to. You were free as a…" Fara paused. "Well, free as a bird." She smirked.

Falco didn't appreciate the joke. "Anyway Fox…" He turned back to the vulpine. "Slippy and his dad told me about what happened. I wanna pay Wolf back for what he did."

Fox raised his eyes. Well, that was easy. "Sure, more the merrier!"

"Great!" Falco said.

"Oh, and Fara's coming with us by the way."

Falco's jaw dropped, turning to her. "Whoa, you serious?"

"Sure am Falco," Fara laughed, crossing her arms. "So how about it? Think you and your self-taught flying can keep up with me and my years of proper training?"

"Oh, you've got a deal, girl!" Falco did another fist pump, turning to her. "Flying as a mercenary on the ass ends of the galaxy is way harder than your cushy job here. You gotta get good fast or you die."

Fox smiled as well. The jabs were friendly rather than competitive. Fox liked where this new team was going. However, Slippy hadn't come out of the room yet. While Fara and Falco talked, Fox pushed past into the patient room. Slippy still sat near his father, the two of them having an animated conversation about hydraulics, or thrusters, or something like that. Fox couldn't tell exactly what.

"Slippy," Fox said as he approached.

The two toads turned towards him. Slippy said, "Oh, hey Fox! We almost forgot you were here. Where'd you go?"

"Peppy just wanted to tell me more about our new job. Falco and Fara are coming with us."

Slippy smiled. "Kinda feels like a school reunion, almost?"

"I know. Anyway Slippy, say your goodbyes. Wolf's got a head start on us. The longer we're here the further he gets away."

Slippy sniffled. "I understand." He turned back to his father.

"Glad to know you're OK dad." Slippy hugged his father one last time, before breaking the embrace.

"I'll be fine son." Beltino beamed another smile and gave his son a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Just go do what you have to do."

"I will Dad. I'll go get Wolf for you too."

"If you find him, give him hell, Slip."

Fox stopped and spun his head back around, gazing back at Beltino. His face whitened underneath the fur.

Slippy leaned back in surprise, as if his father had physically struck him with those words. "D-Dad…" Slippy stammered, as he leaned back in closer. "That's the first time I've ever heard you swear."

"I know Slippy," Beltino pat his son on the shoulder. However, his brows furrowed up over his eyes. "But for what he's done to me and the base, I want him to pay for it."

"You aren't the only one who feels that way." Slippy's voice also had uncharacteristic venom to it, as he clenched a hand around one of the bed posts. Fox found it unnerving coming from the normally sweet-natured Slippy.

Beltino appeared to pick up on his son's anger. "Just remember to come back alive too, all right?" His tone shifted to that of caution. "That's the most important thing."

"I will Dad. I'll see you later." Slippy said, giving his father one last hug.

However, that angry look was still in Slippy's eyes, as he turned away from his father and entered the hall. The way he walked even looked different, with solid footsteps and his arms squared up, like he was ready to throw hands. Fox had never seen Slippy project that kind of energy. He was like a different person now.

Fox turned to Beltino one last time.

The elder toad also picked up on Slippy's attitude, a worried look on his face. "Watch out for my boy, please?"

Though Fox didn't know yet what to make of Slippy's unusual behavior, he nodded and left the room.

Chapter Text

Wolf awoke on the Fortunan jungle floor, next to the cliff where he went unconscious. Blinking several times, he looked around. The rain had stopped, although clouds still obscured the sky. The sun hovered close to the horizon, the yellow hue bathing the clouds and everything else in a golden hue. Sunrise or sunset? Hopefully not sunset, because he didn't want to be out in the jungle at night. How long had he been out anyway? Wolf checked his watch, but it was smashed.

"Damn…"

Looking around, he spotted his Cornerian laser rifle on the ground. He picked it up, wiping away the mud.

What to do now? Continuing to search alone for the case would be hopeless, so probably best to go back to what was left of the shuttle. Hopefully, someone from the Retribution would find him there. If not, he didn't know what he was going to do, but he couldn't stay here.

Taking one last look at the jungle below, Wolf slung the rifle over his shoulder and started the trek back the way he'd came. Though he was going downhill, it was still hard for him to go back, considering every step was an admission of defeat.

The trees soon reached far above him, blocking out the light again. Wolf looked around as he descended the rocky slope, trying to get his bearings, but he couldn't recognize anything from his hike up here. All the trees and bushes looked the same and kept him from seeing more than a few meters ahead. At least he could tell he was still descending a slope. If he kept doing that, he figured he was headed in the wrecked shuttle's general direction.

He pushed aside another large palm frond, and then saw something he thought impossible. The case. It was just there…sitting on a large rock in a small clearing, faint rays of sunshine piercing the trees and highlighting it, making the metal gleam. Something felt wrong about this though. The placement looked too perfect, as though someone left it there for him to find. But his desperation overrode his common sense, as he rushed for it.

Wolf climbed on top of the rock, reaching out to grasp at the silver handle and—he bungled it. His hand missed the handle, sending the case tumbling backwards and out of sight. Snarling, he climbed over the stone after it, just in time to see it fall into a large mud bog adjacent to the stone. The resounding splash filled his ears.

Wolf growled, his ears folding back on his head. Wasting no time, he jumped right into the mud after the case, sinking down up to his knees in the cold, disgusting bog. He felt around under the muddy water, but no matter where he put his hands, he couldn't feel the case. When random searching didn't work, Wolf systematically walked up and down the bog in lines, making sure to cover every inch. The case still didn't turn up.

"What the hell?!" Wolf kept pawing at the water, swatting it away. "Where is it?!"

He did a second search, more desperate than the first. Nothing turned up. He did a third search. A fourth. Panic and confusion turned to anger. Anger turned to complete rage. Infuriated, Wolf kicked at the mud to try to move it out of the bog. He looked like a five-year-old pup throwing a temper tantrum, slinging the muck everywhere.

Someone cried out, the voice sounding feminine. Startled, Wolf turned to see who it was: Sable. The mud covered her silky grayish-black fur, obviously shampooed and groomed to perfection until just now. Her cream-colored dress bore dark marks from where the muck splattered over it. Growling, Sable ran a hand through the filth, holding it up to look at it. She cast a dark glare at Wolf, her yellow slit eyes burning.

"Oh…oh no…" Wolf shook his head, not even bothering to wonder why she was here. "I am so, so sorry Sable."

"This dress cost me five figures." Sable flung her hand in Wolf's direction, sending some mud splattering back onto him. "Sorry isn't going to magically get it clean again, dog."

Dog. Wolf loathed being called a dog. But she was his client, so he held his tongue. Despite the earlier comment about the dress, the panthress walked down into the mud bog with him. He found himself too terrified to point out she was only ruining her cleanliness further.

Someone grabbed his arms from behind, lifting him up off of the ground. Looking back, Wolf saw two soldiers restraining him, dressed in solid-black combat gear with face concealing masks. Sable strode towards Wolf, withdrawing a curved knife from underneath her dress, the talon-shaped blade gleaming in the fading sunlight.

"Your time is up, dog. I expected far better from the so-called best mercenary in Lylat."

"But the case! Didn't you see?" Wolf struggled to break free, but his restrainers felt more like statues rather than men. "It fell into this mud! It's right underneath your feet!"

"Quiet!" Sable slashed him across the face with her claws. "Dogs should know when to be silent for their masters! I'm tired of your excuses!"

He felt the cuts on his face burning, hot blood running through his fur. Still, he kept pleading. "But I'm telling y—"

Sable gave the claw to the other side of his face, before pointing the tip of the curved knife at his throat. "I've had enough of you. You're paying for my wasted time with your pathetic life."

She moved the tip of the blade to one side of Wolf's neck, preparing to cut across it under the muzzle. Wolf struggled with all his might, but it did no good. The blade began to tear the soft flesh of his throat…

Wolf opened his eye, snapping awake. A dream. Just a dream. While relieved, Wolf realized he wasn't at that cliff anymore. He was in a cave now. More than that, someone had put him in a crude bed, with a homemade straw mattress and pillow, his blanket fashioned out of the furry hide of some unknown creature. A single candle burned on a rocky outcropping nearby. He was wearing only his fatigues now too. But the armor and the rest of his gear sat in a neat pile near the lit candle. What the hell was this? How'd he get here?

Wolf slid out of the bed, standing upright. Then he bonked his head on the low ceiling. Grumbling, the lupine ducked down, rubbing his head and sending his flattened mohawk askew. There was only one passage out of the room, so no choice but to follow it. Torches on the walls flickered at intervals, the light reflecting off of the condensation on the rock walls, water drops echoing around him.

The tunnel curved to the left, the end unseen. Wolf could see a brighter light around the corner, casting itself on the walls. What was waiting for him over there? But then again, if the person who brought him here wanted to kill him, he would have done it already.

His mind made up, Wolf strode into the next chamber. It was shaped like the inside of a bowl, the ceiling high enough for the lupine to stand at his full height. A fire burned in the middle, the smoke rising into a hole in the ceiling. A few rough-hewn, homemade chairs huddled close to the flames. Olive green ammunition containers lined the curved walls, but instead of ammunition they were being used for food storage, with various fruits in the boxes. An old laser rifle and a machete hung from wall hooks on the other side of the room. He could still hear the Fortunan rain outside, the sound echoing down one of the other side tunnels.

"Ah, you're awake."

Wolf looked towards the fire, the voice coming from behind it. He reached for his pistol, but it wasn't there anymore.

"No need for that, Wolf." The voice spoke with a warm, friendly air, almost sounding honey-like as it oozed from one word to the next. "I know you're confused, but don't worry. We're allies."

The stranger stepped out from behind the fire, revealing himself as a green iguana. The dim firelight gave the lizard a monstrous, alien air, the glow highlighting the spiky frills on his head and neck. Old, badly healed scars ran along his face and snout. His clothes were Venomian jungle fatigues from the Lylat Wars. The threadbare, faded fabric barely held itself together, patched up with bits of metal, hide, string, and other scavenged materials.

The iguana offered a smile, but his long mouth full of sharp teeth only enhanced the menacing look. "It's an honor to finally meet you, sir." He gave a salute. "I am Lieutenant Tadao Samorin. Field medic."

This felt like a strange fever dream to Wolf. He didn't know what to say at first but found his voice again. "How do you know me?"

"Who doesn't?" The iguana chuckled. "You're the most famous soldier in Andross's great military. Our dear leader puts your image all over our domain!"

Tadao gestured towards a poster on the wall. Faded with time and covered with mildew spots, Wolf nonetheless recognized an image of his younger self, standing proud while flanked by his old wingmen: Leon Powalski, Pigma Dengar, and Andrew Oikonny. Above them, a massive space battle sprawled across the top of the poster, Wolfens leading the charge as the Androssian Navy easily overran a Cornerian fleet. The poster's text declared: Star Wolf's fangs rip the enemy to shreds! Follow them onto victory!

While Tadao looked proud of the poster, it only reminded Wolf of regret and failure. Star Fox shot Star Wolf down twice during that war, while Andross and his empire were both long gone. Then after the Lylat Wars, Andrew tried seizing control of what was left of the Venomian military as an Andross 2.0 figure, with Pigma becoming his right-hand man. Then they tried to kill Wolf when he got in the way of their plans, and now they were both dead because of the Aparoids. Yeah, nothing the poster predicted really worked out, did it?

"What's wrong?" the lizard asked.

Wolf shook his head, still gazing at the picture. "No. It's nothing." Best to pivot back to the present. "How did you find me out in that jungle?"

"Wasn't exactly hard." Tadao settled into one of the crude chairs by the fire. He waved for Wolf to join him. "Please, sit."

With some reluctance, Wolf chose the chair furthest away, not letting himself settle into it.

"I've held out here against the Cornerians for a long time." Tadao glanced at a water-stained notebook near the fire, the pages covered with tally marks. "Nine years, three months, and twenty-two days. Helps that I'm a medic. I learned how to use the plants here for food and medicines. Learned how to track game too. That's how I found you."

Wolf cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Forgive me." Tadao showed that shark-like smile again. "You may be a great hero, but you don't know anything about hiding a trail. I heard your ship go down near me. Decided to go out and investigate. Ships sometimes crash out here. Always good for things that are hard to get out here, once I take them off the enemy's hands." The iguana glanced at the machete on the wall.

Wolf's ears folded backwards at that last remark. Did he take their hands off too while he was at it?

Tadao remained absorbed in his story. "I found your ship. Saw it was a Cornerian vessel. Wasn't much left of course, but then I noticed your footprints leading away from it. At first, I thought you were a Cornerian survivor, so I followed the trail. Was child's play tracking you. You left boot prints on the ground. Strands of grass crushed underfoot. Leaves streaked with mud from your clothes. Very careless, no offense." Tadao chuckled.

Wolf didn't particularly care about being offended at the moment. Tadao just admitted he'd killed a lot of people with that machete, and Wolf was in arms' reach of this guy. The friendliness of this lizard gave little reassurance.

Nonetheless Tadao continued. "When I saw you unconscious by that cliff, wearing that Cornerian uniform, I wanted to take your head right away." Tadao looked into the fire, the light reflecting off his slit eyes.

Wolf couldn't place the emotion in them. What did Tadao feel about almost taking Wolf's head? Sadness? Joy? Boredom?

The lizard shook his head and looking back to Wolf. "But lucky for you and me, I removed your helmet first to look you in the face. If I had killed you, I would have been so ashamed I'd have slit my own throat after."

The lupine remained speechless, not just from terror but at Tadao's extreme patriotism. This guy really believed all of Andross' wartime propaganda, even though he had outlived that ape's empire by many years. The isolation had sharpened his resolve, rather than diminishing it.

"Speaking of…" Tadao leaned on his armrest towards Wolf. "Why were you disguised as the enemy? Were you on a secret mission?"

The question gave Wolf pause. Should he tell Tadao the truth about what was going on? But even as he considered it, he knew playing along with the lizard's warped version of reality would be better. No telling what this guy would do if he learned Andross was dead now.

Wolf cleared his throat. "Yes, it was a special mission." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie…

"Really?" The lizard's slit eyes widened in astonishment. "Andross has you spying in enemy territory now? How interesting!"

"Heh heh, yeah…" Wolf chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll understand if you don't want to say anything, since it sounds classified, but…" Tadao leaned forward in great interest, looking like he was fanboying on Wolf or something. "What's your mission?"

Wolf found the fanboying more worrying than flattering. "Andross needed me to steal a classified case from Corneria's military vaults, under their main base near Corneria City."

"How exciting! Straight into the belly of the beast!" Tadao almost clapped with joy.

Wolf wanted to laugh at Tadao's ignorance, but kept it to himself. Even so, the iguana's enthusiasm gave Wolf an idea. That case was still out there somewhere in the jungle. Tadao already proved he knew this area well. He'd be a great help in finding the case again. "I did get the case, but I got attacked on the way back," Wolf said. "That's why I crashed. The case landed somewhere around here."

"Is that so?" Tadao grinned, standing up from his chair. "It would be an honor to help the famous Wolf O'Donnell complete one of his missions!"

For the first time since they started talking, Wolf smiled with sincerity. "And I would be glad for you to come with me." That mind trick couldn't have gone any better.

While Tadao looked giddy over Wolf saying yes to his proposal, he seemed to remember something. "You were sick when I found you. Don't have a lot of medical supplies left, but your life is too important to not use them. Are you feeling better now?"

Wolf had almost forgotten about that. "Hmm, actually yes, I feel just fine." Tadao bringing this up piqued his interest. "What was I sick with? What'd you do?"

"You had ingested some poison. I gave you some activated charcoal to absorb it. Seemed to do the job just fine."

"I was poisoned?" Wolf narrowed his eye. "When the hell did I get poisoned?!"

Tadao leaned forward towards Wolf, suddenly putting on a more doctorly air. "When was the first time you remembered feeling sick?" He just needed a white coat and tie for the look to be complete.

"Right after I crashlanded on Fortuna." Wolf went back through his recent memory. "I threw up, then I went outside and—" He frowned. "I walked through the woods for a while, I hiked up to that cliff to find the case even though I felt sick, and then I blacked out."

"Hmm…" Tadao looked away for a second, deep in thought. After a moment the iguana met his eyes again. "What did you eat or drink before you started feeling sick? Within the last twenty-four hours or so?"

"Some nasty MREs. We ate them on the way to Corneria. Also bottled water."

"No seals or caps broken until you consumed them?"

Wolf nodded.

Tadao narrowed his eyes. "Anything else?"

Wolf searched deep and hard through his memory, going back to the start of the infiltration and working forwards. As he did so he recounted to Tadao how the infiltration went. Before long he reached the bit where they fled the base.

"…so we just barely slipped out of the base. I thought we'd gotten away free and clear, but then this Cornerian pilot messed up everything. He shot up our ship, but we managed to escape here through a warp portal. But then the rear hatch came off and everything not strapped down got sucked out. Franco and Harry, the benches, the cooler with the beer—wait." Like a videotape, Wolf's memory rewound backwards from that point. "Right before we got attacked in the asteroid field, Franco gave me a bottle of beer. I took one sip."

"Aaaaah…" Tadao mouth twisted into a big, gaping smile. The iguana let out a little chuckle as he pointed at Wolf. "There you go. Franco gave you a poisoned beer. If it got you that sick, good thing you only took one sip, or you'd be dead now."

While the news should have been good for Wolf, it brought up some horrifying implications. "You're saying Franco tried to kill me?"

"Yes, but he's dead now, right?" Tadao pointed out.

"I know, but what if he's not the only one?" All sorts of other unpleasant possibilities bubbled up in Wolf's head. "What if Harry was in on it too? And for all I know they could have other allies within Star Wolf." Wolf shook his head. "Shit, I've got to warn Leon and Panther."

"Panther?" Tadao cocked his head.

Wolf frowned at Tadao, but then blinked with realization. "Oh, I'm afraid that Andrew and Pigma were...killed in action. Panther Caruso is their replacement." Again, not exactly a lie.

Despite Wolf treating the news like nothing, Tadao's mouth gaped open like this was world-shattering news. "What?! Two of Andross's best pilots?! Dead?! This is terrible news!"

Wolf found it bizarre someone would mourn the death of those two assholes. Nonetheless, Wolf pat Tadao on the shoulder to ease his concern. "It's all right. Panther's doing well, fighting the good fight and…carrying on where they left off." Wolf knew the patriotic-sounding slogans he was thinking up off the top of his head sounded fake as hell, but it seemed good enough for the lizard. He added a little fist pump for emphasis. "Anyway, I need to get in touch with the Retribution. That's my assault carrier, and they're looking for me. Got any way to help me with that?"

"I might be able to." Tadao gestured towards the cave's exit. "While you were out, I saw scout ships buzzing around the jungle. I wasn't sure if they were hostile. You can hear them over the rain from time to time."

Tadao paused so Wolf could listen. The sound of raindrops echoed down the exit tunnel, and sure enough Wolf's pointed ears picked up a dull engine roar over the storm.

"Get your gear." The iguana retrieved his machete from the wall. "I'll be waiting up top."

Wolf didn't need to be told twice. The lupine gathered up his things from the small 'bedroom', then walked down the corridor Tadao indicated. At the end, Tadao waited at a wooden door mounted into the ceiling, like the cellar door beneath a house. He pushed up on the door. Rain poured in, dousing the rocks at the entrance. It looked lighter compared to when Wolf got here though. Tadao moved to one side of the door, waving for Wolf to move up. Ship engines droned overhead in the sky.

Wolf moved to walk outside, but Tadao threw out an arm to stop him. "Don't step outside just yet. I don't want anyone to know where my hideout is if they're not friendly. I want you to identify the ships first."

Cupping a hand over his eyes to protect from rain, Wolf began to scan the stormy sky, his ears rotating to track the engine noise. A scout ship flew past as a thunderbolt struck, the lightning silhouetting the ship as an arrowhead.

Wolf sighed with relief. "Yeah…that's definitely one of my scout ships." He pointed at the aircraft. "We need to signal them."

Tadao handed Wolf a red-colored tube. "Had a box of flares since I got here. Hope they still work."

"Let's find out then." Wolf pulled the cap off of the flare, exposing the flammable end. Two quick rubs with the cap's striking surface lit the red flame. He waved the flare towards the sky.

The red glare got a response right away. The dart-shaped ship turned in the sky, heading right for them. It descended and went into a hover mode, approaching close enough for Wolf to see the pilot. When the pilot identified Wolf, he stuck his hand out the window and gave a quick thumbs up, then waved for them to follow. The dart ship turned around and took off, likely to look for a suitable landing site.

Wolf grinned and started to step out of the door.

"Not so fast." Tadao placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. "I've got the area around here booby-trapped. I don't want you falling in a spike pit or anything. Let me lead you."

Booby traps? Spikes? Holy shit. That'd be quite a way to die. Wolf stepped aside to let Tadao go first. After shutting the door, Tadao started hiking through the jungle in the general direction the shuttle went.

"I broke a branch wherever there's a trap, in case I forget where they are," Tadao said. "I'll point them out to you, but keep an eye out. Clear?"

"Crystal." Wolf stepped wherever Tadao placed his foot, staying as close as possible. At the same time, he tried to look everywhere at once for those broken branches. But for the life of him though, he couldn't see any of them. Felt like being in the middle of a minefield.

As they turned another corner, Tadao stopped and pointed. "Broken branch. I put a paddle trap there. You step on one side of a paddle board. Then the other end of the paddle comes up and hits you in the face with spikes."

Wolf's eyes widened. He wouldn't have noticed the branch if it hadn't been pointed out to him. Already, Wolf found himself appreciating his new guide. They trekked down a hillside, following the sound of the scout ship's engines. Along the way, Tadao pointed out a few other traps. Wolf tried to commit their locations to memory, but he found it hard enough trying to figure out where they were relative to Tadao's hideout, let alone remembering anything else.

They found their way to the bottom of the valley. Here the trees gave way to flat rocks, the footing slippery due to the light rain.

"Shouldn't be any more traps," Tadao announced. "Wouldn't be able to hide them down here anyway."

"That's a relief." Wolf found the walk across the rocks almost relaxing with the danger behind them. The dart ship rested in the distance, a couple of grunts from the Retribution walking towards them.

One of the grunts, a warthog, came up to Wolf first. "Boss…good to see you again." He saluted Wolf. The lupine returned it, smiling back. His companion, a crocodile, quickly saluted as well.

"You two will be rewarded for finding me." Wolf dropped the salute. "Where are Leon and Panther?"

"They'll be here any minute now. They're in their own ship."

"Thank you. Tadao, let's get out of the rain." The lupine took the lead, marching back to the grunt's ship and taking a seat in the back to get dry. The iguana joined him, wiping the water off of his old uniform.

"It's impressive that Andross gave you a full mothership and a fleet of smaller ships to go with it…" Tadao glanced around, noting the modernity of the dart ship and its amenities. "The war must be going very well."

"Yeah, sure," Wolf replied, not really listening. His attention focused on the rainy sky, as he waited for Panther and Leon to arrive. They had a lot to talk about.

The warthog and croc sat in the cockpit up front, glancing at Tadao every now and then. They didn't seem to like Tadao's facial scarring and his rough-looking uniform, but were too afraid to ask questions about it. Wolf didn't care either way.

Another scout ship landed close by. The doors slid open, Panther and Leon hopping out, the two of them wearing rain ponchos. "Ah, finally!" Wolf grinned and jumped out of the ship, running back into the rain to greet them.

"You're a sight for sore eyes!" Leon chuckled. "What happened?"

"Got shot up while we were trying to escape through the Meteo asteroid field." Wolf glanced up at the cloudy sky. "I couldn't keep her in the air and had to crash here."

"It looked that way," Leon said. "We saw the state the ship was in. Or the cockpit rather. Surprised you're still alive."

"Do you have the case?" Panther asked.

Wolf's smile vanished, as he looked back at his companions. "No, it was in the back of the shuttle, but that detached from the cockpit when I crashed."

"That's not good," Panther looked nervous, his eyes darting about as he shifted on his feet. Of course, all of them were anxious about getting the case back, but Panther seemed even more worried than that for some reason.

"Say Wolf, sorry to change the subject but…" Leon looked behind the lupine. "Who's your new friend here? And why does he only have a machete?"

Wolf turned around, just in time to see Tadao march up and salute both Leon and Panther. "Lieutenant Tadao Samorin. Field medic, and proud soldier in the service of Andross!"

Leon and Panther exchanged funny looks between themselves, not knowing what to make of this.

Wolf grinned to mask his nervousness. "Tadao, this is Leon and Panther." He stepped aside and gestured towards them.

"The greatest squadron in Andross' military…" Tadao could not contain his excitement. He grinned, flashing his teeth as he strode over. "This is a real honor."

Leon and Panther returned the smile to be polite, but Wolf could see the confusion in their eyes.

Tadao extended a hand to Leon first. "You must be Leon. It's wonderful to meet you!"

"Pleasure…" Leon returned the handshake, but he gave an aside glance to Wolf every now and then.

After finishing with the chameleon, he turned over to Panther. Panther looked like he didn't want to do this, but accepted the handshake with reluctance.

"And you must be the new one, Panther." Tadao appeared unphased by his hesitation, the lizard's excitement as strong as ever. "I regret that I haven't heard of you before, but I'm sure you'll make a great name for yourself in our empire's forces. I'm glad to see you're carrying on the proud traditions Pigma and Andrew left behind."

Panther gave a funny look to Wolf, considering he knew about how Pigma and Andrew stabbed Wolf in the back several years ago, but kept his mouth shut. Still, the jungle cat gave a bland smile to Tadao and shook hands as well.

"Enough introductions." Wolf turned to Tadao. "Need to speak with my teammates in private for a moment."

"Of course, Wolf!" Tadao folded his arms behind him and took several steps backwards to give the three of them space. He waited at attention, as if he were stepping into formation.

Wolf herded his two teammates some distance away. They kept glancing back at Tadao, looking perplexed by the iguana's remarks and behavior.

Once at a safe distance, Wolf whispered to them. "It may be hard to believe this, but…" He took a deep breath. "Tadao is a Venomian holdout from the Lylat Wars. He thinks the war is still ongoing, and that we're still fighting for Andross."

"You're serious?" Leon narrowed his eyes, somehow even more so than how he usually kept them.

"I'm dead serious." Wolf cast a quick glance at Tadao, still standing as though he were in formation. "But we need him, at least for now. He's lived in this jungle for almost a decade, so he knows the area. I bet he'll be a big help finding the case."

"I see..." Panther stroked his chin. "So you want us to humor him then? Make sure his warped view of reality stays intact?" With the little halfway smile he put on, Panther seemed to find the idea amusing.

"Precisely." Wolf didn't like what he was about to suggest next. Tadao was happy to be with them, but he was also a crazy, unpredictable machete killer and Wolf didn't want to work with him any longer than necessary. "We keep him with us in our own shuttle, and we search for the case with him. He can't talk to anyone else in our crew. Got it?"

"I don't like it, especially with that big knife, but you're the boss Wolf." Leon nodded.

"How many people did you bring down from the Retribution to find me?" Wolf asked.

"Nearly everyone," Panther said. "The Retribution's being run by a skeleton crew right now."

"Good." No need to waste time mobilizing more grunts. "Now that you've found me, the mission is to locate the case. You found my shuttle, right?"

"What was left of it." Panther smirked. "Surprised you're still alive, what with only the front of the ship still intact."

"Get a team to locate the back end of the fuselage," Wolf said. "The case was locked in a cabinet in the rear of the ship."

"The back end of the ship's not intact anymore." Leon shook his head. "While we were looking for you, we found plenty of fuselage fragments everywhere. That case may be in a million pieces by now."

"Damn it," Wolf clenched his fist. No, of course it couldn't be that easy. "Well, if the case is still intact, we should concentrate the search along my flight path. Probably landed in the jungle somewhere along the way. Did the Retribution record my path?"

"Got it right here. I was on the bridge when we picked you up." Panther brought out a small tablet, showing him an image of the local Fortunan surface. A white line crossed the map, with an X at the end. "That's where you went down. We check everywhere along this line, more or less?"

"That's about the size of it. But we have another problem." Wolf stopped, leaning in closer. "We might have moles in the Retribution's crew. And I don't mean the literal kind."

"What? Spies?" Leon's baseball-sized eyes widened.

"I found out that Harry and Franco tried to poison me before the shuttle went down. Tadao cured me and saved my life."

"They tried to kill you?" Leon rolled his eyes. "I told you Panther and I should have come with you."

"Believe me Leon, I would have preferred it that way, but in a place like Corneria's main base?" Wolf shook his head. "They aren't stupid. If it were the three of us, they'd see through us in seconds. Anyway, what's done is done. Leon, I've got a special job for you."

"And that would be?" Leon asked.

"Whatever we did with Harry's and Franco's background checks, it wasn't enough. I need you to go back to the Retribution, and look deeper and harder into their pasts. Find out everyone they've worked for. Go all the way back to when they were in grade school. Find everything on them. I want to find out if they were working alone or if they're part of something bigger. Like maybe they're Cornerian spies or something. Find out who their friends are on the ship. They might be moles too. Dig up everything you can, as fast as you can. You find out anything interesting, you call me. Got it?"

"No problem, Wolf," Leon smiled. "I'll get right to it."

Leon hurried over to the drop ship, speaking with the two grunts and ordering them to take him back to the mothership.

As the ship took off, Wolf turned to Tadao and Panther. "Let's go. We've got a case to find."

Tadao looked overjoyed at the prospect. As they walked back to the shuttle, he spoke like an excited kid. "I can't believe this. I thought I'd never get to fly ever again."

Wolf looked over to the iguana for a moment. The lupine wondered what he would have done if he had been in Tadao's place during the Lylat Wars. Gone insane? Committed suicide? Amazing what kind of resolve Tadao had to have to make it this long, but it was dangerous to have him around. As soon as they got the case, Wolf was leaving Tadao behind and they were getting the hell out of here. He had no idea what Tadao would do when he found out the Lylat Wars were long over.

The three of them piled into the second dropship, with Wolf assuming the pilot's seat, Panther riding shotgun, and Tadao sitting in the back and looking over their shoulders.

During the pre-flight checks, Wolf talked to Panther. "How long was it between when you picked me up on radar and when you found me?"

Panther paused, checking his watch. "I think it's been about seven hours or so."

"That long, huh?" Wolf shook his head, as he adjusted some dials. "We've got to find that case fast. I wouldn't be surprised if the Cornerian Navy is on their way."

The drop ship's engines spun up, taking them over the canopy of trees. Panther guided Wolf back towards where he crashed the shuttle, as the lupine swooped the drop ship low over the trees. Within minutes, Wolf found himself back where this whole mess started. More ships buzzed near the crash site, many of his grunts visible on the ground as they picked through the brush and trees.

"Looks like they've got this area covered." Wolf spun up the ship's thrusters, pushing them faster. "Let's fly out further. Panther, keep us on the path. Tadao, keep an eye out."

"No problem, Wolf." Panther held his tablet close, as they flew low over the jungle trees.

"Roger, Wolf!" Tadao stood up, so he could get a better view out the front.

Wolf gave Tadao a funny look, but kept watching the ground below. Looked like it had been smart to choose Fortuna as the meeting point. Otherwise, this little operation would have drawn all sorts of attention. Nonetheless Wolf found himself annoyed by the whole thing. He shouldn't have to do any of this right now. He should be dropping off that case with Sable, getting his reward, and sitting on a beach in Aquas somewhere.

At least the rain had eased up, but they were running out of daylight. Finding anything in the jungle would be near impossible once night fell, even with Tadao's help. If they didn't find the case soon, they'd have to wait until next morning to resume searching. That was time they didn't have.

The ship flew onwards, leaving the other drop ships and search parties behind. The carpet of trees stretched outwards in every direction, occasionally broken up by a stream or a small grass clearing here and there. Wolf wondered where they'd even begin searching. Down below, everything still looked the same. He cut the ship's throttle, so they drifted slower over the trees. They puttered along like this for another forty-five minutes, the sky slowly darkening around them. No one said anything, as their eyes fixated on the ground. Wolf became very tense, clenching the flight stick tight as time continued to drain away. Still no sign of anything below but more trees and grass.

All of a sudden, Tadao put a hand on Wolf's shoulder. The little touch made him flinch.

"Stop for a moment. I see something." Tadao leaned forward, his head and frills coming into Wolf's view.

"What did you see?" Wolf asked as he reversed the throttle.

"See that down there?" Tadao pointed at a narrow strip of grass snaking through the trees, the ground exposed to the open air. A stream coursed along the bright green band, lined with rocks and mud.

Wolf cocked his head. "What am I looking for?"

"Tire tracks in the mud. Grass crushed beneath the wheels of a vehicle. Somebody's driven along that stream recently."

"Is that normal?" Panther asked.

"No." Tadao shook his head. "I've never seen anyone driving a ground vehicle out this far. We should check it out."

"Better than nothing." Wolf pointed the ship downwards. He didn't know what the tire tracks meant yet or if they even had anything to do with the case, but at this point he was desperate.

They landed in a wider spot on the strip of grass, hiking back to where the tire tracks began. Tadao walked ahead, stopping in a spot where the tracks could be seen in the mud.

The iguana gave a quick analysis. "The rain's muddled the tracks a bit, but it's something small, like an ATV. Tracks going in both directions, both to the northeast and the southwest. Same tires made both sets of tracks. They went one way and then doubled back for some reason." Tadao picked a stick off of the ground and walked beside the tracks, tracing them with the stick. "The prints going northeast are on top. That's the direction they're headed now."

"So what now?" Wolf looked up from the tracks.

"Let's go northeast." Tadao looked up. "Maybe we can catch up to whoever made the tracks."

"But we don't even know if this has anything to do with the case," Panther pointed out.

"We may as well check since we're almost out of light." Tadao looked up to the sky, the gray clouds a little bit darker since they landed. "It's suspicious anyone is out this far."

Wolf let Tadao take the lead, as they followed the trail left behind by the mysterious quad biker, as it got harder to see by the minute. The trail led them away from the stream and back into the trees again. After about thirty minutes of walking through the brush, Tadao halted next to a series of tree stumps.

"These trees were cut down recently." The iguana pointed at them.

"Yeah? So what?" Panther asked.

"They weren't cut down because they were in the way. You can see the path goes right by them." Tadao waved at the tire tracks on the ground. "Crude cuts...done with hand axes." Tadao indicated the rough cuts on the top of the stumps, along with the marks left by missed swings.

Wolf found Tadao's talk interesting, but they were running out of time. "What does this mean?"

"Likely to build shelter…" Tadao turned away, as he pulled out his machete and scanned the area around them. The lizard crouched, waving for Wolf and Panther to do likewise. Speaking in a whisper, Tadao said, "Quiet…they might still be close by."

Wolf's eyes widened. Taking the blaster rifle off of his back, he looked around, but nothing stood out to him.

Tadao waved for Panther and Wolf to follow, gesturing towards the ground. Stay low. No talking. Now crouch walking, the lizard slid through the foliage without making a sound, Wolf following in his wake.

The lizard moved through the brush and undergrowth, comfortable in his own territory. He made so little noise that sometimes Wolf lost track of Tadao whenever a large leaf or brush separated them. By contrast, Wolf winced whenever he snapped a twig or rustled a leaf.

After some creeping, Tadao suddenly stood up. "It's okay. I think they're gone. Look at this."

He pushed aside the last set of palm fronds, revealing a small clearing. Against a rock wall on one side of the clearing, somebody erected a lean-to out of the cut-down tree trunks. The remains of a firepit sat close by, doused by the rain. Logs arranged around the campfire served as seating. Bits of trash lay scattered here and there too. Water bottles. Food wrappers. Cigarette butts.

Eyeing the mess, Panther raised an eyebrow. "What if they were just campers?"

Tadao shook his head. "I doubt that. This is the first time I've seen someone set up shelter out here. You'd have to be a dedicated camper to come out this far. Anyway, enough about that…" Tadao waved his hand around the encampment. "We should search this place."

"You think we'll find something pointing to the case here?" Wolf asked.

Tadao shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not, but we might as well look since we're here. I'll check over here." Tadao walked towards a little trash pile off to one side.

Wolf decided to check the lean-to. Someone had swept it down, leaving a bare dirt floor. However, he spotted a pile of leaves, twigs, and other debris in the back. Probably where the occupants pushed everything that used to fill the floor. Wolf started to pick through it, finding random odds and ends. An empty pack of cigarettes. A mostly used up tube of toothpaste. He was about to leave when his eyes caught the glint of something shiny in the pile, just barely poking out of a mess of dry leaves. The glint looked familiar…

His heart pounding, Wolf picked it up. While not attached to a case anymore, it was a silver briefcase handle. It bore the same Cornerian government tags as the silver briefcase he stole from the vault. There could be no doubt. This came from the case.

Wolf squeezed the handle in his hand. "Son of a bitch…"

Chapter Text

A crashing sound reached Panther's ears, as he was busy sorting through a pile of discarded trash on the edge of the camp. He spun around to see Wolf scrambling out of the lean-to.

"Panther! Tadao! Over here!" Wolf held out a shiny piece. "This is the case's handle. No question about it."

Panther's heart pounded as he took the handle, looking back and forth between it and Wolf. "So these people did take the case?" The cat closed his eyes, running a hand down the back of his head. "Oh, this is terrible… What am I going to do?"

"What do you mean you?" Wolf narrowed his eye, taking back the handle. "We're all in deep shit here."

"Oh… Right." Panther glanced away, pulling the hood of his poncho further down over his face. He didn't want Wolf getting a good look at his terrified expression.

The Hyoodin. He'd borrowed so much of Star Wolf's money to buy it, thinking this job's payday would cover up the transaction before anyone noticed. But now, who knew where the hell the case was and who had it? If they didn't get it back, Wolf wound find out about the car, and then Panther's fate would be sealed. He might have earned his spot as the number three member of Star Wolf, but that used to be Pigma's title too...

"First it was Harry and Franco, now these people…" Wolf looked up at the sky. "How many of them are there?! Who are they?!" He snarled, his tail thrashing behind him.

"Wolf, are you saying this is someone else besides the Cornerians?" Tadao raised an eyebrow.

Wolf snapped his head back to Tadao, caught off guard by the question. "Uh…" Recovering, he said, "I don't know. We need to find out."

Tadao blinked, a frown on his face. However, he wiped it away with a smile after a second or two. "How about we keep following the ATV tracks? We might find something else at the end."

Wolf looked off into the distance, pondering it for a moment before nodding. "All right. I guess it's all we can do. Panther, Tadao…go back to our ship and get some flashlights. I'lll get everybody else over here." He pulled a communicator out of his pocket.

Panther sighed, looking up at the dark night sky at the solid cover of storm clouds. This long night just got longer. While calmer than before, the raindrops kept pelting him on the cheeks and eyes. Every part of his body was soaked and cold, the inside of his boots soggy and squishing. Even so, there was nothing to do but press on. His future with Star Wolf—possibly his life—depended on them getting that case back now. It sounded crazy, but was it time to make plans to desert? Run away and hope Wolf never found him?

The cat turned over to his new traveling companion. Tadao stood there waiting for a command, as still as a statue despite the rain pelting down on his frilly head. He only wore that faded, tattered Venomian military uniform, having refused a poncho so he could draw his machete faster if he needed to. Speaking of…Panther couldn't help but look at that blade. Amazing how something so primitive and crude terrified Panther a lot more than a blaster.

"Shall we go, Panther?" Tadao offered a polite smile.

Even if Tadao seemed eager to please, Panther didn't feel safe being alone with him. What would Tadao do if he found out they lied to him about the Lylat Wars? But it was either this or face Wolf over his Hyoodin, so Panther reluctantly nodded for them to go. They started their trek back to the drop ship. Panther hoped they'd just go back in silence, but Tadao wanted to talk.

"How long have you been with Star Wolf, Panther?"

The cat's tail twitched at the question. "A few years." Panther didn't want to say anything more than necessary.

"I'm envious." Tadao smiled at Panther, pulling aside a branch to let him through. "How does it feel to work under the greatest pilot in the Venomian military?"

Venomian military. That would be funny at some other time, but it reminded Panther that he walked a delicate tightrope here. "It pays quite well. I'm able to get plenty of women and eat at nice cafes."

"What?" Tadao's face darkened, his slit eye narrowing. "You speak as though the money is all you care about."

Panther tensed up. "Well, uh… We've done some very great things in the service of..of our emperor." The words came out in stammers, sounding weaker and flabbier than he wanted them to.

Tadao frowned at Panther. "What planets does Andross currently hold in Lylat? Last I heard, only Corneria was left."

Panther didn't know much of anything about Andross and the Venomians, not having signed onto Star Wolf until after the war. He could easily get caught in a lie if Tadao kept digging deeper. Good thing it was dark and raining, or Tadao might get a good look at Panther's nervous face. "We…have about half now, I guess? Venom, Macbeth, Titania, and Zoness."

"Wait…" Tadao put a hand on Panther's shoulder. "You're telling me things are worse now? I thought our war machine was invincible."

Panther did not like the leathery feel of that reptile hand on his shoulder. It was stiff and cold, like that of a dead man. The cat's mind raced, but being so close to Tadao and the machete made it difficult to think straight. Eventually Panther came up with something he hoped would end the conversation. "Things have gotten worse, but whatever's in the case may turn the tide of the war. We can finish the Cornerians for good if we find it." Gathering his courage, Panther grasped Tadao's shoulders, putting on his best determined look. Eyes narrowed and focused. "The best thing we can do right now is keep searching for it. Now let's hurry. Wolf's waiting for us."

Tadao's eyes widened in awe. Panther could see the shift in the lizard's emotional state. In Tadao's mind, this was no longer just a walk in the woods to find a case. It was a mission…a vital one that could decide the future of the empire he loved so much. What more motivation did he need?

"I didn't know it was that important. I'm terribly sorry!" Tadao stepped back and gave a bow. "I'll stop asking questions. Let's hurry, for the empire's sake!"

Tadao took off at a sprint, Panther surprised by the change in pace. Dodged a bullet there, didn't I? They completed the rest of the trip in record time, hurrying back to the drop ship and then running the rest of the way back to the camp. Panther was tired and out of breath, but Tadao still looked in top form, like he could run several more miles with no problem.

Wolf looked surprised to see them. "That was quick."

"I didn't know how urgent your mission was!" Tadao handed Wolf a flashlight. "Why didn't you tell me? Panther filled me in on the details."

Still wheezing from the surprise sprint, Panther looked over to see Wolf giving him a weird look. Panther looked at the ground, hoping it wouldn't lead to further questions.

Lucky for him, Wolf was focused on the job at hand. "Let's find whoever these people are."

All of them lit their flashlights, Tadao once again taking the lead. After about twenty more minutes of hiking, the tracks led them into a wide clearing in the trees, waist high grass covering most of the area. The ATV left flattened grass in its wake, forming a pathway through the vegetation. At the center of the clearing, they spotted a wider area with all of the grass pushed downwards. However, the tracks ended here.

"What is this?!" Wolf snarled, waving his flashlight around. His pointed ears flipped backwards in anger, hardened almost enough to cut.

A sinking feeling clutched at Panther's stomach. Their best lead just went cold. How the hell would they find the case in time now? And if Wolf was angry now, what would he do once he discovered the Hyoodin?

Tadao's resolve was unbroken, however. The iguana crouched in the flattened grass, running his hand along something on the ground. "I can see different markings here…" He traced his finger along a small trench-like depression in the smashed grass and mud, the marking a few inches deep. "Landing skids. They landed a ship here, took the ATV out of it, drove out to get the case, drove back here, reloaded the ATV, and flew away."

"Fantastic!" Wolf fumed, throwing his hands up. "They could be goddamn anywhere by now!"

"Wolf, calm down." Tadao looked up.

"How is calming down going to help?!" Wolf turned away from Tadao, shouting at the jungle around them. "You assholes! Where the hell are you?! Give me back my damn case!"

Tadao shook his head. "If you let anger get ahold of you, then you will miss things right in front of you."

"Like what?!" Wolf spun around, purple eye ablaze in fury.

Tadao pointed at the landing skid marks again. "We can still get information from what's here. Everybody leaves traces about who they are. It's just a matter of spotting it. The ship they used was small, about the size of a truck. Probably not suitable for long-distance space travel, assuming it's capable of even leaving the atmosphere. They'd have to stop somewhere close by for fuel or transfer to a bigger ship. They may still be nearby."

Despite being afraid of him before, Panther almost found the iguana's calm matter soothing. Probably came from surviving in the jungle alone for so long. You didn't make it almost a decade here if you didn't have a cool head on your shoulders.

"Even if our thieves are still on Fortuna," Wolf waved at the clearing around them. "How are we going to figure out where they went? They could be tens of thousands of kilometers away by now, and the distance is only getting bigger the longer we stand here!"

"Not necessarily." Tadao shook his head. "I never got to explore Fortuna much beyond my cave, but this planet is still mostly uninhabited right?"

"That's right?" Wolf didn't know where he was going with this. "Only a few small settlements here and there."

"Okay." Tadao nodded. "It's been about eight or nine hours since you went down, right? What if you dispatched some ships to ask around nearby settlements for our case thieves? I'd think outsiders would stand out here, with how out of the way this planet is."

Wolf blinked, going over the idea in his head. "I guess it's worth a try." He didn't sound like he believed it would help though.

Tadao still kept that polite smile on regardless.

The mention of settlements reminded Panther of something. "Didn't Andrew used to have a base somewhere close by here too?"

Tadao looked over towards Panther, confused. "I thought you said he was killed?"

"Oh!" Panther backed up, catching his error. "Well, he got promoted out of our unit, then he built the base, and all that was before he died, so…yeah…"

Wolf glared at Panther, obviously wanting to tongue lash him but also not wanting to raise Tadao's suspicions. He scanned the clearing one more time with his flashlight, before shaking his head in defeat. "Not much more me and Panther can do down here," he said. "Tadao, when the search teams make it here, could you lead them? You've been a big help so far."

"Of course!" Tadao grinned, saluting. "This is the most excitement I've had since I got down here. All of my friends will be so jealous when they find out I helped the famous Wolf O'Donnell finish a mission!" The iguana laughed at that, Wolf sharing a nervous chuckle.

Panther almost felt bad about them lying to Tadao, but held his tongue.

Wolf gave Tadao a hearty pat on the shoulder. "All right, we're going back to the Retribution to see how Leon's doing. Good luck with your search."

"You too Wolf!"

As they started their hike back to the drop ship, his heart filled him with dread. What would they do now that their best lead had fizzled out? Panther didn't even notice the rain anymore. The walk through the jungle had a dreamlike quality, like he wasn't actually awake. It didn't help he was exhausted after a long day of hunting for Wolf and then a long night in the jungle. Earlier today he'd been on top of the world when he saw his precious Hyoodin, but now it might lead to his doom instead.

"Are you doing all right, Panther?" Wolf asked.

The fur on Panther's back stood up at that question. "Why you ask?"

"You're walking like you're drunk or something."

Panther made an effort to correct his stride. "It's been a long day."

"Amen to that," Wolf nodded. "How'd it all go to shit so fast?"

Panther laughed, because he didn't want to cry. Oh Wolf, you don't know half of it.

They arrived back at the drop ship, Wolf taking the pilot controls while Panther strapped into the passenger seat.

"You think the search team will find anything?" the cat asked.

"I doubt it." Wolf punched buttons and checked the readouts. "Mostly I just wanted to keep Tadao buys, so he won't ask to go to the Retribution."

"Wha, really?" Panther could feel the color draining from his face.

"Yeah." Wolf frowned, glancing over at Panther. "Speaking of Tadao, you almost blew it back there. Tadao's getting suspicious of the things we're telling him. You didn't say anything else to him, did you?" The engines began to spool up on their drop ship.

Panther pursed his lips. "Uh…"

"Oh, you did." Wolf grit his teeth. "What did you say?"

The cat took a deep breath, readying himself for Wolf's response. "I told him Andross is losing the war, and we need what's in the case to win it."

"Why the hell did you spin a tale like that?" They left the cloud cover behind, heading off into the starry sky. "It'll only get harder to keep him under control the more he learns. Tadao may not want to help us anymore if he finds out he's being played. He might even get violent. I'll tell the search teams to not answer any of his questions unless it's about finding the case."

Panther just looked out the window as the atmosphere gave way to space.

Wolf sighed. "Anyway, I'm gonna go check on Leon's progress once we get back. I hope he's doing better than we are."

~X~

Leon hurried down the corridors of the Retribution, entering the crew quarters section. Everyone who saw the chameleon gave him a wide berth, not wanting to get on his bad side. Leon didn't notice though, his mind focused on the task ahead as he recalled what he knew about Harry and Franco.

Harry Hutch the husky and Franco Fawkes the jackal. Alliterative names. Now that he thought about it, the names did sound awful fake. Leon cursed himself for not catching onto that earlier. Both of them claimed to be ex-Cornerian soldiers turned mercenaries, disgruntled with their government for low pay and worthless assignments. They also said they had intimate knowledge of the inside of the Corneria City base, having worked there before. The chameleon did background research of all this, and it appeared to check out. Leon inspected some leaked Cornerian personnel files that Star Wolf's cyber unit managed to acquire. Could the records have been planted for them to find?

They probably weren't Cornerian spies. If they were, Leon suspected they would've led Wolf into a trap at the base to capture him instead of letting him escape with the case. But then who were they working for?

Leon arrived at the pair's cabin, opening it up with his master keycard. As the door slid aside, he swept his eyes across the room. Leon put on a small smirk. "Hmm…interesting."

Both sides of the two-man cabin matched, each having a desk, a bunk, a set of drawers, and a small closet, all done in a cheap gray metal. The alloy shone with a glossy sheen, the ceiling lights reflecting back at him from multiple angles. Only the most stubborn dents and scratches remained. Crisp, clean, neatly-folded sheets covered the beds, with spare blankets sitting on top. Leon opened Harry's closet. All of the clothes looked like they'd just been washed and hung up, none of the hangars or articles askew.

Leon had never seen such clean quarters on this ship. Everything looked far too perfect. Must've been part of a plan to cover their tracks. But no one was perfect, and Leon intended to go over this room with a fine-toothed comb. Somehow, someway, he would find out who Harry and Franco really were, and who their friends were. Speaking of that, Harry and Franco cheated him out of a fun interrogation session by dying, so Leon supposed their friends would have to pay him back double when he found them.

Setting to work, Leon yanked open the drawers on Harry's desk and rifled through them. But except for office supplies and other knickknacks, the desk turned up nothing of interest. No computers, no electronic storage, no personal papers, nothing. Leon checked the desk on Franco's side as well. Same thing. Leon nodded with respect. They hadn't missed anything important…not yet anyway. He went to one of the closets, throwing articles of clothing on the floor. Searching through the pockets of the scattered garments, Leon found little else but lint, some gum, and some more spare coins. Perhaps he could learn Harry's and Franco's planet of origin by examining the currency, but he'd worry about analyzing the random objects later. Under Harry's bed came next. Leon dragged out a number of small boxes, going through each of them in turn. Comic books, erotic magazines, a candy stash long past its expiration date…

Leon sighed. Nothing identifying about Harry and Franco's true past had turned up yet. He went over Franco's side of the room next, tearing it apart as well. But that only yielded more miscellaneous objects of little interest. All the obvious places were out now, leaving only nooks and crannies. The chameleon moved the furniture around as best as he could, trying to see if he could find something in one of the cracks. However, not much turned up besides dust bunnies and crumbs of old food.

Flipping over the mattress on Franco's bed, Leon's eyes lit up. "Hello, what's this?"

Someone had wedged a photograph into the bed springs. Leon pried the picture free, bringing it into better light. Three canines stood in a row, all of them dressed in winter camouflage uniforms and wielding kinetic assault rifles. Snowflakes fell past them in the foreground, their boots partially buried in the white. A white mountain range rose above them in the background. The canines on the left and right appeared to be Harry and Franco respectively, albeit looking a few years younger.

Leon didn't recognize the one in the middle though. White fur, golden eyes, fluffy feather duster tail swinging in the wind, and triangular, pointed ears. The eye and fur color made for an eerie contrast. However, Leon couldn't distinguish an exact species of canine. Perhaps Wolf could help figure that out, being a canine himself. Leon would show him the picture later. Whoever he was, this mystery canine didn't look like someone to mess with. Leon felt those golden eyes staring right through him.

Were there any identifying marks on the three's uniforms though? A shoulder patch on Harry's uniform stood out. Words framed the patch, but Leon couldn't read them with his naked eye. The photographer took the picture from too far away. Leon flipped over the photograph to see if a date or names were written there, but it was blank.

Sighing, Leon continued his search. The next half hour flew by as he scoured the room, but not much else turned up after the picture. Leon crossed his arms, tapping his foot as he looked at the pile of junk he made on the floor. He thought about examining all the items in detail, to put together a picture of Harry and Franco's past from the pieces. Yet the photograph still bothered him, especially that white canine in the middle. Could there be something in Star Wolf's databases on him? With help from Star Wolf's computer techs, Leon kept an extensive data warehouse pertaining to various persons of interest, from clients, to enemies, to informants. He found the idea of research too intriguing to resist, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Leon rushed back to his own cabin to begin. Within minutes, he reached his door, stepping into a small cabin with a spartan, metallic interior. It didn't look too different from Franco's and Harry's cabin. Wolf sometimes told Leon to move into a larger, more luxurious cabin like his and Panther's, but the chameleon always rejected the idea. For the most part, Leon just found luxuries like bigger rooms and more stuff to be a distraction. He preferred experiences to possessions, like the thrill of hunting an assassination target or interrogating in his own special way.

However, his fast computer linkup with the Retribution's systems was one of the few luxuries he permitted. Leon slid into the chair in front of the monitor. After keying in his password, he drew up a database program. Leon typed so fast his fingers looked like blurs, query code appearing on the screen at a breakneck pace. He wanted to check Star Wolf's personnel tables on Harry and Franco one more time.

Finishing up, he punched the key to run the query…and no results came back. Leon raised an eyebrow. Maybe he'd made a typo? Leon double-checked himself, and pressed the key again. No results. Curious, Leon rewrote the query to pull back all records, regardless of who was on them. Still no results. Something was not right here. Frowning, Leon called up a video conferencing program on his machine. When the contacts list popped up, the chameleon clicked on the name 'Suneel Kombethula.'

A live video image popped up, showing a brown porcupine seated at a terminal in a computer room elsewhere in the Retribution. Suneel wore wire-frame glasses, the lenses making his eyes look bigger than they should have been. In contrast to most crew members of Star Wolf, he wore a blue button-down dress shirt with a tie, like he worked in a standard IT department at some mega corp. Despite the professional-looking appearance, right now the porcupine's body sagged forward, the eyes shut behind the lenses.

"Suneel!" Leon called out.

Suneel stirred, his quills waving all over the place as he rose from his unplanned nap. Blinking, he looked over at the web camera over his monitor. His jaw dropped, seeing Leon. Immediately the porcupine straightened back up again, doing his best to look alert and attentive despite the sudden waking up. However, Leon noticed a conspicuous drool stain down the front of the dress shirt.

"Oh, Leon!" Suneel gave a nervous laugh. "Good to see you again! Is there something I can do for you?" While appearing cheerful, the porcupine's eyes darted about, a bead of sweat running down the frame of his glasses.

Normally he'd berate Suneel for sleeping on the job, but there was no time for that right now. "Something is wrong with the personnel database. Get a backup going."

"I understand." Suneel beamed a forced smile. "I will let you know when it's done!" Suneel turned back to his monitor and began typing away.

Leon killed the video feed without bothering to say goodbye, although he figured Suneel probably didn't mind that. While he waited, the chameleon slipped the photograph he found into a scanner next to his machine. After digitizing the picture, he opened up a photo-editing program, blowing up the picture so it filled the entire screen. Leon gave the image a closer look, examining every detail he could spot. The snowy mountains suggested they could be on Fichina somewhere, although it could be a whole other planet in a different system for all he knew. If he could identify the mountain range, he could figure out the planet.

Also, Leon didn't recognize those uniforms from any official military forces in Lylat. The matching set of BDUs implied they belonged to some sort of organization, be it a PMC or a military outside the system. Leon took a closer look at the patch on Harry's shoulder, now that he could see better with the zoom. But the patch didn't face the camera directly, so the letters on the left appeared squished and illegible compared to the letters on the right. He could only read:

_INEL

The bullet-based firearms got his attention too. Nowadays, people only used kinetic weapons in special circumstances. Either they just couldn't afford blasters, or the environment was too inhospitable to keep blasters well maintained. Although kinetic weapons did have uses when it came to stealth. Unlike blasters, you could suppress them, and they didn't create a visible projectile when fired to trace back to the shooter. The weapons pictured could be useful in narrowing down the potential outfits Harry and Franco belonged to as well.

The cabin door slid open behind Leon. Only two people in Star Wolf were allowed to enter his room unannounced, and only one of those paid regular visits, so he didn't need to look. "You're back now, Wolf?"

"Sure am," Wolf strode into the room, sitting down on Leon's bed. "Got bad news I'm afraid. Someone down there took our case."

Leon blinked a few times. He wasn't surprised by the news, especially with the suspicious state of Harry's and Franco's cabin. Wolf filled Leon in on his findings, between spotting the ATV trail, discovering the case's handle at the encampment, and finding the trail dead ended at a spot where a small aircraft appeared to have launched.

"So, we're up a creek." Leon said.

"That's the polite way of putting it," Wolf rolled his eye, his pointed ears drooping. The lupine turned his attention to the photograph on the screen. "So what's this?"

Leon moved aside to give Wolf a better view. "I found this in Harry and Franco's room."

"I can see that's Harry and Franco there…assuming those are their real names. Who's the third guy?"

"I don't know yet." Leon looked at the white canine again. "I don't even know what kind of canine he is. What do you think?"

Wolf tilted his head, looking puzzled by the picture. Even he seemed to struggle with it. "I don't know either. I was going to say wolf at first, but the tail, ears, and muzzle look wrong. The tail is too long and fluffy, more like a fox's. The muzzle is too small. And he looks a bit small for a wolf too. It's like he's a mix of a bunch of different canines." Wolf turned back to Leon.

"Did you find any other things like this in Harry's and Franco's room?"

"No," Leon shook his head. "They cleaned their room out. All of their papers, computers, and things are gone."

Wolf's eye widened at the mention of that. "What?"

Leon nodded. "That's right."

"I met Franco and Harry in their cabin right before we left for Corneria." Wolf leaned closer to the picture, placing a hand on the bottom of his muzzle and stroking it. "They definitely still had all their papers and computers around then. Someone cleaned up after we left."

"So we really do have spies on board the ship? They didn't clean it themselves?" Leon spun around, furiously typing away at something on the screen, the windows and programs changing on the program at breakneck speed. Wolf found himself dizzy just trying to keep up with all of the information flying across the monitor. After a few minutes Leon pulled up a video surveillance program, allowing access to cameras all over the ship. He selected the camera in the hall outside Harry's and Franco's cabin.

"All right," Leon said, clicking around with the mouse. "We'll just review the footage from the hallway from after you left for Corneria. Whoever went into the room to get their stuff will show up on video."

Leon chose the appropriate time in the archives. But instead of seeing a hallway, "[ NO SIGNAL ]" appeared on the screen in red text, against a black background.

"What now?" Wolf narrowed his eyes, looking at Leon.

"Something was wrong with the video feed at the time." Leon skipped around on the timeline, hoping to find actual footage. But no matter where he checked, the camera curiously appeared to have been offline ever since Wolf left with Harry and Franco to go to Corneria.

"Shit," Wolf shook his head. "This mystery guy is good. I wonder if it's that white guy in the picture."

"I guess we'll find out," Leon said. "I was working with our personnel database just now. But there was a problem, so I've got Suneel working on a backup and—"

"Who's Suneel?"

"Oh, just someone in our cyber unit. He is good at what he does, but from what I understand he got caught changing grades for classmates back in his college days, charging five hundred credits a class. That blackballed him from a legit career in computer work, so he ended up with us. Let's go check on him now."

Leon brought the video conferencing program back up, clicking on Suneel's name.

The porcupine's bespectacled face appeared on camera again. He glanced over at the camera, huge eyes going wide at the sight of both Leon and Wolf now.

"Suneel, what is your progress?" Leon asked.

"I am almost there." Suneel smiled again. It seemed to be his default way of hiding sheer terror. "Try typing in a query on your machine now and let me know how it goes."

Leon zapped back over to the database program, rapidly typing in a query. He pressed the run key, but all he got was a box with an error message.

Table is encrypted. Please speak to your database administrator for access.

"Whaaaaat?" Leon rapid-fire typed some more.

Suneel's face fell for a moment at Leon's voice, although he put on a small smile again to keep up the façade.

"Suneel, why is this table encrypted?" Leon asked, glaring at the camera.

"Ah, ah…" Suneel's mouth hung open, as he looked around his desk, avoiding staring back at his web cam.

"Suneel!" Leon shouted. "Answer me!"

"Uh, well…" The porcupine raised up a finger, turning towards his monitor as he started typing again. "Let…let me go and check the backups. Hold on."

A few minutes passed by as the clacking of keys came over Leon's speakers, Suneel not saying anything as he worked. More beads of sweat rolled down the side of his glasses, the silence feeling deafening for all around. All of a sudden, Suneel's jaw dropped. "No no no. That's not right!"

"What's wrong?" Wolf growled.

"The…the backups. They're…encrypted. I just see a mess of text when I open them."

"So unencrypt them?" Wolf suggested, sounding unsure about that. He didn't know much of anything about computers.

Suneel gulped at the suggestion. "Wolf, this is STB encryption with a 65536-bit key."

The lupine rolled his eyes. "In plain Lylatian, please."

"I could try to unencrypt it—"

"So do it." Wolf waved a hand.

"Wolf, it's not that simple. In theory the encryption could be cracked, but—"

"But what?" Wolf narrowed his eyes, getting impatient with all this.

"65536-bit is a ridiculously big key. Even if I used the computing power of every machine on the Retribution to work on finding the key, it would take over a century to crack. We would be long dead before it cracked the code. If we had kids, our great grandchildren would be dead before the code was cracked. We're never getting our data back without whatever STB key was used to do this."

Leon cast a glare over at the porcupine. "Suneel…" he hissed. "It's your job to make sure things like this don't happen."

The porcupine's false smile vanished at last, replaced by abject terror.

"I don't have time to deal with you right now…" The chameleon pointed at the video monitor. "But we're going to talk about it later. I assure you of that."

The quills all over Suneel's body expanded, making him look like a terrified, quivering pincushion as Leon stared him down.

"Just fix what you can for now. Find out how this happened. Don't call me back until you've got good news." And then Leon cut the feed, shaking his head and glancing over at Wolf.

Meanwhile, Wolf wondered if he felt worse than Suneel right now, the weight of all the day's problems feeling like it was slowly crushing him into a pancake. He kept seeing a disappointed, angry Sable in the back of his head, the thought tearing away at his sanity. Regardless, Wolf did his best to stay focused on the problems at hand. "Okay then, someone's in our computers and breaking shit now. Just great. I guess all of this answers our questions about having spies on the ship. Let's hope they haven't gotten to anything el-" As if on cue, Wolf's communicator rang. He rolled his eyes, snatching the device up. "Okay, who's this and what the hell do you want?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the voice apologized on the other end. "Wolf, it's uh…it's Captain Jamal on the bridge. There's something I thought you'd want to know about."

Wolf grumbled under his breath. "What is it?"

"Remember what you said about keeping ship-to-ship communications to a minimum while we're here?" Jamal gulped. "This may just be a computer glitch, but my communications officer reported that his machine sent out a message somewhere all on its own. It wasn't to any of our own ships."

Wolf's face darkened. "So what the hell was in the message? Who'd it get sent to?"

"W-we don't know…" Jamal stammered. "The communications log got wiped right after it was sent. The tech didn't get a chance to look at it."

Wolf didn't like the sound of that, especially with the other computer problems they were starting to have. He sighed, rubbing a hand on his forehead. "Okay Jamal. Let me know if there's any other problems." And Wolf cut the line, continuing to rub his forehead. "Goddamn, this just keeps getting worse and worse and worse…"

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Why would somebody want to send a communication like that and then wipe the log? Who'd they send the message to?"

"I don't know Leon." Wolf looked up, staring as though he were trying to look through the walls. "But with everything else that's happening, I'd say it's bad news for us."

Chapter Text

Fox strode down the corridors of the Great Fox II, grinning as Fara walked beside him. To pass the time on the way to Fortuna, he'd decided to give her a tour. His ship rarely got visitors anymore, so he relished every moment of it. With enthusiasm he told her everything about his ship, sometimes with her interjecting her own knowledge. The Great Fox II was a decommissioned CDF carrier after all, so she recognized the basic layout and where the critical systems were located. Despite familiarity she took it all in like it was the most amazing thing in the galaxy, warming his heart.

This was better than he'd hoped. Fox and Fara had spoken only a few times since he dropped out of the Cornerian Flight Academy. She congratulated him after he won the Lylat Wars for Corneria, and they called each other on their birthdays every now and then, but that was it. When Peppy let her tag along on this mission, Fox had worried about what it might be like to work with her after all these years. Now though, those worries seemed silly.

When they got bored talking about the carrier, they changed to bringing up old memories from their school days. A ski trip to the snowy mountains north of Corneria City, a run down to the beach, walking in the park… There was also going to the movies at the big multiplex downtown, even though their tastes in movies didn't match; Fara would drag Fox into her romantic comedies by the scruff of his neck while she texted through his superhero and action movies.

While the longing in his heart for Krystal persisted, Fox still enjoyed the walk down memory lane with Fara. She'd become an old friend now instead of an old girlfriend, and that was just fine for him.

They kept walking as they talked, soon finding themselves back at the main hangar. Fox punched the button next to the door, revealing almost complete darkness. They stepped inside the large echoing chamber, footsteps echoing back at them. Off to one side, a carpet of stars was visible through the open port of the docking bay, the invisible force field keeping the hangar pressurized. He flipped on a few switches, bathing them in a small oasis of light.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw four fighters in large storage racks along the back wall. Three of them were Arwings were decked out in the traditional white and blue Star Fox color scheme, while Fara's own Cornerian fighter sat in the far-right slot, looking out of place with its green and purple stripes. In a nearby alcove the Landmaster tank rested in shadow, its long gun barrel very prominent.

Fara looked over at the Arwings, smiling. "I feel like I'm in a parallel universe right now."

"What?" Fox raised an eyebrow.

"Well, think about it." She grinned, tail dancing behind her. "Back in the academy, you wanted to follow in your dad's footsteps. I wanted to go into the military. We went our separate ways, but I've always wondered what could have been if I stuck with you. Joined Star Fox, you know. This is kind of like that."

Fox smiled back, but he knew this was a temporary arrangement. He didn't think they'd go back to dating or anything, but even so the past few months had been lonely for him without Krystal around. Seeing another familiar face on the ship did wonders for his mood, and he'd be sad about losing the company.

"Dad would have been heartbroken if I actually did this." Fox leaned against a nearby stack of cargo pallets. "But sometimes I wonder how things would have gone if I'd stuck with you and gone into the military."

Fara chuckled, shaking her head. "Back then, I would have loved it. But in hindsight, you made the right choice."

"Really?" Fox raised an eyebrow. "What, I'm not good enough for you?" He grinned, his tone sarcastic.

"Oh no, it's not that." Fara laughed, shaking her head. "We wouldn't have won the Lylat Wars without Star Fox around. See, I was just a rookie back then, so they kept me far away from the front lines. I didn't get to see much action outside of defending Corneria. The same thing would have probably happened to you too. You would have never gotten the chance to go after Andross and he would have won."

He never thought of it that way. Amazing what small choices could have on the outcome of something much bigger down the line.

"I remember how you felt about the whole training routine back in the academy." Fara chuckled.

Fox winced. Every morning, the academy pulled them out of bed at 0500 and made them all run five miles, followed up by a regimen of pushups and sit-ups before breakfast. He complained about it non-stop whenever his superiors were out of earshot. It was not something he missed about his younger days. Plus…

"I didn't get along too well with the drill instructors, did I?"

"Yup." Fara giggled. "They knew your name and that sure didn't help. After all, you were…" She made a whooshing sound as she put on a dramatic pose. "…the son of the great James McCloud!"

Fox's face screwed up in a grimace. The drill instructors said it that way too. They singled him out a lot, making him do extra pushups and laps in front of the other cadets.

"Hey though." Fara leaned next to him. "You took on all the extra crap they dished out on you, so that was pretty cool. Everyone thought you were amazing you didn't let them get to you."

Fox smirked. "Well, I'm glad I got away from all that, but being a merc's not all stardust and rainbow nebulas." His smile faded, remembering all the troubles hanging over his head right now. "You're not really your own boss, you've got lots and lots of bosses… your clients."

"Oh?" Fara blinked. "I never thought of it that way."

"Yup." He nodded. "Plus, you have to take care of all your own expenses too. Times are tough for mercenaries right now. Not much work to go around. I've got to cut back where I can." He pointed to their ships lined against the wall. "Look at your fighter, then look at ours."

Fara turned to follow Fox's finger, and her eyes lit with realization. She hadn't noticed before, but her Cornerian fighter looked like it came straight out of the factory. In contrast, the Arwings and the Landmaster bore the scars of many past battles, between dents, scratches, and obvious replacement panels. Most of the panels didn't match the original material or color of the stock metal.

"The military would never let fighters get in that condition." She shook her head.

"They may look bad, but they all still run great." Fox grinned at her. "Slippy's a genius mechanic. We don't have near the budget Corneria does, but he makes up big time for it with creativity. You could stick him in a junkyard, tell him to build an Arwing engine from scratch, and he'd just say 'when do you need it?' I'd have been out of business long ago without him."

"I hope Slippy's doing okay." Fara stared off towards the tapestry of stars outside the hangar's force field. "I saw what he was like when he saw his dad."

"I'm worried about him too." Fox sighed. He shook his head. "I trusted Wolf. He helped us save the galaxy from the Aparoids, and this is his thanks, you know? Shooting Beltino and robbing that base"

Fara's mouth pursed. "He's just a despicable pirate. What do you expect?" A snarl almost came out of her mouth. "He only cares about himself and his money. If he wasn't in the same boat as everyone else, he would've let you die to the Aparoids."

Fox's ears folded back. Wolf had saved Fox's life multiple times throughout the Aparoid invasion, and the Aparoid Queen would have won without Star Wolf helping during the final battle. The lupine claimed he saved Fox only because he wanted to take him down personally later. But was that the truth? Or was Wolf lying so he wouldn't look like he was getting soft? During the invasion Fox had thought the latter, but now he wasn't so sure.

Fox pushed his musings away. "There's one more place I want to show you."

Fara nodded. "Lead the way."

After leaving the hangar and heading down some more halls, they stopped in front of a double metallic door. Fox punched the button nearby. "So in here we've got our common room…"

The doors whooshed aside, revealing a large and disorderly space. A big screen TV occupied one of the walls. Wall-mounted speakers flanked the unit, numerous game systems and video players filling a stand underneath it. In contrast, old furniture huddled around the television, including an old navy blue couch and some recliners. Holes and tears covered all the pieces, roughly patched over with amateur sewing and duct tape. Wooden end tables and a coffee table matched the look of the seats, all of them covered with scratches and a dull finish.

"That's definitely a guy thing," Fara laughed, ribbing Fox in the side. "The entertainment center's always the first priority, huh?"

"Gets awful lonely wandering around space for weeks or months at a time you know." He grinned, liking her teasing. "If we didn't have all of that there, we'd go stir crazy."

They walked past the living area, and over to the galley and dining area. The cabinets, island, and table appeared to have been gleaming white when new, but time stained them a dingy gray and covered the cheap plastic material with scrapes, scuffs, and baked-in stains. Fara glanced inside the fridge, finding little there besides a twelve pack of soda, some alcoholic drinks, and a few restaurant-sized jugs of ketchup and mayonnaise.

"This is all you've got for food?" Fara frowned, closing the door.

"We can't afford good stuff. Instead, we have to rely on this." Fox opened the pantry's door, showing the inside packed from top to bottom with canned goods, sacks of beans, instant noodles, and various other grain products. Anything really that could be bought cheaply in bulk and last a long time. "I've been living off of this stuff ever since the first Great Fox got destroyed."

"Oh goodness, you even have to cut back on food?" Fara's eyes widened in sympathy. "Good thing Peppy found some work for you, huh?"

"Yeah, but…" He closed the pantry door, smiling at her. "It's great having you here though. I'll be sad when you leave."

Fara seemed to notice Fox's tone, her ears perking up at the sound of his voice. That hadn't come out the way he wanted it to! His expression changed to mirror hers.

"Whoa, I'm sorry!" He held up his hands. "I didn't mean to say it that way!"

"Wha?" Fara tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

Oh crap, she thinks I want to date her again! His heart pounded, his breath coming back in short gasps. He rubbed a hand on the back of his head, looking away.

"Are you okay?" She walked behind him. "Ha, you know, I remember you being this awkward when we dated. You remember, right?"

She added a little laugh, which did not soothe his worries at all. This was not what he wanted to be reminded of right now.

She paused for a moment, seeming to realize she'd said something wrong. "Hey, are you okay Fox?"

A grim look crossed over the vulpine's face. He couldn't speak for a few seconds, looking away and waving off the question. "It's nothing, Fara." His fists clenched together.

She took a few steps closer to offer comfort. Ironically, that made him even more uncomfortable than he already was.

"Fox?" Fara put a hand on his shoulder.

Her touch shot through his body like an electric pulse, causing his tail to jump. He grit his teeth, cursing himself for the little involuntary reaction.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

Fox went quiet, looking at Fara, worried about how he was staying quiet. Should he tell her? As much as he wanted to keep his thoughts about Krystal to himself, the rest of the trip would be awkward if he said nothing. She'd likely guess what was upsetting him before long anyway.

"You know how I said I used to get nervous about you?" Fox took a deep breath. "Krystal said that too."

"The news made a pretty big deal about you and Krystal after the Aparoids were defeated," she said.

Fox remembered all too well. Everyone asked about when they were going to get married, between his friends, the media, and random passerby on the street. It was bad enough when Tricky asked about it on Sauria.

Fara looked around the room. "I noticed Krystal's not here, and I thought it would be impolite to ask about it."

Turning away from Fara, he closed his eyes, clenching the side of the kitchen island for support. "She left."

Fara's ears jumped up. "You broke up?"

"No." Fox crossed his arms, not able to meet her eyes.

Fara tilted her head. "Then why isn't she here?"

"It's complicated." He forced a smile, but it felt as insincere as his following words. "We don't have to talk about it though, I'm fine."

"You are not." She put a hand on Fox's muzzle, rotating it to face her. "You've done this before, back in the academy. Whenever something really hurt your feelings, you always tried to hide it."

She was right, now that he thought about it. In fact, he acted like that after Fara herself broke up with him. He hid in his dorm room for the better part of a week and would avoid talking to anyone.

Fara sighed. "You look really upset about Krystal, and it won't do you any good to keep it all to yourself." She put an arm around his neck and shoulder. "Come on, let's talk."

Tears hung on the edge of Fox's eyes as he looked back at Fara. What did he have to gain keeping all this heartbreak buried deep inside himself? Maybe it was time to open up to someone else about this. "Okay." He wiped his tears away. "But somewhere more private."

Fox led her out of the common room and over to the dormitory section of the ship, the pair of them entering Fox's cabin. Everyone noticed one thing right off the bat about his room: photographs. The walls overflowed with pictures from past chapters of his life. A prominent black and white photo covered most of the back wall, showing twelve-year-old Fox, his mother Vixy, and his father James. They stood in front of a spaceship's window, showing the original Great Fox under construction at Space Dynamics' orbital shipyards behind them. Another showed the Star Fox team after they defeated Andross in the Lylat Wars, waving to the cheering crowds from the back of a convertible in a victory parade, confetti and streamers flying all around them.

But tonight, his eyes focused on one photograph on the nightstand. The framed picture showed him and Krystal on Sauria, dressed in outdoor gear and hauling large rucksacks, massive smiles on both of their faces. She gave him a huge hug from behind, rubbing his white tuft of hair askew with a free hand. Fox looked sheepish but he still grinned all the same. A large jungle spread out behind them, High Top dinosaurs munching on the leaves of the tallest trees with their long necks. The two foxes took a little vacation there after defeating the Aparoids. It happened a year ago now, but to him it could have been another lifetime at this point.

"You two look so happy there…" She glanced over at Fox, taking a seat at the desk while he sat nearby on his bed. "What happened?"

Fox frowned, looking at the floor with clasped hands. He couldn't speak for a few moments. Fara let him gather his thoughts, which he much appreciated. "You know the story behind her homeworld right?"

"Cerinia?" Fara looked at the picture of them again. "I don't know a lot, other than it's destroyed now."

He nodded. "It only happened a few years ago. I knew she was still hurting about that, as much as she tried to hide it…"

~X~

Several months earlier…

Fox crouched underneath his Arwing, a panel open in front of him. Something was wrong with the portside laser cannon. It wouldn't fire. Normally fixing it would have fallen to Slippy, but the toad was busy with something else, and Fox had nothing else to do. Alone in the massive hangar, every sound bounced back to him multiple times over.

A set of soft footfalls approached, along with a light sniffling. Fox's ears rotated towards the sound, as he moved out from under the ship. Krystal walked towards him, rubbing a finger underneath one of her teary eyes. Usually, she put on a smile whenever he was around, but he understood why she cried like this every once in a while.

Fox gave her a warm smile as she approached, holding his hands out. Normally she'd fall right into them, but this time she hesitated. Seeing him waiting and his concerned look, she gave him a big hug. Even so, her arms felt stiff, the sniffles still prominent, like she was bracing herself against him instead of melting into his grasp.

"Krystal." Fox pulled back, frowning. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, aquamarine eyes feeling like they were staring deep into his soul. "There's something I need to ask you about."

"What?" Fox smiled, running a hand through the fur on the side of her face. "You can ask me about anything, you know."

She sniffled again. "This is something I've been thinking about for over a month. I've been too afraid to ask until now."

An ominous feeling descended on him, a slight chill running down his spine. Nonetheless he nodded for her to continue.

"Umm…" She averted her eyes from him. "I've heard a rumor about something. I don't know how true it is but…there may be a Cerinian colony out there that survived the destruction of my homeworld."

"That's great news!" Relief washed over Fox, his eyes brightening back up again. "Why are you acting like this?"

Krystal's ears rolled back, as she shut her eyes. As soon as it happened, Fox found the happy mood gone again, replaced by the dread. This was probably the part she was preparing him for. "If you don't mind, I…" She took a deep breath. "I—I want to leave Star Fox."

His hands clutched a little bit tighter around Krystal, as though he were afraid she'd vanish. "You're leaving me?!" he blurted out.

"Oh no, no, no, Fox!" she shook her head. "It's nothing like that! I just want to go out and look for that colony."

He was on a rollercoaster of emotions right now, each thing she said sending a new shockwave through his system. If she wanted to search for that colony then— "I want to go with you!" He said the words without hesitation, a huge smile on his face, as he felt relieved all over again.

"R—Really?! You will?"

All the worry melted away from her face.

"Of course!" Fox nodded.

She buried herself into his arms, putting her muzzle right underneath his and nuzzling into his chest fur. The two of them held onto each other, letting each other's glow wash over them. To think both of them had been worried. Pulling back, Fox grinned at her once more.

"Where's the colony?"

"Umm…" Krystal's ears folded back, looking away from him. "The Diaspora System."

Fox narrowed an eye. He'd been to a lot of places, but that one was new to him. "How far is it from Lylat?"

Krystal cleared her throat. "A month away by warp." She looked away from Fox. "One way."

Fox's tail dropped. The air let out of his enthusiasm like a leaky balloon. A trip that far would be expensive. Star Fox would be missing out on business while out of system. He ran some figures in his head: how big his bank account was right now, the cost of fuel to fly out there, the extra wear and tear on the Great Fox II, and other costs of the trip. Maybe they could get a ride on a spaceliner and he could store the Great Fox II somewhere, but the docking fees would be horrendous. The math didn't work.

Sighing, he looked back at Krystal. "I'm sorry Krys, but it's too expensive. I can't afford to shut down Star Fox right now."

Moisture welled up on the underside of Krystal's eyes. Given her abilities, she probably knew what he was going to say even before he'd spoken it. Fox hated dashing her dreams. In fact, he would have loved to go with her. What a shame.

"Can I go by myself then?" she stepped in a little bit closer.

While surprised by the request, he knew she could handle running on her own. Before they met, she travelled the galaxy alone for years after her homeworld was destroyed. Even so, Fox had a terrible feeling if he let her leave, they might not see each other again. But she'd been agonizing over being the only Cerinian left. Was it fair to make her wait to be reunited with her people? He tried to think of some other way they could make this work, but drew a blank.

"I'm sorry Fox." Krystal took his hand. "I know it'll be hard on you."

Big understatement there. He looked at her, staring deep into her eyes. She'd only been on the team for a little over a year, yet she already felt like an indispensable part of it, and he knew there'd be a massive hole in his heart without her around. But if this healed the hole in her own heart, he would bear that for her.

Fox forced a smile. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

Krystal frowned. "Probably two months for the round trip, plus the time I'd need to investigate the system. Give me three months?"

"Three months? Okay." Fox nodded. "I can live with that. I'll tell you what, three months from now I'll make sure we're docked over on Corneria. Give me a call when you're headed back. We can meet at that restaurant you like in Corneria City, and you can tell me all about your little adventure when you get there." He chuckled. "I'll be really jealous when you get back. This sounds like an incredible journey."

Krystal chuckled too. "That sounds great Fox. Okay, three months it is."

"Kiss on it?"

She didn't even wait, pulling him into the biggest, longest kiss they'd ever shared, the two of them embracing and holding onto each other like they would die if they let go of each other.

~X~

"She got herself and her Cloudrunner loaded on a transport ship headed for the Diaspora System the next day." Tears welled up in Fox's eyes. "Exactly three months later, I went to that restaurant like I promised I would. Even though she didn't call ahead, I waited there all day, and even went back there for a few days afterwards. Never heard a word from her. I don't know where she is now." He buried his head in his hands. "I had that feeling I would lose her forever if I let her go… I think I was right."

Not knowing why she didn't come back made it all the harder to deal with it. Did something happen to her? Was she dead? Captured by pirates? Stranded somewhere? Did she decide she was happier staying at the Cerinian colony? It could be any of those reasons or none of them, and not knowing ate away at his soul every day.

Fara laid an arm over his back, pulling him in closer. She patted him a few times, letting him rest against him. Fox appreciated the gesture, nodding his approval.

"You know where she went," Fara said. "Ever thought about going to the Diaspora System to look for her?"

" I still don't have the money to make the journey. I could sell off some of Star Fox's assets to finance it, but that'd put me out of business. I love her, I really do. But I'm between a rock and a hard place. There's no telling if she's even still there." Despite what he said, he still wrestled with the idea of sacrificing Star Fox if it meant finding her. Should he do it or should he not do it? The question tormented him endlessly.

"Peppy's paying you pretty good for this mission though, isn't he?" Fara asked.

"Yeah, I'd say so." Fox smiled, wiping his tears away. "And it will be enough to make a trip out there."

She chuckled. "All the more motivation to get this job done quickly, huh?"

"I would say so." He glanced over at the alarm clock on his nightstand. " We should get going on dinner."

"I am so looking forward to that bountiful feast of instant noodles and whatever you've got in those cans." She chuckled.

They headed back towards the common room. Once there, Fox and Fara set out on a mission in the kitchen to throw together something vaguely appetizing. They tossed canned meat and canned veggies into a pot, cooked the instant noodles in a separate pot, and combined them to create a vague stir-fry concoction. Wasn't much, but Fox admitted it looked better than anything he or his other teammates ever cooked. You'd think everyone in Star Fox would learn to become chefs, considering how much free time they had to learn between jobs.

Before long, they'd called Slippy and Falco in, the four of them eating together.

"So…" Fara said between mouthfuls. "This is what it's like to dine as a Star Fox member, huh?"

"I missed working with you Foxie," Falco smirked, slurping some of the noodles. "But I sure didn't come back for the food. No joke, I've eaten better jail food than this." He pointed at it with a fork.

Fox was in the middle of a bite, and he choked for a moment. "Jail?" He coughed, covering his mouth with his hand. "What happened?"

Falco held up his hands, leaning back in his seat as he laughed. "Hey, whoa Foxie. Don't get the wrong idea. It wasn't a Cornerian jail or anything. No, this was some jail being run by a warlord on Zoness. Katt and I had a job in his turf, and we got in trouble with him and… well yeah. It's okay though. One little bribe and the guards let us walk right out. Warlord didn't pay 'em enough." He burst out laughing.

"Sounds like you and Katt are still having wild times out there, huh?" Fara grinned, as she took a sip of some water.

"Yeah…I hate to say this Fox, but I definitely prefer Katt's company to yours."

"Oh, I'm soooooo jealous." He gave a sarcastic flirty wink. "So Katt let you come over to help out, huh? Can she hold up business on her end without you?"

"It'll be harder without me, but she knew how important it was for me to make sure everything was OK with Slippy's dad and you."

Fox smiled, but inward he felt jealous about how Falco and Katt were still in contact, and he could easily join right back with her after this job was done.

A buzzer sounded next to Fox. The nearby comms screen beeped on the wall, showing ROB trying to contact them from the bridge. He hated being interrupted while eating, although he supposed it was important. Sighing, he walked over and pressed the button to answer. "Yeah ROB, what is it?"

"Incoming message for you from Fortuna."

"Fortuna?" Fox raised an eyebrow. Everyone turned to the comms screen with rapt attention.

"The message originated from a Cornerian scout ship in the area. It is intelligence related to your current mission."

Could this be a lead on Star Wolf's location? "I'll be right there ROB." The vulpine turned back to the table, waving for them to get up. "Well, come on guys! We better see what this is!"

The four of them hurried to the bridge, Fox excited about the prospect of getting some new intelligence. He was worried about Peppy sending them off to Fortuna without knowing anything else about what was going on. Hopefully this would fix all of that.

They dashed into the bridge, screeching to a halt next to ROB's slot at the front of the room.

"ROB, what you got for me?" Fox asked.

"Playing on the main screen now." ROB's turned his head around to face them.

The main screen lit up, displaying an image of a Cornerian dog soldier, wearing the traditional blue and yellow helmet along with a gray jacket. Pointed ears stuck out of the helmet, gray fur showing wherever more of his body could be seen.

"This is a message for the Star Fox team. Sir, we have new intel on the location of Star Wolf's mothership, the Retribution." The canine sounded almost as robotic as ROB, the visor adding to the impression. "They are docked on the dark side of Fortuna's moon Genma, currently operating in a reduced power state to conserve energy and to hide their signature. If you hurry, you can catch them and take them by surprise. See the attached data."

A 3D hologram popped up as the soldier finished his speech, showing a detailed model of the Retribution with specs and statistics to match. Fox stepped closer, examining the data. "That ship's got some serious firepower." He stroked his jaw, looking at the point defenses. "Missile batteries, laser turrets, a full carrier's worth of fighters and other ships…"

"Amazing Wolf's still got all that, even after the loss of Sargasso." Fara moved to look at the model beside Fox.

"Eh…" Falco waved a hand dismissively. "It's just one carrier and some fighters. What's the big deal? That's peanuts compared to Andross or the Aparoids."

"Don't underestimate Star Wolf, Falco." Fox turned around. "We've always beaten Wolf in the past, but he never gives up. Shooting him down twice during the Lylat Wars didn't stop him. The Aparoids didn't stop him." He looked over at Fara. "And losing Sargasso didn't stop him either. He's full of surprises, and that's why we can't treat this like business as usual."

"Come on, this will be a piece of cake!" Falco chuckled, sliding into one of the chairs around the bridge and leaning back into it. The bird put his feet up on the console in front of him, folding his arms around the back of his head. "Once the shooting starts, it'll be over in five minutes."

"It'll be over in five minutes for you Falco, if you don't watch it." Fara narrowed his eyes at him.

"We've lived this long in the merc business. We can handle this just fine."

"Yeah? Well I remember how being hotheaded and cocky kept getting you in trouble at the academy and—"

"Oh, you're gonna bring that up again?" Falco narrowed his eyes. "Well how about—"

Fox watched the two bicker back and forth. He wasn't worried though, grinning at the little argument. Those two fought all the time back in the flight academy. They'd get over it eventually.

Wait a second. Where was Slippy? Looking around, he spotted the toad studying the Retribution's 3D model, an angry scowl on his face. He'd never seen his friend with such a vicious expression. Slippy looked like he wanted to hurt someone. Badly.

Nonetheless, he stepped over, putting a hand on the toad's shoulder. "You doin' OK Slip?"

Slippy didn't answer. Fox raised an eyebrow, resorting to snapping a finger in front of his face to get his attention. "Slippy?"

The toad glanced over at Fox, giving him only a periphery look. "I'm fine..." He turned back to the model.

Fox sensed his presence wasn't wanted. Even so, this was a conversation they needed to have. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Slippy's eyes stayed fixed on the data. "Just… looking for weak spots we could shoot. That's all I'm good at, after all."

"Maybe I could help you?"

Slippy waved Fox away. "Go away, please?"

Fox's eyes widened, astonished at his friend's words. The vulpine couldn't recall a time in recent memory when Slippy outright rejected someone trying to make friendly chatter.

"Slip…" Fox put a hand on Slippy's shoulder again. "I know you're upset about your dad. You've hardly spoken since we left Corneria. But look, you can't fight Star Wolf like that. I need you to be focused and level-headed once we're out there. Can you do that for me?"

"I'll try," Slippy muttered.

Fox didn't like the way he'd said that. "If you want revenge, you have to stay alive. Letting emotions cloud your judgment could be fatal. Remember how I flew off to fight Andross by myself? It was a stupid mistake. I wanted to get back at Andross over my dad. I almost got killed when that ape triggered the self-destruct for his base. If it wasn't for—"

Fox stopped. He never told anyone about how his father came out of nowhere to save him back then, guiding him out of the exploding base. He still wasn't sure if that was real, or if it was something his subconscious cooked up as part of survival instinct. So he supposed it was best to keep it to himself.

"Anyway…" He coughed. "If I'd waited for the rest of you, we might have been able to destroy him before he got a chance to do that. I'm not gonna lie, it felt great to make him pay for what he did, but I really shouldn't have done what I did. I was a lot younger and stupider. I don't want you making the same mistake, okay Slippy?"

Slippy's eyes remained focused on the Retribution's model, but he did turn to give Fox a small nod.

" We'll get back at Wolf, maybe even put him out of business for good while we're at it. But we can't do that if you're acting like this in the middle of battle. A team's only as strong as its weakest link."

"Like I need to be reminded of that." Slippy closed his eyes, sighing. "You always have to save me."

Fox winced. "S—Sorry Slip. But it doesn't have to be that way, okay?" He glanced back at the model of the Retribution. "Tell you what. How about you help me come up with a strategy for how we can deal with Star Wolf? Identify all the weak spots in their offense and defense? You're really good at that analyzing kind of stuff. It was a big help in the Lylat Wars."

"Analyzing kind of stuff?" Slippy gave Fox a small smile. "That's a weird way to put it."

Fox laughed back. "I guess so. Anyway, what do you say?"

"That sounds… good. It sounds good Fox." Slippy pointed at the 3D model. "Speaking of analyzing, this is a very detailed schematic here, even more than what my own programs and custom-made computers can do. I've got locations of ammunition dumps, fuel stores, turret locations and types, number and types of fighters; number of crew members, what divisions the crew members work in…" Slippy turned over to Fara, still bickering with Falco. "Fara, could you come over here?"

Fara looked up. While surprised at first, she seemed glad to have a chance to get away from Falco for a moment. She gave a sideways smirk to the bird, who in turn shrugged and returned to leaning back in his chair. Striding over, she said, "Sure! What's up?"

"Look at this." Slippy stepped aside to give her a better look at the images. "Is it normal to get all this data from Cornerian scout ships now? It's almost like they got ahold of the actual blueprints, inventories, and personnel records of the ship."

Fara looked at the model, examining the reams and reams of information. "No, this is crazy!" Her eyes went wide, ears turning back. She shook her head. "It's like Corneria upgraded its intelligence gathering services. The type of equipment needed to produce this data would have to be in testing back on Corneria. It wouldn't be on some random scout ship near Fortuna. It's almost… it's almost like…"

"Like you have a spy on the Retribution?" Falco called out. He slipped out of the chair, walking over to get a closer look at the 3D model with the others. "Can't think of any other way the information could be that deep."

"A spy?" Fox raised an eyebrow.

"We don't have any spies in Star Wolf that I know of." Fara leaned against a console, tilting her head as she wracked her memory. "But then again, I'm a test pilot for the military. I wouldn't know anything about our spy ops."

Fox folded his arms. "We're already going to Fortuna anyway. We know for a fact Wolf used Meteo's warp holes to get there. Either way, this doesn't change our original plan. I hope the intelligence is underestimating things though. That's a big force." His eyes swept over the tabular data next to the ship's 3D model. He turned back to the group. "Let's look over all this tonight and use it to come up with a plan. If we can catch them while they're powered down, this shouldn't be too much trouble. What do you say? Ready to figure out how we're going to get back at Star Wolf?"

"I'm all in." Fara smiled.

"Sure!" Slippy piped in, some of his old bubbly voice returning.

Falco shrugged. "I'd just prefer to wing it, but Fox, you're my…" He paused, then grinned. "Well, you're not my boss anymore. But I'll go along with it this time."

Fox smiled. Falco could be an ass sometimes, but the vulpine missed having him around. "All right, let's get started!"

Chapter Text

Panther roamed through the Retribution's corridors, not paying attention to where he was going. Everything was a blur, his mind going in a thousand different directions. They lost the case, Sable was breathing down their necks, Wolf would find out about the Hyoodin soon, and Panther had no idea what the hell to do about any of that. He'd been walking all over the ship since getting back from Fortuna, trying to come up a plan. Only thing he could think of at the moment was getting in his Black Rose, packing whatever he could inside, and running like hell before Wolf found the car, but Panther doubted he could run from Star Wolf forever.

He entered the dormitory section of the ship. Panther didn't come down here much, considering like Wolf and Leon he had private quarters elsewhere. As he passed through a dirty commons area, his foot clinked against a discarded aluminum can, sending it bouncing across the stained plastic floor. A gray canine in a dirty blue jumpsuit lay spread out across an old couch, the room's only occupant. The canine watched some old black and white martial arts film on a TV. 'Watas' and 'hiyas' echoed around the room. Panther reached the other end of the room, entering a deserted hallway full of cabins. Old boxes and bags of trash lined the corridor, bits of rotting food scattered about on the floor. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, considering turning back.

However, he heard a peculiar sound coming out of an open doorway further down the hall. Squealing tires? Panther narrowed his eyes, peering through the gap. A large, spherical hologram filled the middle of the cabin. Panther struggled to make out the blurry image projected on it. The sounds of howling engines and screeching tires blasted out from speakers mounted in the room's corners. Someone was sitting inside the hologram, the bottom of a chair and legs visible underneath the image. What was this? Panther opened the door more to get a better look.

The speakers went silent, the sphere vanishing to reveal a yellow cat with brown stripes. Giichi gasped, his greenish-yellow eyes going wide. Silence hovered in the room between them.

"Sorry Giichi, I was rude to come in unannounced," Panther said.

"Oh, it's fine." Giichi let out a nervous-sounding laugh. "Did you uh…need something?"

"No, but that hologram… What was that?"

Giichi let out a toothy smile, his anxiety vanishing. "You'd like to know?" He got out of the chair.

There was a virtual racing cockpit where the hologram was, complete with a body-hugging racing seat, a steering wheel, a stick shift, and pedals, mounted to a steel frame. The sand cat pushed a button on the keyboard near the steering wheel. The hologram sphere popped back into existence again.

"Have a seat," Giichi said.

While hesitant, Panther walked towards the hologram.

"Watch your step," Giichi guided him into the racing seat. "It's a bit disorienting at first."

As Panther settled into the chair, he couldn't believe his eyes. It made sense now. You needed to view the hologram from the inside, not the outside. The sphere gave him a full 360 degree, 3-D view of the interior of a race car, with the race track visible right outside. Panther marveled at the sight, turning his head to look at every little detail of the interior. The only thing giving it away as fake was the pause menu floating in front of the windshield, and he couldn't physically touch anything except for the racing cockpit's controls. "This…this is…"

"It's something, huh?" Giichi laughed, his voice coming from outside the sphere. "Want to try it out?"

"I-I don't know," Panther looked around. "It's so real I'm a bit scared…"

"Do you recognize it?"

"Recognize what?" Panther cocked his head.

"Look at the cockpit. Look familiar?"

Panther took a second look. Wine red upholstery. White body paint. Wheel and door panels outfitted in duracyclene fiber. Gauges and trim gleaming with shiny chrome. "The Hyoodin?"

"You got it! Your Hyoodin!"

Panther ran a finger along the top of the speedometer. Even though he couldn't actually touch it, he noticed the light glinted off the chrome the same way as in real life. "Oh my…"

"This game simulates your car so accurately you can even play around with all the little controls. All those gauges, buttons, and monitors you see in the cockpit? They actually work. You can use them to adjust the suspension, the aerodynamics, and the transmission without ever getting out of the car, just like the real Hyoodin." Giichi's disembodied hand reached inside the sphere. "Sure you don't wanna give this a try?" The cat giggled, pressing a button on the nearby keyboard.

The pause screen vanished, the race back in full swing. Roaring engines and squealing tires assaulted Panther's ears. He grabbed at the wheel, only to discover the wheel fought back, as if he were driving the car at these speeds in real life. He gasped, trying to rein the beast in. The virtual world looked like a rainbow of colors as it flashed past the windows. A turn approached with Panther flying along at well over four hundred kilometers per hour towards it. He stomped on the brake pedal. The Hyoodin's tires screamed in protest. Panther grit his teeth and turned the wheel as hard as he could, but the Hyoodin plowed straight ahead into the turn's outer wall. With a loud clang, the car came to a screeching halt. Engines rumbled as the rest of the cars drove on past, leaving Panther in the dust. He breathed hard, his hands still clutched around the wheel. It all felt so real he thought he was about to die for a second there.

Giichi reached inside the hologram again, hitting a button on the keyboard. The sphere vanished and left behind a simple monitor. Giichi smiled. "Overwhelming, isn't it?"

Panther caught his breath, looking at the pause menu in front of him. "What game was that?"

"Grand Tourer 7. Two hundred and fifty-two tracks. Five thousand and sixty-four cars spanning three centuries of automotive history." Giichi beamed.

Panther's eyes widened at the statistics.

"Wanna give it another go?" Giichi moved the mouse towards the 'Restart' button.

Panther shook his head, looking up at Giichi. "Actually, I wasn't planning to drive my Hyoodin fast. I just thought it looked great, and the ladies would be attracted to it."

Giichi's jaw dropped at that. You'd think Panther just announced he murdered Giichi's family. "Are you serious, Panther?!"

"Wh-what's wrong?" Panther leaned back in the chair, surprised to hear Giichi speak with that kind of tone.

"There's only twenty Aquila Hyoodins in the entire universe." Giichi growled, his teeth on full display as he glared down at the larger cat. "They'll be the last cars that Sergei Aquila puts his name on before he retires and hands over the company to his son. Sixty years from now, they're probably going to be worth fifty million credits instead of just two point five million. And you…you're going to use yours to…pick up chicks?! You son of a bitch… How can you be so wasteful, so selfish?!"

Was this happening right now? Panther stared into Giichi's rage-filled face, unable to move.

The snarl faded from Giichi's face. He seemed to realize what he'd just said, and it was like night and day. Now the sand cat trembled, getting down on his knees. "Did I just say all of that out loud?"

"You…did?" To tell the truth, Panther was too busy processing what just transpired to feel insulted.

"I am so, so sorry." Giichi closed his eyes, running a hand over his face. "I lost my temper there. Please don't do anything to—"

Panther waved a hand to calm him down. "It's okay Giichi, really…" He still couldn't believe he'd been yelled at by someone half his size with such a meek personality. Perhaps it'd be best to just pretend it had never happened.

Giichi seemed to feel the same way. "So, uh…" He rubbed his hands together. "With how realistic Grand Tourer 7 is, I could give you some pointers about how to drive the Hyoodin as intended. What do you think?"

Panther didn't know what to think. On the one hand, all of his problems weren't going to go away while he was sitting here. On the other, he'd been wandering the ship for hours, thinking about what he was going to do, and had little to show for it other than a quarter-baked plan to desert Star Wolf. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to relax for a bit, clear his head.

"All right." Panther forced a smile. "Show me."

Giichi pumped his fists. "Great!"

The sand cat punched some buttons on the keyboard. After navigating through menus at dizzying speed, they were on the game's career menu. Slow, relaxing lounge music wafted into Panther's ears, a saxophone's rich voice hanging in the air.

"I didn't expect that." Panther's eyes widened.

"I know! Helps you calm down between races." Giichi laughed, flashing through more commands as if he'd run through these menus thousands of times before. "Maybe you should try go-karts first. They're a good starting point."

"Go-karts?" Panther snorted. "Are you serious? Karts are for kids!"

"Many professional racers get their start in karts." Giichi kept taking them through more menus. "Don't knock 'em. Besides, they're a lot of fun."

"No," Panther said. "I'm driving the Hyoodin."

"Are you sure?" Giichi sounded as worried as if Panther was going to drive the real Hyoodin without practice. "If you start with the fast cars it'll be really hard, and—"

"Just let me drive my car, would you?"

Giichi looked at Panther, then let out a sight. "If you insist." He pointed a finger. "But I warned you."

Giichi flew through several more menus. Soon, the screen showed a coastal highway, a ribbon of blacktop hugging a cliff curving its way along deep blue sea. It looked as perfect as a postcard. Green grass and pine trees sprouted up along the road. The sun shone down from the blue sky, puffy white clouds floating past. 'Corneria City Route 101 - Outbound' read across the top of the screen. The camera panned down to show Panther's white Hyoodin waiting at the start line. Giichi's words forgotten, Panther grinned as he pushed the 'Start' button. The spherical screen came back, surrounding Panther with the Hyoodin's interior.

Panther slammed down on the accelerator, and the car let out a mighty howl, the rear tires screaming like banshees. But he wasn't moving forward much, as the back of the car vanished in a cloud of white smoke. "Why isn't it going?"

Giichi crouched down to speak into his ear. "Modulate the accelerator more."

"Huh?" Panther looked back at Giichi.

"Don't give it a hundred percent gas."

"Gas?" Panther released the accelerator, letting the car idle.

Giichi blinked, looking confused himself. Then he let out a laugh. "Oh, sorry…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Only car nuts really say that anymore. The word 'gas' is a holdover from back when our cars still ran on gasoline. Gas, see?"

"What's gasoline?"

"Eh, it's not important. Ancient history…" Giichi turned his eyes back to the screen, leaning on the back of Panther's chair. "Push in the pedal gradually. Start at maybe a fifth of the way down, then more as you gain speed."

Panther depressed the pedal as Giichi directed. The car jumped forwards with a slight tire chirp, but he started to pick up speed.

"Okay." Giichi watched the speedometer intently. "Full throttle."

Panther pushed the accelerator down. With traction found, the Hyoodin shot down the narrow black lane, Panther's eyes widening at how fast the speed climbed. Giichi was right. The car cooperated a lot more with gradual throttle input. He was now traveling at almost two hundred and forty kilometers per hour. Slow for his Black Rose, but scary fast in a car on a narrow road. The first turn approached, marked by a barrier colored with alternating red and white arrows. Within seconds he was almost upon it.

"Brake!" Giichi shouted.

Panther slammed down on the brakes and turned the wheel…but the car wouldn't turn. It plowed straight ahead, slamming into the wall and bouncing right off. As the car grinded to a halt, Panther snarled. It happened again, like the first time he took control.

"Good thing I changed it to cosmetic damage only." Giichi smirked at Panther. "You need to practice your braking."

"Why would I need practice doing that?" Panther asked. "You just push the brakes and the car slows down."

The smile left Giichi's face. "It's not that simple. If you slam on the brakes too hard, the tires lock up and won't grip the road. Then the car's gonna go straight ahead until you regain traction…or hit the wall. Whichever comes first. That's what we call understeer." The sand cat glanced at the screen again, smiling and clapping him on the shoulder. "Anyway, let's try again at the next corner."

After getting the car back on the road, Panther accelerated up to speed again using Giichi's throttle technique. The Hyoodin flew down the road again, beckoning Panther to go faster and faster. Giichi fed him some more tips about braking as he drove along. "Remember what I said about gas? Same thing with the brakes. Push it in gradually. Don't slam down on it. If you can feel the tires shaking, you're pushing too hard. Ease back a bit if that happens." Giichi's eyes narrowed, gazing far ahead down the road. "Next turn. Let's see how you do."

Feeling more cautious this time, Panther braked earlier. But he realized he'd slowed down too much, taking the turn at a pitiful slow speed.

Giichi grinned. "It's OK, better than slamming into the wall. Racing's all about feel and timing. You need to learn how the car behaves and what its limits are. How soon you can apply gas, when to brake, all that stuff."

Carrying on, Panther pushed down the throttle to exit the turn…and then found his car's nose turning towards the inner guardrail. Panther crashed right into it. First he was surprised, then he growled at the spinout.

"Ah yeah…" Giichi flicked one of his messy bangs away from his face. "Oversteer, the opposite of understeer. Your rear tires lost traction from too much gas. You gotta take it easy when launching this car, especially during turns. It's best to not put your foot down fully until you've exited the turn."

Panther growled. After being a pilot for so long, he thought driving a fast car would be no problem at all. Why was this so hard? Race car drivers made it look easy. Even if it was virtual with no real consequences, he felt stupid wrecking this car again and again.

Giichi sensed his feelings. "I know it's hard, but I did warn you about starting with the Hyoodin, didn't I?"

Panther didn't answer that. He thought this would be a nice way to relax, but now he was only more upset. This game was supposed to be true to life. So if he tried driving his Hyoodin in real life, he'd wreck it in no time? Not only had he put his life on the line to get that car, he couldn't even drive the thing. He'd been such a fool, and now it was going to cost him everything.

Panther jumped out of the chair, almost knocking over Giichi as he stormed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Giichi followed after him.

Panther halted in his tracks, shaking in anger and humiliation.

Giichi stepped in front of Panther, looking up. "Look, the best professional drivers have decades of experience. Only someone like them could drive the Hyoodin to its maximum potential. That's why I wanted you to try karts first."

Panther took another step to the door, but Giichi grabbed his wrist. "Come on, give it another chance. I drove about the same when I was starting out, but I didn't give up."

Panther looked at the monitor, along with the steering wheel and the pedals. That game had humiliated him, but would he feel better running away? No. He'd faced death many times in real life. Why let a game get to him? The more logical side of his brain suggested he should probably focus on figuring out how to get out of his current dilemma, but the thought of letting a silly thing like a video game get the better of him enraged him.

Panther slid back into the chair without a word.

Giichi moved behind him. "Do you wanna try karts this time?"

"No." Panther squeezed the rubber on the steering wheel. "I'm doing this in my car."

Giichi grimaced, but shook his head. "So be it." He pushed the 'restart' button, sending them back to the start. "Since you insist, how about some warm-ups first? Maybe try driving the course at about sixty to seventy percent?"

"Percent?" Panther raised an eyebrow.

"Sixty to seventy percent of your limit," Giichi clarified. "One hundred percent being the fastest you could possibly go without any errors. But let's try getting to the end of the course without crashing first. When you can do that, up the percentage a bit. Keep working your way up until you can do it at one hundred percent, with a perfect racing line and no mistakes."

It sounded like a slog to him, but Panther gripped the wheel and prepared himself. He pushed down the accelerator gently and let the car build speed gradually. Although he felt like a little old lady not taking the first straightaway at full blast, it paid dividends once he got to the first turn. Going this slow, he discovered he could pass through the corner without needing to slow down. The second corner was too sharp to do this, so he braked. He did it too early, although at sixty percent it was easy to get out of the turn without spinning out, unlike last time. Panther accelerated into the next straight, continuing down the highway. For most of the following curves he either braked too soon or left the track, but Giichi just kept encouraging him with how to do better at the next turn. After a while, Panther discovered he kind of liked taking it easy. It gave him time to look at the scenery. He really did feel like he was out along a Cornerian coastline, as he glanced down from the cliffside road to the deep blue sea. Before he knew it, they made it to the end of the course. He'd finished in a little over ten minutes.

"Okay, now a little faster." Giichi said. "Seventy percent."

Panther hit the restart button and tackled the track again. The challenge went up with the increase in speed. He needed to brake for turns he coasted through before. But with the track knowledge from the reconnaissance run at sixty percent, it was barely more difficult. With two runs under his belt, the track was starting to cement in his memory. He finished the course in nine minutes and thirty seconds.

"Looking better." Giichi smiled. "Eighty."

While his eighty percent run was overall good, and Panther found himself falling into a rhythm now with the flow of the turns, he almost wiped out on the last hairpin.

"Don't worry," Giichi said. "Just do eighty again, until you feel as comfortable as you were at seventy."

It took him a few more eighty percent runs, but with Giichi's guidance he figured out how to clear that hairpin while losing minimal speed. Eighty-five was next. That lap was easier than the eighty percent ones, considering by this time Panther knew to brake earlier for the final hairpin. Ninety now. That turned out to be a mountain to climb, requiring numerous attempts. The whole way down the track, Panther was on the edge of control, like riding a massive wave on a surfboard. One mistake and it all came crashing crashing down.

Several times he slammed hard into the one of the turn barriers, although each time Giichi encouraged him. "Learn something from every mistake. Try to get a little faster each time," he said.

Soon, Giichi allowed Panther to graduate to ninety-five. Panther needed razor-sharp focus to keep his wheels firmly planted, but he was clearing the circuit in almost half the time of his sixty percent runs. Giichi was excited as he watched Panther roar round the track again and again.

However, Panther noticed himself making amateur mistakes again now. He was getting tired and his focus was slipping. Maybe time for a little rest. He paused the game, turning around to Giichi. "How do you know so much about racing? You could be a coach or something."

"A coach? Me?" Giichi giggled. "Well anyway, I've had lots of practice. I used to drive quite a bit…in games, that is." He added on the last part in a hasty way.

Panther raised an eyebrow. "Used to? But you're playing these games right now."

"Yeah, guess you're right. Didn't meant to say that. Anyway, you look ready for a break." Giichi went to a mini fridge in the corner. "It has been about ninety minutes."

"Really?" Panther was surprised.

Sure, he'd wanted to play, but he didn't think he'd be this absorbed in it. Perhaps it was time to stop for good. He only wanted to distract himself for a short time. His problems weren't going to solve themselves while he was here. He stood up to leave.

"Hey, hold on a sec." Giichi reached into the fridge, taking out two sky blue cans with 'Cosmic Cola' written on them with red lettering. He handed one to Panther before popping the top on his own can.

Panther frowned at the drink. To be honest he didn't drink soda anymore. Nonetheless he noticed how thirsty he was all of a sudden. It'd be hard to solve any problems while being distracted by thirst, so reluctantly he took a drink from the can.

"I love that track." Giichi gazed back at the monitor, still showing the Cornerian highway behind the pause menu. "It reminds me of my student days." He took another sip.

"Your student days?" While Panther thought he should probably get going, he found himself curious.

Giichi nodded. "A year or two after the Lylat Wars, I went to CTI to get my computer science degree."

"What's CTI?"

"Cornerian Technical Institute," Giichi smiled as he pointed to a framed degree in the corner. "Best technology college in the Lylat System, more or less. That was a wild time. I made a lot of new friends. George, Stephen, Phoenix… And I got to see systems beyond my little backwater planet too."

"Thaljista, you said?" Panther took another sip. "Sorry to say, but I've never heard of it."

Giichi's big ears perked up. "Oh, it's fine. When I was a student at CTI, nobody knew about it either. What do you want to know?"

"What's it like there? Climate? Culture? Women?" Panther added a sly grin on the last one.

"I think you'd love it there," Giichi smiled. "Most of the indigenous population is feline, like us."

Panther's eyes widened. A planet for cats, like himself? How had he never heard of this place? "Tell me more."

"You know how Corneria and most of the Lylat System is full of dogs? Thaljista's like that, but switch the dogs for cats. Lions, tigers, cougars, wildcats, bobcats, lynx, cougars, leopards, you name it." Giichi got a faraway smile on his face. "It's such a warm planet. Deserts, savannahs, jungles. No matter what kind of felid you are, there's a place for you. Most parts of Thaljista don't really get winter, so you can just laze out in the sun year-round."

Panther could almost feel his skin glowing just from Giichi's description. A good stretch out in the sun would feel really great right about now, come to think of it. With living in space and all, when was the last time he'd done something like that? And Thaljista was full of cats like himself… He adored Krystal, although he wouldn't mind getting with a panthress at some point. Sadly, cats were few and far between in Lylat.

"How'd Thaljista end up with so many cats anyway?" Panther asked.

"No one really knows for sure. Most Thaljistanis just accept what the teachings of Thaljism say. That's the local religion, and what we named our planet after." Giichi got a dark look on his face. "Supposedly a long time ago, the god Thaal-Ja struck Thaljista with a lightning bolt, sending it deep underground. And then there was this cave all of the cats came out of. And from there we spread across the planet."

"Do you believe in Thaljism?" Panther asked.

"Um..." Giichi's ears flattened back. "When I was younger. But now that I'm older and know better, I can't bring myself to believe that bullshit anymore."

Panther's eyes widened at that remark.

Giichi continued. "Many native Thaljistanis are xenophobic towards non-cats, and Thaljism is to blame. That creation story sounds like a harmless fairytale, but a lot of Thaljistani cats believe themselves a chosen people because of it. So around most of the planet, racism has been baked into every new generations' schooling for centuries. Imagine children raised to hate entire races of people they will never meet. Sure, I'm a cat, so it doesn't affect me." Giichi sighed. "But it's nauseating to be around all the time. I can't bring myself to believe into something that teaches so much hate. That's why I came to Lylat to study. It's a lot more accepting of all species."

"You say that," Panther said, crossing his arms, "but after the Lylat Wars, primates and lizards had a hard time getting accepted back into society. That's why so many of them work for us and the other less-than-legal outfits. It's sad, to be frank with you."

"But that only lasted for a few years, from what I understand. Not like the centuries-spanning hate Thaljista deals with," Giichi said. "Lylat's a utopia by comparison. We need to be more like it. Bring law and order to our planet, along with respect for all species, and then we will be a truly great people."

Panther chuckled. "You almost sound like a politician or something there."

Giichi gave a little chuckle, finishing off his drink. "Oh, me? Nah. My family was…is pretty well off. Because of that, I have extra time on my hands to think about stuff like this. Wished I'd seen through the BS earlier though. I was a lot more selfish and spoiled when I was younger."

"Are you sure you want Thaljista to be more like Lylat?" Panther asked. "Lylat's got plenty of its own problems too, you know. Like the Cornerian government wants to bend the entire rest of the system to its will."

"More law and order would be a great thing on Thaljista. Pah, like we deserve to be a chosen people." Giichi spat on the floor. "Even amongst Thaljistani cats, we don't like each other. Big chunks of Thaljista are a lawless hellhole. Bandits and gangs roaming the land while most other people just hide out in fortified towns with guns and walls, praying they don't get raided. That's no way to live. That's just surviving."

"But I thought you said you liked Thaljista before?" Panther asked. "Doesn't sound so nice anymore to me."

"I'll admit it has big problems, but it's home. I want it to be the best planet it can be. I believe there is hope for Thaljista, though," Giichi smiled. "Believe it or not, Thaljista used to have a Cornerian colony, and because of that we have a big non-cat population where it used to be. It's called the Free Azerian Republic, and it's one of the safest and most civilized parts of the planet. It has to be, because otherwise it would never survive. Native Thaljistani cats are starting to see what a civilized, peaceful, interstellar-connected Thaljista can look like, and they're moving there. I'm hoping it'll be a model for the rest of the planet."

"I see," Panther smiled too. "Heh, too much peace can be a bad thing though, depending on your line of work. Like mercenaries like us, for example. It's getting harder for us to find work. That's why we took this job to get that case back."

Giichi gave Panther an odd look when he mentioned the case, but didn't say anything. Panther wondered what that was about, but then his wrist communicator squawked at him. "Sorry," he apologized to Giichi. Sighing, he raised his hand, answering the call.

Wolf's face popped up. He did not look pleased. "Panther! Where the hell have you been?" The canine's sharp teeth snapped at him.

Panther reared back, the speakers on his communicator squealing from the volume strain. "Umm..talking to Giichi?" He glanced over at the sand cat.

Giichi's ears twisted back from the noise too. He covered them up in anticipation of Wolf shouting some more.

"I just got a call from Captain Jamal," Wolf said. "Apparently, Sable called earlier, and you told her you'd tell me to call her back. Right?"

Panther's eyes went wide. She had told him to get Wolf to call her back. "Y-yes…"

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I…" Panther struggled to come up with an excuse, but couldn't think of anything that sounded convincing. Giving up, he told the truth. "I…I just forgot."

"You…you forgot?" Wolf narrowed his eyes, his voice deathly quiet. "You stupid big black fluffball. You know how much we're being paid here, right?"

Panther wanted to switch off the communicator right now, but knew that'd just make things worse.

"This is not what I need right now, Panther!" Wolf snarled, shouting again. "Now on top of the bad news about the case, I've got to explain that we forgot to call her back! I bet she'll take all of this real well." A quiet growl murmured up through Wolf's throat. Suddenly his eyes shot back to Panther's. "On second thought, I'm not going to tell her that we forgot to call her back."

"You won't?" Panther sounded hopeful.

"No." Wolf pointed at the screen. "You are."

Panther could feel his black fur turning white.

"Come to the bridge, right this instant," Wolf said. "You're going to call her back right now and you're going to tell her what you just told me."

"Right now?"

"Yes! Now!"

"OkI'llbethere." Panther shut off the communicator. He wanted to weep, as he ran a hand across the top of his head and ears.

"That sounded really bad." Giichi moved to Panther, worry on his face. "Are you going to be all right?"

Panther didn't know how to answer. That call was massive jolt back into reality, like a bucket of ice water dumped on his head. So much for Giichi cheering him up and helping him temporarily forget his problems.

"Panther, I'm sorry." Giichi said.

"You're sorry?" Panther tilted his head. "Why?"

"I-I don't know…" Giichi clenched his hands together, pacing around the room and looking nervous. "That Hyoodin… You thought it'd make you happy, but it looks like it's been causing you nothing but misery. I feel bad for you."

Panther reminded himself Wolf ordered him up to the bridge right now, but that was the last thing he wanted to do. It would be like walking to his own execution. Sure, he could try running away in the Black Rose, but Panther doubted he'd get far between the Retribution and all of Wolf's hired guns chasing him.

"Well…" Giichi scratched the back of his head. "I guess you'd better go. Wish I could think of something I could say to make you feel better, but I don't know what."

"It's fine," Panther lied. He was too stunned to think clearly right now. "I...I'd better be going."

He pushed past Giichi. But before he could leave the room, the sand cat latched a hand around his wrist. Turning around, he met the sand cat's eyes. "Tell you what." Giichi said. "If you can't stay here anymore, I'm sure Thaljista would be great for you. The Free Azerian Republic would welcome you with open arms. Think about it, OK?"

Running to Thaljista. If what Giichi said was true, it'd be a great place to hide. Wolf would have a much harder time reaching him on a faraway planet, let alone finding him on one full of cats. The prospect of running from Star Wolf still seemed crazy, but knowing about this planet...at least it seemed a little less crazy.

"Giichi..." Panther gave one last look to the sand cat, a sincere smile on his face. "Thanks."

And with that, he stepped out into the hallway. Panther clenched his jaw, and started his long, long walk up to his little meeting with Wolf. The next several minutes felt like a blur…a whirlwind of anxiety and terror coursing through his whole body. The walk to the bridge felt too long and yet not long enough somehow.

In time though, he found himself outside the door to the bridge. It whooshed aside, revealing Wolf and Leon standing in the middle of the room. The lupine turned around, spotting Panther. Wolf looked like he wanted to tear Panther's throat out with his jaws and was only barely keeping himself under control.

"It's about damn time!" Wolf roared, his voice echoing around the bridge. "Now get over here! We're calling Sable back right now."

Panther rolled his ears back as he strode over, keeping his eyes focused on the floor. He wanted nothing more than to simply melt into the floor and disappear. The communications office said some commands, but they just sounded muffled and quiet to his ears.

Sable's image shimmered back into view on the screen, a furious scowl upon her face as she looked down upon Wolf. The lupine opened his mouth to speak, but Sable cut him off. "You!" She screamed. "Where the hell have you been?!" She made Wolf's shouts before sound like polite dinner conversation.

Wolf's ears flattened backwards, eyes squinting as if he could feel her spittle flying out of the screen. Panther had to admit he took a certain amount of pleasure in watching Wolf endure the same dread Panther himself just had to go through. "I'm…terribly sorry Sable," Wolf said. "Panther here has something to say."

Glaring at Panther, Wolf motioned for him to take the floor. Panther stepped over, eyes downcast. Yet when he risked a glance upwards, Sable appeared to have calmed down, waiting for him to respond with nothing but a blank look. Quite a contrast from how she shouted at Wolf before.

"I-I'm sorry Sable." Panther started. "I… Well, a lot's happened since Wolf crashed on the surface of Fortuna. In all the confusion I just forgot to tell him to call you back. I'm terribly sorry."

"Oh…" Sable blinked. "I see, Panther. I suppose it happens from time to time."

Off to the side, Panther noticed Wolf's stunned look, his one remaining eye wide open. Panther himself didn't understand why Sable seemed to be giving him a break…not that he was complaining.

However, when she turned her attention to Wolf again, that harsh scowl came right on back. "Okay Wolf," she snarled. "Now what happened? Why did you crash?"

"There was a…a problem."

"A problem?" While relatively calmer this time, Sable sounded like she would explode again at any moment. "And what sort of problem is that? Actually, never mind, I don't care about your stupid problems. Just show me the case."

Wolf chewed his lip, Panther spotting beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Umm, I…uh…don't have it."

Silence. Sable stared at Wolf, sitting completely still on the screen. It looked like the monitor had glitched and frozen. Wolf looked back as well, also rooted to the spot. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, like two statues facing each other. Panther wasn't sure if he preferred things this way to her shouting Wolf's ears off.

"I'm….I'm sorry…" Sable looked away from the camera for a moment, as if her brain struggled to process Wolf's words. "You…you said you don't have it?"

Wolf hesitated, but almost imperceptibly nodded yes.

Sable stared back at Wolf, quiet for another uncomfortably long moment. She picked up a pen off the desk in front of her, twirling it in one hand. "How much are we paying you, again?" Her voice had settled into a monotone at this point.

"One hundred million, ma'am." That was the first time Panther heard Wolf say 'ma'am'.

"And you think this is an acceptable level of service for that amount of money, do you?"

"No ma'am, certainly not." Wolf shook his head.

"What's this problem you have had?"

"I was intercepted by the CDF on the way back to Fortuna. I had to make a crash landing on Fortuna. The case fell out while I was on the way down. It's down there in the jungle somewhere."

Sable laughed at that. "Oh, wonderful job you stupid dog! So how are you planning on getting it back?" Her voice dripped with biting sarcasm.

Wolf for his part took a deep breath. Panther watched him, wondering if Wolf was going to mention the fact that someone stole the case after it landed on Fortuna's surface.

"We're searching for it right now. I've got most of the Retribution's crew on the job."

"Pray that they find it soon, dog," Sable clenched the pen. "My patience is wearing thin. Do you have any idea how hard it has been to contact you? This is the first stable connection I've been able to make with your ship in several hours."

"I apologize for that, ma'am," Captain Jamal said. "We've been having some problems with our ship systems today too."

"Problems?" Sable raised an eyebrow, turning to the rhino. "What problems?"

Wolf moved to intercept the question, stepping in front of the captain. "Just some technical issues. That's all. Our systems need…updates or something." He grinned at the screen, although anyone could tell he was faking it.

Sable paused again for a rather uncomfortable time. The silence on the bridge was deafening.

Again, she was the first one to speak. "That's very interesting Wolf." Her hostile demeanor diminished slightly. "Tell me… Does it feel like you're suffering routine problems? Or does it feel like there's a hacker messing with your systems?"

Wolf's eye shot open. He couldn't speak for a moment. "H…H-how did you-?"

"Hmm…" Sable kept twirling the pen in her hand, looking off to the side. "I wonder if it's those two."

"Those two?" Wolf raised an eyebrow.

"Let me put it like this," Sable put the pen down. "There are others out there who don't want us to get that case. And they're very determined about this. It seems they've found out I called you for help."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know how many of them there are, but I have a feeling these two will be somewhere close by." She snapped her fingers.

Two images popped up on the screen. One was a gray canine with yellow eyes, the name listed as 'Augustine Strafer' beneath him. Panther thought he seemed familiar. However, the other one he knew all too well. A sand cat. Yellow fur. Greenish-yellow eyes.

The name was listed as 'Giichi Twinkieland'.

Chapter Text

"What the hell?!" Wolf pointed at the image of Giichi on the bridge's main screen, his teeth flashing into a snarl. Even Leon was rattled by his shouting. "That brat was scheming against us the entire time?!"

Panther looked at the photo of Giichi, seeing the same playful smile he'd seen just several minutes ago. It held deceit this entire time?

"Roland!" Wolf spun around and jerked a finger at the security chief. "Put the Retribution on lockdown now! No one leaves! Get eyes on the hangar bays and escape pods! And start checking the cameras for Giichi too!"

The warthog at the security station jumped, his glasses almost falling off his face. "Y-yes sir!" Roland fumbled to push the glasses back onto the bridge of his snout, turning towards the security cameras. He typed at rapid fire speed, squinting to look past the tusks on his face.

"Guess you were too much of a stupid dog to figure it out." Sable folded her arms on the screen.

Wolf looked very small in front of her picture. Being of the largest canine species, he stood taller than most people on the Retribution. He often used it to intimidate others, pointing his muzzle and ears up to enhance his height. But now he found himself receiving the same treatment. His ears turned backwards, and his tail curled between his legs, head turned downwards. Never had Panther seen him so cowed before a client.

The panthress smiled for a moment, before dropping it. "I would be laughing if you weren't my only hope for obtaining that case."

The case. The whole time Panther was worried about his illicit purchase of the Hyoodin, he wanted to strangle whoever was responsible for stealing that case away from Wolf. Now it turned out one of those responsible had been right in front of him the whole time.

Sable was talking to Wolf about something again, although Panther didn't hear the words. Hand wrapped around the grip of his holstered blaster, he strode towards the bridge's exit. Everything else disappeared as Giichi's deceiving grin lingered in his mind. Only about ten minutes had passed since he'd left Giichi's cabin, so that backstabber could still be there. That little yellow two-faced bastard just earned himself a shot to the kneecap, followed by a visit to Leon's little torture dungeon in the bowels of the ship. Panther usually shunned the chameleon's sessions, but this time he intended to watch and enjoy.

Panther ran through the ship's corridors, his echoing footsteps providing the only sound. Arriving back at the common area outside Giichi's room again, he noticed it was empty now, the gray canine sitting on the couch gone. The same martial arts film still played out on the television set. Two monks in black uniforms walked through a monastery's garden, discussing philosophy or some shit.

Panther drew his blaster as he reached Giichi's door. He swiped his master keycard over the reader and pulled on the handle. It wouldn't budge. Snarling, Panther yanked again as hard as he could. No change. Swiping the keycard several more times produced the same result.

"Hey!" His radio squawked at him, Wolf's voice coming. "What are you doing down there Panther? I see you on the camera."

He ignored his boss, still pulling in vain on the latch. Clomping boots echoed through the hallway. Looking up, he saw several Star Wolf grunts in heavy body armor round the corner, wielding handheld automatic blasters and shields. With all of them decked out in black, they looked like one formless dark mass, swallowing anything in their path. Panther ignored them, still tugging on the door with all his might.

"Get out of the way Panther!" Wolf said. "Let the security team handle Giichi!"

"No! I've got to do this myself!"

A strong hand clamped over his wrist, one of the guards pulling him away. The security team shoved him far out of the way, gathering around the door. They prepared to breach, taking positions on either side as one of them whipped out another keycard.

"Your key won't work!" Panther shouted. Why would it? His master keycard didn't open the door before.

But as soon as the guard swiped, the door slid aside, the team rushing into the room. Panther's jaw dropped. That made no sense. How come they could enter but not him? Was there a glitch with the security system?

"Room's clear!" One of them called out. "No one's here, boss!"

Panther's heart skipped a beat.

"What?" Wolf said over the radio. "The cameras showed Giichi going in there just a minute ago! He should be in there!"

"No dice, boss!" a guard confirmed.

Panther ran into the room after the security team, not wanting to believe it. But as he entered, his heart sank. Between himself and the four guards, they had just enough room to all stand together in the cabin, since it was about the size of a walk-in closet. Giichi couldn't be here without brushing against one of them. Panther turned towards the nearby wardrobe, the most obvious hiding spot. But one of the guards had already opened it and ripped out all the clothes. No one was there. Panther looked up at the air vent, although that wasn't a viable escape route either. Even with the sand cat's small frame, he'd be far too large to fit through.

Giichi wasn't here.

Panther looked down, seeing the virtual racing cockpit in the center of the room. He'd been sitting in that chair about fifteen minutes ago, having a fun time with Giichi playing that racing game. Was it only that long ago? It felt like a dream now. Panther gazed around the room again, hoping the sand cat might pop into existence if he looked hard enough, but it was no good. Feeling lost, he wandered out into the hallway. How the hell did Giichi pull his vanishing act?

"Wait, did you check under the bed?" one of the guards said.

Panther took a sharp breath, hope rising again. He hurried back.

"What's that?" A guard said. A small snick came from inside the room, like a piece of wire snapping. "Oh shit!"

A flash of light erupted through the doorway, blinding Panther and sending him flying backwards. He slammed down on his back, flipping over and rolling down the hallway, the world going topsy turvy around him. His face lay pressed against the steel floor, multiple cuts and bruises screaming out across his body. A ringing noise sounded in his ears, deafened by the blast. Cool water poured over the back of his head. His vision shaky and blurred, Panther moved into a crouch, turning around to assess the scene.

Smoke and fire billowed out of what was left of Giichi's cabin, turning to steam as the fire sprinklers poured water on the blaze. Red strobe lights bathed the corridor in a flashing scarlet hue, alarm klaxons reaching Panther's ears as the ringing noise faded.

"Panther! Panther!" Wolf shouted over the radio, but his voice was muffled by the ringing in Panther's ear. "Are you there?"

He slid his hand unit closer to his ears. "I'm here…" He coughed, feeling his lungs filling with acrid smoke. Shaky, he lurched to his feet, using the railing on the side of the corridor for support.

"Can you get back to the bridge?"

No questions about if he was okay, or if he needed medical assistance. Nonetheless Panther wiped the water off his face, doing his best to keep his voice steady. "Yes…"

"Then get back here you idiot! Running off like that, I oughta…" Wolf cut the connection.

Grunting, Panther brought himself back into a stand, limping on one of his legs as he shuffled his way back up to where Wolf and Leon were. Black soot covered his front, cuts and tears all over his suit. Blood dripped from his head, more of it staining his suit crimson in places. And he thought the trip before to the bridge was going to be bad.

As the doors to the bridge opened and Panther staggered back inside, Sable's face remained on the large screen, staring down at Wolf as he busied himself with Roland at the security station.

Sable smiled again once she saw Panther. "Ah, I see you're back now."

Wolf spun around, seeing his wingman standing there, looking like crap. "What were you thinking Panther?! Why'd you go down there?"

"I saw Giichi about twenty minutes ago in his room." Panther growled. "Thought I could catch him if I hurried."

Wolf narrowed his eyes. It looked like he was going to take Panther's word for it, but then he asked, "Why did you say it was something you had to do yourself when you were about to barge into his room?"

Panther's ears peeled backwards. He'd forgotten about that, and it probably would sound strange to Wolf. While he was a good enough pilot to be one of the Big Three in Star Wolf, when was the last time anyone saw him put that much effort into anything besides chasing after a lady?

"Enough!" Sable intervened. "At least he was more proactive than the lot of you! He deserves a hero's medal for what he's done."

Wolf glared at Panther with his one good eye. He looked like he wanted to point out how flawed Sable's opinion was, but held his tongue. She was the one signing their checks after all. Sighing, he turned back to Sable. "I don't get it." Wolf frowned, now more angry than afraid. "We saw this just now. He should have been in there! This is bullshit!"

Black and white footage from a security camera played next to Sable's face. Giichi walked down the corridor outside his room, holding a soda and a box of food from the canteen in his hands. Reaching the door, the sand cat balanced the soda on top of his lunch box, as he reached into a pocket for his keycard. He slid the card against the reader, sweeping the door open with his foot before kicking it closed behind him after entering. He looked so laid back and casual.

"Things are never that simple with Giichi." Sable folded her arms. "He's a slippery fellow. The footage you saw of him must have been prerecorded."

"Prerecorded…" Wolf's eye widened. The lupine shook his head. "Like when he helped us sneak into the Corneria City base. He used prerecorded footage to hide us while we snuck in. Punk ass kid."

"I see." The panthress put on a mocking smile. "He was studying your own system at the same time he was working on the Cornerians'. That's him all right. If I were you, I wouldn't trust any of your ship's computers now. Even now, he's probably listening to everything we're talking about."

"How do you know all of this about him?" Wolf asked.

"He's been a thorn in our side for years now," Sable said. "I recognize his tactics, since he's done the same sorts of things against us."

There was that mysterious 'us' and 'we' again. It piqued Panther's curiosity, although Sable didn't seem interested in elaborating more about herself or her organization.

"Giichi and his lot are terrorists, and the galaxy would be a much better place with all of them dead." She said, her yellow slit eyes burning.

"Giichi's a terrorist?" Panther's eyes widened.

"Indeed Panther." Her expression turned grim.

Panther couldn't imagine Giichi being the sort of person who'd bomb a shopping center or something. But then again, an hour ago he would have called anyone a liar if they said Giichi was going to betray Star Wolf. He understood now there were many things he didn't know about his new 'friend'.

"What else do you know about him?" Panther asked.

"Wherever Giichi is, his bodyguard Augustine Strafer is not far away. He has been Giichi's bodyguard for nearly two decades and has never failed to protect him. He's also skilled at infiltrating and blending in, not being noticed until it's too late." She indicated towards the picture of the gray canine with the yellow eyes. "I'm ninety nine percent certain Augustine planted that bomb. He must be on your ship with Giichi."

Panther took a second look at the canine's photograph. Augustine's fur was the color of stone, and his face and expression looked equally as hard, especially with those arresting yellow eyes. This guy was inside the Retribution? Despite Sable saying Augustine was never far from Giichi, Panther couldn't recall a single time he'd seen this guy around the sand cat. But was it his imagination or did Augustine look familiar? He swore he'd seen him somewhere before.

Panther blinked, finally making the connection. "Wait, he was in the common room next to Giichi's room. I saw him sitting on the couch watching a movie. He was there as a lookout." And I walked right past him less than two hours ago. Panther's heart raced. They were alone in the common room. Augustine could have easily shot or stabbed him in the back…

"He looks familiar to me too," Leon pulled out a photograph. "I think he's the same person in the middle of this picture. This was in Harry's and Franco's old room." It depicted the two named canines along with Augustine in the middle, all of them dressed in winter soldier gear. Leon turned over to Wolf. "Those two guys who tried to poison you Wolf… They're connected to both Augustine and Giichi. Add that to whoever picked up the case on the surface, and that's at least five people involved."

A sick look crossed Wolf's face as he stared around the room. Panther couldn't blame him. How many people on the Retribution's crew were in on this goddamn conspiracy? Could they even trust the people in this room? The bridge crew all kept looking at each other, as if Leon might suddenly order them into his interrogation chambers.

"Who are these people?!" Wolf asked Sable. "Why do they want your case? How many of them are there?"

"Who they are and why they want the case is not important," Sable snapped. "The only important thing is you get the case to me." Her face brightened. "Actually, this presents a tremendous opportunity, for both you and me. if you bring us Giichi alive and unharmed along with the case, I'll throw in a bonus on top of the one hundred million credits. How does an extra three million sound?"

Panther sucked in a breath. Three million for Giichi? It would cover the price of the Hyoodin and even give him an extra five hundred K as a bonus. Heck, he'd hand over Giichi for free at this point. "I'll do it!" he declared, probably with more enthusiasm than he wanted.

"Excellent, Panther," Sable smiled at him. "I wish I had someone like you working for me."

Panther blinked, surprised by the compliment. Wolf and Leon gave him odd glances. Why was she taking such a shine to him anyway? Not that he was complaining.

"Didn't you say you wanted Giichi dead, though?" Wolf asked, looking confused.

"Unfortunately, Giichi's final fate is not up to me." Sable rolled her eyes. "I've been ordered to take him alive if the opportunity presents itself."

She wasn't the top boss? Someone else was calling the shots? Who could that be, then?

"What about Augustine?" Wolf pointed at his photograph.

Sable snorted, folding her arms. "Kill him, torture him, whatever you want. Aside from probably knowing where the case is, he's of no value. I'll check in on your progress later." She terminated communications.

Wolf turned to the communications station. "Recall everyone from the surface. We can't trust any electronic means on tracking these guys, so we're gonna need manpower instead. Once everyone's back here I want this ship scoured top to bottom for Giichi and Augustine. Send those photographs to everybody. No one leaves the ship until they're found." He pointed at the images on the main screens. "Whoever captures them alive gets a one million credit bonus from me."

A lot of the bridge crew looked like they wanted to run out of the room right now and join the hunt. Wolf smiled, Panther grinning along with him. Before it felt like an impossible task to find the case, but now Sable had given them the solution to all their problems. The Retribution was big, but it wasn't that big. It was only a matter of time before somebody found one of those two and got them to cough up the case's location. They'd finally get their one hundred million credit payment, and Panther would be in the clear on his Hyoodin.

"Uh, hold on!" a mallard at the radar station said. He changed part of the main screen to display four red blips approaching the Retribution. "We've got incoming! Four fighters! They're coming round the moon and they're moving fast! Three Arwings and a Cornerian fighter!" The image changed again to show them.

"What?!"

A new face appeared on the main screen. Fox McCloud sat there in his Arwing, a confident smirk on his face. "Hey Wolf! I hear you have something very important that belongs to the Cornerian military. They'd like it back, if that's not too much trouble."

Panther snarled, growling as the cocky vulpine grinned like an idiot. Of all the times Star Fox had to attack, why did it have to be now?

"Shields up! All point defenses open fire on Star Fox!" Wolf shouted towards the weapons station. But there was no sound from the ship's many guns, no visible projectiles flying towards Star Fox on the main monitor. Wolf's face curled into a snarl, looking back. "Why aren't we shooting them?! Why are our shields lowered?"

"The ship's in a powered down state and we're running with a skeleton crew here!" Captain Jamal shouted, the rhino rapidly punching commands into a nearby terminal and trying to get ahold of the gunners. "We were trying to hide here, remember? Star Fox caught us with our pants down!"

"Then hurry and get those shields active!" Wolf stomped over to Jamal. Even though the rhino made the lupine look tiny, Jamal cowered back into his chair as his boss approached, trying to look as small as possible. Not an easy thing, given his species. Wolf jerked a finger over towards the main screen, shouting so much spittle flew from his face. "Shoot back already!"

Some of the point defenses powered up and began firing, red laser blasts streaking towards the incoming Star Fox team. It wasn't near enough to be an effective defense though, as they easily avoided the few shots flying their way. The Star Fox team split off into two pairs, one headed for the aft section of the ship and the other one flying towards their starboard side. One of them fired off a nova bomb, the ordnance streaking towards the ship. The bomb exploded, the entire ship rocking from the blast.

"Shields are powered up and holding," Jamal said. "Just in time too. They were aiming for the engines. Minimal damage."

The Arwings danced around the outside of the Retribution, avoiding the pitiful volume of fire.

"Of all the…" Wolf's voice trailed off. Grumbling, he ran a hand through the mohawk on his head. He looked like he wanted to rip somebody's head off right now. Nonetheless, the lupine calmed himself down and cast a sideways glance at Leon and Panther. "Gues the three of us have to do it the old-fashioned way."

"But what about hunting for Giichi and Augustine?" Panther asked.

Wolf shook his head. "We can't afford to lose the Retribution. Not even for one hundred million credits." He'd already started walking for the door even as he was talking, Leon trailing after him.

Panther stood rooted to the spot, wondering what he should do. Wolf was his boss, but he desperately needed to find Giichi so they could get that case. It couldn't wait right now and—

"Panther!" Wolf shouted from the bridge's exit. "Stop standing there like an idiot and let's go!"

Panther's ears peeled back, his tail thrashing behind him in anger. He cursed whatever gods were watching over him right now. Reluctantly, he trotted after his teammates, frustrated that he had to deal with this instead of going after who he really wanted to kill right now.

Wolf broke out into a sprint, taking the lead. Panther had never seen his boss run so fast before, watching his gray tail thrash back and forth from behind. Even though Panther was a swift runner as a feeling, he struggled to keep up. So did Leon. The various corridors and stairs flew by in a blur, all three of them almost out of breath by the time they made it to their destination.

As they rushed into the hangar, a loud horn bellowed in their ears, coming from the left. Wolf looked in that direction, and just in time. A cargo truck barreled straight for the lupine. He stumbled backwards, almost getting run over. The truck's tires screeched against the metal floor, the brakes squealing in protest. Wolf threw out his hands, the truck pushing him back a couple meters as it came back to a stop.

"Watch where you're going asshole!" Wolf shouted at the driver, his voice loud enough to shake the windshield glass.

Once he realized he'd almost run over the head honcho of Star Wolf, the white cat behind the wheel looked like he was turning even whiter somehow. Lucky for the driver, they didn't have time to deal with him right now. The three Star Wolf kept running for their fighters, Panther glancing back to see the small truck driving away, carrying a cargo container in its rear bed.

The jungle cat shook his head. He needed to focus on the upcoming dogfight. His future hinged upon it. If Giichi and Augustine got away, no more finding the case. And Wolf would then soon have words about that Hyoodin.

The hangar was mostly empty of ships, since the bulk of the Retribution's forces were deployed planetside. Only seeing a handful of fighters here unsettled Panther, knowing Star Fox was attacking them. Even so, Wolf's Wolfen, Panther's Black Rose, and Leon's Rainbow Delta waited in the central part of the floor, technicians running around them and prepping for takeoff. The three of them combined with the Retribution giving support ought to be enough to fight off Star Fox. But instead of going for his Wolfen, Wolf ran for the part of the hangar he'd closed off with the temporary metal partitions.

"Clear all that away!" Wolf hollered out as he approached.

That was where Wolf had his secret project going for months, not showing it to anybody, not even from Leon and Panther himself. Wolf must be serious if he was pulling it out now. The technicians prepping the Wolfen rushed over, grunting as they moved aside the temporary metal walls.

The secret project turned out to be a new fighter painted in Star Wolf's red, white, and black color scheme. However, this was a ship design Panther had never seen before. From the front, it resembled a six-pointed star, between the two wings and two sets of twin tails, one set sprouting out from above and the other coming out of the bottom. The nose split into two halves to make room for twin laser cannons sitting between the prongs, right in front of the cockpit. Nova bomb launchers were embedded into the wings as well. Between the compact shape, the extra wings for more turning power, and the cone-mounted blaster cannons, it looked like one mean dog fighting machine.

"So this is what you kept hidden from us, eh?" Leon smiled.

"That's right." Wolf smiled, a toothy grin on his face. "The Foxhound. Based it on the old Wolfen II design from our Lylat War days. Not battle tested yet, but now seems like a good time for a test drive. What do you say?"

Leon and Panther both nodded their approval.

"Let's get out there, boys!" Wolf pumped his fist. "We've got a hundred and three million to make!"

The three of them split off to their fighters, Panther jumping inside the Black Rose. As the cockpit canopy settled closed and he taxied into position, Panther eyed the open docking port, watching as the Arwings darted in and out of sight while the point defenses tracked them. Today, he intended to fight at one hundred percent as opposed to his usual laid-back style. No messing around, just straight up killing. He had another, more important prey to bag once this was overwith.

~X~

Elsewhere, in a small cube-shaped room, Giichi sat on a crate and looked at a tablet computer, the device providing the only illumination in the small space. He rewatched the exchange between Sable and Star Wolf on the bridge from a few minutes ago. The fur on the back of his neck stood up when she offered them the three million credit reward for his capture. Sure, not the first time Sable had tried to capture him, but she'd never offered a reward this big before. Not to mention he'd never been trapped on the same ship as the people trying to catch him either. Giichi looked around the small space, the walls feeling like they were closing in.

"How are you feeling Giichi?" The voice was almost monotone and robotic-like. A hand, hard as granite but reassuring all the same, rested on his shoulder.

The touch melted away some of his fear. Giichi turned to look at Augustine sitting on a crate next to him. If anything about the video fazed him, the canine didn't show it. Then again, that was his default expression anyway. Nothing ever bothered him anyway.

He wore a dark bodysuit colored charcoal grey, the chest area a slightly lighter shade. Small stripes in a faded orange accented the lighter patch, running away along the sides of his chest. A black harness covered the outside of the suit, numerous pouches and tactical gear attached to it. On his right arm, a peculiar gauntlet covered most of it, extending past his elbow and up most of his shoulder. While the material of the gauntlet looked like metal, it bent and stretched over the elbow as though it were more like rubber.

" Me? I'm terrified." Giichi grimaced. Nail was Augustine's nickname. "Even with you here, no offense."

"Leave everything to me." Nail pat him on the shoulder, the edges of his mouth turning up in an almost invisible smile. "I've never failed you."

Giichi nodded. It sounded like an exaggeration, but it was the truth.

Lowering his hand, Nail drew a semi-automatic handgun out of a holster strapped to his hip, screwing a black tube on the end. He slipped a magazine into the handle, pulling the nickel slide back to chamber the first shot. The pistol was of an old-fashioned variety, the kind that fired bullets instead of lasers. Despite being an old design, Giichi remembered Nail saying it would work better for sneaking off the Retribution than any kind of blaster. He called the black tube a suppressor, and said it would lower the sound of any gunshot to no more than the sound of the slide going back.

"You should have never let Panther get that close to you." Nail finished screwing on the suppressor. "Dangerous to be fraternizing with the enemy more than you have to."

" I feel bad about what we've done to him, though." The sand cat's ears folded back. "He bought that car, thinking he'd get paid, so now we've basically ruined his life. You have any idea how much it hurt to pretend to be excited when he showed me his new Hyoodin?"

"Was it pretending? I know you and your cars." Nail's golden eyes felt like they stared straight through Giichi, as they usually did. "Besides, Panther brought this on himself, not you."

Those words didn't offer Giichi much comfort. He didn't like those security guards dying either. Sure, Nail planted the bomb, although Giichi still felt like he had blood on his hands from agreeing to that plan. They wouldn't be the last deaths at Nail's hands today. He never did like it when Nail killed to protect him, as inevitable as it was.

"Sorry, but we're at war Giichi," Nail said. "Sometimes killing is the only solution if you want to survive."

The 'room' came to a jolting halt. A crane whirred, picking them up off the back of a flatbed and placing them on the metal floor. There was a brief sound of footsteps, and then a truck driving away.

"It's time," Nail whispered, waving his hand for Giichi to get down. "Wait here."

The sand cat put away the tablet computer, hiding behind the boxes furthest away from the door.

Nail walked towards the door, gently pushing down the latch and opening the door with the barrel of his pistol. Giichi risked a peek, catching a glimpse of the hangar outside. The three Star Wolf fighters had just taken off, blasting off into space after Star Wolf. While the guards watched the fighters leave, Nail slipped out through the door, shutting it behind him. Now Giichi found himself alone in the darkness of the freight container. It was all in Nail's hands now to get them out of here.

But like he said before, he'd never failed to protect Giichi. Hopefully it'd be the same today.

Chapter Text

This is too good to be true, Fara thought.

The four Star Fox fighters buzzed around the Retribution with impunity, lighting it up with their lasers while receiving minimal return fire. No enemy fighters, and most of the turrets didn't shoot back. Fara didn't believe it when the Cornerian scout ship's intel said the Retribution was in an unguarded state, and yet here it was. Why would Wolf stop here in the middle of nowhere? Why deploy the bulk of his force planetside and leave his mothership defenseless? 

"This feels like target practice." She made another strafing run by the Retribution , pelting its translucent shield with multiple blasts. The shield shuddered but held firm. "Hey Slippy, you're up!"

"Roger…" Slippy's voice sounded different from his usual self, like his mind wasn't even on the fight.

"Are you okay Slippy?" Fara glanced over at his Arwing. Extra armor plating covered the body work, while custom made ion bombs and nova warheads hung from the wings, perfect for breaking open defensive shields.

"I'm fine." Slippy muttered.

"Are you sure?"

Slippy turned his head, glaring at Fara through their canopies. Just let me do my job."

He flew towards the Retribution 's port side, Fox drawing the attention of the few active point defenses away. Once in range, Slippy released his nova bombs. The blue spheres spread out like dust scattering in the wind, floating towards the transparent wall. Each one let out a burst of electricity on contact, overwhelming the electromagnetic shield and popping open gaps.

"Great job, Slippy!" Fox shouted.

Slippy didn't return the compliment. He flew through the hole in the shield, turning his fighter towards a sphere-shaped structure on the top of the Retribution . Two nova bombs later, the shield generator shattered into a million pieces, while the rest of the shimmering wall faded into nothingness, leaving the whole assault ship exposed.

"Have at 'em!" Fox said.

The four fighters fired as they went, explosions blooming along the ship as the turrets fell one by one. Slippy deployed another nova bomb, the warhead hitting a cluster of missile batteries. Fire and shrapnel exploded outwards. A secondary explosion sent a tongue of fire lashing out, probably from the blast reaching a cache of spare ammunition.

Their plan of targeting the Retribution's offensive and defensive measures was going great so far. They did not intend to completely destroy the ship, though. Fox hoped that with the Retribution crippled, Wolf would realize it was hopeless to fight back and give up himself and the case. Then again, that lupine's stubbornness knew no bounds, so Fox wasn't counting on it. Speaking of...

"Heads up!" Falco called out. "Star Wolf's here!"

Three fighters darted out of the Retribution's hangar bay, their red, black, and white color schemes familiar.

"I knew this was going too well." Fara frowned as she glanced at the approaching enemy ships. Fox had briefed her on the particular fighters they liked to fly, and his list checked out from what she saw. Leon's Rainbow Delta, Panther's Black Rose, and… What was this now? She narrowed her eyes at Wolf's ship. "Hey Fox, that's not a Wolfen."

"I see it too Fara," Fox replied. "Careful guys. Wolf's got something new."

"You're right, McCloud. I call it the Foxhound." Wolf's face appeared on the radio, a scowl on his mug as usual. "I don't have time to play. Let's finish this quickly."

Panther and Leon moved to intercept Slippy, while Wolf made a beeline for Fox.

"Fara! Falco! Protect Slippy!" Fox accelerated away from the Retribution , Wolf turning to follow him. "I'll keep Wolf busy!"

"Roger!" Fara whirled around to get behind the Rainbow Delta, her years of practice allowing her to target it within seconds. Squeezing the trigger, her twin green lasers splashed off Leon's shields, forcing him to disengage from Slippy. That gave the toad enough time to deploy another nova bomb, creating more explosions that lit up the port side of the Retribution . Fara grinned. Hopefully they'd have this done in no time flat.

An alarm screeched through her cockpit, indicating somebody trying to lock onto her from behind. Her mirrors showed Panther on her tail. She turned the stick to the side, flying underneath the Retribution and pulling up, looping around the fuselage of the carrier as Panther chased after her. She was right in his sights, yet he didn't fire. What was up with that?

"You're not Krystal." Panther's confused face appeared on her comms screen, his yellow slit eyes scrutinizing her. "Who are you?"

Ah, that explained it.

"I'm Fara." She glared at him. As she completed another loop, Fortuna and the moon Genma came in and out of view during the rotation. She found herself getting dizzy from the two celestial bodies flashing by again and again. "Krystal's not here."

Panther blinked, his ears perking in surprise. A smug grin crossed his face. "So she dumped Fox; is that what you're saying?" Panther remained right on her tail the entire time, still not firing.

Fara growled. Seriously? And in the middle of a battle no less. "I thought Fox was exaggerating when he talked about you."

"Is that so?" Panther chuckled, leaning back like they were making light dinner conversation. "What did he say?"

"Always trying to steal Krystal away, even though everyone except you knows it doesn't have a chance in hell of working out."

"I bet Fox didn't think he had a chance in hell of losing Krystal either." Panther smiled away.

"You don't know anything, you creep!" Fara's ears folded backwards. No wonder Fox didn't like this guy. Only one minute and she was already pissed off at him.

"It's a shame this news couldn't have come at a better time." Panther laughed. "Oh well. Once this is over, I intend to find out where she went and make her mine." He gave her a mock salute, as if he were a fellow Cornerian pilot. "Thanks for the info, Big Ears. Adios ." He cut the connection.

Risking a glance behind, Fara saw he was no longer looping around the Retribution behind her. She slowed, trying to get her bearings on where the cat might come from next.

A blue blast came out of nowhere, sending electrical shocks jumping over the outside of her Cornerian fighter. Sparks spat out of an electrical box behind her, the screens and buttons winking to black several times. A warning message on the console displayed "Emergency Backup Power Engaged" as the screens wiggled back into focus.

Looking to the side, she spotted Panther hovering near the Retribution , his large cannon aimed at her. He'd slowed to a stop, waiting for her to come around again. That gun wasn't a regular laser, whatever it was.

Furious, she spun her ship around, aiming to get the Black Rose back in her sights. Panther accelerated back to full speed again, flying along the length of the Retribution . It was in a straight line, leaving his backside completely open. Fara chased after him, but soon heard alarms blaring in the cockpit.

"Fara! Behind you!" Falco shouted.

Leon's fighter popped up behind her, firing several consecutive charged laser blasts. Her entire craft shuddered with each successive blast, rattling Fara's teeth. The display showed the shields in the red. Falco popped up behind the Rainbow Delta, forcing Leon to abandon the chase.

"Thanks Falco!" The small reprieve gave Fara a chance to relax. She tapped a button on her comms. "Slippy, you destroyed the Retribution's engines yet?"

"Stop bothering me." Slippy frowned at her on the comms screen. "I'm doing it now." Slippy pulled away from the Retribution's starboard side, looping around again for a good shot on the engines at the aft. Flashing out from behind the carrier, the Rainbow Delta appeared, streaking after Slippy while he lined up for his attack run.

"Slippy! On your six!" Fara shouted.

"I'm on the way, Slip!" Falco said.

Fara watched several of Leon's charged shots splash off of Slippy's shields, the sphere holding steady but forcing the toad to break off his attack run. Falco sprayed his lasers in Leon's direction again, the chameleon pulling an aileron roll to deflect the shots. Meanwhile, Panther appeared behind Falco, firing his large zapper-style cannon that got Fara earlier. Blue electrical blasts flashed around Falco, forcing the avian away from protecting Slippy.

"Think they figured out Slippy's got all the heavy ordnance." Fara turned towards Leon, filling in for defending Slippy. She fired her lasers, forcing Leon to get away from Slippy again.

"Cover Slippy!" Falco said. "I’ll handle Panther over here."

"Take him down for me, would you?" Fara shook her head. "Guy's a creep."

"Okay, but we need to hurry. I'm seeing contacts coming up from Fortuna."

Fara's radar showed a mass of red dots on the distant edge of the radar screen. That swarm was headed right for them. Within a few minutes they'd be facing the bulk of Star Wolf's forces head on.

~X~

In their past dogfights, Wolf usually taunted and played around a bit with Fox at first, like it was just a friendly game. But when Wolf said he was in a hurry today, Fox learned very quickly he wasn't kidding.

A torrent of laser blasts flashed past Fox's Arwing. He slammed his stick to the side, spinning the ship into an aileron roll and generating a brief electromagnetic field, bouncing off the shot. Wolf screamed by in his new fighter, rattling Fox's canopy. As the Foxhound passed, he recognized the design as similar to the Wolfen II, which Star Wolf used at the end of the Lylat Wars. If the Foxhound was anything like the Wolfen II, Fox was in for a hell of a dogfight. His grip tightened on his flight stick as he accelerated to higher speeds.

The Foxhound did a one-eighty almost in place, Wolf resuming the pursuit and firing more tight shot groupings as he chased Fox. What the hell was that? Sweat rolled down the side of Fox's face as he applied the thrusters. Wolf's new fighter must have some serious G-Diffusers to not turn him into mush.

Fox poured on the speed, rocketing away as he pulled more aileron rolls to deflect Wolf's shots. He risked a glance in his mirrors, seeing his opponent lagging behind. The Foxhound possessed amazing maneuverability with its smaller size, but Wolf seemed to have traded it for speed, possibly by using a lighter but less powerful engine. If Fox got some distance on him with speed, Wolf would never get a chance to use his cornering ability.

"Get back here!" Wolf snarled, his teeth showing on the comms screen.

Fox lured Wolf away from the Retribution , easily outdistancing him. Once he had enough room, he pulled back on the stick, doing a half loop with some quick turning thrusts, and slamming the throttle forward. Flying head on towards Wolf, he squeezed the trigger, green laser blasts filling the space between them. The lupine fired retros and did a barrel roll, spinning his fighter out of the way as Fox overshot. Without missing a beat, Wolf jerked the Foxhound around while he flashed past, the lupine sending several parting shots plastering against Fox's shields.

Even so, as long as Wolf was kept busy, he couldn't protect the Retribution , which was what Fox wanted. Glancing at the radar, Fox saw the rest of the team making short work of the Retribution despite Panther and Leon running interference. Those two were doing their damnedest to protect those engines, though.

"Stop running you coward!" Wolf snarled. "Get back here!"

"Like you know anything about bravery Wolf." Fox's face darkened. "How about when you shot Slippy's dad in the back?"

"Graaaaah!" Wolf roared. Several red lasers flashed past Fox's canopy, but the majority came nowhere near hitting him.

Fox spun around for another pass, lining up his crosshairs on the Foxhound, the enemy fighter growing in size as he approached. He made several taps on the trigger. Wolf jerked his fighter to the left at the last second, the green lasers narrowly missing him. Seconds after the lupine vanished from sight, Fox took several hits to the rear, gritting his teeth as his Arwing shook around him. The console showed his shields dipping into the yellow. Wolf was getting better at predicting his moves.

"What happened to you?" Fox said. "What happened to the Wolf that helped us kill the Aparoid Queen?"

"Kiddo, do you remember shooting up my place at Sargasso while you were looking for Pigma?" Wolf glared at Fox over the monitor. "I kicked him off the team a long time ago, but you didn't care. Did I ever get an apology from you?"

Fox went silent. Truth to be told, he hadn't even bothered checking on Wolf after the Aparoid invasion ended.

"Yeah, thought so." Wolf's ears folded back. "Wanna know how the CDF rewarded us? Sent an entire fleet to what was left of my space station. They were there to mop up what was left after you were done with the place. I lost almost everything and everyone. That is my hero's reward. And you're still surprised we're fighting right now. You don't know anything, Fox McCloud."

Fox's tail thrashed around behind him. Before he overshot Wolf, he slammed backwards on the throttle, cutting the Arwing's thrust. Wolf, anticipating he would do a high-speed flyby again, did a high G turn but only ended up exposing his six. The vulpine squeezed the trigger, multiple green laser bolts hitting the Foxhound in the rear before it somersaulted out of the way.

"Whatever happened before, it's no excuse for what you're doing now." Fox pushed the throttle forwards again, accelerating away before Wolf could get on his six. "Give up the case, or I'll finish you off for good today."

~X~

In between attack runs on the Retribution , Slippy watched Fox duel with Wolf off in the distance, his eyes barely able to follow as the two jousted across the backdrop of stars.

If you find Wolf, give him hell, Slip.

That's what Dad said to do. Rage boiled within Slippy. He couldn't let Wolf get away with putting his father in the hospital, not while the lupine was right here. When would there be another chance like this?

"Slippy!" Fara called out. "I've got Leon occupied! Now's your chance! Hit the engines!"

The toad glanced at the Retribution's engines. Sure, he had a clear shot...but the same went for Wolf, while Fox had him busy.

Slippy knew his craft was outfitted for attacking the Retribution , not other fighters. The extra weapons and armor weighed it down. But then again, his ship's heavy blaster was designed to punch through capital ship shields. With Wolf's new fighter being so small and light, Slippy probably only needed one clean shot. Taking on Wolf sounded ridiculous in his head, but the chance was there. He could make this work.

He turned away from the Retribution , heading straight for Wolf.

"Slippy, where are you going?!" Fara shouted, but Slippy ignored her.

He observed the deadly dance between Fox and Wolf, one of them getting in a torrent of laser blasts, followed by the other pulling a tight somersault or one eighty to escape. Slippy's hands trembled on the joystick as he tried to keep his crosshair on the Foxhound. Wolf juked left then right, his ship maneuvering more like a house fly than a space fighter. The movements made Slippy dizzy, his eyes struggling to keep up.

Maybe this isn't such a good idea . Yet Slippy ignored the logical part of his brain, looking for a shot. 

He pulled the trigger, letting off a flurry of powerful green lasers. One of them splashed Wolf's shields with a glancing blow, the transparent sphere disintegrating from the hit. Slippy's mouth fell open. Wolf wasn't down yet, but one more hit and this was over.

"What…Slippy?" Fox called out over the radio. "What are you doing over here?!"

Slippy ignored Fox, attempting to line up another shot on the Foxhound...but now Wolf's fighter was headed straight for him, and he looked angry. Slippy's eyes widened. Panicking, the toad fired off as many shots as he could, but now he'd lost the advantage of surprise. The lupine rolled and dodged all of his lasers as if they were moving in slow motion. The Foxhound shot past, its engines rattling the Arwing's canopy, and now Wolf was out of sight. A sinking feeling came over the toad.

"Get out of there Slippy!" Fox shouted.

Slippy swung the stick to the right, beginning an evasive swerve. But Wolf had the precision of a marksman, landing shot after shot after shot into his back, the constant stream of fire like a gigantic drill tearing right through his Arwing. Slippy screamed as sparks and smoke filled the cockpit, everything outside the canopy going topsy-turvy as he spun out of control, the entire world bathed in a fiery light as all of his ship's metrics instantly went into the red.

Instead of fearing death, Slippy wept in shame. He couldn't do anything right. He always caused trouble for the rest of the team. It was destiny, he supposed, but this time it was even worse. He'd let down Dad too. Why did he think he could take on Wolf? He'd been so stupid, something the lupine had proven to him in mere seconds.

Slippy lost track of time, wallowing in guilt and sadness as his craft tumbled towards Fortuna. The planet filled his canopy as he careened towards it, the clouds and jungle rushing up to meet him. Remembering his situation, his hands flew over the controls, getting the Arwing upright. The clouds passed by, rain now pouring across the Arwing’s canopy. Nothing but a solid green carpet of trees spread out below, as he desperately searched for a clear spot. He mashed the button to engage the VTOL thrusters, but the computer's icon blipped red.

He'd have to detach the cockpit from the Arwing. Slippy pushed the button, but nothing happened. The console showed that as inoperable too. No choice, he'd need to do an emergency landing. But if he fell into the trees, they'd tear him and the Arwing to pieces. Searching around one more time, he spotted a mirror-like ribbon cutting through the green, reflecting the sky above. Water! A river. It was the only clear spot in reach. The toad gulped. Well, at least he was the best swimmer in Star Fox. He pulled up on the stick, aiming as close to the shoreline as he could without hitting the trees...

~X~

Inside the Retribution's hangar bay, the technicians and guards milled about. With nearly all of the Retribution's pilots and ships deployed planetside and Star Wolf taking the fight to Star Fox, there wasn't much for them to do at the moment except wait. Wait and see what the outcome of the battle outside would be. On the Retribution’s port side entry port, Star Fox's and Star Wolf's fighters darted in and out of sight, the ship rocking and rumbling whenever Star Fox managed to score a hit. Not much chatter passed around the group as they watched.

One of the techs—a brown squirrel—sat on a crate of supplies, ruffling out a wrinkled spot in his dark red jumpsuit before he adjusted the position of his glasses. He couldn't stop looking back outside, his body tingling with anxiety. Another blast rocked the Retribution , causing everyone in the hangar to stumble for a moment. This was his first time seeing combat with Star Wolf. Sure, this PMC was among the most legendary and notorious in all of Lylat, but they didn't have a good track record against Star Fox. His long squirrel tail twitched behind him, never settling still.

"Hey you, Wattz was it?"

The squirrel glanced up, seeing one of the ship's guards approaching him. The guard wore a black jumpsuit complete with helmet and a tactical vest, wielding a blaster rifle. As he came over, the guard pulled out his pistol.

Wattz froze, but the guard flipped the gun around, offering the grip to him instead.

"We're shorthanded." The guard said. "I need more sets of eyes. Those two traitors...Augustine and Giichi. They might try to escape through here."

Though Wattz didn’t want it, he reluctantly accepted the blaster.  It felt heavy and clumsy in his shaky hands. In truth, though Wattz got his mechanic training in the Zonessian military in years past, he never got to see real combat. Between his job keeping him well behind the front lines and Corneria handling most military conflicts in Lylat over the years, the Zonessian military mostly stuck to protecting its home world. He'd completed all the required firearms training of course, but he'd never pointed a gun at anything besides paper targets.

Despite his feelings, Wattz forced a smile, although he suspected his sharp rodent incisor teeth made him look silly. "Okay, sure. I'll yell if I see anything."

"Shoot first. That'd get the message across quicker."

"Right…" Wattz checked the charge on the blaster.

The guard patted him on the shoulder, before looking around. His eyes narrowed as he glanced towards the starboard side of the hangar. "Coulda sworn I had two guys covering over there,” the guard said, heading over to check.

Wattz didn't didn’t hear him, staring at the weapon in his hands. A few minutes passed, the squirrel tapping his foot as he waited for something to happen. Wolf said Giichi was worth a million credits alive and unharmed: a life changing amount of money. So many things were possible with that kind of paper. But if the time came to actually shoot someone, Wattz wondered if he'd be capable of such a thing.

Another loud boom shook the Retribution , sending the squirrel tumbling to the floor. The lights went out in the hangar. The twinkling stars outside the hangar were now the room's only source of illumination. More booms rocked the ship, sounding like a thunderstorm even though they were out in space.

"Someone get the backup power working!"

Several flashlights turned on, one of them moving through the darkness to a switch panel off to one side. The flashlight's holder pumped the handle of a generator, loud clunks echoing through the room. "Nothing's happening!"

"Call the bridge!" another disembodied voice shouted.

Someone pulled out their radio. "Hangar here! Bridge, do you copy?" Nothing but static. "Hello? Hello?"

Another set of footsteps moved towards one of the exit doors. Click. "Damn! Power jammed the doors shut too!"

Pop.

Wattz spun around, glancing towards the direction of the noise. What was that? It almost sounded like a staple gun clacking. He heard something heavy fall near the door with a smack. Like a body?

Pop. Another loud thump in the darkness, this one much closer to Wattz himself. Someone's flashlight went out. Startled, the squirrel hid behind a box.

"Aaahh… he got…m—" Pop, pop. Silence.

Panic took hold, flashlight beams dancing back and forth as everybody shouted at each other, trying to figure out where the attacker was.

"Turn off your damn lights!" One of the guards tried to calm everyone. "He's aiming for them!"

Everyone extinguished their beams, holding their breath as they waited for what would happen next. But the rumbling of the ship from the battle outside made it hard to hear anything happening in the hangar, and the sound echoing off every wall didn't help either. Wattz held still as a statue, expecting death at any second. Where'd the shots come from? And what kind of gun was that anyway? Shouldn't there at least be a muzzle flash or…something?

Pop pop pop .

Three bodies fell to the floor, all within a second of each other. Wattz cried out, shutting his eyes as he laid down flat.

Pop pop.

More screams and shouts echoed throughout the hangar, but after each pop another one went silent, the ambient rumble of the battle outside becoming ever more prominent. Wattz still couldn't hear anything inside the hangar giving away the shooter's location, and that guy was running out of other people to kill.

Pop pop.

Only part of Wattz' body moving now was his heart, pounding in his chest against the floor. How many of the others were left now? He couldn't hear anyone else. Were they all dead or were some being quiet like him? I'll just stay here on the floor. It's dark, maybe he won't see me, or he'll think I'm dead.

The lights flashed on, temporarily blinding the squirrel. Blinking a few times, he gazed around the now quiet room.

Bodies littered the floor, each one leaking a pool of blood from a clean headshot. Even for the guards wearing helmets, the shooter simply shot them in the exposed lower face or neck area instead.

Wattz 'chest pounded. He couldn't hide it anymore, his body shaking as he sat flush to the floor. Whoever did all of that was probably still in the room. And here he was, trapped next to some boxes in the middle of a wide-open floor. The nearest door he could see was about half the length of a football field away, some cargo containers next to it. The shooter could be anywhere. 

Sure, if he stood up, he'd be exposing himself, but he supposed it'd be better to try to escape than wait here to die.

Gathering up his courage, he sprung off the floor in one smooth motion thanks to his natural squirrel agility, sprinting for the exit. He ran so fast he felt like his feet never touched the floor, almost like he was gliding across it.

He was just a few steps from the door—when someone stepped out from behind one of the containers, pointing a strange-looking pistol at his face, a black tube screwed on the end of the weapon's barrel. A golden eye sat behind the handgun's iron sights, Wattz recognizing the face of Augustine. The squirrel lost himself in that shining metallic eye, as if it stared directly into his soul.

POP.

Redness covered Wattz' sight, as blood flowed down his face. He fell over backwards, those golden eyes the last thing he saw as death took him.

~X~

Nail lowered his weapon, turning around, not even bothering to look as the squirrel crumpled to the floor. He rushed back over to the cargo container where Giichi was hiding.

"Clear," Nail whispered, the door squealing as he opened it. "Thanks for handling the lights. We can leave now."

Nail noticed the grimace on Giichi's face. Even though he hadn't seen the results yet, the cat fully understood what Nail meant by 'clearing' the room. This wasn't the first time Nail had to do something like this to protect the cat's life. Giichi exited the container he was hiding in, flipping the protective case over the front of his tablet computer. They ran across the hangar bay to one of the remaining parked fighters, the sand cat being careful to not look at any of the bodies. Giichi never got used to the death around him, not even after years of repeated attempts on his life.

Nail didn't mind his young master's disgust though. Sometimes he liked having a reminder that what he was doing was distasteful. In a perfect universe, a man like himself would never be needed.

Nail's ear cocked to the side, hearing a noise behind one of the locked doors leading outside the hangar. It sounded like something whirring up, like an engine. Without a word, he snatched up Giichi as easily as if he were a stuffed animal and sent the two of them diving behind a forklift. A torrent of laser blasts struck the door on the other side, disintegrating the middle part where the two doors connected to each other. The lasers flew wildly around the room, ricocheting off the metallic surfaces around them. Nail shielded Giichi with his own body, holding him down to the floor as low as possible.

The shooting stopped but was soon followed by the sound of heavy footsteps, of metal on metal. The doors screeched open, pushed apart by something—or someone—with immense strength. Nail risked a peek from behind the forklift. A giant of a man in power armor stood in the door frame, twin laser miniguns hanging from harnesses built into the suit. He needed to stoop over to walk through the door, his massive hands grabbing the grips on the guns as he entered. Nail had been undercover on the ship long enough to know who this guy was.

"Ooveh…" Nail whispered. "This will complicate things."

Chapter Text

"Slippy! No!" Fox cried, putting a hand on his canopy as he watched the toad's Arwing tumble towards Fortuna. It all happened so fast Fox couldn't believe his eyes. "Slippy! Are you there? Pick up!" Nothing but static in reply. He punched the paneling next to the console. "Damn it!"

Red lasers splashed off his shields; Fox suddenly remembered where he was. He engaged his rocket boosters, blasting away from Wolf's Foxhound again. The lupine pursued.

"What the hell Wolf?" Fox shouted. "You know Slippy's no match for you!"

"Well kiddo, tell that to the CDF." Wolf glared at Fox over his monitor. "When they came to Sargasso, they sent a task force five times our size. You think they cared about a fair fight?"

"You shot his dad, Wolf!" Fox clenched his stick.

"I couldn't care less, Fox." Wolf shook his head. He looked at something off screen, before giving a sideways smirk to the camera. "Well, it doesn't matter. Rest of my crew's almost here."

Fox looked towards Fortuna. Numerous dark specks approached: small fighters, gunboats, and even a couple light frigates. How could they hope to fight all of that when they were already having trouble with the main three of Star Wolf?

"Tell you what." Wolf chuckled, picking up on Fox's fear. "Since I'm in a hurry, let's make a deal. Your team withdraws right now, I'll let you go. Promise." The lupine held up one of his pinkies to the monitor, showing a mocking grin.

"This isn't like you, Wolf." Fox raised an eyebrow. "What's going on here?"

"Much as I'd like to finish this, I don't have time to waste on you." Wolf frowned. "Got something more important to deal with right now."

Too bad Fox couldn't borrow Krystal's psychic powers and find out what that something was from Wolf's head. It probably had something to do with the case though, so it could only be a good thing if he kept getting in the way.

"And if I stay?" Fox smirked at the lupine, but he was hiding his fear about the approaching forces.

Wolf returned his own smile, unfazed. "You and I can keep going one on one, but your two friends over there…" He pointed a finger at Falco and Fara over by the Retribution, still dueling Panther and Leon. "They're fair game for everybody else. What's it gonna be, little Foxy?"

Fox steeled himself, preparing for another high-speed pass. "You know I don't back down."

"Very well." Wolf put on a faux-posh accent. "Shall we continue?"

Fox responded by reignited his engines, accelerating straight for the Foxhound. Passing by, he let out another torrent of laser blasts, scoring a direct hit. Sparks blasted off one of the nose's twin prongs.

It was a small victory, but Fox saw Wolf's lackeys flying past to join Leon and Panther in chasing Fara and Falco. Sure, these crude merc pilots had nothing on his two wingmen, but they did have numbers.

Fara now had five bandits after her plus Panther, a storm of laser blasts filling the air around her Cornerian fighter. She did a quick aileron roll, sending the lasers spinning out into space. But Star Wolf's attack was relentless, many more follow up shots striking her shields. One of the shots penetrated through, scarring the spotless white paint on her starboard wing.

"Fox! Where are you?!" Fara's face appeared on his monitor. Her eyes danced over her mirrors. "We need help over here!"

Fox's face tightened, watching as she fled from her pursuers. Panther's Black Rose led the charge after her, a horde of merc pilots behind him, lasers lighting up the space around Fara.

"Aaah!" she screamed. Red lights flashed in her cockpit, sparks spitting out of a panel next to her.

"Hold on Fara!" Falco shouted.

He moved to assist, but Leon's Rainbow Delta popped up on his six, tagging him with numerous shots. It wouldn't be long before his shields were out too.

"Shoot! He's right behind me!" Forced to divert, Falco pulled a loop de loop, but Leon mimicked his moves. And Fox could see another fighter group moving to back up Leon as well.

Fox couldn't stand it anymore. He swerved around to head back to the Retribution. If he could just make it over there—

"Hey kiddo! Where do you think you're going?!" Wolf's fighter filled the Arwing's mirrors, close enough to where Fox could see his opponent's face grinning face.

The Foxhound's laser cannons glowed an angry red, pouring successive blasts straight into the back of the Arwing. Fox's ship rattled around him, alarms blaring in his ears. He slammed the throttle forward, managing to outrun Wolf again, but a quick check of the monitors showed his rear shields as gone, with hits on one of his G-diffusers and the starboard wing.

"Oooh, that looks like it hurt." Wolf's laughter echoed in the Arwing's cockpit. "Remember Fox, you're free to tap out anytime."

Fox glared as he watched Wolf pursue in the mirrors. Even so, he wasn't afraid. Being against the wall like this only made him want to win that much more. "What's the matter Wolf? Scared?" Fox returned Wolf's grin.

Wolf's smile vanished. "What?"

"Why do you want me to run?" Fox smiled bigger. "You could always turn tail yourself, like old times you know?"

Wolf didn't reply, but Fox could almost see the rage boiling out of him. It was the way he tilted his head down, while his pointed ears peeled back, his razor-sharp eye focused on Fox. "You and your friends are dead." Wolf showed off his teeth while saying that last word.

A chill came over Fox. Had he bitten off more than he could chew? Nonetheless, he spun his Arwing around in a half loop, speeding back towards the Foxhound for another pass. He needed to hurry this up; Falco and Fara needed his help.

~X~

Ooveh clomped around inside the Retribution's hangar, Nail and Giichi hiding behind the forklift. With every booming footstep, the small vehicle swayed on its tires. Giichi let out a little gasp every time the floor. Nail covered his mouth so he wouldn't give their position away. Even through their clothing, he could feel the sand cat's rapid heartbeats. Nail remained calm, his face tranquil.

"Wo bist du?!" Ooveh bellowed out. A loudspeaker built into the olive-green power armor amplified his voice, elevating it to near deafening levels as it echoed off the walls. "Come out, schlappshwanz!"

Nail winced, his ears curling backwards at the noise. For a lesser opponent, that sound probably made for powerful psychological warfare. Too bad it wouldn't work on him.

Anyway, he'd studied that suit beforehand in case of this exact scenario. Its armor mirrored tank armor: high density metals, ceramics, and plastics. Even explosive projectiles would have difficulty penetrating it. The footsteps moved away from the forklift. Nail peeked out from behind cover, spotting the suit's backside. A hardened metallic circle was on the suit's back, vents visible on it. Excess heat distorted the air as it exited the vents, indicating the power core and motors underneath. That would be his target. Destroy the power source and the suit would shut down, trapping Ooveh inside.

First, he needed Giichi out of the way.

"Giichi. I'm going to distract him." Nail pointed at a cargo truck parked nearby, the same one that brought them into the hangar. "When he focuses on me, you hide in the truck over there."

The sand cat looked queasy at the idea, but nodded in response.

Nail stepped out from behind the forklift, pointing the metallic gauntlet on his right hand at the bear's back. Around his arm, the glove liquefied and changed shape, transforming into an arm cannon within seconds. Energy built up in the weapon's barrel. The buzz of energy tickled Nail's skin, his facial fur standing up on end. Ooveh heard the cannon charging too, turning around. Their eyes met.

"Hallo," Nail said.

A bright orange bolt of energy shot out from the cannon, electricity crackling as it went straight for Ooveh. The bolt slammed into the bear's chest, pushing him back. His boots scraped against the floor, sparks flying underfoot. Ooveh recovered within a second, coming to a stop and aiming his miniguns at Nail. The weapons spooled up, the rapid revolutions accelerating into a scream. Behind the mask, Ooveh bore a large grin.

"Guten tag!" he bellowed over his loudspeaker, the words shaking Nail's body. His guns fired over six thousand lasers per minute, filling the air with a bright red glow.

But in that short time between the spool up and firing, Nail's arm cannon had liquefied again, becoming metallic droplets floating in the air. They moved as if of a single mind, each one repositioning itself to block incoming blaster bolts. In his now-exposed right hand, Nail held a glowing orb of orange energy. Small electrical arcs appeared between the droplets and the orb, like tethers.

"Meine Güte!" Even while firing, Ooveh seemed impressed. "Wunderbar!"

Nail dived behind a stack of cargo containers, the droplets following him and reforming back around his right hand. He spared a glance towards the cargo truck. Giichi's pointed ears could be seen above the driver's side window. Does Ooveh know he's in there?

"Ich komme für Sie!" Clomping elephant-like footsteps rushed his way, the containers rattling as the bear rounded the corner.

No, probably not. Nail rushed directly at Ooveh, seemingly in a suicidal charge. The bear readied his miniguns again, bracing himself against the floor for another volley. Coiling up his legs, Nail sprung off the ground, flying forty feet into the air. Ooveh's shots hit where Nail stood an instant before, tearing holes in the floor. The bear leaned backwards to track the canine's path through the air, but the heavy harness and miniguns made his movements clunky and slow. Just what Nail was counting on.

As Nail reached the apex of his jump and flew over the bear, he spun around in midair, firing off a bolt of orange energy at the circular cover on Ooveh's back.

Ooveh screamed over his loudspeaker, electricity crackling over the suit's metal, his movements turning spasmodic and jerky.

Meanwhile, Nail flew towards the hangar's far wall. He held out his right hand, the suit around his body briefly growing a flap to slow his momentum. When he touched the wall, his hand stuck to it, his right boot also sticking and letting him hang there.

Ooveh's power armor rebooted itself, the bear rising back into a stand. He brought his miniguns around, firing without waiting to aim properly. Nail's gauntlet dispersed into droplets with a flick of his hand, the small spheres expanding outwards to cover him. Nail planted his feet on the wall, running along it as if it were the ground, his body perpendicular to the floor beneath him. He kicked off, propelling himself towards two cargo containers stacked on top of each other. Without missing a beat, his feet touched the side of the top container, Nail still running as if he'd simply hopped from one platform to another in regular gravity.

Ooveh tried to keep his fire trained on the canine, but with his suit he was too slow. "What are you, some kind of spinnefrosch?!" Ooveh shouted. "Halt still!"

Nail kicked off the cargo container, propelling himself directly at Ooveh. The canine clenched his fist, the metallic droplets forming into the glove around his right hand. As he touched the floor, he sprung off again, pouncing straight towards the bear with his hands outspread. The fingers of Nail's glove extended, changing into claws. He took a swipe as he soared past. The bear cried out, his guns going silent. Nail rolled into a stand as he landed, turning back to survey the damage. He'd cleaved right through one of the miniguns. The gun's multiple barrels lay scattered all over the floor, sliced up into pipes.

Ooveh undid a clamp on the suit, the harness falling off and slamming to the floor. Reaching down, he detached the other minigun, holding it with both hands. With one smooth motion, the bear spun the massive weapon around as easily as if it were a standard laser rifle, aiming it right at Nail.

Nail jumped behind another cargo container as the minigun's barrels spun up again. But as he took cover, there was a whooshing sound like a jet engine starting up. Before he could blink, Ooveh flew around the container, floating sideways in midair. He'd ignited a rocket on his back and boosters on his feet, allowing him to glide across the floor. The minigun was already spinning at full speed and ready to shoot.

Nail dived around the other side of the container, the minigun's fire narrowly missing him. The canine pressed himself against the metal walls of the large box. Despite usually being emotionless, Nail couldn't help but smile.

Ooveh was a big hunk of muscle, but he wasn't stupid. Shedding the extra weight of a second minigun was a wise decision. A reduction to three thousand lasers a minute, but also a huge boost in movement speed. He would be more of an interesting challenge now.

The suit's engines could be heard overhead. Nail saw the bear flying overhead, just in time for him to cut the engines. The canine rolled out of the way just in time, Ooveh hitting the floor so hard his boots left indentations in the metal floor. He grunted, trying to free himself, while Nail used the delay to run.

After freeing himself, Ooveh resumed spraying minigun fire in Nail's direction. But the metallic droplets appeared once more, protecting the canine from the incoming fire. While effective, Nail knew his shield wouldn't work forever. Eventually the droplets would lose internal cohesion and disintegrate. With Ooveh having lightened himself, Nail couldn't count on agility to stay out of harm's way anymore. He needed more cover.

Running away from the cargo containers, he hurried into the hangar's workshop. Large machines, workbenches, and other pieces of equipment filled the floor space. Nail sprinted between two supply racks, one side lined with spare metal plating stacked on pallets, the other lined with various chemicals used in subsystems within spacecraft. The power armor's rockets hummed along as Ooveh chased him. With a clomp, the bear landed on the floor, running into the aisle after Nail. The canine stopped at the end, turning around. His metallic gauntlet transformed into a sword, orange bolts crackled along the liquid blade. With two deft swings, he cut through the legs holding up the racks on either side.

"Verdammt!" Ooveh shouted, as the entire contents of the shelves collapsed inwards on him in a mighty crash, soon ending with silence settling over the hangar.

Nail had hardly a chance to take a breath as a screech filled the air. The debris exploded out of the top of the pile, Ooveh igniting his rocket booster to simply fly out of the mess, sending clutter scattering all over the hangar floor. Dings, dents, and scrapes covered his armor. Some of the chemicals from the barrels stained his suit with black, sticky residue.

Ooveh raised the minigun…only to discover the barrels were bent out of shape now. Sighing, the bear tossed the weapon aside, letting it clank to the floor.

Ooveh was of good cheer though, laughing as he cut his thrusters to land on the floor near Nail. "I've never seen such a weapon like yours!" He stared at the special glove on Nail's arm. "Where did you get such a wunderwaffe?"

Nail clenched his gloved fist, glaring at the bear.

"A man of few words, I see. I figured it wouldn't be that easy." Ooveh scratched his metallic masked chin with one of his gloved hands, making a scratching sound as he did so. "Who are you working for anyway? Are you another mercenary?"

"No." Nail shook his head. He pointed a finger at an open door. "Leave. I have no quarrel with you. You cannot win without your weapons anyway."

"Oh, there's plenty of other weapons here." Ooveh chuckled again.

He turned to a nearby workbench and picked up a large power tool: a circular plasma saw, two and a half feet in diameter. It was designed for space craft repair, to cut through starship armor and shape new panels. The tool would normally be mounted to a workbench due to being too large and cumbersome to use by hand, but that didn't apply to Ooveh in his power suit.

The buzz saw spun up, glowing pink along the sharpened edge as humming energy coursed across it. The bear waved it around like it was a toy.

Nail for his part smiled.

"Time to make a million credits!" Ooveh rocketed forward, swinging at Nail with his left fist.

The blow came so fast it grazed the tips of the canine's pointed ears, even as he ducked. Had he been a second or two slower, his head would have been turned to meat paste. Looking up, Nail saw Ooveh about to bring down the plasma cutter on his head. He raised his liquid metal sword to block, the saw spitting out sparks as it contacted the blade.

The bear pushed down hard, forcing the canine to kneel. The plasma cutter's glowing edge hovered inches away from Nail's face, blasting him with an overpowering wave of heat and light. Nail growled as stray hot sparks burnt his skin and fur, his muscles straining as he held up the weight of both Ooveh and his suit.

In desperation, Nail drew his pistol with his free hand, squinting with one eye open as he fired it into Ooveh's faceplate. Bullets plinked off the glass, forcing the bear to step back and cover his face.

Free now, Nail jumped backwards, landing a safe distance away. After rubbing his face to soothe his burns, he checked his weapon. The liquid metal blade glowed white hot after contact with the plasma, reforming itself back into the correct shape. It couldn't hold up to that kind of punishment for long, though.

Ooveh's jet engines howled again, the bear charging right for Nail, plasma blade held high. Nail leaped to the side, the blade sizzling over his lower torso as. Not giving any reprieve, Ooveh spun around to continue attack, taking swing after swing, pushing Nail back against a wall.

With Nail cornered, the bear thrust the blade straight for the canine's throat. Nail grit his teeth, holding up his sword to block the incoming strike. The tool cut straight in, eating through the material within seconds. Nail ducked at the last second, the energy blade burying itself about a foot into the wall behind him before Ooveh could recover. It ground to a halt, the pink energy disappearing.

"Scheisse!" Ooveh tugged on the saw, struggling to pull it out. He planted a boot on the wall for extra leverage.

Nail looked down, seeing half of his liquid metal sword on the floor. The material glowed orange where it had been cut. Without hesitating, the canine snatched the hot metal off the floor, feeling the heat even through his black jumpsuit's glove. The cut piece struggled to reform with the main mass of his glove. Nail clenched his hand around it, hissing in pain as he waited for his gauntlet to become whole again. When he removed his hand again, the material looked melted instead of smooth and sleek before.

Ooveh finally pulled the plasma cutter out of the wall, restarting it. The blade spun to full speed again, the bright pink energy returning.

He seemed to notice the state of Nail's gauntlet. "Having some problems?" He laughed, readying himself for another charge.

The canine frowned, rubbing his hand on his suit to soothe it. This fight was taking too long. He glanced out through the open docking port. The rest of Star Wolf had arrived, and they were putting the hurt on Star Fox now. Fox and his friends continued to fight with everything they had, although it wouldn't be long before the battle ended. He and Giichi needed to be gone before that happened.

Ooveh's power armor was something else, and Nail didn't seem to be doing much good on damaging it. While his gauntlet was damaged from the heat, it looked like it could fire one last cannon shot. He needed to make it count.

Before they could continue their fight, they heard an engine, both turning to look. Giichi had started up the truck he was hiding in, and now he was driving it straight at Ooveh. The little cat had an uncharacteristic snarl on his face. The bear activated his rocket boosters, strafing to the right to get out of the way, but Giichi pulled the truck's handbrake, sending it into a sideways skid. The side of the truck slammed into the bear, the power armor leaving an indentation as Ooveh got knocked to the floor.

Though angered that Giichi would put himself in danger like that, Nail figured he may as well take advantage. As Ooveh stood up again, Nail leaped on his back. The bear tried to reach behind, but the heavy armor plating prevented his arms from twisting far back enough to reach Nail.

Nail changed the shape of his glove back into its cannon configuration. Except it wasn't doing it as fast as he would have liked. The material struggled to form a straight barrel, writhing and twitching as it tried to hold its shape properly. Ooveh swiped a hand past Nail's shoulder, narrowly missing grabbing his neck.

Deciding that he couldn't wait any longer, Nail pointed the melted cannon at the circular cover, firing a point-blank blast. Ooveh roared as the energy surged across his back. Nail's gauntlet didn't fare much better, exploding into liquid droplets as the energy blast passed through it. Regardless, he'd managed to force the cover partially open now. Focused on the task at hand, Nail yanked on the damaged cover. With one mighty tug, Nail finally got it off, exposing numerous power cells and servo motors. He reloaded his handgun, twisted the fire select to full auto, and sprayed an entire magazine into the internals. Sparks blasted him in the face, wires, circuit boards, and batteries shattering into pieces as the lead perforated them.

Ooveh cried out over his loudspeaker once more, but his shout was suddenly cut off. The power armor froze in place like a statue, the joints unmoving. And without power, it lost its balance as well, falling backwards. Nail jumped off, landing on his feet as the bear toppled to the floor with a mighty boom. The suit was so heavy it imprinted the floor where it landed.

Nail breathed hard, sweat rolling down his face. He glanced at his gauntlet again. That final shot had not been kind to his weapon. Most of the liquid metal had fallen off, leaving only small individual splotches clinging to his arm near the orange energy sphere. They struggled to pull themselves back together. The rest of the liquid flowed along the floor, coming back towards him. Nail hurriedly scooped it back up, willing for the gauntlet to reform. The material looked like it was going to come back together, although he didn't want to try using it again until it could be repaired.

The canine stared down. The power armor still lay there like a toppled statue, muffled grunts as Ooveh tried to break free. All that and this guy still wasn't dead. Shame the bear had to die, but Nail figured he'd just keep coming after them if he wasn't dealt with.

He felt around the power armor's neck area for a clamp to undo the helmet, holding his handgun in the other hand. He needed to put a bullet in Ooveh's head to finish the job, but the helmet had a complicated locking mechanism to prevent it being forcefully removed. He was having trouble getting it open.

Someone put a hand on his shoulder, tugging him away. Nail spun around, glaring at who it was…only to see Giichi there, a scared look on his face. "Don't do it," he whispered, the sand cat looking close to tears. "He's helpless now. We can leave. You've killed enough for one day…"

"You hit him with a truck, but he still won't give up." Nail glared. "And besides that, you should've stayed out of it."

"You were in trouble!" Giichi shook his head. "I only wanted to help!"

"Never get yourself involved in my fights, Gichi! You are too important!" Nail shouted, which was uncharacteristic for him. "Are you absolutely certain you want to spare Ooveh? You'll regret it."

With a tear leaking from his eyes, Giichi nodded yes.

"So be it." Nail stood up, frowning one more time at Ooveh. "Let's get out of here."

Leaving the bear on the floor, they ran towards one of the few remaining fighters in the hangar. The rust orange craft was shaped kind of like a hexagon with wings and a tail attached to it, Venomian in origin. While the design was crude, Nail's intelligence noted that these fighters were designed with loose tolerances and generally kept going no matter what kind of punishment they were subjected to. It ought to be enough to get them to their intended rendezvous point. Thank goodness it hadn't taken any hits in the crossfire.

The two of them piled in, Giichi resting in Nail's lap since he was the smaller one. Nail punched in commands, hearing the engine spool up behind them as they taxied for takeoff. Soon they'd be out of here and on their way back home.

As they lined up for the open docking port, Giichi took one last glance in the mirrors. "Nail, look!"

Nail's head snapped around, staring behind the fighter. Ooveh was out of his suit, wearing nothing but a green tank top and pants, showing off his massive muscular frame. He could easily put even Wolf to shame. For some reason, the bear leaned over his power armor, fiddling with something.

"What's he doing?" Giichi asked.

"It doesn't matter. We're leaving." Nail had the fighter in position for launch. He slammed the throttle forward, while glancing back to see what Ooveh was up to.

The bear stood up, holding one of his power armor's massive boots. He laid it on the floor, pointing the leg part at the fighter, the toe pointed at the ceiling. He pushed a button on the side of the shoe. With a whoosh, the rocket booster on the bottom ignited, sending it flying straight at their fighter like a missile.

Nail's eyes widened. He couldn't do anything to evade, not while they were in the middle of taking off. The boot went straight for the ship's thruster. Nail shut his eyes, bracing for impact.

A massive shudder went through the entire ship, Giichi screaming and causing Nail to grit his teeth. The engine howled in protest, screeching as the foreign object became lodged inside its internals. Red light washed over the cockpit, all the engine metrics instantly turning over to critical. He knew sparing Ooveh was a bad idea, but didn't think that would come to pass so soon...

~X~

Sweat rolled down the sides of Fox's face. Beads of moisture fell into his eyes, but he refused to take his hands off the stick. He was still trapped in a dizzying dance with Wolf, each of them fighting to get on the other's tail. All it would take was one small mistake and Fox could wind up dead. He'd never had a dogfight last this long with Wolf before, either. Everything by this point had become a blur, Fox's hands and feet moving less by conscious thought and more by instinct, honed after years of experience in space combat. Were it not for the muscle memory drilled into his body, Wolf would have already killed him. Goading him on earlier felt like a big mistake now.

"Die already!" Wolf screamed out, as he fired some parting shots after the vulpine went in for another of his high-speed passes. None of them hit. "Graaaaa! Hold still! I don't have time for this shit!"

Fox wasn't too happy either. His teammates yelled for help, but he couldn't do anything as long as Wolf was still around. There had to be some way to break this stalemate!

After Fox made another strafing run, Wolf attempted to accelerate after Fox's Arwing, even though they both knew Wolf couldn't catch up. The lupine was letting his rage get to him.

Slippy's attack earlier in the fight was foolish, but Fox had to give the toad credit for knocking out Wolf's shields. If Fox could manage a couple more clean shots on the Foxhound, he could end this fight. Surely with how angry Wolf was getting, he'd soon make a mistake.

As Fox accelerated away for another pass, something strange appeared on his radar. One of the red dots separated from the main swarm around the Retribution, coming towards where he and Wolf were fighting. Was it Panther or Leon coming to assist? An orange craft approached. It looked like an XTB-1400, an old Venomian fighter from the days of the Lylat Wars. Not what Fox expected for backup.

Strangely, the fighter passed by and headed for Fortuna instead of helping Wolf. There was a small fire on the rear section of the ship, probably from its reserve oxygen supply leaking out. So why not go to the Retribution for repairs instead of away from it?

"Hold on. Jamal, are you saying they're inside that fighter?!" Wolf shouted over his radio. Without hesitation, the lupine abandoned the dogfight to follow the damaged ship.

Fox didn't know what the hell was going on, and what he was about to do felt like cheating, but he knew he'd never get another opportunity like this. He raced after the Foxhound, easily to get on its six. Wolf noticed Fox coming up behind, but it was too late. Fox squeezed the trigger, his blaster bolts striking the rear thrusters of the Foxhound. Explosions and smoke blasted out of the ship, sending it tumbling end over end through space.

To say Wolf was pissed was an understatement. "Fox, I'll goddamn kill you one day!" Although Wolf's mugshot on the comms screen was distorted by static and warping pixels, Fox could still see the lupine's rage coming through, glimpses of flashing teeth and fists hammering on the smoking control panels. "You bastard! What a cheap shot!"

"Now you know how Slippy's dad felt." Fox glared at him. "I could kill you right now if I wanted. That's probably what Slippy would have me do too. But I think it's more important you live to face justice." And so you can tell me where the case is, so I get paid. That would've been a more honest statement but would've ruined the moment. "You wait there. I'll be back."

Fox spared one more glance at the wounded Venomian fighter, still flying away from the fight towards Fortuna. He wanted to find out what was so important about it to Wolf, but there was no time. He had to help his friends first.

Spinning his Arwing around, he blasted back towards the Retribution on full thrusters. "Hang on guys! I'm coming!"

It wasn't looking good. Panther zapped Falco with his special cannon again, blue electricity surging across the Arwing. The fighter shuddered, internal systems cutting in and out as it tried to stabilize itself. Leon took the opportunity to strafe Falco's ship, twin laser blasts impacting the blue G-diffusers and sending out a shower of sparks. Fara arrived to protect him, firing green lasers as she went. The chameleon scurried away, but now Panther was behind her, shooting his electric gun at her. He scored a direct hit, electrical sparks blasting through her own fighter.

Fara screamed over the comms, her voice heartwrenching. "My systems are all shorting out! The stick isn't responding!" By this point, her previously perfect white paint was scarred grey by blaster marks, the fighter trailing smoke from multiple spots. It was a small miracle it was still intact.

Several Star Wolf grunt fighters closed in on her, like sharks smelling blood in the water. Fox didn't have enough time to fly over and help. Chewing his lip, he readied a nova bomb.

"Fara! Hang onto something!"

"What are you-"

Fox launched the bomb at the pack approaching her. The glowing blue warhead flew towards both Fara and the bandits. Fox prayed he'd calculated the trajectory right. The bomb passed right by Fara, close enough for the glow to reflect off her canopy. An instant later, it exploded in a spectacular explosion behind her, silhouetting her ship while turning the fighter group into space dust.

"Aaah!" she cried out, her fighter going tumbling from the force of the blast. While afraid she might go spinning off into nowhere, small blasts of air appeared across her craft, her retro rockets allowing her to right herself.

"Fara, are you okay?" Fox asked, pulling up beside her.

"Yeah but…" Fara let out a weak laugh. "That was something. Something old Foxy from the academy would do. I thought you were aiming at me for a second." The smile vanished from her face. "But my fighter's main engine has lost power. I'm a sitting duck."

Fox frowned. "Falco, what's your status?"

"What do you think it is, Fox?!" Another swarm of fighters chased after the avian, Leon and Panther right on his tail too. With every volley of red lasers, he deflected them away with perfect timing and maneuvering, but Fox knew he couldn't keep that up forever. "I could really use some help!"

"On it!" Fox launched another nova bomb.

This time the bandits saw it coming, many of them dispersing away to avoid the blast. Fox fell into step behind the fighter group. He directed his attention to the Star Wolf lackeys one by one, taking them out with ruthless efficiency. It was child's play after that long duel with Wolf, none of them anywhere close in skill to his nemesis.

"Falco, is your tow cable still functional?" Fox kept attacking the enemy fighters.

"Yeah?" Falco raised an eyebrow.

"Get Fara out of here. I'll deal with these guys."

"By yourself, Fox?" Falco asked.

Fox took a deep breath. Sure, many would call him the greatest pilot in the system, and he had the record to back it up, but taking on what was left of Star Wolf alone? He didn't have any other choice right now though, if he wanted to save his friends. "Yes. Just get out of here, Falco!"

Hesitating, Falco nodded back. "All right. Good luck Fox." He hurried towards Fara's stranded fighter.

Fox watched him leave before returning his focus to the fight. The vulpine put a grimace on his face, preparing himself. Leon and Panther moved to attack, a dozen other enemy fighters right behind them. Angry red lasers ripped past Fox's fighter, coloring his entire world bright crimson. It was like trying to dodge rain in a thunderstorm.

Angry, he pulled every trick he knew to escape fiery death. Jinks left and right, aileron rolls to deflect shots, flying near the Retribution and daring the other fighters to chase him, and various other maneuvers. While it was an impressive display of skill, Fox knew he could not win only by running away. How could he turn this around?

Just when Fox was at his breaking point, the rain of fire stopped. He looked around for a moment, wondering what was going on, but he soon got his answer.

"Hey Fox…" Wolf's smooth, relaxed voice came over the comms. He sounded so calm, so collected, so sure of himself. Fox trembled, sensing he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. Looking down at the comms screen, Wolf was in the Retribution's hangar bay, out of his fighter and holding up a camera. A most sadistic grin was on his face. "I want to show you something."

The image switched to show Falco's Arwing towing Fara's crippled Cornerian fighter. Star Wolf fighters surrounded them, all with their guns ready to fire.

"Remember that deal I offered you before?" Wolf chuckled, the monitor switching back to him. "Well, still interested?"

Fox wanted more than anything right now to reach through the screen and punch Wolf right in that smug grin, maybe knock some teeth out. But what could he do? Wolf had him good this time. He saw no way of this without Falco and Fara dying. Sighing, he said. "Okay, you win."

"What was that?" Wolf raised one of his pointed ears towards the camera. He giggled. "I couldn't hear you there."

"You win," Fox growled.

"Louder, please?"

"You win!" Fox snapped his teeth. "All right? Is that good enough for you?"

Wolf's mocking laughter echoed in Fox's cabin. "As much as I want to hear the sweet, sweet sound of your begging, I sadly have to cut this short. The three of you may leave now." He cut the connection.

Fox turned his Arwing in the direction of Fara and Falco, boosting to catch up with them. The Star Wolf fighters returned to the Retribution. Fox's ears turned back in embarrassment.

"Damn it!" Falco cursed as Fox settled into formation next to him. "I hate this!"

"We need to rescue Slippy too," Fara pointed to the stormy surface of Fortuna. "He's still down there somewhere."

Fox nodded. "We better get on that now."

Poor Slippy, stuck down there in the jungle. With the state the toad's craft was in, he would have to crash land in the jungle. Fox hoped he was okay. Sure, Slippy had a direct hand in why they'd failed today, but for now Fox didn't care. The important thing now was to get him back safe. Fox looked over at Fara and Falco once more, trundling along beside him.

"We'll get Star Wolf back later guys. I promise."

~X~

Wolf stood near the open docking port of the Retribution's hangar, watching Star Fox leave. While he wanted to revel in his victory, there wasn't time.

He'd seen Nail and Giichi in the damaged Venomian fighter headed for Fortuna's surface. Too bad Fox had to shoot him in the back, because the terrified expression on Giichi's face upon seeing Wolf's fighter was priceless. It was like that little cat was staring at the Grim Reaper himself. Everyone who betrayed Star Wolf should look like that.

While it was annoying to chase Nail and Giichi back to Fortuna, it should only delay things a little longer. Some of his pilots were following their crippled fighter on its way down to the jungle, so this time they'd know exactly where to look. Not like the first time around with the case. Wolf grinned, looking down upon Fortuna where it peeked out behind its moon.

They'd capture those two, torture Nail for information on where the case was, get it back, then deliver it along with Giichi to Sable for their reward. He was already imagining what Star Wolf's balance sheet would look like once this was all over, and how this would be his first major step towards rebuilding his PMC after losing Sargasso. Star Wolf would rise again, with Wolf himself assuming the title of Lord O'Donnell once more.

"Wolf! We're ready to go!" A booming voice called out for him.

Ooveh stood next to a dropship, waving for him. Even though his power armor was out of action, the bear was still eager as ever to fight. He'd simply swapped to a black jumpsuit and a black combat vest, not that different from Wolf's own gear.

Wolf smiled, walking over and taking a seat inside the rear cabin, Ooveh moving inside to sit as well. Boxes of extra armaments were still being packed inside, ready to be used by ground forces once they went planetside again.

"Are you ready to finish this?" Wolf grinned, craning his neck up to look the bear in the eyes.

"Ja." Ooveh grinned back, letting the massive laser gun rest across his knees. "Let's finish this once and for all."

"I couldn't agree more." Wolf nodded in reply.

The rear hatch sealed, the shuttle taking off and blasting back into space.

The walls were closing in on Nail and Giichi. They had no more tricks to pull, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide.

Chapter Text

The flames and steam from reentry dissipated, revealing a solid white carpet of storm clouds below. Panther frowned at the sight. Guiding his Black Rose fighter through the clouds, rain drops spattered against his canopy, hissing from striking the hot metal. Great. They were about to go on another long, wet hike in the Fortunan jungle. Just dandy.

Even though he was annoyed, it wasn't all bad. For the past few hours, he dreamed about strangling whoever took the case from them. Soon, he wouldn't need to dream anymore, and he also wouldn't have to worry about Wolf learning about how he paid for the Hyoodin. His dream car had been a nightmare so far, but hopefully not for much longer.

A crow's face appeared on the comms screen. "I've got eyes on their ship. They've just crashed. No one bailed out. Transmitting coordinates now."

A waypoint appeared on Panther's radar. The jungle cat grinned, engaging the fighter's afterburners. Two minutes later he arrived at a meadow in the middle of the trees. A long scar of dirt marred the otherwise uniform green carpet of grass. At the far end of the clearing, the orange XTB-1400 rested there, its nose stuck in the brush. A black smoke trail billowed out of the engine, but otherwise the fighter appeared intact.

Panther set the Black Rose down nearby. Even before his fighter powered down, he hit the buttons for the canopy and the ladder. The rain soaked him as the canopy opened, but he didn't care. He leaped down the ladder once he was unbuckled, sprinting towards the wrecked XTB with his blaster drawn. But even from here, he could tell the cockpit was empty. Disappointing, but probably best to check the fighter anyway.

He climbed up the side of the wrecked fighter, reaching for the canopy's handle…but froze upon seeing something inside. A piece of wire was tied to the canopy's latch on the inside, and the wire led to the pin of a hand grenade wedged inside one of the footwells, only just visible from the outside. Another explosive trap, like the one in Giichi's room. Fool me once...

While thankful to have not sprung the trap, the fighter was empty: Augustine and Giichi were out in the jungle somewhere now. After moving away from the fighter—wary of any other traps—Panther gazed around the clearing, but didn't see any obvious clues on where they'd gone. Shit! The trail was getting cold fast.

Ship engines roared overhead, more craft landing in the field. Leon's Rainbow Delta and a larger dropship touched down. Soon, Leon, Wolf, and Ooveh the bear all regrouped with Panther near the fighter.

Wolf wasn't happy once he found out Augustine and Giichi weren't here. A loud snarl escaped his lips, his tail thrashing around behind him. "Of course it wouldn't be this easy, would it?" He looked around the clearing, raising his hands and shaking his head in exasperation. "Oh no no no, we can't have that, can we? We need to play goddamn hide and seek in the jungle again…"

Everyone watched Wolf pace around, keeping their distance. He looked like he'd take a bite out of anyone who got too close to him.

After getting hold of himself again, Wolf called the Retribution. "Jamal! You there?"

The rhino captain's face shimmered into existence, his tattered military cap still on his head. "Roger Wolf, I'm here."

"You'll be our eyes in the sky. Move the Retribution out from behind the moon and put it above us. Get all our other ships over here too. We need thermal and energy scans of the surrounding area. As soon as we figure out which way Augustine and Giichi went, send everything we've got after them. I'm sick of this goddamn jungle, and I want to wrap this shit up now."

Wolf paused, remembering something. A grin came to his face, his pointy whites on full display.

"One last thing: get Tadao over here."

~X~

Up and down, up and down, up and down. With his eyes shut, this was the only sensation for Giichi to fixate on. He winced with every bounce, holding tight onto Nail's back as the canine sprinted at lightning speed through the jungle, his movements aided by the special bodysuit he wore. Giichi's arms and legs were already sore from hanging on and the repetitive motion and being wet from all the rain didn't help matters. He needed to constantly readjust his grip to keep from slipping off. And Nail admitted beforehand he was going to 'take it easy'. If this was taking it easy, Giichi dreaded to know what the suit's top speed would be like. Nonetheless, he did not complain; they didn't have the luxury of time right now.

The sand cat opened his eyes every once in a while, seeing nothing but the green blur of jungle trees and bushes whipping past. He couldn't leave them open for more than a second or two, as raindrops kept flying straight into them. And every time Nail jumped to clear a gap and crashed back to the ground…oooooh. Giichi's stomach moved in time with the motion, the contents sloshing around inside. Waves of nausea washed over him, as something rose in his throat. He couldn't take it anymore, giving Nail a frantic pat on the shoulder.

His bodyguard halted on the spot, Giichi lurching forwards so much he thought he was going to fly straight over the canine's head. Without a moment to lose, the sand cat unclipped the carabiner connecting him to Nail's harness, letting himself drop to the ground. He vomited out a great deluge, coughing as he finished. Nail tapped him on the shoulder, holding out a canteen. Giichi took a swig, swirled the water in his mouth, and spat it out. The sand cat nodded his thanks.

"How much…" Giichi coughed. "How much further to the rendezvous?"

"We're here."

Giichi looked over their new surroundings, eyes widening as he craned his head back. The vertical walls of a canyon rose on either side, but they were not the faces of rocky cliffs. Rather, these walls were artificial, constructed of metal and concrete. Cannons bristled along the walls, the vertical space also occupied by giant doors leading into underground garages and hangars, catwalks and watchtowers occupying much of the rest of the facade. On the valley's floor, the ruins of bombed out buildings and wreckage from old war machines lay scattered across the ground.

He also noticed a sigil appearing everywhere, displaying a black and white image of a primate's face. That was the face of…Andross, was it? Although he wasn't sure. From the briefing, Giichi remembered this base was the site of some short-lived Venomian rebellion a couple years ago, but not much else.

An eerie silence pervaded the place, the only sound coming from the rain and the gurgling of a river flowing through the center of the valley. And while metal and concrete dominated the space, the jungle fought to reclaim it. Vines grew along the walls towering above them, trees and bushes poking upwards through the concrete lining the canyon floor.

"Come on." Nail patted Giichi on the shoulder. "The others are waiting inside. We're going home." He jogged towards a nearby doorway leading inside the base.

Home… Six months since they'd left Thaljista, but a lifetime felt like it had passed since then. He'd forgotten so many things about home by now. The way the dry air tasted. The flavor of familiar foods. Friends and family. However, a cold war was still ongoing back on Thaljista between the Separatists and Royalists, as it had been for the past several years. His faction—the Separatists, the Free Azerian Republic—was fighting the good fight, but did he even want to go home? Go back to that warzone of a planet? It was telling that he wasn't sure one way or the other.

He gazed at the valley one last time, trying to burn as much into memory as he could. Fortuna wasn't the ideal place for his last stop in Lylat, although he had to admit he'd miss the color green. And the rain. There wasn't much of either of those things on Thaljista. When would he get to come back to Lylat again? Would there even be a next time?

"Giichi, we have to go now." Nail glared at him from the doorway. Although the canine didn't shout the order, his calm voice radiated authority.

Giichi's ears drooped, turning to follow his bodyguard. Even when angry, Nail rarely needed to raise his voice to get those under him to comply. It was a talent he'd spent years mastering in the Azerian military. Giichi wished his voice could be like that.

The two entered inside, their world becoming pitch black in the corridors. The pounding of the storm subsided as they moved deeper into the halls. Nail ignited a flashlight to illuminate the way. Clouds of dust rose with every footstep , the particles dancing in the beam. The hallways twisted endlessly, maze-like as they snaked underneath the surrounding mountains. Dozens of side rooms and passages lined the corridors, and every so often they made detours around collapsed debris and other obstructions. Nail seemed to know the way though. Of course he did. He was always prepared like that. Giichi didn't know how much time passed as they walked, although it felt like about ten to fifteen minutes to him.

Eventually, they reached a pair of wooden doors with brass handles. These stood out, considering all the other doors they'd seen before were rusted metal. The sign above read 'Command Center'. Without hesitating, Nail twisted the handle, the door opening with a loud creak.

"Freeze!" someone screamed inside.

Lights blinded Giichi, forcing him to raise his hand over his face. As his eyes readjusted, he saw a whole dark room of people with guns pointed at both him and Nail, all of them equipped with mounted flashlights. Giichi gasped, diving behind Nail.

"As above!" One of the group shouted.

"So below," Nail replied.

"That's the trust password. At ease." The others lowered their guns, the entire group wearing gray combat bodysuits like the one Nail wore. This was Sentinel, the special forces unit that Nail belonged to. Trained to handle missions away from Thaljista, they were a diverse bunch, represented by many different species. A couple of canines, an avian or two, and even some more exotic ones like a platypus.

Giichi relaxed too. He thought for a second Star Wolf had beaten them here.

Now that the surprise was over, the soldiers ran around, packing away a bunch of things they'd moved into this dusty, cavernous room: supply crates, lights, cots, computers, food and water… Looked like they'd been in the middle of moving beforehand. Not a surprise, considering they were all about to leave Lylat together.

A sandy tan caracal stepped forward to Nail, his distinctive tufted ears standing tall and alert, and a smile on his face. This was Sergeant Shuro Tural, the commanding officer of this operation. "Six months." He continued to grin. "Can you believe it? But we're finally going home!" He said it like it was the greatest thing in the universe.

Giichi forced a smile to be polite, but on the inside he felt sick.

"We encountered some complications on our way here." Nail kept his blank face unchanged. "Sable revealed our identities to Star Wolf and offered a three-million credit bounty for Giichi alive."

"'Complications' is putting it lightly." Shuro's eyes widened, his tall ears rigid straight.

Nail rattled off the details, sounding bored. "Star Fox arrived in time to be a distraction like we planned, but we had to shoot our way out of the Retribution. We stole a fighter, but it was damaged on takeoff, and Wolf identified our ship before we could escape. I managed to crash land in a clearing several miles away from here, but Star Wolf would've located the fighter by now."

"Will they be able to track you here?" Shuro asked.

"I don't know." Nail shook his head. "We just ran here as fast as we could."

Shuro wasn't so jovial anymore. Looking at the others, he shouted, "Everyone! Star Wolf's on the way! Prioritize moving out anything that connects us to the Free Azerian Republic! Anything with our military markings! Weapons! Computers! Files! Double time! Go go go!" Shuro clapped his hands. "We leave in half an hour! Get this crap on the ship already! Pass it on to the others!"

A coordinated frenzy took hold as the soldiers hurried to complete their tasks twice as fast as before.. A gray vixen was shouting and hurling around crates almost half her size without even breaking a sweat, a nearby weasel catching them and placing them onto carts, which drove off once they were full.

"Excuse me." Nail left Giichi's side.

He strode towards a stack of long green cases, which a coyote was busy packing away. Nail spoke something to the other canine and took one of the cases for himself, undoing the clamps on it. He extracted an assault rifle like the ones the other operatives had. That is, the weapon used bullets as opposed to energy for its projectiles, like Nail's handgun. He pulled back the charging handle to clear it, sighting the optic on the far wall. Satisfied with the check, he pulled several banana-shaped magazines out of the case, feeding one into the weapon while putting the spare ones in his harness' pouches. He slammed the case closed, nodding for the coyote to take it away now. Nail slung the rifle around himself, the weapon now prominently displayed across his chest.

A twinge of fear crept along Giichi's back, seeing the weapon. Already he was reminded of Thaljista despite not being there yet. Back there, he was frequently protected by bodyguards with those kinetic rifles, but he still didn't particularly like the sight of them. Their world was a screwed-up place.

Nail pulled out his pistol, holding it out to Giichi handle first. "Take it. You need it."

Giichi shook his head. "Please no, I'm scared I might shoot one of you by mistake." He was always too afraid to hold those things, even if Nail took him shooting occasionally to train him.

Upon Giichi mentioning friendly fire, Nail appeared to think better of the idea and put his handgun back in its holster.

Shuro was confused about Nail's rifle, though. "What do you need that for? What about your fancy glove?"

Nail showed the glove on his right hand. "Durability needs work." The silvery metal still appeared melted, sliding downwards wherever gravity had a hold of it. Some of the glove's fingers had stuck together, and he flexed his hand to pull them apart.

"What the…?" Shuro reached over, touching the glove. The soft metal gave way beneath his fingers, leaving a visible imprint where he touched it. "What the hell did you do to this thing?!"

"A bear in power armor tried to slice me in two with a plasma cutter." Nail said it like it was just another day at work. "Used the glove to block it."

"Goodness man!" Shuro winced as he observed the damage. "You know how expensive that glove is, right? We only have a few prototypes!"

"It can be replaced. Giichi can't."

Shuro sighed, turning to look at Giichi. Well, the sand cat hated to inflate his own importance, but Nail did have a point.

Shaking his head, the caracal called out. "Hey! Canma! Come over here!"

An ashen vixen walked over to the three of them. When her eyes caught sight of Nail, a smile crossed her silver muzzle. Her dark grey ponytail bounced as she approached. Her clothes were covered with a light layer of dust due to the musty conditions. Even so, her bushy tail wagged behind her as she looked at Nail

"Ahem, I'm over here." Shuro rolled his eyes.

"What?" She jerked her head towards the caracal, smile dropping away from her face. Her ears turned backwards. "Sorry. What do you need?"

Shuro pointed towards Nail's glove. "Work your magic, girl." Smirking, he patted Nail and Giichi on the back. "Good to see you guys here. I got some other stuff to take care of." He walked away, raising a finger as he did so. "Don't get too cozy! We'll be gone before you know it!"

Canma returned her eyes towards Nail, smiling until she saw the glove. "Oh my! What happened?"

"Bear with a plasma cutter." Nail repeated, no change in his voice.

The vixen's reaction couldn't be any more different. "Are you all right?!" Her eyes ran up and down his body, although obviously he was fine considering he'd made it all the way here from the Retribution. She still seemed frightened out of her wits. "I'm glad you're finally off that pirate ship. Star Wolf's comms were going crazy once they figured out who you two were!"

"Your concern is noted, but I'm not important." He brushed aside her hand, the blank expression on his face unchanging. The canine looked at Giichi. "Only he is."

Canma deflated on those words. "Well, let me fix that glove."

She pulled a syringe out of one of the pouches on her vest, the liquid inside colored silver like the glove itself. Nail held up the glove for her. After sticking the needle into the material, she depressed the plunger. The effect was immediate, with the liquid-like metal hardening back into its intended shape.

"We'll need to get this thing back to our labs to fix it properly, but this should keep it from falling apart in the meantime." Canma put away the syringe. "Don't try transforming it or anything until we make it back home."

"Understood." Nail nodded.

Canma waited for him to say something else, although he kept quiet. Her ears drooped again. "Okay. I'll keep packing." She turned around and left, her bushy tail drooping behind her.

Giichi waited off to the side, uneasy on his feet due to everything that had transpired recently. So much had happened within the span of the past hour or so. How did these guys deal with gunshots and explosions around them all the time? He took a seat on a nearby swiveling office chair, thinking it would help him calm down. He was about to close his eyes when he saw something in his peripheral vision.

The case.

The silver case rested on a nearby defunct console, sitting there like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. Hard to believe it was the entire reason everyone was running around and fighting and killing each other. Even this far away from Thaljista, the conflict between the Royalists and the Separatists was taking lives.

"What's wrong?"

Startled, Giichi turned to see Nail standing there, ever watchful as he always was.

"Was all this worth it?" The cat's eyes settled back on the case.

"Yes." Nail looked at the case too. "The Royalists don't get that, and the Separatists survive another day."

As much as Giichi tried to relax, a slow burning anger rose inside him, his hands clenched around the chair's armrests like he was trying to crush them.

Nail put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Snarling, the sand cat leaped out of his chair, sending it spinning. "Do I look like I am?!" He shouted at his bodyguard, Giichi needing to crane his neck backwards to look him in the face. "All those people you killed! Like the bomb in my room. And everyone in the hangar. I could hear their screams. It's like you were a slasher in a horror film! And Ooveh…you were going to shoot him while he was helpless!"

"Yes, but I didn't kill him because you told me to and look what happened." Nail glared at Giichi. "If you were anyone else, I would have ignored you."

Giichi snarled. He supposed Nail was right about what happened, but... "Well, you didn't need to kill Panther! When I saw him go into my room, I almost had a heart attack!"

"It's unfortunate the bomb didn't get him." Nail kept his voice level, unfazed by Giichi's shouting. "Taking out Star Wolf's number three would have thrown all of them into disarray." Of course, only Nail would look at his death in such a cold way.

"But Panther's not a Royalist! He just wanted to be friends. He trusted me." Giichi sniffed.

"You knew we'd have to betray Star Wolf eventually, Giichi." Nail shook his head. "That's why I warned you not to make friends. Also, you decided to come along on this mission, as much as I warned you otherwise. You were told about what we might have to do in order to complete it."

"I just wanted to help! I wanted to help us win against the Royalists!" Giichi's fists balled up, refusing to back down. His striped tail thrashed around behind him.

"Then I suppose you aren't cut out for getting your hands dirty." Nail shook his head. "You should stay in Kinnor."

Giichi almost wanted to take a swing at Nail for saying that, but someone clearing their throat interrupted him. Canma stood there, wringing her hands, with Shuro beside her. Were they there the whole time?

"Sorry to interrupt," Canma said. "Do you feel something? Like a vibration?"

Giichi looked around the room. While nothing appeared out of the ordinary, something did seem off now that she mentioned it. Through his feet, he could feel a slight rumbling sensation coming from the floor. What the hell was it? An earthquake? Everyone else noticed it now too. A droning noise echoed around them, quiet at first but growing to a dull roar. Monitors hanging from the ceiling creaked, their supports rattling. And this room was deep underground. What was causing enough noise and vibration to make it all the way down here?

"Star Wolf," Canma said. "They found us!"

~X~

You're stupid, Slippy. Can't do anything right.

He fished around in his Arwing's cockpit for his emergency pack, the word 'fishing' appropriate considering the cockpit was half filled with water. The fighter rested on the banks of a jungle river, most of it underwater except for the top of the blue G-diffuser units. At last he found what he was looking for, his webbed hand pulling the pack out from behind the seat. But the bag got hung up on something. The toad grunted, trying to yank it out. It popped loose, sending him falling backwards into the dirty brown water. He sighed, blowing a bubble out of his mouth. Oh well, he was an amphibian. Within seconds he'd dragged the pack to the river's muddy shore, opening it up to reveal his emergency supplies.

One of the items was an emergency beacon to help Star Fox locate him. Slippy groaned upon seeing it again. He wished he didn't need to use this thing as much as he did. Why did he try to take on Wolf of all people?

Because you're stupid. We already went over this.

Slippy shook his head. He wanted to take revenge for his father, but he'd failed. And I also let Star Fox down...again. Can't forget that. The toad wasn't looking forward to seeing his teammates again. Whenever they rescued him, Fox always told him everything was fine and not to worry about it, but Slippy got the feeling the words weren't sincere. At least Fox hadn't fired him yet, but then again Slippy doubted the vulpine could find anyone else with similar engineering skills for the same low pay.

The rain pelted down on Slippy's head, soaking his cap and flight jacket. He looked at the brown river, swelled up in size from the deluge of rain falling into it. White crested waves crashed along the shore, lapping at his feet. Good thing he was Star Fox's best swimmer by a long shot, or the current would have swept him away. Hey, it was at least one small victory, right? Slippy didn't feel much better though.

Thunder roared overhead. At first Slippy thought it was the storm, but he realized those were ship engines. He glanced up in the sky, spotting small silhouettes of fighters against the dark clouds. Was that Fox and the others coming to rescue him? I see two fighters, three…wait, four? Five? Seven? Twelve? Now there were too many to count, all of them heading east. They didn't adhere to any type of formation, flying more like a disorganized mob.

Star Wolf! They're looking for me!

Slippy sprinted across the muddy river bank, diving into the tree line. Trembling, he peered out from underneath a leafy bush. He couldn't stay here. The Arwing would be easy to spot from the air; its white and blue paint clashing against the jungle's foliage. Slippy was about to run…but the fighters held their course due east. They must have seen the Arwing, so why weren't they stopping? Where were they headed?

Star Wolf wouldn't come down here without a good reason. In fact, didn't Wolf have most of his force on the surface when Star Fox first arrived here? Why? Now that he was curious, Slippy knew he wouldn't be content waiting for Fox to save him again. Maybe he could follow Star Wolf, and see what was going on. Not fight them. Just do recon. It sounded reasonable in his head. His mind made up, he put the emergency beacon back into the pack.

After slinging the bag over his shoulder, he followed the fighters east. The river seemed to lead in the same direction.

~X~

Tadao led the way for Wolf's small group, following the trail of footsteps and hacked brush Augustine had left in his wake. The lizard's energy knew no bounds, effortless in the way he leaped over fallen logs, scaled over rocks, and crashed right through the foliage. Wolf and the others struggled to match his pace, but knowing their target was mere minutes ahead gave them all a renewed sense of energy, anticipating the end of the hunt. Sweat ran in rivulets across Wolf's body, between the heat, the humidity, and the energy he was putting out, but he didn't notice at all. There'd be plenty of time to rest when this was all over.

Ships roared over their heads, going the same direction. While fighters patrolled the skies, their atmosphere-capable frigates held position some distance ahead of them. A few minutes ago, Jamal had informed Wolf he'd spotted a huge structure on the Retribution's scope, saying it looked like some sort of abandoned base. The lupine didn't know whose base it was originally and didn't really care. There wasn't a doubt in his mind this was where those two had taken refuge after abandoning the fighter.

Smashing through the last set of bushes, they emerged into a clearing, finally seeing the base with their own eyes. Despite being in ruins, it was an impressive sight, with those huge metallic walls towering over their heads. They ran into the valley, the ground beneath changing from mud into concrete as they moved into the base proper.

The light frigates hovered above them, blocking out much of the sky. He winced at the loud noise of their engines. Dropships descended downwards, landing on the valley's floor and deploying their occupants. Wolf's merry band of pirates, mercenaries and thugs quickly filled the space.

As Wolf gazed around, a sense of familiarity came over him. He recognized the architecture, plus some of the designs of the vehicles, like the tanks, the jeeps, and whatnot. Why was that? He jogged over to a nearby destroyed tank, covered with moss and overgrowth. Brushing it aside, he recognized the logo: it was an ape's face, although it wasn't Andross. It was another ape he knew…Andrew Oikonnoy. Now he knew who built this place.

Right before the Aparoid Invasion started, Andrew went on a stupid quest to revive Venom and Andross' dream. As a result, he made it a point to emulate everything about his uncle, right down to what his bases looked like and the technology he used. No wonder this place seemed familiar. However, Wolf knew Star Fox had ripped through Andrew's army like wet tissue paper, but he didn't expect anything else. On top of being a lousy pilot, Andrew was no genius tactician either, something that Wolf had gotten a firsthand look at several years ago.

When he heard about Andrew's death to the Aparoids, he remembered smiling and saying 'good riddance.'

"You know this place?" Tadao was suddenly on Wolf's left, his face hovering just an inch away from his muzzle.

Startled, Wolf jumped back a step, his hand going for his blaster by instinct. Holy shit, it was like Tadao just teleported there! The lizard didn't seem to notice where the lupine's hand was, just vacantly grinning away like he always did. He sighed, taking his hand off of the gun.

"Andrew's old base," Wolf spoke up, louder than usual as he tried to be heard over the roar of the frigates. "He's dead now."

"What an unfortunate loss…" Tadao's smile melted away, as he surveyed the destruction. "I wish I could have been here to help. If only I knew Venom had a new base on this planet, I could have rejoined the fight! I missed it all!" He punched a fist into his open palm, glaring at his surroundings.

Wolf rolled his eye. If the lizard had been here, there was a good chance he'd be dead already. Although thinking about it, Tadao probably wouldn't mind dying in battle, and maybe even welcome it. Back in the Lylat Wars days, Andross whipped his soldiers into a frenzy with his speeches, making them believe eternal glory and immortality awaited anyone who died in Venom's service. No doubt Tadao was still drunk on that propaganda.

Whatever, it wasn't important now. They had work to do. Wolf changed his comms back over to the Retribution. "Jamal, are you detecting anything unusual within the base?"

"The ambient heat of the jungle is making it difficult to detect specific heat sources," The rhino replied. "Not to mention if they're deep underground that makes it doubly hard to pick them apart from the ambient heat. However…"

"Yes?" Wolf's eyebrows raised in anticipation.

"There is a slightly abnormal heat level in the underground corridors to your east, on the upper levels. It might just be a large concentration of wildlife, but I would begin the search there."

Wolf looked towards the east, spotting a ground level doorway built into the metallic cliff before them. The door was slightly ajar, and it was in the same direction they'd been following the footprints.

"Tadao, do you still have their trail?"

The lizard examined something on the ground, looking at patches of mud in the midst of the sprawling concrete and metal space. "It's harder to follow their steps in a place like this. Most people don't leave their footprints on metal or concrete after all." He knelt, tracing his leathery fingers along a depression in the dirt. He smiled, nodding approvingly, before looking up at Wolf. "But I think we're still on the right trail. I see two sets of prints now instead of one, and the prints are getting closer together in strides. Augustine isn't running with Giichi on his back anymore. They're getting close to their destination, since it would slow them down to let the cat walk on his own."

They were settling down somewhere? Wolf liked the sound of that. It would make them easier to capture if they were stopping to rest or regroup. But Wolf's group would need to be more careful, as they were getting closer. The lupine reached for his radio again.

"Jamal…" Wolf spoke into his comms. "Have the fighters and frigates hold above our position. Let us know if anyone attempts to leave the base. And send some dropships to the upper docking bays on the eastern side of the valley. We'll come at them from both above and below."

"Roger Wolf, dispatching now."

Wolf cut his comms, turning to Panther, Leon, Tadao, and Ooveh. "All of you are with me. Tadao, lead the way."

Tadao bowed, running for the door as though he was a hunting dog being told to track a scent. The group followed after him with rapid speed. They filed inside through the open door, grateful to be out of the rain at last. Augustine's and Giichi's footsteps were plainly visible in the dust. As they moved deeper into the maze, more sets of footprints appeared next to Augustine's and Giichi's. They should be close to the hideout now.

And then they saw it. At the far end of the hallway were two double doors marked 'Command Center', a strip of light visible underneath them. That had to be the place.

Tadao put a finger to his lips, extinguishing his flashlight and putting it away.

They crept towards the underlit door, making their footsteps as soft as possible. Tadao pulled his machete out of its scabbard, only the soft sound of the metal on the leather as he brought it to the ready. Panther and Leon held their blasters up, ready to fire at any time. Ooveh kept his larger gun fixed on the twin doors, just waiting for someone to burst out through them. The tension was electric, each member of the group ready to snap into action at a split second's notice.

When they reached the doors, Leon passed a flashbang to Wolf, before assuming his position at one of the door handles. Panther took the other one. With everyone in position, Wolf held up three fingers, counting them down. At zero, Leon cracked open his door, the lupine tossing his grenade through the opening. With a loud pop and bang, the flashbang went off, bright flashes of light blasting even through the cracks in the door. The doors were hurled open, the five of them charging inside the room as one, weapons up and ready to fire.

But no one was here.

Portable lights lit a space in the center of the room, with some boxes and random trash scattered about, but whoever was here seemed to have already left. A mess of desks, computers, and chairs covered most of the room, all of them switched off from the lack of power.

"Well… Now what?" the lupine asked.

Tadao cleared his throat. "There are more tracks leading out of the room." He pointed at the floor, showing more footprints in the dust. Curiously there were also long, straight lines going back and forth. "Whatever they've had, they've wheeled it away. We just need to keep following this, and we'll catch them eventually."

Wolf sighed. This was such a long goddamn day. He just wanted to get this done already. Nonetheless he psyched himself up, getting ready for the next stage of their hunt. "Okay, let's move—"

A beeping noise interrupted his words, coming from one of the computer workstations behind him. The group turned around, noticing one of the formerly dark monitors had switched itself on. It showed a regular desktop, nothing out of the ordinary. Wolf stepped closer, taking a look at it. A window popped open, computer code scrolling past at a rapid pace, far too fast for him to read. Before he could figure out what it meant, the window vanished, leaving the desktop blank again. What was that?

He got his answer not too long after. Another window appeared, this one much easier to understand: "Level 5 Weapon Systems Activated."

Alarms blared in their ears. Hatches opened in the ceiling, laser sentry guns popping out of them and taking aim. Then the dark room wasn't so dark anymore, as they opened fire.

Chapter Text

Deadly lasers flashed around Star Wolf, bathing the entire room in a lethal light show. Wolf dived underneath one of the consoles, one of the turrets blasting pockmarks where he'd been standing.

Ooveh's roar echoed throughout the room, even drowning out the noise of the turrets. His heavy automatic blaster answered back, silencing one of the automated guns. Wolf rolled out from underneath the desk, now laying on his back and aiming up at the ceiling. He brought up his sights on another sentry gun and opened fire. Several shots struck its targeting lens, causing it to fire wildly until Wolf struck the supporting pole. The machine went tumbling to the floor. Standing up, he took aim at another turret, soon sending it to the scrap heap. Panther and Leon joined in the shootout, and within a few more seconds all the automated guns fell silent.

The alarm in the room was still blaring out. Ooveh growled, aiming his gun at a nearby alarm panel. A quick burst of shots silenced the klaxons.

"Thank you," Wolf called out to him, dusting himself off. "Everyone good?"

The others called back in the affirmative. Safe now, the lupine growled as he gave one of the destroyed sentry guns a good kick. More damn traps. What was their next move? His comms unit beeped; Jamal was calling from the Retribution.

After answering it, the rhino's face appeared above the unit as a hologram. "Wolf! The base's security system is booting up again!"

"Thanks for the heads up," Wolf rolled his eye. "We already destroyed the turrets. What else you got for me, Captain Obvious?"

"What do you mean? It's happening all over the base!"

The entire base rocked around him, distant explosions and gunfire echoing through the many corridors. An entire battle had started, with them right in the center of it.

"You need to pull everyone out of there! You'll get shot to pieces if you try going further inside!"

Wolf glared at Jamal, shaking his head. "No."

"But Wolf, the casualties will be enormous and—"

"You're the captain of the Retribution." Wolf jerked a finger at Jamal's image. "But I own Star Wolf. We keep pushing inside."

"Lord O'Donnell…" The rhino took a more respectful, quiet tone. "Please, we can wait outside and cover all the exits. They'll have to come out eventually. No one will leave without us seeing it."

"Yeah?" Wolf raised an eyebrow. "Under your watch, no one was supposed to escape from the Retribution either, right?"

Jamal looked down so the brim of his old military cap covered his eyes.

"These two are slippery. If they had a plan to get off the Retribution, they planned a way out of here too." Wolf clenched his fist. "We need to find them ASAP. Now, Captain Jamal," Wolf mimicked the rhino's formal tone, "how are you going to help me with that?"

The rhino's leathery brow furrowed. The gears were turning in his head, but Wolf didn't have high hopes for a solution.

A distant pair of running footsteps sounded over the comms, getting closer to the microphone. The rhino looked off camera, just in time for a huge mass of quills to fill the image.

Although Wolf couldn't see a face, he knew who it was. "Suneel?"

"Wolf! Wolf!" the porcupine programmer jumped up and down, trying to keep his wireframe glasses and pointy nose in the shot. When that didn't work, he reached up, turning the camera downwards to where it could see him better. "I know where Augustine and Giichi are!"

The lupine's ears perked up. "You do?!"

He nodded, quills billowing all around him as he did so. "I've been examining the base's systems since you made it there. At first they were dormant, nothing going on, but as you saw everything's come online." The porcupine grinned, words gushing out of his mouth. "I'm amazed this system is still working. The tech is incredibly durable since it's of ex-Venomian design, but these people must have done some amazing repair work to everything and—"

"Get to the part about where they are!" Wolf grit his teeth.

Suneel reared back from the camera at Wolf roaring at him, the quills still dancing around his face. "S—So sorry!" He pushed the glasses back into their proper position. "They are controlling the base's systems through a small device, something like a tablet or laptop. I can track them through its signal. Have a look at this map. We've finished scanning the base's structure."

Suneel's face became small, moving to the side. A 3D map of the base appeared, showing a blinking blue dot inside a large hangar on the top floor. Wolf's face lit up. No more hide and seek? They could go straight to the dot and find those assholes at long last?

"Suneel…" Leon moved to stand next to Wolf, so he'd be in the shot. "If this works out, consider that database encryption incident forgiven."

"Likewise!" Wolf grinned. "In fact, I think I'll double your salary for this."

Suneel laughed, although it was a nervous type of laugh. He wiped a handkerchief across his forehead.

"Jamal…" Wolf pointed at the blue dot on his map. "Send everyone we've got there, now."

The rhino's massive gray hand—bigger than Suneel's head—pushed aside the porcupine like he was a stuffed animal. The programmer even gave a small squeak as he was shoved away.

"Roger Wolf!" Jamal gave the lupine a salute with his other hand.

Wolf changed his wrist communicator to enlarge the map, grinning as he observed the base's structure. Finally! All they had to do was go to this dot to get the case. But his smile faded as he observed how far away it was. They'd entered at ground level, so a good few dozen stories separated them from their objective.

"Tadao, how old are those tracks?" Wolf asked.

"Very recent. About half an hour at most. But something worries me. Look at the amount of footprints." He waved his flashlight all over the room, the dust disturbed in nearly every corner by boot prints. "Augustine and Giichi joined a much larger group here."

"I don't care how many there are." Wolf looked at each of his companions in turn. "Star Wolf doesn't run from a fight."

Without hesitation, Tadao got on his knees. "Forgive me." He bowed. "I didn't mean to insinuate anything, Wolf."

The lupine's eye widened at the submissive gesture, before beaming a smile. You couldn't buy loyalty like this. If only he could inspire this level of obedience in the rest of his men. "Let's hunt them down! Tadao, take the lead!" Wolf pointed his finger at the door where the tracks led.

They proceeded down the hallway, making a racket as they stumbled over the clutter. Rocks and rubble shifted underfoot, the low light conditions not making things any easier. Wolf kept checking the base's holographic map every couple seconds. The blue dot hadn't moved yet, but he didn't know what that meant. Were Augustine and Giichi still there? Was the case there? Or was it all a big decoy, like when Wolf sent most of his PMC to the surface the first time to find the case?

They reached a t-junction at the end of the corridor. Tadao signaled for everyone to stop again. He waved his flashlight between the two branching paths over and over again.

"What is it now?!" Wolf clenched his teeth.

"They split into two groups here. Most of them went right." He pointed the beam in that direction, indicating the wheel tracks and multiple footprints in the dust. "But a smaller group went left. Only about three or four people at most."

Wolf's eye darted back and forth between their two choices. Which group had the case and Giichi? Or what if Giichi was in one group and the case in the other? Wolf needed to make a decision fast, but at the same time this was Augustine they were dealing with. Misdirection and traps were the guy's calling cards. The lupine's head buzzed, weighing his options. Left or right? Split up the group? Tell Jamal to divert some forces to look for the second group or keep chasing the blue dot? He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Wolf tapped his foot on the floor, faster and faster. Time he didn't have kept ticking away.

Why couldn't this be Fox he was dealing with? Yeah, the pup shot him down from time to time, but at least Fox was honorable enough to fight you head on. Not all this sneaky shit and mind games.

"Wolf…" Tadao looked Wolf in the eye. "Let me take some of your men to the left. You have your device to guide you to the hangar, right? You don't need my help to find the way."

The lizard's honeyed words cut through the noise inside Wolf's head, bringing everything back into focus. The lupine had been letting his thoughts run away too much. Tadao did have a good point, and his tracking skills had proven to be impeccable so far. Why not trust them one more time?

"Okay." Wolf nodded to Tadao. "Check it out, but stay on comms." He pointed at Leon and Panther. "You two go with him."

"No." Panther narrowed his eyes. "I'm certain Giichi went with the bigger group." Panther glared at the tracks heading into the right tunnel. "I need to catch him."

He needs to catch him? Wolf studied Panther closely. "What is it with you and Giichi?"

"What do you mean?" Panther's harsh look melted away, now looking nervous instead.

"First you ran to his cabin, now this." Wolf stepped closer to Panther. The lupine stood a bit taller, staring down at his Number Three. "Like you've got a vendetta or something."

"I just…" Panther shrunk back, his head tipping backwards as he looked up at Wolf. "I just want to make sure he pays for what he's done. That's all."

"So?" Wolf folded his arms. "We all want that. But you're different. You're acting like your life depends on catching him. Is there something I should know, Panther?"

His Number Three remained silent, staring at the floor.

"Forgive me Wolf, but we don't have time to argue." Tadao stepped in between the pair. "Maybe we should wait until after we secure the case and the boy to discuss this?"

Wolf didn't appreciate being cut off, but Tadao made an excellent point. Nodding to the iguana, he turned to Panther. "You're going with Tadao, and that's that. Get moving!" He pointed towards the left corridor.

Tadao bowed and left as ordered, Leon following soon after. This time Panther didn't argue. In fact, he looked relieved to leave the lupine, quickly following the other two. The iguana's flashlight beam was soon out of sight. Wolf would remember to ask Panther more about this after the mission, and Giichi too if they managed to catch him.

"Was this the right choice?" Ooveh's thumping footsteps sounded behind Wolf, the bear towering over him. "Maybe you should have sent me with them."

Wolf spared a glance up at his tall companion. "A smaller group moves faster and quieter than a big one." He smirked as he tapped one of his fists against the chest piece of the bear's combat armor. It felt like rapping on a solid brick wall. "No offense, but you're not exactly subtle, big boy."

Ooveh gave a deep laugh, the sound rising up from his belly. "Well, my mutti didn't feed me much else besides fleisch, kartoffe, brot und bier. Of course I would grow to be grosse." He got a faraway look in his eyes. "I should visit her at some point. It has been too long."

The lupine grinned at the bear and pretended he understood those foreign words. "Whatever happens, I'm sure you'll get a chance to use that where we're going." He pointed at the heavy automatic laser in the bear's hands. Glancing back at his map, he said, "We need to keep moving. Let's go."

Wolf led the way now, using his own flashlight to cut a path through the darkness. A sentry gun or two barred their way, but it was no trouble for them to dispose of. The tracks they were following ended at a freight elevator.

"Should we use the elevator?" Ooveh asked. "They could trap us inside."

Wolf's face scrunched up. It was a good point. But at the same time, if they tried hoofing it up forty-plus stories they'd never catch up in time. "We'll have to risk it."

The two of them jumped inside, Ooveh slamming the gate behind them as Wolf punched the button. With a loud whine and groan the elevator set off, carrying them to the upper levels of the base. Wolf watched the numbers tick by above the door, clutching at his blaster. Couldn't this thing go any faster?

"Wolf!" Jamal called out over comms.

Wolf raised up the wrist device, Jamal's holographic face appearing there again. "What is it?"

"We've surrounded all routes in and out of the target hangar, but we're facing heavy resistance. Whoever's inside, they've got all entrances locked down tight with barriers and turrets. We can't push forward."

The things Jamal said corresponded with what Wolf was hearing and feeling. He noticed the higher they ascended, the more intense the gunfire and explosions became. The elevator rattled in its frame with every distant boom.

"I'll be there soon." Wolf cut off the connection, sighing. They weren't going to give up without a fight, huh? Well, fine then. He'd be happy to oblige.

At long last, the elevator dinged upon arriving on the top floor. When the doors slid aside, he saw the source of the noise. At the other end of the hall, some of his men gathered outside a door. Some laid on the floor, black burns on their chest and blood dripping on the floor. Another explosion rocked the hallway, blasting the doors outwards and sending a few Star Wolf grunts flying out into the corridor.

Wolf looked in through the open door. It was as bad as Jamal said. A sea of abandoned vehicles filled the room, including trucks, tanks, halftracks, jeeps, and assorted other vehicles. Many machines of war, all sitting here idle, their masters long since gone. All of his men took cover behind them, a flurry of red laser blasts flying over their heads. The volume of fire was so high the shots lit the entire room in a near constant red hue.

At the far end of the space, a giant, crude steel cocoon covered the door leading to the hangar, holes poked through the metal for turrets to shoot through. All of the suppressive fire came from there. The makeshift barrier looked to have been welded together in haste, but nonetheless it'd be difficult to break through.

Wolf rushed through the doorway, diving behind a defunct tank near the room's entrance. He spoke into his wrist comms again. "Jamal…are there any other entrances into that hangar?" Laser blasts struck the tank he hid behind, sending sparks flying. Wolf kept his head down, bits of superheated metal landing on his bare skin. He brushed them off, ignoring the pain as best as he could.

"There are, but every entrance is sealed off the same way. We can't get in."

"But that also means they can't get out. It's only a matter of time before we break in."

"How will we do that, Wolf?"

Good question. Wolf lowered his wrist comm, eyes narrowed as he observed the defensive barrier. Laying siege to the room could work, but that could take days or weeks. Sure, they'd defeated Star Fox earlier, but Wolf wouldn't be surprised if Fox reported the Retribution's location to Corneria. The CDF could be on their way right now.

Even as he was pondering that problem, Jamal presented him with another one. "Wolf! They have a ship in there!" The rhino shouted over the radio. "Our sensors are detecting its engines coming online! They're getting ready for take off!"

Panic seized Wolf, his heart racing as he eyed the metal barrier again. If they didn't break through within the next couple minutes, it would all be over. What the hell would he do now? His eyes roved over the room, trying to formulate a plan in his head. But how could he think with hundreds of thousands of laser blasts flying over his head?!

Thunk.

Wolf turned to the side, spotting Ooveh opening a panel on the side of the tank they were hiding behind. The bear sat on his knees, poking around inside for something.

"What are you doing?"

"This tank… It's in relatively good shape." He gave a grin to Wolf, as his hands kept working with something inside. "I think I can get it running again."

Oh gods above… Wolf clasped his hands together, looking up at the ceiling. I apologize for not praying to you more.

He turned to Ooveh, laughing as he clapped him on the shoulder. "All right, do it then." Wolf would love to see the look on Augustine's face when he saw a tank bearing down on him. Well, that was assuming that canine had any emotions to show, that is...

The bear fiddled around inside the compartment, playing around with a bolt or two, taking a piece out and swapping it into another place. Satisfied, Ooveh slammed the tank engine's hatch shut, patting it closed. The bear didn't waste any time, as he'd already thrown open the hatch up top and squeezed inside. With how big of a guy he was, it wasn't an easy task. He dived in head first, but squirmed around with his muscular legs kicking in the air before he could slide in. A few seconds later, the tank started up with a satisfying rumble, the engine growling. The turret on top rotated into firing position, Wolf hearing a clanking noise inside as Ooveh slammed home a shell.

The lupine covered his ears.

Ooveh fired the cannon. Wolf didn't so much hear as feel the shell detonate on the other side of the room, the entire warehouse shaking. A loud ringing sound pounded around inside his skull, as he swayed to his feet. Standing up and looking out from behind the tank, he saw the shell had shredded the steel barrier, the metal blasted apart from the inside into flower-like petals. He laughed, although he couldn't hear his own laughing at the moment.

"Climb aboard!" Ooveh had opened the hatch again, holding out a hand to Wolf.

Once Wolf settled into the driver's seat, the bear clapped him on the back in return, almost forcefully enough to send the lupine's head into the dashboard. Wolf didn't mind though, a toothy smile on his face as he looked through the driver's slit window. The smoke was clearing now, and he saw shadowy figures running down the hallway behind the destroyed barrier. It was them! The people who took the case from him! They'd been playing him like a fiddle all this time. Augustine, Giichi, Harry, Franco, and who knew how many others.

Well, play time was over, and it was time to take back what he rightfully stole. The tank groaned as it moved from its resting position, rotating to face the open corridor. He spotted a handheld microphone nearby, noticing it was plugged into the tank's loudspeaker. Smiling, he flipped a switch, the speaker crackling as it came to life.

"Run them down!" Wolf shouted into the mic, his voice booming through the warehouse.

He slammed his foot on the accelerator, the vehicle pulling a wheelie as it surged forward across the concrete floor. The Star Wolf mercenaries roared in excitement, waving their weapons in the air like a barbarian horde as they ran behind him. The tank tossed aside what was left of the barricade like nothing was there, entering the passage beyond.

And then Wolf noticed a problem.

He slammed on the brakes, the tank lurching forwards as it halted. The excited shouts of his men died in their throats, stopping to mill behind him and wondering why they weren't moving forward anymore.

"What's wrong?" Ooveh poked his head down from his station in the turret.

"Umm..." Wolf pointed his finger through the driver's slit. "This tank. We're too wide to fit."

The lupine eyed the mysterious figures running through the passageway, towards the end of the corridor. There was the hangar. He could see their getaway ship from here. The case was right there! Wolf's fist clenched around the tank's steering wheel.

"Screw it!" Wolf planted his foot on the accelerator, forcing the tank into the too-small corridor. The walls on either side collapsed as he drove through them, the tank smashing right through the concrete like it wasn't there. Wolf cackled, watching Augustine's friends looking behind them, falling over themselves as they hurried to escape.

"Look at them run!" Ooveh laughed and pointed. "Like tiny insekts!"

Wolf kept his foot planted to the floor, urging the tank onwards as far as it could go. Debris piled high on top of them as the passageway crumbled, the tank bearing the weight with little problem. All of the despair from before was gone, replaced by sheer glee. Wolf felt like a medieval warrior king riding into battle on a glorious, gilded chariot, crushing everything in his path while his army rode behind him.

A red light blinked on the control panel, while a corresponding whining sound arose from the engine behind them. Wolf looked at the dashboard. The engine was starting to complain about what he was doing. But he glanced back up, seeing the hangar was just a few more meters ahead. The enemy's getaway ship was right in front of him, revealing itself as a giant rectangular freighter. Its thrusters were glowing, a dark purple hue pulsing out of them.

"Don't let me down!" Wolf begged the tank. "Do not let me down now!"

The engine groaned in agony behind them as Wolf kept his foot down. The last couple meters were torture on the poor vehicle, but it slammed it straight through the doorway at the end, bringing them into the hangar proper at last. A loud hiss and pop sounded behind Wolf, the engine finally giving out as concrete blocks and torn steel rained down around them.

Ooveh let out a disappointed sigh. "Well, that's it for the panzer, boss."

"It was good enough." Wolf made his way up the ladder out of the tank.

As the hatch opened, bullets flew all around him, pinging off the metal. He slammed the hatch shut again, hearing the little plinks off the outside of the tank. Bullets, really? Augustine's whole crew used them? Here Wolf was, getting shot at by people using technology from centuries ago. Why didn't they use bows and arrows too while they were at it? The lupine snarled, wishing he could at least peek out.

Wolf moved back to his driver's station, looking through the slit window. At least they'd made it into the hangar now, with the freighter resting a stone's throw away. Unfortunately, Augustine's friends had constructed another barricade, this one made of shipping containers, shelving, and whatever else they'd found around the room.

A loud humming sound droned over their heads. Wolf leaned forward to see what it was. Unlike a traditional docking bay, this hangar was shaped like a column, with bare rock walls extending upwards to the ceiling. A few hundred meters above, he saw it. A huge circular door was opening, exposing the stormy sky above.

"Ooveh, is the gun still operative?"

"Ja!"

"Target their engines!" Wolf pointed. "We can't let them take off!"

The bear jumped back in the gunner's position, moving the turret's stick. While it groaned trying to turn underneath the weight of all the concrete and metal on top of it, at least it could still move. Ooveh moved the cannon into position, firing another shell. Another buzzing sound coursed through Wolf's ears, the spent shell ejecting to the floor with a loud clang. Wolf glanced out through the driver's slit to see the damage to the freighter. There wasn't any.

"Their shields are up!"

"Keep shooting!"

Ooveh reloaded the cannon with lightning speed, handling the heavy shells like they weighed no more than footballs. But with every shot he made on the freighter, a blue shimmering shield blocked the shot, the shell uselessly exploding in midair.

Cries came up from behind the tank, the Star Wolf mercenaries running around the destroyed tank to join the battle. Soon Augustine's compatriots were forced to dive back behind cover again, the volume of Star Wolf mercs quickly becoming too intense to hold back.

"Keep trying with the cannon!" Wolf shouted to Ooveh, collecting his own blaster. "I'm going out to help them!"

Wolf clambered out of the tank, joining the shootout. The tank's cannon fired again, but this time some of the shrapnel managed to get through the freighter's shield, scarring the metal plating around the rear left quarter's shields. By this time the doors overhead fully opened, rain falling into the open docking bay and showering everyone inside. The ship's engines spooled up, the freighter lifting off the ground. Wolf opened fire with his laser rifle, firing everything he had, but the shield absorbed it all. His battery empty, he tossed it aside and slammed home another one, emptying another useless barrage into the ship's shields. God damn it! He wasn't going to fail now! Not after all this!

Other Star Wolf mercs fired their weapons at the shields, for all the good it did against those shields. Ooveh fired his tank cannon over and over again, but it was only doing minor damage to the ship's armor underneath. They didn't have enough firepower to take down that freighter before it could get away.

The freighter was now at the mouth of the hangar's entrance, about to make it into the open air… but a dark shape appeared over the exit. Wolf recognized the silhouette of one of his frigates, covering the hole. It opened fire with its laser batteries, the freighter's blue shield glowing in response to the incoming fire. However, that deflector shield wasn't going to last much longer, and the freighter had nowhere to go. Star Wolf had won at last. Wolf laughed, anticipating his massive paycheck...

Until the laughter died in his throat, that is. Red laser blasts struck the side of the frigate. The Star Wolf ship was taking fire from all sides now. Who the hell was doing that? Was the CDF here?

"Jamal!" Wolf roared, bringing up his wrist comm. "What's going on?!"

"The base's cliff guns…they've come online! We have to pull back!"

"Don't! The freighter will get away!"

But the frigate moved out of the way regardless. Free now, the rectangular ship ascended up into the sky, becoming smaller and smaller by the second. It turned its nose up to the dark clouds. The ship's engine made a charging sound, rising in pitch to an ultrasonic whine. Oh the noise hurt! Wolf curled his ears back, blood dripping out of one of them. He kept firing his rifle, screaming through the sound and his squinted eyes. A bright flash of light filled his eye, forcing Wolf to cover it. Another mighty boom blasted his ear drums, as he was forced to the ground. When his hearing recovered, mayday cries came over the comms from the pilots in the air, the shockwave from the blast sending them all tumbling and flying through the air.

"The freighter's gone to warp!" Jamal cried out. "He did it in atmosphere!"

For a moment, the rain stopped, the shockwave having blasted the falling water up and away. But as Wolf rose to his feet again, it came back down in one giant splash, soaking him from head to toe. He didn't notice though, staring at the empty spot where the frigate was. So close. So goddamn close. He nearly had the case again! Wolf snarled. The lupine ran his hands over his ears, soothing the agony his ear drums had gone through. He wanted to hurt someone now. He didn't care who. Just someone. Anyone.

A bullet flashed past his face, the projectile tearing through the air and billowing his facial fur. He dived onto the wet concrete behind a shipping container. Augustine's friends in the dark body suits were still there behind their barricade, having been left behind by the freighter. So...they wanted to give their lives to protect the case? Well, he'd be happy to make sure they did.

Wolf snarled, changing his comms. "Ooveh...blow them to pieces."

~X~

Even as the rain beat down upon his war torn face, Shuro grinned, watching the empty sky where the freighter had been moments ago. They'd done it. He glanced at the tablet in his hands, monitoring the status of the cliff guns outside the base. Some of them were destroyed now, but they were still pumping out a steady volume of fire, forcing Star Wolf's aircraft away from the base. Hopefully it'd be enough of a smoke screen for the rest of Sentinel to escape.

Shuro knew he was doomed, but he'd trained for this moment, spent his life preparing for it. His duty was to Thaljista even above himself, to make her a better place for future generations. That was what Razir Azer preached to them. Razir promised a future to everyone who fought under his banner, no matter their species. Shuro prayed the one life he gave today would be enough of a sacrifice to see the Free Azerian Republic's goals achieved, and that Thaljista would be at peace once again.

A bright light blinded him, flinging him through the air. He didn't know much of what happened next. He stayed airborne for what seemed like a minute, his world going completely silent, before he crashed down to the concrete, the wind knocked out of him. When he was able to hear again, he realized the shooting had stopped. Everything was quiet.

Shuro looked around, staring at the rest of the barricade they'd set up. The tank shell had ripped through it, leaving nothing but a black crater in the center. The corpses of his men lay scattered around haphazardly from the explosion, leaving him the only survivor. He shakily stood up, using the container behind him for support.

Rapid footsteps approached from behind. He turned around in time to come face to face with Wolf O'Donnell, the huge canine towering over him.

The lupine shot him in the gut.

The caracal keeled over, sinking to the floor and crumpling like a ragdoll. His chest felt like it was on fire, but when he touched that spot it was wet. His fingers came away bloody. Wolf towered over him, holding the smoking blaster, fury in his eyes. The lupine leaned over him, giving him a punch right in the face. Stars blasted through Shuro's vision, his left eye swelling.

Wolf grabbed the bottom of the feline's muzzle, turning his head so they stared each other right in the eyes. Never in his life had Shuro seen so much hatred and anger in a man's face. The leader of Star Wolf didn't say anything, but he didn't have to.

It wouldn't be a problem for Shuro for much longer though. "You—" Shuro coughed, blood running out of his mouth. "You might have killed us, but you'll never get that case."

The caracal's head rolled backwards, eyes closed as a sigh escaped his mouth.

Chapter Text

With their rifles in hand, Canma sprinted after Nail through the corridors. He led the way, consulting the base's 3D hologram map on his wrist computer whenever they reached a junction. The halls' automatic doors opened for them whenever they approached, revealing still more corridors.

Giichi kept lagging behind, even though he wasn't weighed down by gear like they were. The only thing he carried was the case, but even that put a strain on his stamina. Canma had to give Giichi credit though: he never once complained about the pace. Of course, it didn't hurt they were being chased by an angry swarm of space pirates right now. That did wonders for motivation.

As they turned another corner, a distant boom echoed through the base, dust raining down from the ceiling. Nail stopped and held up his fist, Canma halting on the spot. Giichi collided into her from behind. He mumbled a quick 'sorry', then leaned against a wall. Several more booms rumbled the entire corridor, all of them happening in rapid succession.

"What's that?" Giichi took deep breaths in between words, sweat staining his face and red hoodie.

"The base's defense turrets." Nail looked around, the distant rumbles shaking the corridor. "Shuro reactivated some of them in case Star Wolf found this place. They're our smokescreen while we escape on the second ship."

Giichi winced every time another rumble rattled the corridor.

Canma knew what he was thinking about. Giichi wasn't used to warfare like she and Nail were. She glanced at the case in Giichi's hands. Hard to believe the contents of an otherwise inconsequential briefcase could inspire so much death and destruction. Sad, but they had a mission to complete. The sooner this case could be handed off to their superiors, the better.

Giichi pointed back down the hallway. "What about Shuro and the others and—"

Nail grabbed the cat's wrist, pulling him in. "They're distracting Star Wolf so we can escape." His blank expression never changed. "We have to keep moving."

Tears reached Giichi's eyes, as he realized the sacrifice being made for their sake.

"Time to go." Nail yanked on Giichi's arm, nearly pulling it out of the socket. The canine ran so fast the sand cat almost fluttered like a flag in the air behind him, his feet only making sporadic steps on the floor.

Canma's eyes hardened as she followed. Six months. Six months since the last time she'd seen Nail. Meanwhile, she'd remained with the rest of Sentinel on Fortuna, preparing for this escape at the end. What a terrible wait, wondering if Nail was alive or not since they couldn't risk communications. At least now they were together again.

The journey continued for an indeterminate amount of time. Nail's chest heaved, his breaths becoming ragged. That was an unusual sight. She always thought of him as being part machine, given how he never seemed to be short on energy. But he'd also fought that giant bear, not to mention run on foot through the jungle for a few miles to make it here. He'd had no time to rest and recover. Nonetheless, he kept dragging Giichi along.

They reached the door to the docking bay where the ship should be. Nail cracked it open, him and Canma glancing inside. The sound of the rain outside became evident here. Light shone in through the open docking port in front of them, silhouetting a medium-sized freighter, waiting in silence for them. The opened rear cargo hatch beckoned the three of them to enter. Nail paused to wipe some of the sweat from his brow. All the running had taken a toll on them.

Nail closed the door again. "I'll go first. The ship should be empty. We're the only ones evacuating in it," he whispered, raising his rifle. "Still, keep your guard up."

That got Giichi's attention, as he moved behind Canma. His nervous breaths tickled the back of her neck, his body heat radiating onto her. The fur on the back of his neck and tail puffed out. He looked ready to bolt and run, which was the last thing they needed right now.

She put a hand on his shoulder, forcing a smile. Even if she was also afraid, she needed to be his beacon of strength right now.

Giichi locked eyes with her. While he didn't smile back, at least his fur wasn't as puffed out now. He seemed to get what she was trying to project to him.

She patted him on the shoulder, keeping the artificial smile on. Stay close to us. That's the safest place for you right now. Crisis averted, she turned back to Nail and nodded.

With her signal, Nail cracked the door one more time, scanning the hangar for threats. After one last check, he sprinted across the floor, covering the distance to the cargo hatch within seconds. The canine stopped there, waving for Canma and Giichi to move up while he covered the room with his rifle.

Gathering herself up, she dashed across the floor, Giichi sticking behind her like glue. Her heart raced as they crossed the open space, relieved nothing happened once they climbed the ramp into the cargo bay. The ship was as silent as a tomb. Nobody was supposed to be here, so that should've been a good thing, but Canma clutched her hands around her rifle as she watched Nail in front.

A lot of things had gone wrong despite Sentinel's carefully laid plans, and it scared the hell out of her. Harry and Franco weren't supposed to die, and Star Wolf was never supposed to find this place. They were so close to escaping, and yet she sensed something awful was coming.

Nail pointed at a sign marked 'Bridge,' leading the way up a staircase to the flight deck. Once they made it to the top, they turned a corner, with the bridge's door now in sight. Nail pointed at Giichi, and then waved his hand at the stairs, indicating to wait here while they checked the bridge.

Canma didn't like leaving Giichi by himself, even if he was only a few steps away, but they still didn't know if the ship was clear. She guided the cat back into position, giving him another reassuring pat and signaling him to stay put. Giichi's eyes widened when he realized he was being left alone, but he complied, clutching to the silver case with both arms like it was a life preserver.

With him out of the way, Canma took position on one side of the bridge's door, Nail on the other side. His face almost mirrored hers. Their breaths came out in ragged gasps, sweat running through their fur. Nonetheless, she psyched herself up one more time, placing her hand over the door's open button. Nail nodded. She slammed the button down, the door whooshing aside. Both of them leapt inside, rifles up.

Bright light dazzled her. Canma winced, but when everything came back into focus no one was there. Sunlight streamed in through the bridge's front viewport, which faced the open docking bay. Rain fell past the doorway, the other side of the metallic canyon visible from here. The room's computers and consoles hummed along in a steady drone, the various stations in the room all empty, including the captain's station in the floor's center. Relieved, Canma lowered her rifle. No hostiles.

"Aaah!" Giichi cried out. Scuffling could be heard in the corridor. "Nail! Help me!"

Canma spun around, rifle at the ready…but a small gray object flew past her. It ricocheted off the pilot's seat and bounced behind the captain's station.

"Flashbang!" Nail screamed.

Canma dived to the floor, shielding her eyes. A loud bang reverberated in her ears, her brain jostling around inside her skull. Ringing noises assaulted her ears, the concussive blast of the device leaving her dazed as she shambled back to her feet. Two green figures ran into the bridge through the rear door. One of them—an iguana wearing jungle fatigues—sprinted straight for her. Crimson stains covered his uniform and his face. He screamed something, the words inaudible. A bloodstained blade was in his hand, raised overhead where it caught the sunlight…

Nail's drills and training kicked in as Canma raised her rifle sideways, catching the blade with the side of her gun. The lizard snarled at her, kicking her in the torso. She stumbled backwards and collided with the navigator's chair, the rifle tumbling out of her hands. He followed with a stab aimed right at her chest. She leaned to the left, the blade grazing her body suit. She sent a right hook into his face while he was off balance from his attack. He recoiled backwards into the pilot's station, a hand clutched over his jaw. It all happened so fast she done it all by reflex and instinct.

She yanked out her sidearm, but the lizard closed the gap again, slapping her gun arm aside. He followed with a headbutt, right on the dome of her skull. Stars blasted through her eyes, as she fell flat to the floor. She scrambled to stand, but a boot pressed into her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the lizard standing over her. The blade of his machete was pointed square at her back.

The lizard grinned. "Long live Emperor Andross!"

A blur of gray and green crashed into him, sending him recoiling into the engineer's station. Nail and a chameleon struggled on the floor, fighting for control of a serrated combat knife. The chameleon was on top, trying to get the knife pointed at the canine's throat. Canma jumped to her feet, raising her pistol, but they were thrashing around too much. What if she hit Nail by accident?

The chameleon looked like he'd gained control now, the knife almost embedded in Nail's throat. Deciding the gun was too risky, Canma aimed a kick at the chameleon's triangular head. She was successful, sending him flying across the floor with blood spewing out of his mouth. He landed in a heap in front of the captain's station, the knife clattering to the floor. She smiled, relishing the moment of triumph—

Until out of the corner of her eye she saw the iguana on his feet again, slicing his machete right at her. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, the blade hissing through the air right at her face. She didn't have time to dodge.

The iguana stumbled, the blade missing short of her nose. Nail was still on the floor, having grabbed the iguana's leg to throw him off balance. Canma raised her gun again, putting the iguana's head in line with the three posts.

Scaly green arms grabbed her from behind, one of them twisting her right arm backwards. The chameleon slammed her hand into a nearby console, blasts of pain shooting through her arm. She cried out, the gun falling out of her grasp. Another scaly arm wrapped around her neck, choking her. The chameleon was laughing behind her, like this was nothing but a fun game to him. Can't breathe! Have to break free! She pounded him in the side with one of her elbows, doing it as much as she could while she had strength left. With each blow, the chameleon's grip slackened, encouraging her to keep going. She grunted, pounding him in the side over and over again, following up her last blow with a stomp to one of his feet, sending the chameleon howling and releasing her. Canma backpedaled away next to the captain's chair, getting some distance from where the chameleon now stood near the pilot's station.

Meanwhile, Nail had transformed his silvery glove into its sword form, and he was having a duel with the iguana and his machete. The iguana, aggressive as ever, used another overhead slash. It was a powerful blow, but also slow and predictable. Nail parried with his own sword and followed with a kick to the chest, sending the iguana stumbling backwards into the navigation station.

The two lizards were now side by side at the front of the bridge, with Nail and Canma themselves towards the rear exit.

Canma winced as she eyed the damage to Nail's liquid metal blade. Missing chinks marked the edges where it had made contact. And he was exhausted now, having trouble keeping his head up while he held the blade aloft. The two lizards approached with grins on their faces, hungry for more. Nail held them at bay with his sword, while Canma backed closer to the door. She'd lost her weapons in the scuffle.

More pirates were probably headed for this ship right now. If they didn't deal with these two and take off now, they wouldn't get the chance to escape at all. At the same time, they couldn't abandon Giichi and the case either. What should they do?

Nail made the choice for them.

"Take this." He drew his sidearm, holding it out to her but never once taking his eye off the lizards.

Confused, she accepted the weapon. Nail spun around, pushing her back into the corridor outside the bridge. He stepped over to the door's button.

"Save Giichi. Get the case back." He didn't even raise his voice.

That blank expression was the last thing she saw as the bridge's door slammed shut. Canma mashed her fist against the button, but it flashed red. Nail had locked himself inside with the two lizards. She hit the button several more times, before she pounded on the door with her fists instead. It wouldn't budge. Tears ran down her face. She leaned against it with her head pressed against the cool metal, weeping as she stood there.

She detected a faint cry, this time far off in the distance. Her ears canted backwards to pick up on it. Giichi! It was difficult to hear but she recognized his voice.

While she didn't want to leave, she wiped the tears from her eyes, taking one last glance at the door before running off.

Nail… Come back alive.

~X~

Leon watched as Nail turned away from the door, eyeing the strange sword in the canine's hand. He thought Ooveh was exaggerating about a shapeshifting weapon, but it was true. Right before his eyes, the visible cracks and damage repaired themselves, the blade forming back into its original shape.

However, Nail breathed hard, not fully recovered from the fight with Ooveh. Excellent. Even then, was it Leon's imagination, or did a small smirk appear on the canine's face? Like he relished the challenges he was facing.

Nail's legs coiled up, and he sprung off of the floor, a gray blur flashing through the air between himself and Tadao. Without missing a beat, Nail grabbed an overhead pipe, swinging himself over the captain's chair and propelling him towards the front viewport. Why did he want to go over there? The canine reached down to the floor for something. That vixen's pistol!

Tadao charged around the captain's chair, swinging his machete at the crouched canine. Nail saw him coming at the last second, jumping out of the way of the blade. He fired the kinetic pistol while flying backwards. Tadao ducked, the shot striking a monitor behind him and spraying out sparks.

While Nail was focused on Tadao, Leon charged the canine, lunging forward with his combat knife.

Nail spotted him out of the corner of his eye, leaping straight up like he was weightless. The canine clung to the ceiling, his legs and left hand adhered to the surface while he aimed down with the pistol. Ooveh wasn't kidding about his agility. Tadao's machete whistled through the air, narrowly missing Nail's right leg and clanging off the ceiling. He moved his leg off the surface to avoid the blade, but evidently two limbs weren't enough to support him. Nail toppled from the ceiling, landing in a crouch.

The chameleon grinned, charging the canine with the knife once more. His blade was mere inches from meeting flesh, Leon knowing Nail couldn't evade in time. His knife unexpectedly clanged against something. Confused, he looked down.

Nail had turned his glove into a small shield, the knife embedded into it instead of the canine's flesh. Before he could blink, he found himself staring into the barrel of Nail's pistol, the bullet in the chamber visible.

Yet the shot didn't come. Nail noticed something behind the chameleon, jumping backwards behind the captain's station. Leon wondered why, until Tadao fired one of the kinetic rifles right next to the chameleon's ear. Leon covered his ears while Tadao laughed, spraying the entire magazine at the captain's station. Bullets ripped through the circuitry and the chair's fabric, sending plastic and electronic bits flying everywhere. It was an impressive display… until the magazine clicked empty.

Nail leaned out from behind the chair, blind firing his pistol. Feeling the bullets cracking through the air around him, Leon dived to the floor to where the canine didn't have an angle on him, Tadao landing right next to him. Sparks and hot metal rained down on their backs, the smell of gunpowder in the air. It'd been so long since he'd faced off against a kinetic weapon he'd nearly forgotten the smell. Nail stopped shooting, his magazine clattering to the floor as he reloaded.

Leon leaped to his feet, charging round the captain's station on Nail's blind side. The chameleon aimed a kick at the crouching canine. He backpedaled out of the way, but the spare magazine slipped out of his hands, clattering to the floor.

Click.

The sound was from behind Leon. He turned around, seeing Tadao holding the other kinetic rifle the two canines had brought with them. Heh, it's over now. Leon smirked. Nail's got nowhere to hide from- "Ugh!"

A gray furred arm wrapped itself around his neck, squeezing all the air out of him. Nail spun him around, so he was now facing Tadao holding the rifle, but Leon had an answer for that.

He spun the knife around in his hand, plunging it downwards into Nail's leg.

"Aaaagh!" Nail cried out, releasing Leon. The canine shoved him away, sending him barreling across the floor straight towards Tadao. Surprised, the iguana lowered the rifle, Leon almost falling right into his arms.

Ca-click.

The two turned around, as Nail stuffed another magazine into the handgun.

They dived behind the captain's station...only for silence to greet them. No gunshots.

There was a loud grunt from Nail, then a thunk overhead. Nail hung from an overhead pipe by one hand, aiming at the two of them with the gun in his other. Leon snatched away Tadao's rifle, spraying the entire magazine in Nail's general direction. Nail dropped out of sight, but Leon heard a satisfying grunt as the canine fell to the floor. Chuckling, Leon walked around the chair.

Nail had been hit. A splotch of red was on the side of his torso, as the canine cradled the leg with Leon's knife in it. He landed on it after dropping from the ceiling. Weakly, Nail raised the pistol, but the movement was so slow Leon easily kicked it out of his hand. Nail was finished. Or so Leon thought. The silvery glove transformed into a sword again, Nail pointing it at the chameleon as he stumbled to his feet, trying to not put weight on his injured leg.

"Heh heh heh…" Tadao chuckled, stepping up with his machete. "Not so fast anymore, eh dog?" He took a swing at Nail's midsection.

The canine blocked it with his liquid sword, but took a big stumble backwards from the force. A chink of the liquid metal fell to the floor, transforming into a droplet. Tadao shook his head in amusement, as he pressed his attack with more slashes. Nail deflected every attack, but that was what Tadao wanted anyway. After each parry, the canine struggled a bit more to ward off the hit. Every blow ripped another chunk off of the sword, sending droplets of the strange material falling to the floor. Tadao was setting Nail up for a finishing blow.

Leon grinned.

Nail's back hit the bridge's exit door, leaving him nowhere to run. His strange alien weapon was covered with scratches and missing chunks, not standing up any better than a toy plastic sword. Tadao sliced again, Nail raising the sword once more. The entire top half of the sword snapped off on contact, clanging to the floor before it disintegrated into a puddle. Nail stared at his weapon, stunned, while Tadao moved in, aiming the top of his machete right at the canine's chest.

"For our emperor!" He pulled the machete back, ready to pin the canine to the door.

"Wait." Leon grabbed his arm.

Tadao lowered his machete, confused.

Leon chuckled, looking at Nail. Hard to believe this canine had killed so many and given them so much trouble as of late. Now he looked like a dog who'd been run over by a truck.

"Let's keep him alive a little longer." Leon stepped in closer, those shiny golden eyes of Nail's growing dull and colorless. "I've got an idea."

~X~

Panther grinned ear to ear, holding the case under his left arm while dragging Giichi along with the right one. All of his troubles were about to be behind him. He'd deliver the case and this kid, get his share of Sable's reward, refill the deficit in Star Wolf's coffers, and be in the clear. He could take a vacation to Zoness, enjoy his Hyoodin along a coastal highway, pick up a new girl, maybe even buy a private beach to screw her on, whatever. The possibilities were endless! Panther checked his wrist comm for the base's map. The blue tinge of the image was the only light, aside from the flashlight mounted on his head.

Giichi kicked him in the side, the jungle cat's ears curling back in annoyance. The kid had been yelling and struggling the whole time, trying to break free. Panther slammed him into the wall on the right side of the corridor, the smaller feline whimpering.

"That's better," Panther muttered, continuing to drag him along.

But Giichi wriggled around in his grasp again, kicking and fighting as hard as he had before.

"Would you stop already?!" He snarled at his captive.

Panther felt like a parent dragging around an oversized, angry toddler. He'd have to discipline the kid again, show him who was boss. He leaned to slam sideways into the wall again and—

Something sharp raked across his right arm, digging deep into his flesh even under his clothing. Panther cried out, the case clattering to the floor as he released Giichi. Three bloody claw marks were on his arm now, stinging like fire. Giichi stood a short distance away, the kid holding up his hands and staring at them. His claws were out, the tips stained with Panther's blood. The two locked eyes together, astonished by what happened. Shaking his head, Giichi sheathed his claws and took off running, skinny striped tail swishing in the air behind him. He ducked through a nearby doorway.

Panther chased him through the door, following him into what looked like a supplies warehouse. The smaller cat stumbled as he ran between the shelves, taking long breaths as he pushed himself onwards. Panther caught up easily and grabbed him by his hoodie, pulling him backwards and slamming him to the floor. Giichi cried out, the impact taking out what little wind he had left in his body. Jumping on top, Panther rested a knee on top of the kid so he couldn't wiggle away again. Whirling out his sidearm, he slammed the gun right in the kid's face. Giichi's breath caught in his throat, one of his eyes on the gun and the other on Panther's face.

"You have no idea how much I want to shoot you right now." Panther snarled, as he pushed the barrel right into Giichi's eye, compressing the soft flesh into his eye socket. Giichi cried out, trying to squirm away, but Panther applied more pressure with his knee, crushing the smaller cat's lungs and holding him in place. "Too bad Sable won't let me."

"Panther…" Giichi wheezed. "I'm sorry…"

"Liar!" the jungle cat shouted, his mouth of sharp teeth on full display. Stepping off Giichi, Panther dragged him off the floor by his hood again, pulling him back under his right arm. Panther hauled the smaller cat along. "Two-faced bastard! At least Sable's gonna give me three million for you. I hope she's saving you for her personal torture dungeon or something."

"Don't give her the case," Giichi moaned, his tennis shoes dragging along the floor as they walked. "You've got no idea who she works for, what they're going to do with it…"

"I don't care." Panther hissed. "Wolf's gonna kill me if I don't replace the money I spent on the Hyoodin."

"You—you give that case to her, and a lot more people are gonna die instead." Giichi wriggled to break away again. "You're mixed up in something way bigger than you and that stupid car."

Panther halted in his tracks. He set Giichi on the ground, but grabbed the sand cat's fur on the top of his head, making him yowl. Giichi tried pawing away at Panther's hands, but the bigger cat barely noticed.

He spun his captive around so they were face to face. "So what's in this thing?" He shook the case at Giichi. "What's so important about it?"

"It's bad news, Panther…" Giichi breathed hard, shaking his head. "Nothing good will come of giving it to her."

"Answer my damn question!" Panther shouted into his face.

"Panther, please…" The cat cried out, swiping away at Panther, but he was too tired to make effective slashes with his claws now. "Lylat's not my home, but I love this place. I don't want to see it destroyed."

Panther's eyes widened. "Lylat's going to be destroyed?"

"I'll tell you what…" Giichi said. "I can give you another way out of your problem with the Hyoodin. Come with us to Thaljista. You'll never need to worry about Star Wolf again. The Separatists can pay you the millions of credits you want instead."

Panther was astonished. Both Giichi's faction and Sable wanted this case that badly? Then again, how the hell did he know Giichi was telling the truth about anything?

A rapid pattering sounded drew Panther's attention, and he turned around. A fist clocked him square in the face, sending him toppling to the floor, Giichi falling next to him. The case bounced off the ground, rolling to a stop nearby. With his vision still swimming, someone rolled him over, leaning over him. Click. The barrel of a gun came into focus. Behind the weapon there was the face of an angry vixen, harsh green eyes staring at him. Her finger twitched on the trigger, squeezing it.

"No!"

A yellow hand shot out, shoving the pistol away. It went off next to his ear, Panther screaming as the noise blasted his ear drums.

Giichi rolled to his feet, kneeling over Panther and holding his arms out.

"Giichi, out of the way." The vixen rose into a stand, holding the gun at her side.

"Please! We don't have to kill him!" Giichi remained where he was, between the two of them.

Still holding a hand over his deafened ear, Panther couldn't believe what he was seeing. Who the hell's side was Giichi on, anyway? This kid had been plotting from the start to betray Star Wolf, yet he was doing this?

Panther looked past Giichi, eying the woman. Gray fur, gray body suit like the other Sentinel members, long hair, ponytail, an elegant fluffy tail behind her. And she had curves in all the right places too… Was it his imagination, or did he recognize her from somewhere? His eyes focused on her chest, the body suit not leaving much to the imagination.

She growled at him when she noticed where his eyes were. "Are you serious?!"

Giichi glanced back at Panther, unsure of what to do now.

When he wasn't looking, the vixen lunged forwards, pushing the small cat out of the way. Panther's eyes widened. She spun the pistol around and held it by the barrel, bringing the receiver crashing down on his head. One solid whack, and he was out.

~X~

"Sorry…" Giichi mumbled to Panther, even though he was unconscious.

Canma dug around in one of the collapsed shelves, bringing out some rope. She tied Panther to a support beam, gagging him and leaving him slumped there.

"There, I didn't kill him. Happy?" Canma sighed, standing up. "We need to get back to the ship. Nail's in danger!"

Overhead, a ceiling PA speaker crackled on, with the other speakers in the hall soon following suit. Moans and screams came out of the speakers, piercing the silence of the once quiet corridors.

"What is that?!" The sand cat's eyes widened.

With how the speakers couldn't properly handle the sounds, they added in their own static blasts and scratches. Giichi winced, his ears curling back. As he listened to the screams, a horrifying realization came to him. I know that voice! He slumped to the floor, covering his ears as the terrible noises assaulted his ears. Stop! Please stop! Tears fell out of his eyes, but the acoustic attack was relentless. As it became too much to bear, the sound cut out at last.

His relief only lasted a moment.

A deep laugh echoed out of the speakers now, raising the fur on the back of Giichi's neck. "Hey kiddo, did you hear that?" Wolf chuckled. Fumbling noises came over the speakers, as the lupine repositioned the microphone. "Why don't you say hi, Augustine?"

Nail let out another loud moan, his voice unmistakable.

It is him! Giichi clenched his teeth. Please, tell me this is a nightmare!

"Oh no…" Canma shook her head, covering her mouth. "Not him…"

"Here's what happens now, Giichi. Give yourself and the case over to me, and you won't have to hear any more of that. Keep me waiting and well…Tadao and Leon here get to have some more fun." Wolf's laughter echoed throughout the whole base. "We're waiting in the hangar with your evac ship. Choice is yours, kitten."

~X~

Wolf grinned, pacing back and forth as he surveyed his captive. Augustine was chained to a support beam next to one of the docking bay's walls, bound by his arms and legs. He had a binding around his leg where he'd been stabbed by Leon, but it was only to help keep him alive long enough to be a hostage.

Leon stood next to the canine, approaching Nail's long gray tail. He grasped the end of it with a cold hand, holding the knife to it with the other, giving himself about an inch's worth of tail to work with. He sawed with the blade, using the serrated edge to ensure it caught frequently, thus requiring it to be pulled and yanked through the flesh, shredding it. The canine tried to look impassive as Leon cut away, his face contorting into all sorts of agonizing expressions, but he could not contain his wails for long.

Wolf held Shuro's tablet in front of Augustine's mouth, capturing every little moan and whimper he could for Giichi to hear. What a stroke of good luck Shuro had this. The device was like Suneel said, now giving Wolf access to the base's systems.

Leon finished cutting off the one-inch section, the piece of flesh falling away. It landed with a thump on the floor, next to a few others he'd already cut off. Nail looked at the bloody stump that used to be the end of his tail.

Though he'd expressed his pain before so exquisitely, Augustine's neutral expression had returned again, much to Wolf's annoyance. The mysterious canine's golden eyes studied the lupine. They contained no trace of menace, nor hate, nor happiness, or any other emotion. It was as if Augustine were a robot in flesh and blood form, still on a mission to kill Wolf and the others, biding his time until he could find another opportunity to do so.

Wolf held the tablet to Augustine's mouth again. "Tell Giichi to come back. Tell him to bring the case with him."

"I'll make you a deal," Augustine said.

Wolf didn't expect that, but he was intrigued. He wanted to hear this.

"We could match Sable's offer, if you let the three of us go with the case."

"You got one hundred and three million burning a hole in your pocket there?" Wolf chuckled.

"No," Augustine replied. "But my superiors would be willing to make arrangements. A payment plan."

"A payment plan?" Wolf broke out in laughter. "And how am I supposed to guarantee you'll pay me back? It's not like I can just go to court and sue you if you run. No, I think I'll settle for Sable's offer, thank you very much. Now tell Giichi to bring the case back."

Augustine shook his head. "I will give my life to protect Giichi and keep that case out of Sable's hands."

"And I'll take you up on that." Wolf smirked at his prisoner. "In all honesty though, you are one tough bastard. I'm amazed you survived a fight against Ooveh." He gave an aside glance to the bear. Ooveh's eyes hardened as he stared at Augustine, hands clenched around his heavy gun. Wolf returned his attention to the canine. "But every man's got his breaking point. Let's find out what yours is. Leon?" Wolf turned to the chameleon.

Leon stepped next to Augustine, grabbing the tail and slicing it. The canine grit his teeth, his face scrunching together as the sawing began again. His tail thrashed around in Leon's grasp, the chameleon annoyed at trying to hang onto it. A suppressed cry escaped his mouth, Wolf holding the tablet close to his mouth. With the way the sound also came out of the rusting speakers in the hangar, it created a disturbing echo. Even the other Star Wolf members in the hangar were creeped out. Wolf smiled. Just the effect he wanted to create.

Wolf flipped around the tablet. "Do you hear that, Giichi?"

"Wait…" Nail wheezed. "I've got something to say."

The lupine smirked, holding the tablet out to his face.

"Giichi…" Nail gasped out. "Don't listen to Wolf. He's going to kill me no matter what you do." He lunged forward, craning his neck towards the tablet as he shouted. "Don't let the Royalists have the case! Run! Leave me!"

Wolf pulled the tablet away, a snarl on his lips as he pistol-whipped the canine across the face. Nail's head recoiled, clanging against the support beam behind him. It settled into a slump, his muzzle resting on his chest, his eye blackened where Wolf had struck him.

Wolf's eye narrowed. "Wake him up!"

Leon stepped over, moving the canine's head back up. Thankfully Augustine was still conscious. The lupine smirked…and wished he hadn't. The blank look on Augustine's face was gone, now replaced by a hard glare. Those golden eyes… They shone in the room's darkness, feeling like they were staring straight into Wolf's soul. He felt like he was being analyzed, Augustine's brain using the data to calculate the most painful way to rip him to pieces.

While unnerved by this, Wolf waved for Leon to resume the torture. As Leon approached, Augustine suddenly lunged towards the lizard's face with an open mouth, trying to take a bite out of it. Leon dodged at the last second, punching Augustine in the face. Augustine yowled, but turned back to the chameleon, his deadly eyes now focused on his torturer. He had a massive bruise on the side of his muzzle, but looked no worse for wear otherwise.

Wolf frowned. "Tadao, help Leon."

Tadao bowed, clutching Augustine around the neck so he couldn't move his head. The canine thrashed around in his grasp like a wild animal, hissing and snarling as he tried to break free, crying out in agonizing pain while Leon went back to work on his tail, chopping through another one-inch section. With the deed done, Leon held it up, showing it to the canine. Augustine didn't care, still glaring at the three of them, a low growl escaping his mouth. He'd reduced himself to a feral. When Wolf wanted to try to get a rise out of Augustine, this wasn't what he had in mind. Even Leon was hesitant to be near him now. Nonetheless, Wolf looked around the room, noting Giichi still wasn't here.

Collecting himself, Wolf held up the tablet. "Do you hear that?" He did his best to sound brave despite what Nail had done. "I know you can hear this, Giichi."

Another few minutes passed, with no sign of the cat. Wolf gave another nod to Tadao and Leon, and the sawing resumed, Wolf making sure to capture every little sound Nail made for everyone in the base to hear. After a while, he decided to take a breather, handing the tablet to one of his grunts. Wolf noticed Ooveh standing in the corner again, leaning against the wall.

"Something wrong?" Wolf walked over, needing to crane his neck back to look the bear in the face.

"I don't like torture." Ooveh averted his eyes from what Leon and Tadao were doing.

Wolf's eye widened. "But you love fighting and killing, don't you?"

"This isn't the same." He shook his head. "At least I kill quickly, as a mercy. I take no pleasure in dragging out pain." As a distraction, Ooveh turned his attention to something small in his giant brown paw. Wolf couldn't see what it was, but the bear kept swapping it from hand to hand, clenching it inside his fists.

Wolf didn't care much about what that was though, as he returned to keeping an eye out for Giichi at the room's doors. The sand cat was smart, but Wolf knew his resolve would snap like a twig hearing his best friend being tortured like this. It was only a matter of time now.

~X~

Back in the warehouse, Giichi cried as he listened to the moans, screams, and whimpers of Nail echoing down the hallways. No matter how hard he covered his ears, he couldn't keep out the noises. With how loud the screams were, they seemed to bypass his ears and attack his brain directly. He pressed his fingers into his scalp, rubbing it. The cold from the concrete walls and floors seeped into his body, chilling him to the bone. Canma held him as if she were his mother, trying to soothe him with her own body warmth. It was a good thing she was there, or he would have cracked a long time ago.

He wasn't strong like Nail, Canma, and the other members of Sentinel were. Why couldn't he be more like them? More like his brother? His brother wouldn't crack under this, would he? Bro…I wish you could be here right now. You'd know what to do. You're a soldier like these guys. As the minutes wore on, Giichi knew he couldn't stand this much longer. It was only a matter of time before he broke.

"Damn it!" The sand cat jumped to his feet, shaking loose from Canma. He snatched the silver case off the floor next to him, hurrying for the exit.

Canma was on him before he could take two steps, wrapping her arms around him. "You take the case back to them, and all of this will have been for nothing! Thaljista will burn!" As always, she held tight, not letting Giichi move an inch forward no matter how hard he struggled.

"But Nail's gonna die!" He looked over his shoulder, glaring at her. "I know you don't want him to die either. I see the way you look at him!"

Canma sniffled, continuing to cry. "I know. I want to save Nail. I really do. He means everything to me!" Tears flowed across her cheeks. "But Star Wolf's going to kill him either way, no matter what we do. Please Giichi, we have to get out of here!"

Giichi snarled. To her surprise, he reached for her holster, yanking the handgun out of it and sticking the barrel into her side. Canma released him, jumping backwards. The gun rattled, the barrel wavering as he pointed it at the vixen. It was heavy in his hands, not only from its weight but also the knowledge of what it was capable of doing. He could end Canma's life right now. Knowing he held that power frightened him. Just one little twitch of the finger, and he would become a killer, just like Nail…

By contrast, Canma appeared serene, almost motherly in her voice as she held her hands up. "Please Giichi…" She paced towards him, holding her hands open in a gesture of peace. "I know you don't want to kill me. Guns don't belong in your hands." One of her hands grasped the handgun's slide, moving slow and with purpose, as she wrapped her hand over Giichi's hands on the grip, nudging the weapon aside. "Give it back, please."

Giichi relaxed his grip on the pistol as she grasped it, letting her take control of the weapon. Her voice, it's so sweet and gentle. Maybe it's OK if I listen to her, give the gun back, don't go to save Nail and—

"Stay back!" Giichi leaped backwards, bringing the gun to bear again. He looked through the sights, the three posts on top aligned with her frightened face.

"Giichi, I'm not your enemy. I've already sacrificed a lot to be here. We all have. Don't make it all for nothing!"

"I'm not abandoning Nail!" He sprinted away, pistol in one hand with the case under the other arm.

"Stop!" Canma screamed, running after him. She easily outpaced Giichi, catching him within seconds.

Giichi aimed the handgun backwards, crying as he pulled the trigger. The shots went wild, striking the ceiling, the walls, and the floors, sending chips of concrete flying around. Canma gasped, stopping in her tracks as the dust rained down around her. He didn't want to fire the gun, but it was enough. It would slow her down, keep her from following him. Tears in his eyes, he kept running onward, further and further. Nail's screams continued to howl over the base's PA system.

Even so, he soon retraced his steps back to the hangar bay, making it outside the door. The PA system was no longer necessary to hear Nail's cries. He took a deep breath, stepping through the door with the case in hand.

Nobody was looking at him, all of the attention still focused on someone tied to a support beam. His breath caught in his throat. Nail was an agonizing sight, little chunks of his tail on the floor, cut to half of its length now. Even so, the canine stared at Wolf and the others with venom in his eyes, far more wild and feral than Giichi had ever seen him. It scared the hell out of him, seeing the normally emotionless Augustine Strafer degenerate into such a beast. Dear Thaal-Ja, how had it all come to this?

Amid his agony, Nail's eyes locked onto Giichi, stunned. The canine's surprise turned to terror upon seeing the cat standing there. The Star Wolf members around him were confused about what he was looking at, all of them turning to see Giichi.

Wolf's face lit up upon spotting Giichi with the case in his hand.

"N-no!" Nail choked out. "Giichi! You idiot! Run!"

Giichi had never known Nail to call him an idiot. I made a big mistake. He raised the pistol, aiming it at Star Wolf, but he could not pull the trigger. How could he take a life? If he couldn't kill anyone, why the hell was he holding this gun? Why did he want to be a hero?

"Okay kiddo…" Wolf smiled. He paced across the floor with confidence in his step, sensing Giichi's fear. "Give me the gun, give me the case, and I'll let Nail go."

Giichi's eyes widened. Should he trust Wolf?

"Don't listen to him!" Nail screamed. "Get out of here!"

Sweat rolled down Giichi's face. While Wolf approached, the other Star Wolf members followed behind him too. Giant mercenaries wearing battle-scarred armor approached, their faces covered with scars, tattoos, and other markings indicating everything they'd been through. Giichi felt as small as a roach in the middle of them, their shadows covering the sunlight coming in from the open docking bay. They formed a semi-circle around him, blocking Nail from sight.

"Stay back!" Giichi held up the gun, waving it around.

None of them stopped. Every time he pointed his gun at one of them, the others moved in closer where he wasn't looking. Wolf was in front, reaching almost touching distance, as a leering smile crossed his face. Giichi jerked the gun at him, but Wolf ignored the weapon, a hungry look on his face as his eye locked with Giichi's. They both knew he didn't have the guts to fire.

Shoot now! Or you'll never get the chance!

Giichi shut his eyes, squeezing the trigger— A massive hand grabbed his wrist, squeezing it hard enough for the pistol to fall out of his hands. The sand cat looked up, seeing Ooveh towering over him. As the bear yanked his arm up, Giichi rose with it, being held aloft by one hand. He dropped the case, clawing at the bear's arm, but Ooveh's skin and muscle were so thick he ignored the scratches. Instead, Ooveh appeared sad, slowly shaking his head at the pitiful attempt to break free.

Wolf yanked the silver case off the floor, grinning a huge predatory smile as he turned it over in his hands. "Finally!" He held the case overhead for everyone to see.

A wild cheer went up amongst the group, throwing their hands in the air and giving each other high fives. There was even some celebratory gunfire, laser blasts striking the ceiling overhead and sending dust raining down.

As the celebration subsided, Wolf cast a devilish glare at Giichi. "Thanks for sparing me the trouble of hunting you down!" He turned to Ooveh. "Tie him up."

Ooveh produced a chain, quickly wrapping the sand cat's limbs, the cold metal freezing Giichi wherever it touched him. As the group dispersed, Giichi spotted Nail still strapped to the pole.

Giichi looked back at Wolf. "You'll let Nail go now?"

"Of course!" Wolf laughed. "Leon, Tadao, let him go…over there."

He pointed at the open docking port, the rain still falling past the doorway. It was a drop of a few dozen stories to the canyon's floor.

Giichi's jaw dropped. Canma was right. Nail was right too. Wolf was never going to let Nail live, no matter what happened.

Giichi thrashed around in his chains, trying to make his way to where Nail was, but the bindings held fast. The only thing he accomplished was tiring himself out. Leon and Tadao walked over to Nail, untying him from the post. They dragged him across the floor to the open docking bay. Giichi shouted and screamed with all his might, and he was so focused on Nail he didn't even hear his own voice. At last, Leon and Tadao finished their trip, hoisting Nail onto his feet.

The canine gave one last look at Giichi, his face blank again. But despite blank being Nail's default look, the sand cat sensed it was different this time. Nail had a blank face because despite everything Sentinel had done, despite all their careful planning, despite all of their sacrifices, despite everything they'd put behind this mission, they had failed, and all of it was for nothing.

And it's all because of me… I gave Star Wolf the case…

Leon gave Nail a gentle push, sending him tumbling backwards out of sight. Nail didn't make a sound as he fell, Giichi hearing nothing but the rainfall outside as the canine tumbled away with it.

"Take him back to the Retribution." Wolf said, Giichi feeling numb as someone dragged him out of the docking bay.

Chapter Text

As his men packed up to leave, Wolf held the silver case in his hands.

It had been through a lot compared to when he'd picked it up in the vault. Dents and scratches covered the metal. Only two small stumps remained where the handle used to be. Dried mud, soot, and dirty water coated the exterior. He examined the seal at the top. While faded from water damage, the yellow-and-black-striped seal still covered the opening and the clamps. Good. Sable gave strict instructions that nobody opened the case, and the seal proved that didn't happen.

Was the item inside still in good shape though? The lupine held the case up to his ear and shook it. No sound came back. That was good…he supposed? He had no idea.

"Excuse me."

Wolf turned around, seeing Tadao with Panther. The black cat rubbed his wrists, trying to look anywhere but into Wolf's face. A visible bruise stood out on his forehead.

"I found Panther for you." Tadao beamed a large smile. "He was tied up and struck in the head, but is otherwise unharmed. Giichi ordered his subordinate to spare his life, for some reason."

"All right, whatever." Wolf waved them off before returning his gaze to the case. "Panther, head to the next hangar over. Shuttle's about to go back to the Retribution."

Panther was confused, probably expecting to be cursed out, but then thought better of saying something and walked away.

Wolf would have chewed him out over getting captured, but there were more important things to worry about right now. Time to get the hell out of here and get paid.

However, Tadao was still standing there, with that big smile on his face. He seemed nervous, as he shifted around on his feet. For a killer like him, the body language looked out of place, like he was a ditzy teenager.

"You need something?" Wolf asked.

"I-I have a request." Tadao shifted around on his feet again.

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well I…" Tadao spoke in stops and starts, having trouble getting the words out. "I…uh, wanted to ask if…"

"Hey, ask for anything." Wolf smiled. "You earned it! We wouldn't have gotten this back without you!" He held up the case.

"Oh, good!" The iguana laughed. "Umm…well, could I join you? Join Star Wolf permanently?"

The smile fell off Wolf's face. Oh…shit.

"I'd love to work with you!" The iguana gushed away, spilling out his hopes and dreams. "I know our emperor's going to send you to Corneria, and I want to be at your side when we strike the final blow! It would be the greatest day of my life!"

Wolf shook his head, putting a palm to his forehead. Oh, he'd made a big mistake. Why did he have to say, 'ask for anything'? He couldn't grant that request. What the hell would Tadao do once he learned that the Lylat Wars ended several years ago, and he was being used this whole time?

"Are you okay Wolf?" Tadao's smile faded.

Wolf averted his eye, staring out through the open docking port to watch the rain instead.

It was a horrible shame. Tadao had been nothing but one hundred percent loyal since they met, and Wolf knew he'd never find anybody else as dedicated and hardworking in his lifetime. But this lizard was also a ticking time bomb. Wolf didn't want to be around when the timer hit zero.

Tadao waited for an answer, and the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Wolf scrambled to figure out a response, hoping he didn't say something that would set this lizard off, but all he could do was stare back with a sad look on his face. You're amazing, kiddo. Were it not for this, I'd be glad to have you. But that makes this one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make as leader of Star Wolf. I could leave you behind and not say anything, but that would be shitty even for me. You at least deserve an answer.

Clearing his throat, Wolf said, "Tadao...I'm sorry, but no." He shook his head. "You can't join Star Wolf." He turned away, hurrying through the hangar's exit and down the hallway. He couldn't look the poor iguana in the eyes after that.

Tadao ran after him, falling into step to his right. "I don't understand!" His voice had an innocent quality to it, like he was a child. "I saved your life. You're impressed by my work. Wouldn't you like me to do more? I don't even care about money. I only want to work with you. You're my hero!" He walked backwards in front of Wolf, doing everything he could to keep the conversation face to face.

Wolf clenched his teeth, staring straight ahead as he pushed Tadao aside. He'd expected the iguana to get angry, maybe even attack him. But the sadness cut even deeper. Tadao had placed the lupine upon a pedestal, and Wolf was about to destroy it. He knew from the beginning this charade couldn't last forever, but that wasn't making this any easier.

Turning the corner, Wolf entered the adjoining docking bay, a Star Wolf vessel humming on the landing pad. Leon waited by the loading ramp.

"Don't let him in," Wolf whispered as he passed Leon, hurrying inside.

While confused, the chameleon pulled out his blaster and pointed it at Tadao.

"What are you doing?" Tadao was on the verge of tears, staring at the weapon. "Wolf, what did I do?!"

No one answered.

"Wolf! Wolf!" Tadao waved his hands, trying to look past Leon's gun to the lupine.

Wolf kept his eyes to the floor, buckling himself into a seat. His ears curled back, doing his best to ignore the cries.

With a hiss, the rear cargo ramp ascended upwards. Leon hopped aboard but kept his weapon trained on Tadao. The iguana grabbed onto the lip of the closing ramp. Leon fired a blaster shot near Tadao's hands, the iguana screaming out as he let go.

"Don't leave me here!" Tadao cried over the roaring engines. "Don't leave me-!" The door sealed shut, silencing him.

Leon jumped into a seat next to Wolf and buckled in, not having any visible reaction. Why would he? Wolf's orders trumped everything else in Star Wolf, after all.

With a steady hum, the shuttle lifted off, leaving Andrew's base behind. Wolf stared at the case in his hands. He tried telling himseof to only think about the money, but it didn't help. He drummed his fingers on the case, and his eyes met Ooveh's.

The bear's eyes narrowed, his mouth curled into a frown. He turned to Wolf's right.

Giichi sat there, secured to the bench by chains. He appeared unaware of everything happening around him, his face blank.

"Ey…" Ooveh said to him.

Giichi didn't acknowledge the bear.

Ooveh tapped his own chest. "Why did you tell Augustine to spare me?"

Interesting question. Tadao said that Giichi also wanted Panther spared. Why were these mercenaries, soldiers, agents, or whatever taking orders from this kid? Why was he so important? And why was he important to Sable?

Giichi remained silent, not even blinking his cloudy eyes. The way he slumped gave the impression of a corpse. Even his skinny striped tail remained motionless.

"Ich verstehe nicht." Ooveh shook his head. "If you let him kill me, you would have gotten away. I am grateful but I am also confused."

Still no reply.

Ooveh sighed, settling his massive hands on his hips as he leaned back. To occupy himself, he pulled something out of his pocket, tossing it back and forth in his hands.

"What do you have there?" Wolf craned his head to see.

Ooveh leaned in closer, cupping his hands into a bowl. Inside the hands wiggled a silvery, amorphous blob, almost like mercury. "It's Augustine's glove. I wanted to see it, so I made sure to get it after Leon and Tadao captured him." The blob kept melting into a puddle, requiring him to cup his hands and mash it back into a ball shape over and over again. "I wanted to put it on and study it, but it won't hold its shape anymore." The bear sighed. "I think it's taken too much damage. Schade…"

"Can I see it?" Wolf asked.

Ooveh plopped the silvery mass into Wolf's hands.

What a weird feeling it was holding this thing. It rippled and hardened, like it wanted to achieve a solid shape but couldn't. He even poked it with his claw when this happened, and it almost felt like solid metal. But then it would melt again and ooze over his fingers. Hard to believe this was the weapon that took down Ooveh.

"I'm curious too…" Panther moved closer.

Wolf smirked. They were like kids passing around a new toy. He gave it to Panther.

Like the others, he toyed with it in his hand, amused by the object...until something unexpected happened.

The metallic blob flowed over Panther's right hand, like it had a mind of its own. He gasped, watching the thing cover his palm, the back of his hand, and his fingers. The material expanded until it had concealed most of his wrist too. He turned his arm back and forth, looking at it from all sides as he flexed his fingers. The material still oozed and dripped, but now it had attained a glove shape once more.

"Was?!" Ooveh's eyes widened. "That's what the glove looked like when Augustine had it! Panther, let me see it again!"

Confused, Panther reached over to take the glove off…only to discover he couldn't. The melted material stretched when he grabbed it, but snapped back into place as soon as he let go. It clung tight to his skin, like it wanted to bond with him. Panther's yellow eyes widened, as he pulled harder.

"Well?" Ooveh asked.

"It won't come off." The jungle cat held out his arm to Ooveh. "Here, help me."

The bear put both hands on the glove while Panther pulled back in the opposite direction. While there was a mighty amount of grunting and straining between the two, the glove refused to budge. Ooveh had steam coming out of his nostrils, while Panther's yellow eyes went wide in terror.

"Is this stuck to me forever now?!" The jungle cat kept pawing away at the silvery mass over his hand, but its slippery texture made it difficult to keep a grasp on.

"Leon…" Wolf asked. "How did you get it off of Nail in the first place?"

Leon glanced at the glove. "Well, it was falling off of his hand in droplets with how damaged it was. I collected all the drops together into a ball and gave it to Ooveh, since he wanted it." He shrugged. "Don't ask me. I don't know how it works."

Panther turned to Giichi. "Hey Giichi!" Panther held up the glove. "How do I get this off? You should know! Nail's your bodyguard or whatever!"

Giichi was still oblivious, staring off into space.

"Do you hear me?!" Panther growled, clenching his gloved fist. "I'm talking to you!"

The sand cat glared at Panther. "Shut up." He turned away again.

Snarling, Panther got out of his chair.

"Hey! Stop!" Wolf raised a hand, holding Panther back. "He's gotta be delivered unharmed."

"But Wolf—"

"Sit your ass down!" Wolf shoved Panther back in his seat. "You hit him, and that'll be a three million credit punch!"

Being denied an outlet for his frustration, Panther instead opted to punch his hand into his palm. He resumed looking at the glove soon after, staring at it like it was diseased, rotting flesh.

Giichi's eyes resumed that vacant, cloudy look, staring far off through the side of the shuttle. Ooveh fumed over his new toy being stuck to somebody else, and Leon gave zero craps about all of it. Oh, and Tadao was probably bawling his eyes out back on Fortuna.

Wolf slid his fingers over the case again to distract himself. Not the mood he had in mind once he got this thing back..

~X~

Why did they leave me behind?! Why? Why? Why?

The Star Wolf ships all disappeared through the cloud cover, leaving Tadao alone with the sound of falling rain. He stared around Andrew's base, the crumbling walls and rubble returning nothing but their silence.

Why had Wolf abandoned him? He'd done everything his idol commanded to the best of his ability, never once resting or letting himself get distracted. Why was he left behind?

Had he not worked hard enough? Tears fell out of Tadao's eyes. He'd let down his hero. That's why he was being left behind here. He needed to do more for his Emperor to prove he was ready to join Star Wolf. As much as it hurt to have such a harsh dismissal from Wolf, Tadao knew he needed to better himself.

But still… In hindsight, some things felt a bit off about Star Wolf. Like how evasive their answers were about the state of the war elsewhere in the system, how they all kept shutting down his questions. But maybe they were keeping that information away from him to avoid intel leaks. Need to know basis, right?

Or he used you.

Tadao covered his face with his hands, rubbing it. How dare he think such a thing about Wolf. It was a dangerous thought. He could not allow himself to dwell on it. He needed to distract himself with something.

Perhaps trying to figure out what he would do with this base would be good? Despite the battle tearing it to shreds he'd seen it still had a lot of supplies, far more than he could ever dream of compared to the little cave he'd been living in for the past several years. He could easily live and fight from here for several decades or more, for the rest of his life if he wished…

He turned away from the open docking port, wandering back inside the base. As the darkness came back, he switched on his flashlight. A week ago, he would have been excited beyond his wildest dreams about finding this place, but now it felt like a punishment to be here. The dank corridors offered him no comfort, the place feeling cold and indifferent to his presence. No matter how much he tried to spin his new home as a plus in his head, Wolf abandoning him cast a long dark shadow over it all.

Meeting Star Wolf and serving alongside them was his lifelong dream. He had achieved it now. But was that the peak of his life? What came after? What would he do now? Why was he dwelling on the fact he was stuck here and how much he didn't want to be here? He was happy to serve his Emperor on Fortuna, right? Right? Like he had for the past ten years? Why not ten more?

Why did it all feel so wrong now, after he'd met Wolf? Like this was nothing but a gigantic mistake?

His feet carried him through the dark corridors, Tadao not conscious of where he was going. As he wandered, the surroundings changed. Wood paneling and red carpeting replaced the concrete walls. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling. While it was all covered with dust and stains from the passage of time, he could tell this place was meant to appear like something grand and impressive back in its heyday. What was all of this? During his time serving Venom he never remembered seeing anything like this at any of the bases he'd been to. It spoke of decadence and wastefulness, unbecoming of the proud Venomian military. Why was this here?

He waved his flashlight beam around, dust particles floating into the air where his feet stirred them up. The flashlight beam fell upon a large painting. It depicted Andrew Oikonny dressed up like a nobleman from centuries' past. Tadao's eyes narrowed. What was this abomination? The title on the gold plaque underneath read 'Emperor Andrew'. How arrogant! To ursurp Andross like that!

One of the reasons Tadao joined up with the Venomian military was Andross standing up for the proletariat, the oppressed of the Lylat System underneath the heel of Corneria's bourgeoisie. Andross always dressed in plain clothes, never anything more expensive than a simple suit. Andrew's clothing was an insult to that.

Furious, Tadao glanced off to the side, his flashlight reflecting off the gold covering a pair of gilded doors, one of them cracked open. The painting hung near them, as if a prelude to what waited further inside. As much as the art enraged him, Tadao found himself morbidly curious. The heavy door creaked on his hinges as he swept his flashlight beam inside. What appeared to be a luxurious gallery greeted him on the other side. A sea of red carpet surrounded his feet, with expensive artwork on the walls and even a derelict fountain in the middle of the room.

Andrew was everywhere.

One painting showed Andrew in a general's outfit, surveying a group of troops standing underneath a depiction of Venom. And here was another one, him riding on top of a tank and waving for his entire space force above him onwards. A marble statue, cracked but still intact, depicted him in the same nobleman's outfit from the painting outside, standing on a pillar in the middle of the fountain.

Andross was nowhere to be found though. Where was he?

And what the hell happened while I've been in this jungle?

He paced around the room, his flashlight beam waving over piece after piece, each one more blasphemous and grotesque to him than the last. Andrew had not only left Star Wolf, he'd gone full on traitor before he died, trying to usurp Andross' leadership! Why didn't Wolf say anything about this?

He walked through a doorway, revealing another corridor full of portraits, but something at the far end of the hallway caught his attention. A small flame burned there, like a candle. Tadao got the feeling he didn't want to go over there, but again his curiosity got the best of him. As he approached closer, the flame revealed itself as a gas flame, burning from a torch mounted on the wall. Under the torch light was a bust of Andross, the dim light creating harsh shadows over the ape's withered face, making it appear like it belonged on a monster.

Yet Tadao breathed a sigh of relief. Looked like Andross hadn't been forgotten after all. However, why was this the only depiction of his emperor here, tucked away in this back corner? He could see some words carved into the stone base of the bust. The light of the torch wasn't enough to reveal them, so he moved in closer with the flashlight:

Dedicated to the memory of my uncle Andross. May this flame taken from the battles of Venom burn until I have completed the legacy you began, and restore our homeworld.

- Andrew Oikonny

Tadao gasped, almost dropping his light. He turned away, refusing to look at the bust. But it was too late now.

Andross is dead?! The iguana shook his head, the tears flowing readily. My emperor is dead and Venom is gone! Wolf lied to me! He's nothing but a liar! Everything was a lie! It was all nothing but a lie!

Screaming, Tadao turned to the nearest painting of Andrew. He took out his machete and reduced the carefully painted image to shreds upon the floor. In the fountain in the main hall, he kicked over the statue, shattering Andrew's marble body to pieces, the statue's head bouncing around in the dry basin. The iguana wasn't done yet, as he screamed, running with his blade towards the next piece of artwork.

Once the entire room was destroyed, Tadao sat on the lip of the fountain, breathing hard from what he'd done. He should've felt better, but now he had nothing more to do, and he was alone. Alone…with no empire to pledge allegiance to. No cause to fight for. No one who would come to find him. No one to remember him. Nothing left…except for one thing.

Tadao held his machete in his hands, grasping it by the handle and the blade. He clenched his hand around the sharp edge, a drop of blood flowing along the cleaned metal and dripping on the floor.

~X~

Wolf entered the Retribution's bridge, thunderous applause and hollers from the horde of Star Wolf members crowding the hallway outside and the bridge itself. Wolf made a mocking bow to his minions as he moved to the center of the room. Everyone craned their heads to get a look at the case in his left hand.

In his right, he pulled a chain wrapped around Giichi, the boy dragged along like he was a pet. The sand cat still had that blank look in his eyes, like he didn't notice or care about anything anymore. Leon, Panther, and Ooveh brought up the rear.

Wolf turned around to Captain Jamal in his massive chair at the back of the room. It was time to set up the moment everyone had been waiting for. "Jamal, get Sable on the line!"

"Right on it, boss!" the rhino grinned back.

As Wolf waited for Sable to appear on the main screen, he reflected this was the first time he looked forward to speaking with her. One hundred million credits were great and all, but there was no way in hell he'd ever take her on as a client again. Too much damn hassle, between her attitude and all the shit she failed to warn him about. Like getting attacked by a shady black ops team from some planet he'd never even heard of. Ah well, this would all soon be water under the bridge.

"We have Sable now," Jamal said.

"Put her on." Wolf shifted on his feet.

The familiar black panthress appeared before him on the screen, still wearing her shiny gold jewelry and spotless white dress.

Wolf held the case up, making sure she got a really good look at it. Next, he yanked on Giichi's chain, shoving him to the front. Giichi stumbled forward, but remained standing. He was so lifeless it was like pushing around a mannequin.

Sable let out a smile.

Wolf cleared his throat. Time for the important question. "All right, how about payment?"

"Here and now."

Wolf blinked, head tilting. "Uh…really?"

"Of course." She smirked, settling back into her chair. "I was watching the entire time."

"Boss," the mallard radar tech called out. "Strange ship approaching off our portside. Got nothing like it in our databanks."

Wolf pushed through the crowd of people in the bridge, hurrying to look at the tech's screen. A strange delta-shaped craft was there, black in color. Whatever paint the ship had, it absorbed light like a black hole, almost letting it blend in against the backdrop of stars behind it. The only thing that made it visible was orange glowing highlights running along the vessel's creases.

"I'll be with you momentarily." Sable chuckled at Wolf's expression. "Prepare to receive me in your hangar bay, would you please?" She stood up and moved away from the camera as it faded to black.

Wolf looked around the bridge, dumbfounded by what he'd seen. Everyone else looked as stunned.

"Um…" Wolf shrugged. "Well okay, let's get paid, I guess. Sooner the better, right?"

~X~

Most of Star Wolf reassembled in the Retribution's hangar bay, the mood tense and quiet. They hadn't had time to clean the place up, considering it was still shot full of holes from Ooveh's laser miniguns. Any debris from the center of the room had been awkwardly pushed off to the sides, piles of metallic trash still in plain sight.

No one cared much at the moment, though. Whispers went around the room about Sable's strange black ship that appeared from nowhere. If she had something like that, what the hell else was she hiding about herself and who she represented?

Panther however had a more immediate concern, as he tugged at the melting glove on his right hand. Damn thing still didn't show any sign of coming off. Ooveh stood beside him, casting annoyed glances his way. Panther would have loved to give the glove back, but it was too bad he couldn't...

"She's here!" Wolf called out.

Panther looked up along with the others, putting his gloved hand down for the moment. A smaller black shuttle—similar in appearance to the delta-shaped ship—entered the Retribution's hangar bay, landing on the floor with little more than a whisper. Besides the strange all-absorbing black color, the ship didn't have any discernible windows, doors, or seams, like the ship's entire body was one solid piece. How were you supposed to get in and out of it?

He got his answer a moment later, when a gap appeared on the back of the ship, expanding in length as it formed the outline of a door, the metal itself changing shape. Without any visible hinges, the door-shaped piece tilted downwards to form an exit ramp. The entire action happened with little more than some low hisses. With how most starships made all sorts of noises as they operated, the relative silence made the process eerie to watch.

A group of three walked out through the newly formed opening.

Sable stood at the head, her black fur standing out against her gold jewelry and gold-embroidered white dress. Seeing her over a ship's monitor and seeing her in person were two different things altogether. Panther found his eyes tracing upwards along her body, the white dress not hiding much. He could see the curves of her hips, and her supple breasts, her dark fur groomed into a mirror sheen much like his own.

As she approached, she gave a warm smile to Panther. Was she checking him out too? She looked over his own figure, showing a small grin as her eyes lingered on his crotch. Panther's heart fluttered. Unusual to see a woman this eager to devour him instead of the other way around.

Two other cats fell into step behind her: a female snow leopard, and a brown male puma. They were young, looking like they could be high schoolers. Even so, they maintained an intense, frowning look, scanning everything for potential threats like they were robotic soldiers. That attitude felt familiar. They wore dark body suits with orange highlights, mimicking the colors of their ship. The suits seemed familiar too.

Then it hit Panther. The suits looked like Augustine's suit, and their general demeanor was the same as Augustine's as well. Almost as if Sable had downloaded a copy of the canine's personality and put it in the two of them. Then if those things were the same...

Ooveh beat him to it. "Meine Güte…they have Augustine's glove too."

Sure enough, the two guards had the same silver gloves that Panther himself wore now. Sable noticed Panther's glove too, and her bodyguards as well. While not minding too much if Sable was checking him out, he did not like being the center of attention of those two guards, not after what he'd seen Augustine do.

But as soon as it started, Sable snapped her attention to Wolf, her guards looking with her.

Wolf waited with the case in one hand and Giichi's chains in the other. Sable's hungry grin morphed into a more professional, smaller smile.

"Welcome aboard the Retribution, Sable." Wolf put down the case and offered his hand.

Surprisingly, Sable held out her own hand too. But then she said, "Let me examine the item."

Though annoyed by the lack of manners, Wolf gave her the case.

She turned it over to look at it from all angles. While she frowned at its dirty appearance, she nodded in satisfaction at the seal still being intact. Cutting the seal aside, she moved her hands to the clamps. Thump, thump they went.

Panther's heart pounded, as all eyes focused on her. Silence settled over the room.

She opened the case.

Everyone leaned forward, trying to steal a peek at whatever was inside, but the angle she was holding it at made it impossible to see.

As she looked at the item inside, a broad smile crossed her face, showing her sharp panther teeth, contrasting in eerie white against her black fur. Her expression frightened Panther. She had the look of someone not only crazy, but plotting something horrible.

Was Giichi telling the truth about millions dying and Lylat and Thaljista burning, if she got the case?

But at the same time, Panther's own life was at stake with that Hyoodin. Fixing that was all that mattered, wasn't it? If he had riches, luxuries, and women, nothing else mattered, right? But no matter how much he tried to cheer himself up, the things Giichi said wouldn't leave him alone.

"The item is in satisfactory condition." Sable pushed the case close again, redoing the clamps. "I will transmit the funds now." She held up a wrist unit to her face, a hologram appearing. It showed a credit transfer screen with the one hundred and three million credits ready to go. One hundred million for the case, and three million for Giichi.

Wolf brought up his own wrist computer, showing Star Wolf's own account ready to receive the funds.

After a dramatic pause and smile, Sable tapped several commands into her wrist computer, authorizing the transaction.

Wolf watched, confirming the funds had come through. A sigh escaped his lips. It was all over. They were paid. Sighs of relief and cheering spread through the rest of the crowd inside the hangar.

"Congratulations on a job well done." Sable smiled. "I would suggest spending the money quickly though, Mr. O'Donnell."

Wolf paused at the implied threat, although he realized he didn't care that much since he had the money now. "Well, I can't say it's been a pleasure doing business with you, but thank you." He smirked at her.

"Likewise," Sable said. "Also…Giichi, if you please?"

Wolf held up the sand cat's chain leash. The puma bodyguard walked up to take custody of Giichi, accepting it. Wolf barely even registered the puma as he turned around, walking away from Sable and her entourage.

While it would normally be considered rude to simply walk away without saying goodbye, Sable didn't seem to mind, as she turned back to her shuttle with the case and Giichi in tow. The transaction was done. Who cared about manners anymore?

Panther grinned. He was in the clear now.

"Now…" Wolf turned to Ooveh, tapping some more on his wrist computer. "I believe you get five hundred thousand for Giichi's capture."

"But the reward for Giichi's capture was one million," Ooveh protested.

"That's because if it wasn't for Panther, they would have escaped." Wolf smiled at his number three, doing some more typing. "I think it's fair to split that."

Panther was astonished. An extra five hundred thousand on top of his cut of the one hundred and three million?! This was better than he'd ever opened. He could get a little vacation home or something to go along with the private beach he planned to buy! He was walking on clouds! So much money, so many possibilities! Sable did look like a busy woman, but he wondered if he tried his luck with her, maybe she would accept—

A beeping noise interrupted everyone, coming from Wolf's communicator. Wolf groaned, seeing who it was. "Engineering? What the hell do they want?" He pushed some buttons, with the face of a beaver appearing in hologram form. "What is it? I'm kinda busy right now!"

"Um…Wolf, we've set about making repairs to the Retribution like you wanted, but I found something kinda…weird in one of the storage warehouses when we were getting the materials." The beaver scratched the side of his head.

Panther held his breath. The beaver wasn't talking about what he thought he was, was he?

"Weird?" Wolf raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Umm…" The beaver shook his head. "Well, it'd be easier to show you. Hang on a second." The beaver's hologram walked in place as he headed somewhere else, and then he spun around his unit's camera to face the thing he wanted to show. The Hyoodin was there in hologram form.

Panther's heart stopped. He took a few steps back towards the nearest door, hoping he could slip out of the hangar. Unfortunately, Leon noticed him, studying him closely with his slit eyes. Shit. There was nothing left to do now but watch his moment of salvation self-destruct before his eyes.

"What the hell…?" Wolf's eye opened wide. "Why is that in my ship?! How did it get there?! We don't steal cars!"

The beaver examined the car. "I don't know Wolf, it's the darndest thing, isn't it?" He lowered his hands to the driver's side door, trying to open it. The car's alarm went off, sending an irritating whining sound through the speaker of Wolf's communicator. "Oh shoot! Sorry!"

"Caution! Unauthorized party attempting to access your vehicle!" A tinny electronic voice came out of Panther's pocket, from the Hyoodin's key. It vibrated and made an alarm sound. "Caution! Unauthorized party attempting to access your vehicle!"

Everyone in the room turned to Panther, listening to the robotic voice. He could feel his black fur turning white.

Wolf's brain looked like it had broken. Too bad it didn't stay that way. Fury emerged on the lupine's face, as he pushed aside everyone else to stomp over towards the jungle cat. "Panther!" Wolf grabbed him by the scruff of his flight suit, waving the picture of his car in his face. "You bought this thing?!"

Weakly, the jungle cat nodded, not able to utter a word.

"Okay, and where did you get the money to buy it? It looks expensive." He showed Panther the hologram of his car. "What kind of car is this?"

Panther couldn't say anything. How would he weasel his way out of this one?

"It's an Aquila Hyoodin." That was Giichi's voice!

Everyone turned to the sand cat, still wrapped up in chains and under the puma's guard.

"It will be the last car Sergei Aquila builds before he retires and hands over the company Aquila to his son." Giichi continued, sounding annoyed as he glared at Panther. "There are only twenty in existence, and they have all sold for two point five million credits each."

Bewildered as he was, Wolf turned back to Panther. "Two…point five…million credits? Let me guess, you borrowed some of Star Wolf's funds to buy it, huh? I know you don't have that kind of money."

"I did…but but but…" Panther put his hands in front of his mouth, in a praying gesture. "Look look look! I was going to use my share of Sable's reward to repay it! We got the money right? Everything's okay now, isn't it?"

"You stole money from Star Wolf. From me." Wolf's hot breath flowed out of his mouth, the stink swarming over Panther's face.

"I'll pay it back with interest, if you want!"

"Panther, shut up." Wolf shook his head. Panther tried to stammer out a response, but the lupine clenched his teeth. "Just shut. Up. Okay? I don't tolerate shit like this."

"Please Wolf!" Panther begged. "Please don't kill me!"

"Look, I'm not gonna kill you, okay?" Wolf sighed, letting go of his jumpsuit's collar at last. "You did help catch Giichi. And I'm taking that into consideration."

"Consideration?" Panther saw a flicker of hope. "Does this mean I get to keep my jo—?"

"Nope." Wolf shook his head. "I'm still firin' your ass. And I'm keeping your cut of the reward too."

"But that's a lot more than two point five million!"

"I'm not killing you. It's a fair price for your life, isn't it? Also, I will let you keep the car. I ain't got any use for the damn thing. You can keep the rest of your shit too, like your fighter." Wolf chuckled. "Considering what you did, I think I'm being too soft, but I'm in a good mood right now since we got our money."

Yeah… Panther's ears deflated. Too bad I won't see any of it.

"Pardon me." Sable walked over to Wolf and Panther, smiling. "I couldn't help but hear all of that hubbub. You're saying Panther is no longer under your employ, Wolf?"

Wolf nodded.

"If so…" Sable turned to Panther. "Do you want to work for me, Panther?"

Wolf did a double take. "Excuse me?! You want to hire Panther?!"

"Well, why not? He's a free spirit now thanks to you, right?" Sable chuckled to Wolf, then looking at Panther with that sensual look again, once more focusing on his crotch. "What do you think Panther?" She met his eyes, bright yellow like his own. "Come back with me to Thaljista?"

Panther sure didn't expect this turn of events. It was all happening so fast he was feeling dizzy, needing to lean against a nearby stack of boxes to collect himself. What to do? What to do? Should he work for Sable? But what about all those things Giichi said about her? Panther stared at her. She still had that grin on his face, checking him out like she wanted to do it on the floor right there in front of everyone. Oh that was hot. His pants started to stretch.

Panther shook his head, snarling. Focus Panther! This is serious! You don't know anything about her or where she comes from!

Even while he was agonizing over what to do, she put her hands on his hips, tugging him in closer. Her warmth spread over him like a blanket.

Panther's eyes bulged. "Umm…" Panther tried to keep himself focused, even as she pressed her nuzzle into his side. "What, exactly, will I be doing?" Panther cursed himself, at how he sounded like a nervous fifteen-year-old virgin. Why was he so afraid of this?

"Oooooh…" Sable cooed. "You'll be doing about what you've done for Star Wolf, just for me instead. Plus a few other things…" Her skinny tail batted itself against his legs, making his heart jump. "Interested?"

At any other time, he'd be happy to let a woman get this close to him. In fact, normally it was him initiating things, not the other way around. The tables had been turned! And yet, he didn't mind. She looked up at him, the lighter shade of her dark fur showing off those beautiful black spots framing her face, back, arms, and hips. He'd never seen such a fine specimen of a black panthress.

She gave him a small peck on the cheek.

Panther melted at her touch. What was the problem with taking her offer? If he didn't go with her, what else would he do? Wolf might dump him over on Fichina with all of his possessions. Good luck with fitting all that rubbish inside the Hyoodin's tiny trunk or driving it on solid ice roads. Considering that, the decision was easy.

"I accept." Panther kissed her back, getting a grin out of her in return. "Let's get out of here."

"Excellent!" She drew back from Panther, laughing as she turned back to walk into her transport shuttle. "Let's get going! I'll have everything you own packed along as well. Don't worry about a thing, Panther. We're going to make our paradise on Thaljista!"

Sable pulled away so fast Panther became cold as she withdrew. He reached after her, watching her fingers trail away from his own. She gave him a little wink over her shoulder, teasing him to follow as her tail swished behind her. Without even thinking about it, he smiled, following after. The two of them rushed for the shuttle.

"What the hell was all that…?" Wolf muttered from behind.

Panther ran inside the vessel, still chasing Sable. His fortunes…how fickle they were. But what an amazing turn of events, all things considered. He was on his way to a new, wonderful home, he still had his Hyoodin, and he had a beautiful new woman to enjoy as well.

What more could he ask for?

~X~

An hour later, Sable smiled, sitting alone on a couch within her personal quarters inside the Onyx, but she could have been floating on clouds for all she knew. Soon, she would return home victorious, and once again know the sensation of the warm Thaljistani winds blowing against her fur and the hot sands between her toes.

Not like the room she was in right now. There wasn't much to it, only having a small sitting area, a bed, a wardrobe, a door to the bathroom, and a desk. Most everything here was black or white in color, giving the place a clean but sterile look, as if it was meant to be a showpiece rather than actually used. It reminded her of the coldness of space, lurking outside the hull of the Onyx. No matter what you did in space, the icy cold was nigh inescapable, permeating everything around you. Thus, she did whatever she could to avoid long journeys away from home like this.

At least it was more pleasant than the Retribution's hangar bay. Oh Thaal-Ja, when the shuttle's door opened, a wall of stench slammed into her…all those longnoses horrifying to her nostrils. But ah well, it was nothing but a small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

Lylat was the last place she expected to find a Caruso, though. Did Panther know the significance of his name? He probably didn't, considering the unwashed company he kept. It was a massive bonus on top of what she'd already accomplished by coming here. Even so, as much as she wanted to spend more time with Panther right now, she needed a little time to collect her thoughts. This was an unexpected but incredible development, and she wanted some time alone to plan on how to use this to her advantage. Before that though...

She stared at the case, sitting on the couch next to her.

Despite already looking inside, she wanted to look again anyway. Thump, thump, went the case's clamps again, Sable putting her hands on the case's lid. She pushed it up slowly, so as to savor the moment. It was like opening the case for the first time all over again, she was so thrilled by this.

The item was soon revealed by the room's dim light. Orange metal reflected the light back her, the item narrow and fitted diagonally inside a foam cutout in the case. She extracted the shaft, holding a small baton-like weapon in her hands. With the flick of a button and the sliding of metal on metal, the shiny orange baton extended into a full-size staff, snapping into place. She twirled it around in her hands a few times. It only looked like a simple combat staff, but there was far more to it than that.

This was Thaal-Ja's Calling, stolen from the Thaljistani people two centuries ago. It took generations to find the location of this staff, and still more years to retrieve it from those blasted longnoses.

But all of their effort, money, and waiting had paid off at last. Thaal-Ja's Calling was returning home, and soon Queen Kula would use it to summon Thaal-Ja himself. He would sweep all of the refuse and rubbish off the planet with one stroke, with as much ease as wiping dust off of a shelf. Thaljista would become clean once more, and the Azerian Kingdom would ascend and secure a place within Thaal-Ja's celestial court amongst the stars.

Queen Kula's prophecies would soon come true, and Sable would be there to witness the genesis of their new era…alongside her new mate.

END OF ACT I

Chapter Text

A few hours earlier…

Star Wolf's ships lifted off from Fortuna, the glow from their thrusters soon disappearing into the storm clouds. Slippy rested against a tree to catch his breath, his shoulders sagging. Whatever they were doing here, he'd missed it. He trudged along the riverbank towards where the ships had come from. Maybe Star Wolf left behind some clues on what they were doing here, although he doubted he'd find much. Oh well, he didn't have much else to do until Fox and the others tracked his distress beacon here.

He looked around at the jungle. The canyon's rock walls towered far overhead, natural bridges crossing from one side to the other. Tall trees provided some shelter from the rainfall. Where plants did not grow, moss covered large sections of the stone, thanks to the ambient moisture. The dampness felt wonderful on his green amphibian skin. Due to living in space, he rarely got to experience weather like this anymore...

Slippy halted in his tracks, looking around the valley a second time. Something was familiar about this place.

Didn't they fly through here last year when the Aparoids struck? The toad sprinted along the riverbank, soon going around the valley's next turn. Sure enough, he found a familiar sight: the old headquarters of Andrew's rebellion. Natural rock walls gave way to metallic edifices bristling with cannons, radar dishes, and docking ports, although most of the defenses were still destroyed. There was new damage too, fire and smoke drifting up from various locations around the base. Star Wolf had been fighting somebody here, but who?

He followed the raging river, the waterway cutting through the middle of the base. The water surged along the rocky riverbed, making white caps on its crests and carrying along multiple objects in its flow. Leaves, logs, bits of metal plating, a body— Wait, what?!

A head bobbed around in the water. Grey fur, pointy ears, long muzzle. A canine. He was alive but struggled to keep his head above the frothy water. His limp body twisted around in the current like a ragdoll.

Slippy cast aside his jacket and backpack, diving in after the mystery individual. The current carried him closer, although the toad needed to paddle hard to close the gap.

The stranger rebounded off of a rock, probably cracking some bones in the process, but it slowed him enough for the toad to catch up. Slippy wrapped his arm around the canine's stomach, yanking him to the surface. The stranger gasped with relief, catching another breath.

While glad to have caught up, Slippy soon realized he had a new problem. Fighting the current while unencumbered was one thing, but doing it while holding onto someone much larger and heavier was something else entirely. Even so, Slippy dug deep within himself to pull them towards the shore. His chest was heaving, his limbs not listening to him like they were before. If they didn't get out of the water soon, they would both be swept away.

A large rock loomed ahead, jutting out into the water from the shore. Grunting with a final burst of strength, Slippy swung his left arm, sending the canine towards it. Lucky for him, the canine wrapped his hand around a crevice in the stone. Slippy leaped out of the water, pulling him to lie on the shore.

The grey canine let out several ragged and wheezy breaths, intermixed with several harsh coughs, each spattering water and blood from his muzzle. He wore some sort of strange gray body suit, numerous gashes in the material where he'd been torn up by the rocks as he was swept downriver. The suit's top was partly unzipped, a crude series of wet bandages visible underneath. Blood stained the cloth in one particular spot, seeping out from under the white fabric. Slippy heard a sucking sound from there every time the canine tried to take a breath...on the side that wasn't rising.

There was a hole in his chest.

"Hang on!" Slippy leapt to his feet. He hurried upriver to retrieve his pack, soon returning with it.

Slippy rifled through the first aid supplies in his pack, clumsily dropping things as he pulled out whatever he could find. Okay, bandages, an electronic tourniquet, chest pads, healing gel… Soon the items littered the ground, along with several other devices he couldn't remember the name of. Basic first aid was part of Star Fox's training regimen, but the last sim was months ago, and this was the first time he had to use his training for real.

The stranger opened his eyes for the first time. They shone gold like topaz gems, a moment of lucidity as he stared at Slippy. The canine coughed again, wheezing as blood and water leaked out of his mouth, the golden color fading fast again. This guy was going to die soon if he didn't get help.

Slippy though was used to fixing machines, not people. He stared around at the mess of first aid supplies he made, not having any clue on where to even start. Sure, the Great Fox II had a state-of-the-art medical bay, but who knew how long they'd be waiting for the rest of the team to show up...

Footsteps sounded on the wet mud behind him.

He spun around, his blaster up.

"Don't shoot!" a female voice cried out.

Slippy's iron sights centered on a gray vixen, her hands in the air. She wore another gray body suit, and her eyes darted between the canine on the ground and his gun. She seemed a lot more worried about the former, though.

"Who are you?!" Slippy narrowed his eyes. "Are you two with Star Wolf?"

"What?! No!" The vixen growled at him. She nodded towards the wounded canine. "Look what they did to Nail!"

The pistol shook in Slippy's hands. What to do? Even if they weren't Star Wolf mercs, who were these people?

"Please! Let me help you save him!" She inched towards the canine. Slippy wanted to shout at her to stop, but 'Nail' here apparently meant a lot to her.

Were he not sure of who she was, Slippy actually would appreciate some help, but she had a gun holstered to her side.

Though he was about to point that out, she beat him to it. "Take it if you don't trust me." Her hand inched towards her holster. With a snick, she unbuckled the weapon, every movement slow and calculated so as not to spook him. "I'll throw it to you, okay?" She drew the weapon, keeping it pointed at the ground, before tossing it straight to him. Even as Slippy was catching it, she dived right to Nail's side. "I can't believe you're still alive…" She looked over his injuries, hands shaking as she moved them over his body.

Nail extended one of his arms, nodding towards the armpit area. The suit had a small flap between the arm and the chest that extended out, like a small wing. The flap vanished back into the suit's material, melding with it. What kind of technology was this?

"Of course!" The vixen's eyes widened. "You used the flap to slow your fall!"

Slippy wanted to ask more about the suit, but she was already undoing the zipper on the top half of it, exposing his chest. The toad's jaw dropped, seeing the full extent of the cuts and bruises across the canine's chest. Extensive scar tissue could be seen beneath the gray fur as well, hinting at many past battles.

The vixen ripped off the waterlogged bandages across his chest, quickly rubbing healing gel in the spot and applying a new chest pad, covering it with medical tape to hold it down. She set to work on the rest of his injuries, patching everything up with bandages at rapid speed, including around the bloody stump that barely resembled a tail.

Slippy gasped. He hadn't even noticed that before. Half his tail was gone too?!

"Good thing Star Wolf bound these injuries, or he'd be dead already." She examined a tourniquet on his left pant leg. "This is still tight enough. No blood coming out."

Slippy raised an eyebrow. "Why would they do that?"

"They wanted to keep him alive long enough to be a useful hostage, until they got what they wanted." Her bangs covered her eyes, sniffling as she kept checking him over for any more injuries. "It… It worked…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain later." She rubbed a hand over her eyes as she glanced back at Slippy, trying to collect herself. "Slippy, where's the rest of Star Fox? Do you have a way to contact them?"

"Well, I turned on my distress beacon and—" Slippy froze, his mouth hanging open. "Hang on, how do you know who I am?! I've never met you!"

The reply caught her off guard, although only for a second. "Look, Star Fox is famous. Not hard to figure out who you are while you're wearing that." She indicated towards the winged fox patch on the shoulder of his flight suit. "Anyway, that's not important right now. We need to get Nail out of here!" She was about to say something else, but looked towards the sky.

A roar overhead broke the silence. Slippy's face lit up. "They found us!" He pointed towards the incoming ships, jumping up and down. Thank goodness! Rescue was here at last! Two Arwings descended to the ground, along with a transport shuttle painted in Star Fox colors. He rushed over, waving his hand.

Once the ships landed, Fox and Falco disembarked from their Arwings, Fara coming out of the transport shuttle. The three of them ran over.

A smile was on Fox's face as he approached. "Slippy!"

Slippy returned the grin, the two of them sharing a quick hug.

"Glad to see you again!" The vulpine's smile faded, as he turned to look at the two strangers. "But…who are these guys?"

The gray vixen was already on her feet and approaching Fox. "I'm Canma, but there's an emergency." She gestured to Nail on the ground. "We need to get him to your medical bay!"

"Hold it, ma'am." Fox raised a hand. "Are you two with Star Wolf?"

"No!" Canma screamed, frustrated from having to explain a second time. "They're the ones who did that to him!"

Fox's eyes dropped to the canine on the ground, laid bare down on the rocks near the riverbank, seeming to contemplate what to do. Eventually, he turned back to Fara and Falco. "Get the stretcher from the shuttle."

"Thank you!" Canma clasped her hands together, bowing towards Fox. While they waited for the stretcher to return, she rushed back to Nail's side, leaning over him. "It'll be okay Nail. We'll get you out of here!" While her words were optimistic, she seemed to be saying them more to reassure herself than anyone else. The smile faded from her face, her eyes never leaving him as Fara and Falco returned with the stretcher.

Fox noticed something off in the distance. He pulled out his blaster. "Who's that?"

Slippy turned to look, spotting a lone figure walking towards the river bank some distance away. It was a green lizard with spikes running down his back, wearing Venomian military fatigues from the Lylat Wars. He had a machete in his hand. Despite the unsettling appearance, the strange soldier appeared unaware of anyone else's presence, approaching the water with a single-minded determination.

"Oh gods above… It's him again!" Canma turned to Fox, pointing at the lizard. "Shoot him! He's with Star Wolf! He tried to kill us!"

~X~

Tadao smiled as he moved towards the raging river, an odd peace permeating his mind. Kneeling on the rocky shore, he put his machete on the ground and unbuttoned his shirt. Rain drops fell against his chest, water running down the smooth scales. The sensation pleased him. He wrapped the shirt around his hand, picking up the machete midway along the blade. A knife would have been preferable for what he was about to do, but the longer machete would suffice.

He stared at the weapon, permanently stained with blood from years of use, but still as sharp and reliable as when he first received it at Armory 529 back on Venom. It had been his most trusted and reliable friend ever since he arrived on this planet, never once failing when he needed to kill. You're up for taking one more life, aren't you? He smiled at the blade.

Tadao pointed the machete's tip at his stomach.

He paused for a moment, eyes shut as he listened to the raging water in front of him, the raindrops pelting him on his head. These would be the last things he felt in the world of the living, so he wanted to savor them. Fortunately, everything he experienced now felt like it was happening to another person far away. That was good. The detachment would help him through what was next.

He pulled the blade back, ready to stick it into his belly.

A noise caught his ear over the raging water. Running footsteps approached, splashing in puddles. Tadao's eyes whirled open, as someone wrenched the blade out of his hands. The machete clattered across the rocks.

Standing over him was the last person he ever expected to see: Fox McCloud. Tadao had been warned about this man, about how brutal he was. How Andross issued a massive reward for his capture or death, but no one ever came close to claiming it. How he was the reaper for Venomians. All of his comrades prayed they never met him on the battlefield.

Yet this same Fox McCloud had just stopped Tadao from taking his own life.

Tadao couldn't move, couldn't even think as they stared into each other's eyes. Why? Why would Fox of all people do this? It made no sense! Like someone telling him two plus two equaled five!

Then it hit him. The realization was so simple: He spared me so he could do something even worse to me.

Tadao scrambled across the ground, lunging towards his machete. Fox jumped on his back, holding him down.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" the vulpine shouted into his ear. "I don't want to hurt you! I just want to talk!"

Lies! Tadao fought with every ounce of his strength to reach the machete. Even with Fox holding him down, he moved an inch or two closer with each lunge. At last, he wrapped his hand around the handle, trying to bring it up—

A boot stomped on the blade, keeping it planted to the ground. A blue avian stood over him, Tadao recognizing him as Fox's infamous wingman Falco Lombardi. "Buddy!" He leaned down. "Calm down already!"

"Never!" Tadao wrapped both his hands around the machete's grip, but he couldn't lift it up with the bird standing on it.

Grumbling, Falco piled on top of Tadao next to Fox, pressing the lizard's face into the dirt. He hissed, his tail thrashing around as he tried to get free, but it was no use.

"Hey hey! Don't sit on him Falco!" Fox cried out. "He can't breathe!"

Falco muttered, repositioning himself so Tadao could hold his head up a bit.

Fox moved around to Tadao's front, looking into his face. "Hey, sorry about that."

Sorry? Tadao stopped struggling, looking up at Fox.

"What's your name? What happened here? Are you with Star Wolf?"

Fury overtook Tadao on the mention of that name. "Wolf!" Tadao cried. "He abandoned me here!"

"Abandoned you?" Fox raised an eyebrow. "Why would he do that?"

"He's a liar!" All of Tadao's hatred poured fourth, the iguana snarling out most of his words. "A damned liar! He used me to get some case!"

"Whoa, hang on!" Fox held up a hand to stop him. "Did you say a case?"

Tadao hesitated. Even if Fox was being friendly, he still didn't know what the vulpine wanted. Fox might be as bad as the Venomian propaganda said he was. But then Tadao had been stranded in the jungle for ten years. The past few hours had shown he was very ignorant of the state of Lylat now. Was he wrong about Fox as well?

"Look, let me ask you again…" Fox shook his silvery jacket, trying to get the water out of it. His fur was already slick with the rain pouring down on their heads. "What's your name?"

"…Tadao."

"Okay, Tadao. Good." Fox nodded. "Sounds like Wolf used you, and he got rid of you once he didn't need you anymore. Am I right?"

Exactly what happened, as hard as it was for Tadao to acknowledge. He shut his eyes, nodding back.

"Not the first time it's happened." Fox's face took on a dark look. "Look Tadao, we can help each other out. Why don't you come back with me to my ship and we can talk this over?" The vulpine smirked as he brushed more water out of his hair. "I mean, I'm getting kinda sick of this rain already and I've only been here a few minutes. Can't imagine how long you've been here."

Tadao trembled at the idea of going with Fox. What if this was a trick to gain his confidence until he was locked in a cell and sent to a Cornerian prison? But then what would he do if he didn't go with Star Fox? Would he just stay here another ten years, or however long until someone else came by?

Tadao stared around at the lifeless, deserted base. The tall metal edifices over him resembled tombstones now. Deep within his bones, Tadao knew if he remained here, this was where he would die. Was this how he wanted it to end? Alone and forgotten in a place equally as alone and forgotten as himself? Tadao wept. Until now, he was prepared to die on Fortuna alone. Andross would have expected that of him, and he was only too happy to oblige his dear leader. But if Andross was gone, what purpose would it serve now?

Fox held out his hand. This felt familiar somehow. It took him a little bit to figure out why, but then it hit him.

George… Ten years ago, I extended a hand to help him too, even though I'd never met him before and knew little about him. Tadao stared at Fox's hand, the vulpine still waiting for a response. I wonder if this is what George felt like back then. Is this the universe's way of paying back that kindness?

"Well?" Fox asked.

Tadao stared in silence into the vulpine's face. It took a tremendous effort, and it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life, but he did it anyway: he put his hand in Fox's.

~X~

Accepting the lizard's hand, he nodded for Falco to get off Tadao's back.

"Are you sure about this, Fox?" Falco asked. "What about the things Canma said?"

He had a point. A lot of former Venomians joined Wolf's gang after the war, since they didn't have anywhere else to go. Tadao probably had done the same. Nonetheless, why did the lizard react with such hatred upon hearing Star Wolf's name? Fox was intrigued and wanted to hear more.

"Yes, let him up," Fox said.

Falco still seemed unsure but stood up regardless.

Fox pulled Tadao to his feet, handing back his shirt. The iguana smiled gratefully as he slipped the shirt back on again and reached down to pick up his machete.

The vulpine leaped between him and the blade. "No!" He threw out his hands. Realizing how sudden that was, he relaxed his voice. "Sorry, I can't let you have that."

The smile vanished from Tadao's face, replaced by sorrow. Fox almost felt like he was taking away his kid or something. While worried the lizard might try something drastic to get his weapon back, Tadao appeared to accept the circumstances and moved back, nodding for Fox to pick it up. Fox did so, taking a closer look at the blade, and wished he hadn't. There was dried blood all over it. How many lives had been claimed by this weapon? He was afraid to even hold it, like he might be haunted by the victims' lost souls or something.

"Put that in your Arwing, please." He held it out to Falco. "I'll handle Tadao."

Falco didn't seem happy about holding the blade either, but said nothing since he apparently preferred that to the latter.

Speaking of, Fox noticed the lizard looking at him and waiting for further instructions. After getting a better look at that weapon, the vulpine wasn't sure if he felt good about taking this guy back to the Great Fox II. But all the same, Tadao knew about the case. They couldn't miss this chance to get more intel.

Fox nodded to the iguana. "Okay, let's go back to the shuttle. Would you mind walking ahead of me?"

Tadao gave him a funny look, but he complied, staying in front as they walked. Nail was secure on a stretcher in the center of the shuttle's cargo bay, with Canma, Fara, and Slippy looking over him. A ventilator was around Nail's muzzle, feeding him oxygen to keep him stable.

As Tadao entered the shuttle, Canma looked up. "What the—?!" She snarled, screaming at Fox. "He's coming with us?!"

Fox growled at the vixen, not appreciating her attitude. "We're saving your friend's life too, you know." He nodded towards Nail on the stretcher. "I think you should be a little more grateful."

"I refuse to let that monster anywhere near me or Nail!" She jerked a finger at Tadao.

What happened between these three? More questions they'd need to go over in interrogation, Fox supposed. "We don't have time for this. We need to get Nail to my medical bay ASAP. He'd tell you the same thing if he could speak right now."

"Nail would tell me to shoot that lizard right now, if I still had my gun." Canma's ears curled back. "If you let him come along, he's going to try to finish what he started! He'll kill us all in our sleep!"

Fox considered telling her to get out of the shuttle if she wanted to be apart from the lizard that badly, but it'd probably lead to an even bigger shouting match, maybe even a fight. That would cost time they didn't have. Fox had an idea for a compromise though, although he supposed Tadao wouldn't be happy about it.

"Hey, Tadao." Fox stuffed his hands into one of his jacket pockets, moving closer so they could speak privately.

The iguana turned around, giving his attention but saying nothing.

"You'll need to wear these on the way back." Fox took a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. "I need to keep you in the ship's brig too."

"First you take away my most prized possession, and now you want to imprison me?" The dew lap under Tadao's muzzle quivered in fear.

Fox didn't blame Tadao for reacting that way. Nonetheless... "I'm sorry but we don't have time to argue. Are you going to do it or not?"

Tadao glared at Canma inside the ship, the vixen still looking like she wanted to shoot him on the spot.

"Did you try to kill them?" Fox asked.

The iguana was quiet, his lips curling into a grimace. He nodded. Fox's eyes widened. Canma was telling the truth.

"I did. But…I know it was a mistake now." Tadao's words came sputtering out, flying out of his mouth like water from a spout. It carried the tone of tearful regret. "I was doing it under Wolf's orders, because I thought he was still the same Wolf O'Donnell from the Lylat Wars. But if I knew Wolf was a lying, cheating criminal now, I would have left him to die where I found him!"

The lizard raised his hand in the air, clenching his fist as though he were still holding onto his machete. Fox needed to take a step back, almost getting hit by the fist in the process. Tadao calmed down again, lowering his hand. He spared one last look at Canma and Nail, and then he held up his up-turned wrists. "Put those on me." He indicated towards the handcuffs in Fox's hands.

"Huh?" Fox's eyes widened.

"Come on!" Tadao hissed. "There's no time!"

While still surprised, Fox supposed he shouldn't question it. He slapped the cuffs on, dragging the lizard into the cargo bay. He used a chain to secure Tadao's handcuffs to one of the cargo brackets mounted in the floor, sitting him down on a nearby bench.

While Canma was still scowling at Tadao, at least she appreciated Fox's arrangement enough to not protest anymore. It had taken long enough.

Tadao settled into an awkward slump on the bench, getting as comfortable as he could in spite of the handcuffs.

"You know…" Tadao looked at Nail. "You might want to apply a little more medical tape here." He indicated towards a corner of the chest pad sticking up. "It's not secure and might come undone."

Canma blinked, looking at him.

"What?" The lizard shrugged, looking at the wall. "I was a medic in the Lylat Wars."

Canma could see that he was right, astonished by the gesture. While she hesitated to do what he said, she reached for a roll of medical tape, taping over the section that was coming undone.

Fox glanced over at Slippy and Fara by the cockpit's door, both of them looking like they didn't know what to make of anything they were seeing. The vulpine wasn't sure himself either, but at least everyone seemed to have calmed down at last.

"Keep an eye on them." Fox said to Slippy and Fara. "Meet you back at the Great Fox II."

He stepped out of the shuttle, heading back to his Arwing and leaping inside. Within minutes, he was in the air, trailing behind the transport shuttle. Fox rubbed the space between his two eyes, sighing. Good grief, today was a long day. It was a small miracle Nail, Canma, and Tadao hadn't sent him over the edge after everything else he'd been through. Also, he felt like he was forgetting something…

Fox patched himself into the transport shuttle. "Hey Fara? Can you put Slippy on the line?"

There was some fumbling around with the radio on the shuttle's end. "Hey Fox!" Slippy replied. "What is it?"

"Where's your Arwing?"

"Oh…" Slippy sounded like he was hoping Fox wouldn't have asked. "Several miles down the river, halfway underwater…"

"Great." Fox sighed. Just another thing to throw on the pile of screw ups today. It'd cost a small fortune to get that ship dry and operational again. "We'll come back for it later."

He cut the connection. There was another call he needed to make, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Still, maybe it'd be best to just get it out of the way. As the Arwing ascended back up into space, Fox contacted the Great Fox II.

"Hey, R.O.B.?" Fox asked. "Get me General Peppy, would you?"

"Acknowledged," R.O.B. replied, going silent as he made the call.

Fox looked at an old photograph next to the console in front of him. It showed a picture of his fifteen-year-old self at the Hare household, having moved in there after the death of his father James McCloud. His younger self and Peppy sat on a couch in the living room, Fox wearing junky clothing typical of a teenager while Peppy wore a red button-down shirt. The two of them leaned together, grinning for the camera.

Even though Fox was still getting over his father's death when this photo was taken, he remembered putting on a smile for Peppy's sake. Back then, he understood how much Peppy had sacrificed to take him under his wing and help him still live a somewhat normal life. The least he could do was look happy, so he didn't ruin the picture.

With a crackle of static, Peppy's face appeared on the console, still dressed in his red general's uniform. His office looked over Corneria City, the cityscape behind him where he sat at his desk.

"Hey Fox! How's things going on finding the case?" He gave a warm smile. "You got it back now?"

Fox ran a hand over his face, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. "Sorry Peppy, no."

Peppy's smile vanished, concern darkening his face. "What?"

"Star Wolf got away with it. We don't know where they or the case are now."

The hare's ears lowered forward, his eyes narrowing. "They got away?!" Fox had never known Peppy to take on such an angry tone. "How did that happen?" The loud voice caused the speakers to crackle and sputter.

Fox winced at the noise, but kept talking. "When we caught up with the Retribution, it was going well at first. At least until Slippy decided to get some payback."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how Wolf shot his dad?"

"Oh…" Peppy's face fell. He didn't need an explanation. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. We've just picked him up off of Fortuna."

"Well, that's good at least." Peppy nodded. He wasn't angry anymore, but his voice had settled into something that sounded like disappointment. Fox wasn't sure if he preferred this to the yelling from before. "How could you let this happen, Fox?" Peppy frowned. "How could you let Star Wolf get away?"

"It wasn't my fault." Fox's eyes narrowed. "It was Slippy's."

"You're still the leader of the team, Fox. Whether it's deserved or not, it's the leader who gets blamed when his team screws up. I've taught you that, haven't I?"

Fox grimaced. "Yes sir."

Peppy made Fox say that when he was still living in the Hare household, whenever he did something wrong and needed to apologize for it. This conversation reminded him of the stern rants and lectures Peppy would deliver when teenage Fox broke a house rule. It was a bittersweet memory though, both nostalgic and yet unpleasant at the same time.

"Goodness knows I've got plenty of experience with that now ever since I put this on." The hare indicated towards his crimson red uniform. His voice was noticeably softer, but Fox still felt ashamed regardless. "I don't know how Pepper put up with the general public and those damn politicians for so long. Impossible to please, the lot of them. You're lucky you know. You only need to worry about pleasing me." That slight tinge of anger returned, Peppy shifting out of dad mode and back into boss mode. "Anyway, you better have some new leads on where that case could be now, because I sure don't have any."

"We do have some new leads." Or that's what Fox hoped anyway. "We picked up some other people on Fortuna along with Slippy. Apparently Star Wolf had a battle with some mystery faction on Fortuna, and all three of them were there. I'm going to interrogate them as soon as I can, and I'll let you listen in."

Peppy's face was hard to read. An uncomfortable pause settled between the two of them, before he replied, "All right. But know this Fox. There's a lot more at stake for you here than this one paycheck." His tone had settled somewhere calm, but also with a concerned undercurrent. "I get scrutinized a lot for hiring out my adoptive son to do the military's job, you know. Get criticized for nepotism and sweetheart deals and all that. The only reason it's tolerated is because of your reputation, how you always deliver results. If suddenly, you're not delivering…" The hare shrugged. "Well, I might not be able to swing my influence as much, and you might be saying goodbye to future paychecks too. You understand what I mean?"

Fox understood plenty. The team's budget was already on thin ice. Missing out on a couple more future jobs could end Star Fox for good, given Peppy was one of his few reliable clients left. He gave a curt nod.

"Good. So let's hope these new leads you've got pan out. Call me back once you're ready for those interrogations. Goodbye for now Fox."

Peppy's face winked out, leaving Fox in the silence of his cockpit. The Great Fox II loomed ahead of him, along with the shuttle transporting Nail, Canma, and Tadao. It was not an exaggeration to say the future of Star Fox hinged upon what they could tell him about where the case was.

Chapter Text

Fox let out a long sigh, the day's failures weighing on him: Slippy's and Fara's ships out of commission, Star Wolf off to who knows where with the case, and even Peppy breathing down his neck.

The vulpine wanted to lash out at Slippy about how he'd probably ended Star Fox with his stupid attempt to avenge his father, succeeding where the Aparoids, the Venomians, Star Wolf, and even Andross himself had failed. The shuttle was one button press away from a call, yet Fox reined in his temper. Raging at Slippy over the comms would not help things right now.

Even so, he supposed Slippy's punishment would be getting those fighters operational again ASAP. They couldn't pursue Star Wolf when they were down two ships. Slippy would be pulling an all-nighter along with R.O.B. to get them fixed up, although Fox wasn't feeling forgiving right now.

He should have been relaxing on the ship by now after securing the case, but instead he'd be spending the next few hours interrogating the three strangers they'd picked up off of Fortuna. While Tadao had been happy to give his life story, Fox had no clue who the hell Nail and Canma were. Their gray bodysuits didn't have any insignias or markings on them. Where did they come from? He just hoped they had information about what was in that case and where Star Wolf was taking it, or this whole job was a bust.

Fox's Arwing, Falco's Arwing, and the shuttle settled into one of the Great Fox II's docking bays. The shuttle's door opened, a ramp descending to the floor. Slippy and Fara undid the restraints securing Nail's stretcher to the floor, pushing it down the ramp. Canma helped as well, her eyes never leaving the crippled canine. Fox and Falco jumped out of their Arwings to help.

Still handcuffed to the shuttle's floor brackets, Tadao looked straight ahead in a dazed state, his eyes not seeming to register anything. He must have been stuck alone on Fortuna since the Lylat Wars, considering his old Venomian fatigues and how surprised he was that Wolf wasn't working for Andross anymore. No doubt everything he was learning about the present day was a shock to him. They needed to move him to the brig, but there wasn't time for that right now.

"Falco, you watch him," Fox said. "I'll help the others with Nail."

Falco glared at the iguana. "I don't like bein' alone with creepy lizard boy scout, but okay."

Fox joined Fara, Slippy, and Canma in pushing Nail's stretcher, taking the lead position on the left side to guide them towards the medical bay. Time was of the essence to save Nail's life (and a potential lead on Star Wolf's location he cynically noted), so he ran as fast as he could.

Canma behind him was in another league though. She ran so fast she almost stepped on his tail a few times. Fox was about to tell her to slow down, but he noticed the way she looked at Nail. She wasn't only rescuing a fellow soldier. She looked at Nail the same way…well…

The way Krystal looks at me when I get hurt.

After a long run through the hallways, they reached the doors to the medical bay in record time, all four of them out of breath. From here, it would just be a matter of getting Nail hooked up to the Auto Doc to get him stabilized, and then later they could take him somewhere where he could get more permanent medical treatment.

Nail let out a loud groan behind his mask, turning to face Canma. While he couldn't speak, he looked her in the eyes and gestured with his hand.

"Don't move!" she said. "Save your strength."

Nail moaned again, motioning his hand towards a pouch on his utility belt. Canma extracted a small gray box from it, about the size and shape of a smartphone.

"You want me to use this?" She had an unsure look in her eyes.

He nodded his approval, then gestured towards Fox.

"Understood." She turned to Fox. "Go ahead and put him on the Auto Doc. I need to talk to you though."

While Fox wondered what she wanted, he nodded for Slippy and Fara to take Nail into the medical bay. The two of them pushed Nail's stretcher inside, the doors closing behind him.

"So, what's that thing?" Fox looked at the device.

"I need to go to your bridge." She turned to him.

Fox blinked. "Uh, why?"

"I need to…" She paused, like she was trying to choose her words carefully. "I need to send a message."

"To who?" Fox asked.

She chewed her lip, again like she was debating what and how much to say. "To…to my people."

Fox narrowed his eyes.

"Please, Fox!" Canma clasped her hands together. "I know you're upset about losing the case. But if you let me send this message, we might be able to get it back."

The case? As far as Fox knew, nobody had said a word about the case to her. And furthermore... "Who are these 'people' of yours?" he asked.

Canma's ears curled back. A few times her mouth opened, but she couldn't seem to get any words out.

"Lady, I only just met you." Fox folded his arms. "I don't know anything about you or who you're working for. Who are your people? Why do you want that case? Heck, how do you know I'm looking for the case?!" The more he spoke, the louder his voice got.

She didn't reply, wincing and taking a step back.

"You and Nail are in my custody now." Fox got in her face. "You're not getting off this ship until you tell me what I want to know. Understand?"

Canma didn't have anywhere left to go, as her back touched the wall behind her.

"Or should I hand you two over to the Cornerians? " He hovered over her. "They won't be as gentle as I'll be, I assure you."

He hated having to resort to threats. It wasn't his style at all. But even so, he was at wits' end. The only way out of his case predicament was getting more information from his new passengers.

"Look, there's no need for threats." Canma shook her head. "Nail's not going anywhere, not in his state, and I'm not leaving without him. Everyone else on our team either escaped, or…" Her green eyes reddened, tears forming in them. "They're dead. Nail and I are the only members of Sentinel left in Lylat." Collecting herself, she wiped a hand over her eyes. "Please, let me send my message to the Separatists. I'll even let you listen in. Then I'll tell you everything. It can't make things any worse than they already are. We both want the same thing here, I promise. I don't want the Royalists to have that case."

While Fox didn't like how he'd driven her to tears, at least she was giving out some actionable info.

"Sentinel, Separatists, Royalists," Fox repeated. "Where are all of you from?"

"Thaljista, in the Diaspora system." Canma sniffled again.

Fox's eyes widened. What was this now? They all just happened to be from the same system where Krystal had gone to look for that Cerinian colony? Was this some kind of crazy coincidence, or was there something more going on here?

"Is there something important about that place to you?" she asked.

More than you know. In the long months Krystal had been gone, he'd done some casual research on what was happening in the Diaspora system in the hopes it may help him find out what happened to her, and he knew about some kind of war on Thaljista, but not many details. For now though, he needed to focus on the job at hand.

"Let's forget about that for now," Fox said. "Who are these Royalists? Heck, who are the Separatists? I guess you and Sentinel work for the latter, then?"

Canma nodded. "On the planet Thaljista, the Royalists and the Separatists used to be one nation called the Azerian Kingdom, but there's been a civil war ongoing for the last decade or so. Most of the Thaljistani population are cats, but a small percentage are other species. Ten years ago, the Azerian Kingdom was the only nation on the planet that accepted other species, but then Queen Kula came to power, and she decided to expel non-cats. Her brother opposed her, and formed the Separatists to fight back. That's how things have been ever since. People like me who aren't cats..." She patted herself. "We are fighting for our very existence there. If the Royalists get the case, they are likely to succeed in their goal in purging us from the planet. Please, let me make my call." She held up the device again. "You'd be saving millions of lives."

What to do? Fox knew she was telling the truth about the Azerian civil war...at least from what he read before.

But her talk about what that box could do...it sounded like pure bullshit. Fox knew firsthand that contacting Thaljista from Lylat wasn't a simple matter, considering he himself had been trying to get messages there in an effort to locate Krystal. Lylatian technology that could instantly transmit a message to a system weeks' away by warp didn't exist yet. You could send your messages along with couriers, or have it transmitted via tachyon projection, but he'd discovered it could easily still take a week for his messages to make it to the Diaspora system, and yet another week for a reply to come back.

"All right, so you're saying that thing can call Thaljista instantly?" He glanced at the box in her hands. "How the hell does that work?"

She didn't seem bothered at all by his question. In fact, she even put on a smile. "Let me plug this into your comms system, and it'll do the rest."

"Wh-wh-wha?! That's it?" Fox's mouth went agape. One little box could do what the Cornerian government couldn't do with billions of credits of investment and infrastructure?! He hardened his eyes. "You're lying."

"Let me hook it up, and you'll soon find out I'm not."

Fox shook his head. "Give me that thing."

When he received it, he saw it was a simple metal box, made of some kind of silvery metal, with two cable connectors running out of it. Could it really call all the way to Thaljista? This sounded like a trick. Like what if there was some kind of virus or hostile takeover program on this thing that'd let Canma take control of the ship?

Fox tapped some commands into his wrist comm. "Hey Slippy, could you meet us on the bridge? Oh, and bring your software diagnostics kit."

"Sure Fox, but why?" the toad replied.

"Got something I need you to look at. Come on up."

After a few minutes Fox and Canma walked into the bridge, Fortuna still looming large in the viewport on the starboard side. In his slot at the front of the room, R.O.B. spun around, his mechanical arms waving around. Slippy wasn't far behind, the toad arriving with a small laptop and connectors in tow, looking confused.

Fox handed him Canma's metal box. "What can you tell me about this, Slip?"

"Umm…" Slippy turned it over in his hands a few times. "I don't know. Looks like a portable hard drive."

"Could you analyze it?"

"Sure." Slippy connected it to his laptop. As he did so, several windows appeared across his screen. Fox didn't know what to make of it, but the toad had a puzzled look on his face. He turned back to Fox, shrugging. "Well, I don't know what this is Fox. Most of the code can't be read by my machine. And I always keep up to date on Lylatian computer languages, frameworks, and whatnot. There is a small piece I can read though…" He zoomed into a series of files. "This part's designed to translate the unreadable code into something understandable by most ship operating systems in Lylat. Umm…I could try to reverse engineer what it's doing, figure out how it's translating the unknown code—"

"Great, how long would that take?" Fox asked.

"Uh…" Slippy hit some more commands on his machine. He sighed, taking off his hat to rub his bare head. "You could lock me in a room for several months working on this, and I still might not figure it out. Could be anything in here."

Fox looked to Canma for an explanation.

"I'm sorry. I didn't make that box." She frowned. "It might drain some power from the rest of the ship though. Giichi and some of our other tech boys built it back on Thaljista. All I know is you just plug it in, and it does its thing."

Giichi? Fox raised an eyebrow. Giichi is a pretty distinctive name. I feel like I've heard it before. There were a lot of other strange coincidences popping up lately though, like this whole thing with Thaljista, him thinking he'd seen Nail before, and now this Giichi person… What did all of this mean?

Fox sighed, "Hey, Slip?"

"Yeah Fox?" Slippy slid back in his chair.

"Let's say we plug that box into the comms system. How much of a risk would that be?"

"Hard to say. I don't know what's in the code. Could be anything." Slippy's eyes narrowed, the wheels in his head turning as he thought up a solution. "Maybe instead of the main comms system, I could take the backup comms system, disconnect it from the rest of the ship's computers, and hook the device up to that. If there is a virus and it starts infecting things, it'll be limited to that one part of the system only."

"Hmm…" Fox drummed his fingers on a nearby console. It sounded reasonable, he supposed. "Okay, let's try it."

About half an hour later, after Slippy had opened up some control panels in the bridge and fiddled around with some things underneath the comms console. Fox wasn't technically inclined enough to know what he was doing, but they had both the box and his laptop hooked up to connections leading inside the machine's guts.

"Here we go." Slippy pushed the Enter key.

The bridge's lights flickered on and off before settling to a lower level. The ventilation system shut down as well, the omnipresent hum of fans going silent. Monitors around the bridge flickered, but one of them showed the Great Fox II's engines failing due to low power. Alarms blared around the ship, red lights in the ceiling flashing on and off.

"Slippy! Turn it off!" Fox cried out.

"No! Stop!" Canma grabbed Slippy's arm before he clicked cancel. She turned to Fox. "Look, this is normal. I told you, some power's gonna get drained from the rest of the ship to run it."

" Some power?!" Fox shouted over the alarms. "That's like saying the ocean has some water in it!"

"Don't worry, the program works fast. I don't wanna damage your ship or anything."

Damage to the ship?! Fox reached for Slippy's laptop himself, but Canma stepped in his way.

"No, please!" she cried out. "If you don't let me make this call, a lot of people will die!"

Fox was tempted to shove her out of the way and cancel the program regardless...but what if she was telling the truth? Would he be okay if he found out later all those people had died in that war, even if he was far away from it at the moment? Sighing, he backed away, surrendering. "Fine, make your call! Hurry it up!"

Canma nodded, stepping up to the holographic projector at the front of the bridge. Bursts of random pixels and static thrashed about like an angry storm above it, struggling to piece themselves together, but a coherent hologram took shape. The image was not perfect, pixels flickering random colors on parts of the figure's body. Sometimes the entire image flashed a rainbow of colors while warping in and out of focus. Pixel snow buzzed around the person.

The face came together to reveal a gray wolf, with bright yellow eyes and dark gray hair running down the back of his head. He wore a green officer's jacket and cap, not unlike Pepper's uniform. Captains in the Cornerian military also had green uniforms, so at first he thought Canma was calling one of them. But the wolf had patches and badges that weren't Cornerian, and a patch on his front indicated he was of the 'FAR Army', whatever FAR meant. The dimmed bridge lighting gave the picture an eerie appearance.

"Canma?" the wolf leaned closer to the camera, his voice difficult to make out through the static. "-can barely see—you.  Where a— you?" The wolf looked around the bridge.

"The Great Fox II . We've linked up with Star Fox."

" What?! " Gail shouted so hard there was a big burst of static, making Fox wince.

The wolf's image turned to face Fox, those yellow eyes studying him. Like so many other things over the past couple hours, Fox could have sworn this lupine reminded him of something. And similar to Canma, he appeared to be thinking carefully about what words he would say next. More secrecy. He didn't like this. What the hell was he stepping into here?

"Canma." Gail turned back to her. "Why are you w— Star Fox?" He kept shooting glances at Fox. The wolf's voice seemed to be getting clearer now, the connection becoming more stable. "I'm guessing you don't have good news, or we wouldn't be talking now."

Canma fell silent, her tail drooping and eyelids becoming heavy, as she stared at the floor. "We failed." She shut her eyes, wringing her hands together. "Star Wolf got away with the case, and Giichi too." She had to rub a hand over her eyes again. "Sentinel… Our main ship escaped, but a lot of people died along the way. Me and Nail…we're the only ones left here."

Gail fell quiet, settling back into his chair. He removed his officer's cap from his head, rubbing the rim with his finger. "So, we've only got one chance left now."

"You mean attacking Sable once she arrives back with the case?"

Gail nodded, a grim look crossing his features. "This will be a costly battle." He clenched his fist around the cap's fabric, bending it. "The Retinue will be with her. I have no doubt."

While Fox didn't know what 'Retinue' meant, the word sent Canma into shock. "But that's suicide!" she shouted. "We've never been able to kill one of them before!"

"If we don't do this, we have no future." The wolf placed the cap back on his head, affixing it back in place. He leaned back in his chair, staring off into space. Fox could tell his mind was working overtime, as if calculating the cost of the decisions he was about to make. “I know R&D are working on a device to neutralize their tech, but it’s only in the experimental stage.  They may have to use it.”  He looked at Canma once more. "You said Aug's alive. How is he doing? I gave him the transmitter, not you. Something happened to him, didn't it?"

Aug? Fox raised an eyebrow. He means Nail? I think I remember the name Aug too.

Canma sniffled. "He's been shot. Tortured. Thrown in a river. Part of his tail was cut off by those damn pirates even!" She clenched her fist, shaking her head. "And…and he —" Canma jerked a finger at Fox. "He let one of those pirates on board this ship! He should have killed him! Shot him on the spot! It'd be a thousand times more merciful than what that lizard did to Nail!"

Fox was startled by her sudden outburst, and was about to chew her out over it, but Gail interrupted.

"Canma—" The wolf's image buzzed out of focus, becoming a mass of pixels before reforming itself again. "Time is short. Your ship can't maintain connection— much longer. Tell me how Aug's doing!"

Canma shook her head. "I don't know. He's in the medical bay. I wish there was more I could say. I know it'll be a long time before I get to talk to you again…"

The wolf shut his eyes, doing that long stare again. But this time, even through the distorted pixels, Fox thought he saw a tear forming in one of his eyes. The lupine brushed it away quickly. "Thank you." His image warped again, becoming a small tornado of dots before it reformed once more. "No time left. Good b—"

A pop blasted through the room. Slippy cried out, Fox looking over to see what had happened. The little silver box was black and smoking on the floor now, the remains on the inside fried beyond repair. At the same time, the lights in the room went back to full strength, blinding Fox for an instant as the ventilation came back on, all of the monitors flicking back to life. Canma stared at where the image had been before, ears curled back, tail still drooped behind her, flicking back and forth.

Fox took some gentle steps forward, sliding up next to her. "So…" He felt awkward talking to her when she was like this but continued. "Who was that? A general?"

Canma couldn't speak for a moment, but eventually returned a nod. "Head general of the Free Azerian Republic's military. General Gail Strafer."

"Nail…or Aug, whatever. He's related to Gail?"

"It's not hard to tell, is it? Gail is Nail's father," she said. "The eyes and the fur color, right?"

"Uh yeah, I guess so..." Bit of a weird revelation.

"You really called all the way back to Thaljista just now?!" Slippy asked, running up to her.

"Sure did." Canma nodded. "That wasn't just a fancy light show for your amusement."

"I don't know what that device did, but you're telling the truth." Slippy glanced down at his laptop. "Our transmission signal somehow gained enough power to transmit all the way to Thaljista! I didn't know the Great Fox II was capable of such a thing! Although you did burn out some systems here and there in the process..." He muttered under his breath. "How did that thing even do that?"

"I'm sorry but like I said I don't know." Canma shrugged. "You'd have to talk to Separatist R&D. Or you could rip a radio out of one of the Royalists' interstellar ships. Our tech's not as good as theirs. At least theirs don't blow up."

Slippy shared a shocked glance with Fox. There was something even better out there?

Regardless, Fox decided he could ask more later. He had something more pressing on his mind. "Well lady, I held up my end of the deal. So now I want some questions answered."

"Sounds fair. I may as well tell you everything I know." Canma smiled, although it was a bitter one. "I don't think it matters anymore anyway."

Fox raised an eyebrow. Well, that sure sounded depressing. Anyway, he thought he might as well ask the questions burning in his mind for the past ten minutes or so.

"You said you're from the Diaspora system, right? Do you know anything about a Cerinian colony there?" He gestured between himself and Canma. "You know…foxes, like us, but strange colors? Like blue? And they've got telepathic powers?"

There was a flicker of shock over the vixen's face, although it soon settled into a frown. "What did you say?" She shook her head, a pissed off look on her face. "Blue foxes… Are you joking? I've never heard of anything like that. Sounds ridiculous to me."

"Me too, until a couple years ago." Fox pulled out his wallet and removed a picture, holding it out to Canma. Despite being relatively new, the photo was covered with creases and folds, since he'd pulled it out so much. It showed him and Krystal going hiking on Sauria together.

"She's Krystal." He handed her the photo. "She's a Cerinian."

Whatever anger Canma had before was replaced by astonishment. No doubt the blue fur color had taken her by surprise. "What happened to her?" Her eyes became laser focused on Fox.

"Cerinia was destroyed a few years ago. She thought she was the only survivor, until she heard about rumors of a colony in the Diaspora system." Fox clenched his fist, ears and lips curling back. "I let her go look for it."

Canma looked at him, a sad look on her face. "She was your mate?"

Fox closed his eyes, nodding. A year ago, that question would've embarrassed him. "We're not married yet, but we were thinking about when to do it." A tear threatened to come out of his eye. "I just wanted her to be happy. She's told me so much about Cerinia, about how it's gone now, and she wants to see someone, anyone from her old planet. But now she's been gone so long I'm worried something has happened to her." He clenched his fists.

Canma handed the photograph back to him. She seemed conflicted about how to reply. "If she went to Thaljista, do you want to know what I think happened to her, Fox?" A dark look crossed her face. "I warn you…you won't like it."

Fox's eyes hardened. Am I ready to face the truth? Do I want to know? He clenched his teeth. No, I have to own up to my mistakes. He nodded for her to continue.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Canma cleared her throat, preparing herself for what she was about to say. "Outside of the Separatist territories, Thaljista is a terrible place to be if you aren't a cat. Most cats there are as xenophobic as they come. If she went looking for the colony, she would've had to go into the Outer Territories. That place is full of bandits, warlords, and outlaws taking advantage of the war to do whatever they please. Destroying villages, killing, robbing and…" Her flat voice cracked as she clenched her jaw. "…enslaving. It almost happened to me a few times, because of my species."

Slavery. You didn't hear that word in Lylat much anymore. There wasn't much reason to even have slaves now, given current technology was so good at handling laborious, mundane tasks slaves would have been tasked with centuries prior.

"I'm sorry Fox..." She wiped a hand over her eyes. "There's a very good chance she could be enslaved right now."

He clenched the back of one of the nearby chairs, his claws digging into the fabric, but he didn't care. "Who would do this?"

"Well, the-the..." Canma paused, taking a deep gulp. "Lions. Maybe. There's a whole gang of them. They even enslave other cat species." The way she said it, she sounded like she had some personal experience. "Out of all the factions in the Outer Territories, they're by far the biggest and the most brutal."

Fox found himself dizzy on his feet. Had he really let Krystal wander off into a world like that? What if it was already too late? No, I can't let myself think that. It would break me.

"I can help you, though." Canma let that thought hang in the air.

Fox snapped his head to her. He didn't know what kind of help she could offer, but he was all ears.

"Krystal most likely passed through Separatist territory when she arrived on Thaljista, since we have the only spaceports on the planet where non-cats are welcome. If she did, my government would know about it. I can get that information for you."

Fox was rooted to the spot, his breaths rapid. It could be that easy? He needed to find out more.

But before he could reply, Canma said, "But if I'm going to help you, could you help us? Come to Thaljista and fight for the Separatists? The Free Azerian Republic needs all the help it can get now. What is in that case will lead to death and destruction like never seen before on Thaljista. Even Lylat may not be spared from it."

Of course there'd be a string attached. While he was desperate to find out anything he could about what may have happened to Krystal, he didn't fancy getting involved in a war where he didn't even know why it was happening in the first place. And it would be a long, expensive trip to take the Great Fox II there as well.

"I'm sure I could get the Separatist government on board to pay you for your services." She smiled knowingly. "You need the money anyway, right?  You are a mercenary, correct?"

At the moment, yes. Even with Peppy fighting for him, good chance he wasn't going to get paid for finding that case now, and Canma's offer would give him a way to get to Thaljista and also keep Star Fox afloat. It sounded perfect...almost a little too perfect, come to think of it. This woman would just come out of nowhere and offer him exactly the kind of work he was looking for? Sure, he wanted to find Krystal again, but you know what they said about things that sounded too good to be true.

His communicator trilled before he could think too much longer about it, though. Fox raised it up to his ear. " What?! " he snapped.

"Fox, is that any way to greet a general?" Peppy scolded him. "You're lucky it was me you know."

"Shit, sorry Peppy." He ran a hand over his ears.

"Anyway, I was just told there was a big energy surge from the Great Fox II . Is everything OK there?"

"Yeah we're fine, I think." Fox glanced at Slippy looking at his laptop, furrowing his brow at some blinking red icons. He turned to Canma, who was still staring at him expectantly. He turned around, leaving the bridge and going into the hall. "But one of our new passengers had a weird device that let us call to Thaljista, in real time."

"What?!" Peppy gasped. "But that's something even the CDF—"

"—has trouble doing, I know." Fox finished. "It was this weird box thing she had us plug into our ship. It really did work, according to Slippy anyway. I think I'll have him study it, then we can hand it over to your R&D boys later."

"I see then..." Peppy obviously wasn't expecting that kind of news. "Umm anyway, I also wanted to tell you I'm ready to start the interrogations if you are."

Crap, that was right. He'd been so busy interrogating Canma himself he forgot that Peppy was supposed to be listening in too. "Okay then, I'll get us set up. Call you back when we're ready."

Fox hung up his communicator. He walked back into the bridge, giving an uncertain look to Canma.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, but now Peppy wants to talk to you and Nail," Fox said.

"Nail!" She wrung her hands, ashamed she'd forgotten about him. "Can I see him?"

Fox nodded. "Sure, I'll get Fara to escort you to the medical wing." He needed to go get the camera equipment for the interrogation in the meantime, not to mention pass along the info to Peppy about this Separatist/Royalist business.

While he waited for Fara to pick up on comms, some uncomfortable thoughts swam around in Fox's head. He thought these interrogations would be straightforward. Find out if Canma, Nail, or Tadao knew where the case might be now, then use the information to find it again. He didn't think one of them was going to make an offer he wasn't sure if he could refuse. What would Peppy think if he just took off in the middle of a job to work for the Separatists?

Maybe for now it'd be best to just listen in, find out more about who Canma and Nail were, then make his decision after. He just hoped there weren't any more surprises today.

Chapter Text

While waiting for Fox to call back, Peppy poured a fresh stream of coffee from the pot into his mug. He followed up with some creamer, the black liquid turning a more pleasant shade of brown. He moved back to his desk and waited for the beverage to finish cooling. To pass the time, he glanced out the window. Far away from the CDF's main base, Corneria City glowed on the horizon, twinkling so bright it almost looked like the rising sun from here.

While beautiful, it reminded him of how goddamn late it was too. He had been at home and about to go to sleep when Fox called. That was a couple hours ago now, Peppy having put on his uniform in a hurry and driven back to base to interrogate Fox’s guests.

He'd done his best to make his red dress uniform look presentable, although there were buttons and belts askew here and there. It didn't feel right wearing his dress clothes this way, but as commander in chief of Corneria's forces, he refused to show up at the base in civilian clothes. He had a standard to uphold, after all.

A line of portraits ran along the top of the wall near his desk, showing his predecessors. General Pepper's picture occupied the most recent position on the far right, with fresher paint compared to the rest. Peppy let out a little sigh. Though Pepper was alive, the old hound dog had been mostly bed-ridden since the Aparoid invasion, infected by their contagion. Doctors couldn't remove it without killing him, so they just gave him drugs and treatments to suppress the worst of the symptoms. That was how it was going to be until he died of that damned illness. Such a terrible end for such a great soul like him.

Peppy still couldn't believe Pepper selected him of all people to take over the job, though. Even after a year, the hare wasn't sure about filling the dog's shoes, and neither was the public. From the day of the announcement, many had called him an illegitimate replacement due to his mercenary past. And even though the case theft had only just recently happened, his critics were already nipping at his heels about it. How could he keep Lylat secure if he couldn't even secure his main base? Peppy hated to admit it, but it had been part of the reason he'd been hard on Fox when they last talked. It wasn't only Star Fox's reputation at stake here.

He glanced at some documents about the Azerian Civil War. Once Fox told him where Nail and Canma had come from, he'd sent off his aides to research and prepare these for him. But what that war had to do with a case theft here on Corneria, he had no idea. He'd learned the vault that Wolf robbed was an antiquities wing of all things too. Why steal something from there?

Peppy raised his coffee to his lips, but a knock at the door startled him, as he almost spilled the liquid on his red jacket. Grumbling, he set the cup on the desk, looking at the door.

"Come in!" Peppy barked.

In stepped a white goat wearing a clean black suit with black tie and white shirt…an ambiguous G-man look about him. No idea what department or agency he might be from. And how had he gotten to his office so easily at such a late hour?

"How do you do, General Peppy?" Without asking, the goat threw his suit jacket onto Peppy's nearby coat hook. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I needed to get here fast. My name is Stan Krubish." Stan smiled, alert and friendly in spite of the late hour. He reached over the desk. "I'm from the OIC. I want to listen in on your interrogations."

The mention of OIC took Peppy by surprise. The Office of Intelligence and Counseling. Corneria's spy agency.

"How do you do?" Peppy accepted the handshake, but he was still confused. "This is a military matter. What does the OIC have to do with this?" Peppy sat back down in his chair, as Krubish took a seat on the other side.

"Oh, we've had a passing interest since the break in." Stan put on a big smile as he leaned back in his chair, almost like he was going to put his feet on the desk too. "I just had to run over here after the CDF detected a strange energy surge from the Great Fox II a few hours ago."

Peppy did a double take. Word had already reached the OIC about that?

Stan's face became more animated, his grin more eager. "The level of power, not to mention the wavelengths it's on… It's familiar to us." The goat almost looked hungry with anticipation. "Tell me, the people who Star Fox has picked up...is their planet of origin Thaljista, perchance?"

"Thaljista?" Peppy's ears perked up. "You know that too?"

"Of course," Stan laughed.

Peppy stared back. This guy just let himself in and he already seemed to know more about the situation than Peppy himself, even though Peppy was in direct contact with Fox? This didn't feel right at all.

He glanced at the pot of coffee nearby, still steaming. "Do you mind if I have some while we wait?"

"Umm..." Peppy stood up, using the interlude to give himself time to collect himself. "Uh sure."

Peppy handed him a cup and sat back down, eyeing this intruder. He knew the OIC were good with their intel, but this was creepy. Suddenly, Peppy didn't feel as if he was the one in charge even though this was his office.

Regardless, he watched the monitor on his desk, waiting for Fox to call back.

~X~

Fox lugged an oversized camera in one hand, and a stand in the other. He figured he should feel tired between his long day and not getting any sleep, but after his conversation with Canma he was too wired up. The idea of Krystal being enslaved put all kinds of horrible thoughts in his head. He wished he had more time to talk to Canma privately, but they needed to get this interrogation done first. Truth to be told, in spite of needing to get paid, Fox didn't even care that much about the case anymore.

The door to the medical bay whooshed aside, revealing a stark white room with bright lights. The glare blinded him, his tired eyes blinking a few times to clear away the blurriness.

As he waited for his vision to clear, the songs of chirping Cloudrunners filled the air, along with leaves rustling in the wind and the distant roar of a waterfall, complemented by the trickling of a brook. The scent of wet dirt, fresh grass, and exotic flowers reached his nostrils. Of course, all of that was out of place for a medical bay, but Fox wasn't surprised by it. The entire far wall was a holo wall that could be changed to display various scenes from across Lylat. Right now, it showed a scene from Thorntail Hollow on Sauria at dusk. Thorntails leisurely moved across the screen, munching on the grass, while the palm trees swayed in the wind and the water in the stream burbled past.

While it was meant to create a relaxing atmosphere for the injured and sick, it only reminded Fox that Krystal wasn't here.

He strode through the medical bay towards the holo wall on the far side of the room, the walk taking a considerable amount of time. Given the Great Fox II used to be a full-sized Cornerian carrier for thousands of personnel, many rooms on the ship spread out as massive, empty spaces like this.

Nail occupied the bed at the far end of the room, blankets drawn over him with an oxygen mask over his face. Canma sat nearby grasping his hand. Red tinged her eyes, dried streams of tears visible on the fur below.  Fara watched them.

Fox took a second look at Nail's face. Was it his imagination, or was he feeling déjà vu? He could've sworn he'd seen someone with a face like his recently. But when? It wasn't from seeing Gail's face before. Fox had mostly been stuck on the Great Fox II for the past couple days. He hadn't had much of an opportunity to speak to anyone outside of his team.

The vulpine turned his attention to Nail's strange gray body suit laying across a table nearby. They'd torn it off of him so the auto doc could better heal his injuries. Fox had never seen anything like it, and Canma claimed it had saved Nail's life when he fell from several stories into the river. He'd definitely hand that over to the Cornerian military's R&D too once this was over. Maybe he could get a little extra pay from it.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Fox turned to see Fara there, smiling as she offered him a coffee cup.

Fox grinned. "Thanks." He took a drink, before setting it back down so he could start setting up the camera. "You chose the holo wall theme?"

"No." Fara shook her head." Canma did. I remembered the sick bays on some of these ships had the holo wall feature, so I asked her if she wanted it on. She picked Sauria."

It did make for a pleasant backdrop, but they couldn't have distractions during the interrogation. Once he was done with the camera, Fox stood up and walked to a nearby panel, pushing a button. The Sauria scene vanished, leaving nothing behind Canma but a stark white wall.

The sudden change caught her by surprise, although her face soon settled into a blank expression, as she stared at Fox and Fara.

Fox pushed a button on the telecom machine hooked up to the camera. "Hey Peppy, you there?"

Peppy's image swirled into view above the device. "Loud and clear." He shuffled some papers on his desk, before briefly glancing at someone off-camera. "Listen, I've got a Stan Krubish here from the OIC. He's got questions for Canma."

"A spy?" Fox raised an eyebrow. This was sudden.

Peppy didn't seem keen on the idea of an OIC agent being here either. "Uh, why not introduce yourself, Stan?"

"Hey Fox!" Peppy's hologram shrank, making room for a second one. A white goat in a dress shirt and tie slid his chair into the frame, the pixels swirling into focus. He looked perky and keen despite the late hour. "It's an honor to speak to the legend himself! I know you've had a long day, but don't worry. Me and Peppy will do most of the talking. You can sit back and listen."

He seemed friendly enough, although Fox was leery of this development. OIC did some shady bullshit, after all. Regardless, Fox nodded in greeting and sat next to the camera. Not much he could do about it now, and he wondered if Peppy had been hamstrung into this.

Canma squared herself up with the camera, positioning her chair near Nail on the bed. Almost like she wanted him close by to defend her, even though he couldn't do much of anything right now.

Stan looked at his notes. "So I've already had some information passed my way by Fox. You are Canma Nuya, the man in the bed is Augustine 'Nail' Strafer, and you are part of a special forces unit from Thaljista called Sentinel, trained to handle missions in foreign territory. You're fighting for the Free Azerian Republic against the Azerian Kingdom. Separatists versus Royalists." He glanced up. "Correct?"

Canma nodded back.

"Your mission was to prevent Star Wolf from obtaining a case from Corneria City's CDF base and selling it onto the Royalists, correct?"

Canma hesitated to answer. However, Nail's gray furred hand grasped hers. The two locked eyes, Nail's yellow irises sharp and alert for the first time since Fox had come into the room. He nodded.

She replied, "Yes."

"Care to go into more detail?" Stan asked.

She glanced at Nail again, before looking back at Stan. "Our intelligence division got word the Royalists were after a particular case on Lylat, and my superiors knew it could change the course of the civil war. Sable was looking for Lylat mercenary groups who could steal it for her.” 

“Sorry, Sable?” Peppy asked.

“Queen Kula’s personal adviser.” Canma got a dark look on her face.  “A panthress with fur as black as her heart.  She’s always near the queen and whispering in her ear, so some of Queen Kula’s plans may actually be hers.”

“Nobody knows where Sable came from, either,” Stan said to Peppy.  “Anyone who knows anything about Thaljista will know about her, but our intelligence has turned up nothing about her origins.  She just appeared in the royal court shortly before the civil war started.”

“Anyway, she didn't want the case's theft to be traced back to Thaljista,” Canma continued. “She ended up picking Star Wolf, so we inserted some of our operatives within their group to keep an eye on things. The rest of us hung around on Fortuna as their backup."

"So Nail and Giichi were the ones who were inserted into Star Wolf, then?"

Canma nodded.

"Anyone else?" Stan looked up from his papers.

Canma went quiet, grimacing. She cast an almost imperceptible side glance to Nail. Fox wasn't sure if he saw it, but he thought he saw the canine do a very slight head shake.

"No…" Canma avoided looking up.

Weird. Nail had nodded for her to say yes to most of the other questions.

"So Star Wolf has the case now, I presume?" Stan asked.

"Not anymore, most likely," Canma's shoulders sank. "I imagine they would have passed it onto the Royalists by now."

"And why do you figure that?" Stan asked.

"The Royalists possess a special ship called the Onyx, which is rarely deployed. If it's gone, something major is happening. We have intelligence that the ship left Thaljista about a week ago."

"And you think that ship came here to pick up the case?" Peppy asked. He narrowed his eyes, grasping a pen. "That doesn't make sense. Even with the Beltino Orbital Gate teleporting you part of the way from Lylat, the fastest any ship could get to Thaljista is a month! It would take even longer than that to travel from Thaljista to here."

"Think again." Canma shook her head. "I'm sure some in your government knows this already, but the Royalists possess much more advanced technology than you can think of. That ship probably came and went from Lylat without you even knowing about it. And the Royalists might have more." She stared straight into the camera. "That's why we need your help."

Peppy was astonished by the news about the Onyx, but Stan had a blank look on his face.

"But..." Fox spoke up for the first time. "It's like you said. It takes a month for any Lylatian ship to reach Thaljista. Even if we set course right now, we'd be at least three weeks behind the Onyx, if what you say is true. Wouldn't it be too late to help by then?"

"There is still one more hope." She turned to Fox. "The Separatists intercept the Royalists before they get the case back to their capital."

"You said something about these 'Retinue', though?" Fox asked. "About how you'd never killed one of them? You said they'd be guarding the case. What's the Retinue?"

She spared a glance at Nail, who nodded his approval. "An elite cadre of personal bodyguards to Queen Kula, otherwise only dispatched on the most important missions. Again, we have intelligence that some of them disappeared from the capital...around the same time the Onyx left." She crossed her arms. "I'm sure you can put two and two together." Shaking her head, she wiped a hand over her eyes. "It doesn't matter though. Gail was right. If he doesn't get the case back—Retinue or not—it's over for us. He's going to throw everything he has at getting it back, and he just might succeed. I hope he does, but I think many will die in the process. But even if he does succeed, the Royalists won't give up. They will likely launch a counterattack to retake the case, and our forces will already be battered after defeating the Retinue. We are going to need reinforcements."

"But suppose none of this works out for the Separatists" Peppy asked. "Suppose I send a fleet there, but the Royalists get the case back in the meantime. By the time my fleet gets there a month later, the Royalists have likely already taken control of the planet, if what's in that case is as powerful as you say. My fleet is alone there without support, and they get wiped out. What good does that do?"

"The Royalists may not be content once they've purged Thaljista of non-cats." She stared Peppy down. "The Onyx likely came to Lylat and left with the case without any of you knowing about it. The Royalists may be hiding more ships like it. Wouldn't you rather take care of them before they get here?"

Though it was a sobering thought—ghost ships appearing suddenly in Lylat and wreaking havoc—Peppy did not seem impressed. "What is so important about this case anyway? Why is there so much killing over it? Tell me what's in it."

"I don't know," Canma replied. "I just know we can't let the Royalists have it. That's all my superiors on Thaljista told me. You'd have to talk to them."

Fox's disappointment was palpable. He was hoping he'd hear at least something besides how awful whatever inside was.

"You've got to tell me more than that if you want my help, young lady." Peppy shook his head. He wasn't just annoyed. He was furious, in fact, but not about the case. The hare cast a dark glare at Stan, before he jumped in with another question. "Let's forget about all this for a moment. You were aware Star Wolf was going to conduct a raid on my base, correct?" The hare leaned forward, gaze focused on her.

Canma's mood changed very suddenly. She wasn't looking so stoic anymore. "We… we were," she admitted with reluctance, clenching her jaw.

Another pause from Peppy, as he glanced at Stan again. "So if you knew their plans months in advance and you didn't want the Royalists to get the case, why didn't you tell us? Tell the CDF?"

Canma blinked a few times, her face going taut.

"Why didn't you tell us our main base was about to get hit?" Peppy glared at her, leaning forward like he was towering over her. "You would've known when the theft was planned, right? Wouldn't alerting the CDF have been a much simpler way to prevent the situation we're in right now? We could have set a trap for Star Wolf before they arrived."

Sweat drops formed on Canma's face, her fists clenching, tail flicking behind her.

Good point. Fox spared a glance at Fara. Unlike Peppy though, her look was more of concern and questioning, instead of anger. Given the attack had taken place on her own base, Fox figured Fara would have been livid like Peppy.

Regardless, Peppy continued, his eyebrow narrowing. "Wolf detonated bombs that destroyed the central radar tower, plus a server building. Only the graveyard shift was working at the time, but five Cornerian soldiers lost their lives, and many more were injured. And Wolf shot Doctor Beltino Toad. He's lucky to be alive."

It was a good thing Slippy wasn't in the room right now, Fox reflected.

"Not to mention everything else that's followed in this theft's wake. None of it would have happened if you had told us what was going on!" he hammered a fist on his desk. Fox had never known Peppy to act this way. "Stan told me earlier we're already your allies in the Thaljistani civil war. We are supplying your side with weapons, supplies, and aid, and we have open channels of communication with you. You could have informed us about the situation, yet you did not. Why? Why did my men have to die? Why did Beltino have to get shot?" His harsh tone was even worse than when he'd berated Fox about losing to Star Wolf earlier.

Canma shut her eyes, shaking her head, her ponytail flapping behind her. She froze in her seat, withdrawing within herself. A long silence carried in the room, no one making a move, no sounds as Canma stared at the floor, not knowing how she should answer.

"Well?!" Peppy cried out. "Answer me!"

"Peppy," Fara spoke up for the first time, raising her hand as she stood. "Hold on." Everyone in the room turned to her, including the holograms of Peppy and Stan. "Listen… I'm upset Star Wolf attacked my base too," she said. "But can't you tell Canma wasn't the one to make these decisions? She was following orders, not giving them. It's not fair to blame her for what her superiors wanted to do. And if what she said is true, all of her superiors who came to Lylat are dead or gone now, except for Nail."

Peppy paused, his face softening. He hadn't seemed to notice how he was going off until now. Nonetheless, Peppy didn't seem to be in an apologizing mood, so he didn't say anything. Could Fox blame him though, given the fallout he was dealing with right now because of this whole fiasco?

"True enough," Stan jumped in. "Perhaps we're being a little too hard on her."

Fox's eyebrows raised. He sure didn't expect Stan of all people to come to Canma's defense.

While confused by his gesture, Canma smiled at the goat's hologram, giving him a small nod.

Stan's hologram looked around at all the faces in the room. "Perhaps we should take a breather. The conversation's been getting a little heated. Maybe we should reconvene in about…" He checked his watch. "Half an hour?"

Peppy nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Fara? Fox?"

They both nodded their approval.

"Okay, good. Bye for now everyone." Peppy's and Stan's hologram winked out.

Before Fox could do anything else, his communicator trilled. He saw he was getting a text from Peppy: Stan says we need to talk again, this time without Canma. Contact us from your bridge?

Ugh, what happened to our break? I'm tired and hungry, damn it. And now Canma's laying all this on me… Nonetheless, Peppy was his boss right now, so with a grumble he texted back a yes.

Good, Peppy replied. See you there.

As Fox stood up to head back to the bridge, he cast one more look back at Canma and Nail. She had returned to looking at the canine again, as if the previous discussion hadn't happened. What was so important about him to her?

~X~

Fox leaned back into the captain's chair on the bridge. Unbelievable this was still going on. At least Fara was nice enough to grab coffee for him again. Fox was still busy stewing in his thoughts though. He could understand why Peppy was so angry. Fox himself felt pissed off that Canma and her friends had let the attack happen. Maybe it wasn't her decision though, but probably it was Nail's. Though Fox had only seen the guy injured, he got the sense that the canine was a cold bastard.

Again though, Fox couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen Nail somewhere before. He'd had this feeling since coming back into the bridge. Fox looked around. Why was this bothering him again all of a sudden?

Peppy's and Stan's holograms blinked back into sight in front of Fox and Fara before he could question it further, though.

"All right, so what do you need to talk about?" Fox asked, sounding on edge. "What are we gonna do with the two assholes in my medical wing?"

Peppy didn't mind Fox's tone at all, since he was feeling the same way. "I say we let them and the Separatists rot. If they can't let us know that an attack is inbound on our own base, why the hell should we help them now? What Star Wolf stole was from an antiquities wing. Maybe we should just let that case go. Surely what they took couldn't be that important."

"I don't think you should turn your back on this so quickly, Peppy," Stan said. "It would be much better for Corneria if the Separatists have control over Thaljista versus the Royalists. We're not really on speaking terms with anyone else on that planet."

"But how do we know that story about the Onyx isn't just bullcrap?" He waved his arms around. "Sure if it's real, it's frankly terrifying it could enter Lylat without us knowing about it, but she could be making it all up for all we know. It's awful convenient she has a scary story about a ship we can't even see. And a scary story about the mystery object in the case."

Fox grimaced. And a scary story about Krystal being enslaved too, come to think of it.

"I can assure you the Onyx is a real craft, Peppy," Stan said. "OIC agents within the Royalist capital confirm its existence."

Both Fox and Peppy did double takes.

Peppy's voice seemed caught in his throat for a second. "Now hold on a minute! I'm the one leading the military! You're telling me you couldn't have briefed me on that ship?!"

Stan frowned. "It was less about us hiding it from you and more the fact that you've been focused on trying to get Lylat reconstructed after the Aparoid invasion. Which is completely fine, mind you." He nervously laughed, raising his hands. "We just didn't want to distract you from your work. Besides, we didn't think the conflict on Thaljista would be relevant to what was happening here in Lylat...at least until now."

Though still pissed off, Peppy thought it made sense.

"They would not dispatch the Onyx or the Retinue to Lylat unless the thing inside that case was of dire importance." Stan glanced between Fox and Peppy. "If Canma says it's something that could change the course of the Azerian Civil War, it's the truth."

"Even so, how can you expect us to work with Canma and the Separatists here when they're obviously hiding things from us?" Peppy said.

"I agree," Fox said. "Besides all that, something's bothering me about Nail too. I feel like I've seen him recently.”

"Why do you say that?" Peppy raised an eyebrow. He looked at a photo in his hand. "Maybe it's just you remembering someone you saw while you were on our base, a while ago?"

"No, it's not that. It's so strange..." Fox glanced around the bridge, as if searching for something. "I feel like I've seen him within the last couple days, but I've been stuck on the Great Fox II most of that time." Fox stroked his chin, grimacing. "Damn it, I'm about to remember it but I can't get a fix on it…" He glanced around the bridge again, looking at where ROB was plugged in at the front of the room. "You know, was it in this room when I saw him?"

"What?" Fara's eyebrows raised. "But that's impossible, Fox."

It sounded crazy to him too, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling. He glanced at the main screen. Fox's eyes widened, as he remembered something. "Hey, ROB!"

The robot spun around to face Fox. "What is your request, Fox?"

"You know the message we got from that Cornerian scout ship? The one with intelligence regarding the Retribution's old location near Fortuna?" Something about it seemed off now.

"Affirmative, Fox. I last played it for you one day, seven hours, four—"

Fox raised a hand. "Yeah ROB, I know."

"Hang on Fox." Peppy raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me we had a scout ship in the area that sent you intel on the Retribution?"

Fox jerked his head back to Peppy's. "Umm… yeah?"

"I don't know anything about that." He pulled up a hologram displaying the area of space around Fortuna, and typed in a few commands. Lines of data scrolled past, but a red box appeared. Peppy shook his head. "No scout ships were sent there. And if they were and they had intel, I would've been told about it by now."

Fox thought he would have been surprised, but instead Peppy had all but confirmed the vulpine's hunch. Now it was time to put his theory to the test. "ROB, play the transmission from that 'scout ship.'" Fox said.

"Affirmative."

The main screen lit up, displaying an image of a Cornerian dog soldier, wearing the traditional blue and yellow helmet along with a gray jacket. Pointed ears stuck out of the helmet, gray fur showing wherever more of his body could be seen. He had a stiff posture, like he was some sort of mannequin or artificial construct.

"This is a message for the Star Fox team. Sir, we have new intel on the location of Star Wolf's mothership, the Retribution." The canine sounded almost as droning as ROB, the visor covering his eyes adding to the robotic impression. "They are docked on the dark side of Fortuna's moon Genma—"

"Pause," Fox said.

The gray canine's image froze in place. Fox stepped out of his chair to take a closer look. Though the visor of the helmet covered the top half of the canine's face, yellow eyes could still be seen behind the tinted glass. The ears, tufts of cheek fur, and muzzle shape all looked the same as Nail's too.

"It's him!" His eyes widened. "That's Nail!" Fox pointed at the image, looking back to Peppy and Stan.

Peppy glanced at the file he had on hand, and back at the image. His jaw dropped. "Whoa, you're right, Fox!"

Fox couldn't take his eyes away from the picture. Hard to believe he was sitting in the sickbay right now. Fox shook his head. "I knew Canma wasn't telling us the whole story about her mission!"

Peppy narrowed his eyes. "Sentinel wanted you to attack the Retribution, but they didn't want you to know it was them giving you the intel. Why?"

"Good question…" Fox's face scrunched up, turning back to Peppy. "You know, when I fought Wolf earlier, there were some weird things going on that didn't make sense. Like the deal he offered me."

"A deal?" Peppy sounded like he couldn't believe it.

Even to Fox, it was weird recalling Wolf had done that. "Yeah. After Wolf shot down Slippy, he made me an offer. He said if we retreated, he would let us go and wouldn't chase us. Said he had something more important to deal with. Plus, for some reason he had most of his force on Fortuna, and he'd left the Retribution undefended. And as soon as I called off the fight, he sent most of his force back to Fortuna again. Maybe they were looking for something. Otherwise, why would they be there?" Fox's eyes narrowed. "And there was an XTB-1400 that entered the fight midway through the battle. It was headed for Fortuna, and Wolf immediately went after it when he saw it. I have never seen him abandon a dogfight with me. When he went after the XTB, he said something like 'are you saying they're inside that fighter?'"

"Maybe Nail and Giichi were inside the fighter?" Stan suggested.

"Possibly. And that also ties into how Canma said Sentinel's main force was waiting on Fortuna as Nail's and Giichi's backup. And Andrew's old base was where we picked them up too." Fox nodded. The dots were connecting now. "Star Wolf stole the case from the CDF base, and Sentinel stole the case from them. They wanted to use my team as a smokescreen to make their final escape from Fortuna." Fox shook his head. Being used like that…it pissed him off. "Their plan must not have worked out. That's why we found Canma and Nail in the state they were in."

"And they didn't want us to know about any of this either." Peppy stroked his chin. "Sentinel didn't give us any advance warning on Star Wolf's raid because they wanted it to happen, so they could take the case for themselves! If everything had gone according to their plan, they would've gotten away with the case scott free, and we would have never known they were here! We would've blamed Star Wolf and thought nothing more of it." Peppy shook his head. "Sneaky sons of bitches…"

And Canma had the nerve to ask for my help after Sentinel did all of that! Fox shook his head. "I'll hand them over to you Peppy. Make them spill everything they know."

"Hold it!" Stan shouted, before he looked at Fox. "No, Fox. I think you should go along with her idea. Better yet, bring Nail and Canma back to Thaljista with you."

Wait, what?! Fox was about to shout something at Stan, but Peppy beat him to it.

"And why the hell should he do that?" the hare said. "We know those two can't be trusted now!"

Stan smiled, unflustered by the hare's attitude. "This is a golden opportunity. The Separatists sound like they're up against a wall right now. The Royalists have the Onyx plus who knows what else hidden away. If we ride in to save the Separatists, they'll be eternally grateful for our help. We won't need to worry anymore about those ghost ships showing up in Lylat with the Separatists in charge. I'd much rather they have ships like that than the Royalists, wouldn't you?"

Fox and Peppy looked at each other.

"I suppose that's true?" Peppy replied.

"Even better..." Stan rubbed his hands together, looking at Fox. "If you work for the Separatists, and do the same magic you do in Lylat, they're bound to let you in on lots of intelligence on what's happening on Thaljista. They'll have to if they want you to do your job effectively. And you can feed it back to us, and maybe we'll get a more complete picture on the story behind this whole case business, plus an eye on their technological capability. Canma's and Nail's network of contacts and associates on Thaljista alone could be an amazing treasure trove of information."

Peppy stroked his chin, as he appeared to be warming to the idea. "Hmm… It does make a little sense."

Fox's heart beat faster. He could end up going to Thaljista and be paid for it? Stan was right, this was a golden opportunity, in more ways than the goat realized. A smile was forming on his face, all of his fatigue melting away. "I'll do it!" he blurted out, his tail beating behind him.

"Wow, you sure did a one-eighty fast, didn't you?" Stan laughed. "Thought I'd have to spend a little more time selling you on the idea!"

Fox's smile fell away, his tail settling down. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so transparent there.

"So you're up for some overtime, huh, Fox?" Peppy gave a sideways smirk. "Well, if you're serious, you sure are going a long way from home, aren't you?"

Peppy was right. He'd never operated away from Lylat for an extended period of time. It would be a new challenge for him. For Star Fox.

"Can I expect any support or backup while we're over there?" Fox asked.

"I do have some men on the ground in Thaljista who you can get in touch with." Stan grinned. "OIC agents, like me. They can help you get your bearings, and they can be our intermediary for your instructions. Communication will be delayed back and forth, but you can count on them. They've been passing along reports on a consistent basis for years."

Fox narrowed his eyes. He would be working with spies? The OIC was known to be sketchy, but what Stan said didn't sound too bad—

Then Stan leaned towards the camera, as if whispering. "Of course, you shouldn't let your Separatist hosts know what you're up to. It would be embarrassing, you know."

Oh... Fox's ears folded back. I knew the OIC did shady bullshit, but now I'm going to be facilitating that shady bullshit?

"What do you think, Peppy?" Stan asked with a smile.

Peppy twiddled his thumbs, as he thought it over. "Well, I'm not entirely sure about this plan."

"Wouldn't you like to know more about the Onyx?" Stan grinned. "Maybe we could even take it for ourselves. Of course I'd rather the Separatists have control over it, but it's even better if we had it, don't you think? Tear it apart, find out what makes it tick, and build our own new fleet of speedy stealth ships that no one could stop!"

Though Peppy frowned at the implications of the idea, it was obvious the wheels were turning in the hare's head. Sure, in order for Lylat to be safe, they needed to be ahead on the technological curve, but…  Nonetheless, Peppy nodded his approval. "Yes, I think you are right, Stan." He turned to Fox. "Well Fox, want to go to Thaljista for us? I'll pay you handsomely."

Fox's ears folded back. He wasn't going to just be working for a client now, but spying on them too? And what about directions passed to him by the OIC agents? Would he be asked to act against the Separatists too? Of course this was war, but Fox never had to worry about betraying an ally's trust in order to complete his mission before.

But if you don't do this, you'll never get another shot at finding Krystal.

Fox frowned, his tail thrashing behind him. Yes, he wanted to do that, but what about his reputation as one of the rare honest mercs? Sure, this would be on Thaljista, and nobody probably cared about his reputation there, but could he live with himself knowing he did this?

Krystal being gone eats you up inside. You will never be happy until you find her again, will you?

A moment's hesitation, but Fox nodded slightly. He followed up with some more vigorous nods. "Yeah…" Fox admitted with reluctance. "I'm up for it." He looked over at Fara.

Fara raised her eyebrows. He got the feeling it wasn't a good kind of surprise she was feeling.

"All right, good." Peppy nodded. "I'll get in touch with the Separatists and let them know you're coming to help. Head for the Beltino Orbital Gate over Corneria. I'll have supplies for your trip ready for you there.  I feel like I’m forgetting something though…”  Peppy cast his eyes off to the side.  “Wait, weren’t we going to interrogate Tadao too?”

“No need.”  Stan shrugged, standing up to leave.  “Even if he was working with Star Wolf, they don’t have the case anymore, so what can he tell us?”

“Well, we have to do something with him, right?” Fox asked.  “We can’t just leave him on my ship.”

“I know just the thing, Fox.” Peppy smiled.  “There actually is a program for former Venomian soldiers like him.  I’ll be glad to tell him all about it.  You just set up the camera again when you’re ready.”

"Thanks for doing this, Fox!" Stan beamed, waving goodbye. "I appreciate it! The OIC section chief will be in touch once you're planetside. I'll send word ahead."

Fox nodded in reply, although he didn’t like how Stan seemed so happy about all of this. He kept his hands in his pockets.

"All right, Fox," Peppy said.  “See you again in a moment.”

Peppy's and Stan's holograms winked out. 

"ROB…" Fox said, climbing out of his chair as he let out a long yawn. "Set course for the Beltino Gate."

"Affirmative."

Fox lifted up his shirt, scratching the fur on his side. His bed was already calling his name, but Peppy still needed to talk to Tadao about that program.  He hoped it wouldn’t take too long.  

As he started for the door, he saw Fara was there, barring the way with her arms crossed. "Didn't you agree to Stan’s ideas too easily? You're okay with all of this?"

"Yeah, sure." Fox nodded. "You know how bad money is for me right now. I need this payday."

"Are you sure you're doing it for the right reasons, though? I don't know if the Fox McCloud I used to know would be comfortable working against a supposed ally."

Fox hesitated, but he offered a half-hearted smile and clapped her on the shoulder as he walked past. "Look, let's get this thing with Tadao wrapped up, then we’ll have a good sleep and some breakfast and talk it over after, okay? Sound good?"

"I… guess?" Fara turned around to watch him as he passed. She didn’t seem reassured by Fox’s words, although she too let out a yawn indicating how sleepy she was.  “All right, I’ll hold you to that though.”

Fox stepped out into the hallway.  The way Fara seemed uneasy about this had Fox feeling the same way though.  Again, what was he getting into here?  However, if it meant he could keep Star Fox afloat, and at the same time maybe find Krystal again, it would be worth it.

Or that’s what he tried assuring himself of, anyway…

Chapter Text

For the second time, Fox adjusted the angle of the video conferencing camera, focusing the lens on Tadao in his cell. What a strange sight this iguana was with his old Venomian jungle fatigues. Like looking at someone who'd stepped through a time portal from ten years ago. Tadao certainly acted the part, as his hands and knees twitched, while he stole glances at the camera every once in a while.

During the Lylat Wars, Andross used propaganda to make damn sure every Venomian soldier was terrified of becoming a POW, thus they'd often kill themselves rather than risk capture. All the rumors about Cornerian torture and horrible prison camps were lies of course, but it was effective at denying intelligence leaks. No wonder Tadao had tried to commit suicide earlier.

Water and a small tray of food sat near the cell's bars, untouched. Tadao probably thought they'd added poison or truth serum or something, but no way anything could've been slipped in without breaking the seals. The iguana didn't care, though.

Peppy's hologram winked back into existence next to the camera. "Almost ready Fox?" He asked. "Let's get started."

Fox nodded, before he pulled up a chair next to the bars. "Tadao." Fox gestured to Peppy's hologram. "This is General Peppy Hare of the CDF."

"You're a general now?" Tadao's eyes widened as he looked at Peppy's red uniform. "So much has changed in ten years. I still remember when Andross told us about how you two were among the greatest enemies of our revolution."

Fox gave a side glance to Peppy, who responded with a shrug.

"Anyway Tadao..." Peppy glanced at something on his monitor off camera. "Let's try to forget about all of that. The Lylat Wars are in the past now. Whatever Andross told you, it's not true and it's not important anymore. We are here to help you and take care of you."

The lizard cast a fearful glare at the camera. He trembled on the bunk, looking around like a feral animal trapped in a cage.

Peppy needed a second to realize what 'take care of you' sounded like to the iguana's ears. "I'm sorry, poor choice of words." He gave an embarrassed laugh.

The lizard's gaze softened upon hearing the apology. No doubt these little gestures of politeness came as a surprise too.

"Anyway, I want to share something with you that I think you'll like, but we need to ask some questions first." Peppy tapped a pen on his desk. "Can you tell us about what you were doing with Star Wolf?"

Tadao hesitated at first, and when he talked, his voice halted, his words stiff. "I…um…I must admit I…ah…don't know a lot about Wolf's plans. During the time we worked together, he—" Tadao paused, making a gulping sound like something was caught in his throat. "H-he lied to me. A lot. Pretended the Lylat Wars were still going on, and I was a part of some important mission to get back a case, on the orders of Andross himself." Tadao clenched the blue mattress pad between his fingers, squeezing the fabric into heavy creases, before releasing it along with a deep sigh. "He never told me Andross had been dead for years." The sound of total defeat filled his words, as he shook his head. "I wasted ten years of my life on Fortuna, spent it idolizing a man who turned out to be a criminal and a fraud." Though his voice was low, seething rage crept underneath the surface, like it was ready to boil over at the slightest provocation.

Fox wasn't sure if he preferred this to the Tadao who'd been flailing around trying to grab a machete while ranting about his betrayal.

"Wolf probably didn't tell you anything, but I may as well ask," Peppy said. "Did he mention anything about what was inside that case?"

"No..." A sigh escaping Tadao's lips as his entire body deflated, slumping against the back wall. "He never cared about me. He used me and left me behind when he didn't need me anymore." He looked at the floor, eyes shut as he shook his head.

"To spend all that time on Fortuna, and then this..." Fara moved closer to the bars, stepping up right in front of them. "Can't imagine how you stayed sane down there."

"One simple reason." Tadao looked up at her, a sudden burst of energy in his words. "I firmly believed all this time the Lylat Wars were still going. Still thought Venom was out there, fighting Corneria. Still thought I was a part of something bigger than myself. It gave me strength. Sanity. I had something to believe in, to guide me." A smile almost returned to Tadao's face, but it was fleeting.

"Well, now that you know the war is over," Fara said, offering a smile, "now that you know the war's over, you can live your own life now. Be your own person."

"How?" Tadao looked at Fara as if she'd grown a second head. "Andross gave me purpose. A bigger cause to believe in. But now, I have absolutely nothing!" His voice rose in volume as he stood up from the bed. "You hear me? Nothing!" Tadao shook his head, as he sat again. "Why didn't I listen to George ten years ago? He only wanted to help me."

"Who's George?" Fox asked.

"Another Venomian, like me." Tadao sniffled. "When my unit arrived on Fortuna ten years ago, our objective was guerilla warfare. Attack Cornerians, sabotage their operations, then run back into the jungle before they could catch us. We operated near the Boneyard, a town built out of a spaceship graveyard. We fought the Cornerians occupying the town. Our numbers dwindled fast. Most of us were captured or killed. After less than two years, there were only four of us left: myself, Quint, Keenan, and Momo. One day I do one of my routine scouting missions around the Boneyard, and I discover Wolf is there, along with George and a gorilla. You have no idea how excited I was to see the famous Wolf O'Donnell." Tadao said the last bit with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"What?" Fox asked. "He was there? Why?"

"I don't know." Tadao shook his head. "I never found out. George lied to me and told me Wolf was there for some secret mission."

"But didn't you say you regret not trusting George?" Fox leaned in. "Why would you say that if you know he lied to you?"

Tears came to Tadao's eyes. He scrunched his fist around the mattress pad again.

"George lied to me…because I wanted to be lied to."

"What?" Fox raised an eyebrow.

"It's a long story, but I'll try to keep it short." He blinked several times, as he wiped away tears. "This memory… I'm seeing it in a whole new way now." Tadao glanced at Fox, as he picked up a napkin from the food tray on the floor and patted his face. "One night I shadowed Wolf's group through the town to see what they were up to. They got cornered by some Cornerian soldiers. I fired at the soldiers to allow them to escape, but Wolf got captured later at the Boneyard's spaceport. Don't know what happened to the gorilla. But I found George hiding in the jungles on the outskirts of the town afterwards.

"He told me the Lylat Wars were over." Tadao's tail thrashed behind him, the spikes on his neck and his head seeming to jitter with anger and regret. "I refused to believe him. I thought he'd fallen for Cornerian propaganda. But now I know I was the fool, not him. When I wouldn't listen to the truth, he changed to lies… Told me the Lylat Wars were still on, and the whole story about being on a secret mission for Andross. In hindsight, I don't blame him for what he did. I don't know what I would have done if he kept telling the truth."

Tadao clenched his fists, glaring at the cell's nearby mirror. "That was the day I started lying to myself about the war having never ended. George had told me the truth, and deep down I knew it to be real, but I didn't want to face it. I was too prideful and too caught up in my patriotism to admit my mistake." He shook his head.

"What happened next?" Fox asked. "Wolf obviously didn't stay caught."

Tadao glared at the mirror again, appearing to seethe about what he was about to say next. "I knew Wolf would be held at the Cornerians' camp within the Boneyard, so my unit organized a rescue operation with George's help. We planned to steal a Cornerian shuttle and escape the planet after we rescued Wolf. George had a secret coded message saying we could link up with other Venomians if we made it to a certain set of coordinates in space. The plan worked…for the most part. I was left behind, but everyone else got away." Tadao shook his head. "I don't know what happened to them afterwards."

Tadao shook his head turning back to Fox. "It's been running through my head over and over again over the past several hours. How different would things have been if I had listened to George? Would I have escaped with the others? Or what would I have done if I was still left behind? If I had stayed stuck on Fortuna, knowing my existence there was meaningless, would I have given into my despair and…" He made a line across his belly. "…ended it?"

Given the state they'd found Tadao in, Fox could imagine it happening with ease.

"Well Tadao, you've been through a lot." Peppy put on a smile. "However, I am willing to pardon you for everything you've done for the past ten years. You didn't know the Lylat Wars were over after all. I want to give you a fresh start. We have programs for ex-Venomian soldiers. They've been around since the end of the war. You could learn a trade, find a job, become a proper citizen of Lylat."

"A proper citizen?" Tadao raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like you're going to brainwash me."

Fox winced. Hard to talk to someone who wanted to interpret everything you said in the worst possible way.

"Sorry, again...bad way to put it." Peppy smiled, though Fox could tell he was getting a bit annoyed. "What if I told you the Venomian military was still around? It's in a different form, but it's still there."

Tadao didn't look like he had high hopes for what Peppy was about to say, but nodded for him to continue.

Peppy typed some commands on a keyboard near his monitor. His hologram was replaced by a poster showing Venom…except it showed green grass with blue skies, the smog gone and the landscape thriving with plants and clean rivers. The top of the poster declared 'Venom Restoration Project – A Better Tomorrow for Us All'. Cities rose up amongst the mountains sprouting up across Venom, the rocky crags covered with soft snow and pine trees.

"We've allowed remnants of the Venomian military to reform now that the war's over," Peppy said, the poster hovering next to his face. "They've been building colonies on Venom and working towards making it a more habitable place. In the long term it benefits everyone in Lylat. No more need for us to fight each other, and we have a new world full of life and resources." Peppy offered another smile. "Sound good to you? Lots of Venomians just like you have taken this opportunity, and they're leading good lives there now. I could arrange for you to go back to Venom right now, if you wish."

Tadao sat in silence, staring back at Peppy. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. He averted his eyes, appearing to be weighing how he was going to respond, but if it was going to be a positive response he probably would've said something by now.

"Do I have any other options?" Tadao asked.

Now it was Peppy's turn to be rendered silent. Apparently, he thought Tadao was going to find this program the greatest news ever, and hadn't prepared himself otherwise. "Well, at the moment, no. We just want to help you Tadao, that's all."

"Sounds like a POW work camp to me." Tadao glared at Peppy.

Fox was afraid that's what he was thinking.

"Tadao, I told you it's not the Lylat Wars anymore." Peppy frowned. "I promise you'll be treated well there."

"But if I don't have a choice to go anywhere else," he said, pointing at the poster, "how is it any different from being sent to a prison?"

"You don't have to stay there forever," Peppy said. "You'll be given room and board and a fair salary. You can save up money in the meantime and figure out what you want to do next, if you don't want to remain there."

Tadao shook his head. He laid down on his bunk with his hands folded over his chest, while his scaled tail laid on the padding next to him.

"I've got an idea." Fara smiled at Tadao. "Where did you live before the Lylat Wars started? Where's your family?"

The lizard got a dark look on his face. "Macbeth."

"So what if we just took you home instead?"

"I never want to see that place ever again." Tadao shook his head. "It was hell there. Mining companies owned everything, including the government. Put us all to work from childhood in the mines. I had a lot of friends and relatives die there. Why do you think so many Machbethians joined Andross when he took over the planet?" He shook his head.

"Oh, I see..." Fara's ears lowered. She turned back to Peppy. "Well, does Tadao need to make a decision right now? It's going to be a while before we get to the Beltino Orbital Gate station anyway."

"Yeah." Fox stood up, looking at Peppy before glancing back at Tadao, who still laid without moving. "This is a lot for him to take in right now."

Though Peppy was disappointed their ideas hasn't gone over well, he nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right. I'll see if I can come up with something else while you're en route to the station. Will be glad to see all of you once you get there. Bye for now!"

Peppy's hologram winked out, the communications machine powering down.

Fox nodded to Fara, and the two of them began packing everything up on a cart

After they finished, Fox let out a yawn, as he leaned against a wall. "Could you take that back into storage for me? I need a minute."

Fara nodded, as she moved the cart out of the cell block.

"Thanks." Fox leaned against a nearby wall, trying to blink the spots out of his eyes and get his mind back together. He spared a glance at Tadao, still lying on his cot, eyes unblinking as they stared at the ceiling. Looking one more time at Tadao, he headed for the door.

"Fox..." Tadao said.

Something about the way he said it made the fur stand up on the back of Fox's neck. The vulpine turned around, seeing Tadao at the bars of his cell. Within the second he'd looked away, the lizard had gotten up and made it to the bars, all without making a sound, like he'd been there the whole time. Creepy. Sure, Tadao couldn't do anything as long as he was in the cell, but it startled Fox nonetheless.

"Um…what is it?" Fox asked.

"Why did you stop me from killing myself?"

Fox raised an eyebrow. Was that a trick question? "Well, wouldn't anyone?"

"Even though I'm your—was your enemy?"

"The Lylat Wars have been over for ten years. You dying over it now would be pointless. I saw you were in danger, so I saved you." He chuckled. "Being a hero is kind of my job, you know?"

Tadao grasped the bars in his hands, eyes widened. He froze in place, like his mind had stopped working trying to process Fox's words.

"What's wrong?" Fox asked.

"You said all of that, without hesitating. Like it's natural to you. You meant what you said."

"Well, of course I do, Tadao. I know foxes have a reputation for being sneaky tricksters, but…well, I never wanted to be like that. In fact, when I was younger, I had to work extra hard at being honest to get people to trust me. I couldn't even let people have the perception I might be lying." By this point, Fox had sat down in the chair near the cell again. Fox smiled, fond memories coming to his head. "My dad was the same way."

A dark look crossed Tadao's face. "After what happened with Wolf, I don't know who or what to trust anymore." He clenched his eyes closed, his mouth curling into a grimace.

"Come on, you can trust Peppy. He raised me like I'm his own flesh and blood." Fox offered a warm smile, remembering his time growing up in the Hare household. "I know him better than anyone else alive right now. If he says something, he means it. If you don't know who to trust, can you at least trust me when I tell you Peppy's telling the truth?"

"Maybe... It's just more has happened for me in this one day than the last ten years of my life. It's so much to take in." Tadao kept leaning against the bars, a regretful look on his face. "That reminds me. Are Nail and Canma doing all right?"

Well, that question caught Fox by surprise. The mention of those two got him pissed off all over again. "They're fine," Fox spat out. "Nail's in a hospital bed but should make a recovery." And that's too bad. While ashamed of thinking like this, he reflected he might have been OK with them getting killed by Wolf's crew, knowing what he knew about them now. "I don't want to do it, but it's looking like we're going to be working with them now." His ears forked backwards.

The iguana didn't seem to know what to think of Fox's tone. He probably expected to be the target of the vulpine's anger, not Nail and Canma. "Uh...why are you working with them?"

"The case was just the tip of the iceberg. I hear whatever's inside is very important to the two sides of a civil war on this planet called Thaljista. They're the Royalists and Separatists. The case's buyer works for the Royalists, Nail and Canma work for the Separatists." Fox shook his head. "And apparently Corneria is allied with the Separatists, so now I'm going to be working alongside them, I guess. I don't like it, but I also need money, so I don't really have a choice. We're headed to Thaljista once we get to Beltino station."

Again, Tadao was confused, but he also appeared to be mulling over the information that Fox had just given him.

Maybe I said a little too much there. He'd let his temper get to him. Fox stood up. "Anyway, don't you worry about anything right now. Peppy said he'd try to come up with something else for you, right?"

"Yeah, he did." Tadao said. "I'll think it over."

"Good." Fox nodded, letting out another yawn. "I'm going to go get some rest now. It's been a long day for me. Need anything else before I go?"

Tadao let out another smile. One day ago, he probably had no idea his 'mortal enemy' Fox McCloud himself would ask him a question like that. Nonetheless, he shook his head. "No, thank you."

"Okay then, have a good rest." Fox stood up from his chair.

"You too."

As Fox left the room, he caught a glimpse of Tadao taking a dinner roll from the food tray.

Chapter Text

Panther laid in his bed on the Onyx, staring unblinking at the dark ceiling overhead. He hadn't slept well.

While glad Sable had saved him from a bad situation, it hadn't sunk in until a few hours later what he was getting himself into. He was leaving Lylat behind—maybe forever—because of the words of a woman he'd just met. Of course… She was beautiful, but what waited for him on Thaljista? He didn't even know that planet existed until recently.

Also, what about this thing?

He held up his right hand, still covered with that strange liquid metal glove. While he'd tried to ask Sable questions about it, considering her bodyguards also had them, she refused to say anything, instead escorting him to this room to sleep for the night.

Was it his imagination though, or did this glove feel different today? Panther blinked. Actually yes, it did. Yesterday it struggled to maintain a solid shape, as it kept alternating between melting and solidifying. But today, Panther closed and opened his fist repeatedly. The glove responded as if it were normal clothing, the fingers bending to match his own, the material smooth, shiny and without any melted blemishes. He ran his gloved hand across his bedsheets, feeling the stitches of the fabric.

Wait, that wasn't right.

How did he still have a sensation of touch while wearing this thing? He grasped the sheet in his hand, still able to feel the texture. It didn't even feel like he was wearing a glove anymore. This thing basically was his hand now. Was his real hand still inside of this thing? Or had this glove eaten it?

"Panther…" an alluring voice purred.

He shot his gaze towards the door.

Sable smiled at him from the hallway's open door, leaning against the frame as though she'd been watching him for some time. While glad to see her, it creeped him out how quiet the doors were on this ship.

"How did you sleep?" She glided over. Her feet were barefoot, steps near silent.

While he already thought the white dress from yesterday was revealing, her current dress covered even less of her black speckled fur. It was colored gold, mimicking the hue of her golden slit eyes, much like Panther's own. The top was nothing but a thin strap running around the back of her neck, a small piece of fabric barely covering her breasts. The fabric ran down to a small skirt sitting high up on her hips, letting him see acres of her dark, spotted fur.

She liked what she saw too, admiring Panther's well-defined bare chest, although her grin faded when she noticed the look on his face. "Is something on your mind?"

"Well, this..." He held up his arm, showing the silver glove. "I don't know what this is." And you haven't told me anything about it...

"Ah, is that all?" Sable warmly smiled. "Don't worry. While you were sleeping, I had Jima do a synchronization procedure on that glove to repair it and better sync it with your nervous system."

She said it all like it was normal, but her words freaked out Panther. Someone came into his room while he was sleeping and he didn't even notice? And why the hell would she want this glove hooked up to his brain?

"You must have many questions." Sable laughed. "Don't worry. I'll get around to answering them soon. But other than that, what else is on your mind?"

Panther stared back at her. What wasn't on his mind? However, it wasn't hard to decide what to bring up next. "Lylat..." Panther looked at the wall, as if trying to see it through the bulkhead. "I've never left it before."

"You're coming home, Panther. Why worry about it anymore?" She laughed, shuffling across the sheets closer to him, letting her body heat wash over his. Panther's tail twitched underneath the covers, as their noses almost touched. It was like when they'd met back on the Retribution. "Don't worry," she whispered. "With the two of us, it'll feel like home in no time."

She licked his neck, sending a ripple of energy through his body.

While surprised by the move, Panther grinned, meeting her golden eyes. He licked her as well, sending Sable purring. For a moment, all of his troubles melted away. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been with another cat; felines were uncommon in Lylat. He leaned in for another lick, but his tongue only met air. She was already off his bed.

"Let's have breakfast. You must be hungry."

Eyes widened, Panther's tongue hung out of his mouth, staring after her. What the—?

She gestured towards a nearby dresser. "I've brought you clothes as well." A pile of burgundy clothes embroidered with gold thread laid on top. When did she put those there?

As Panther picked up the top garment, it unfurled down to his ankles, resembling some kind of archaic robe or tunic. She'd also provided him with a matching pair of trousers. It looked odd and antiquated to him, although the fabric was pleasing to the touch. He slipped on the garments, appreciating the extra warmth they gave in the ship's coldness.

"You look good, like a true Thaljistani." Sable smiled at him.

He grinned back, then went to collect his flight boots.

"Don't bother with those; you won't need them," she said.

She wanted him to be barefoot too? Strange, but all right.

She walked out through the door with Panther following after her, swaying her black spotted tail back and forth behind her, like the mesmerizing dance of a charmed snake.

Panther's heart raced as he watched it. He couldn't tear his eyes away.

"We're here." She interrupted his thoughts as they stopped at a door, turning around and waving for him to enter.

Panther crossed the threshold, eyes widening at the sight. Red curtains covered the walls, their folds curving up to an elaborate brass lantern hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. It gave the impression of being inside a tent. A haphazard arrangement of richly embroidered carpets lined the floor, detailed with elaborate patterns and varied colors. Most of them were earth tones, although red with golden accents appeared to be a common theme as well. He took a step inside the room, the soft texture of the carpets felt pleasant under his bare feet. While he didn't expect this inside a starship, he liked the feeling of up his padded toes on the surface.

Yet he found himself bothered by this room too.

Space was at a premium within starships, but what about this huge fancy room? And the size of Panther's own quarters? For a starship, these rooms were huge wastes of space. And what about all of the space occupied by the massive docking bay they'd used to enter this ship yesterday? It even had enough room to comfortably fit his Hyoodin and his Black Rose fighter alongside all the other vehicles normally kept stowed aboard. There was no way all this could've fit into the dimensions of the Onyx, from what he'd seen from the outside. There wouldn't have been room for other passengers, or even things that would actually need to be in a ship like a bridge or engines. Where the hell was all of this extra space coming from?

He looked around as Sable guided him to a low small table underneath the lantern in the center of the room. It only had cushions to sit on. They took their seats, but the table was empty. Panther waited to see if a servant would bring in food…but a halo of bluish white light appeared on the table. As the halo rose upwards, food appeared on the table beneath it, until the halo shrunk into a dot and popped out of existence.

Panther jumped back, surprised. Sable giggled.

The table held small bread rolls, a pot filled with some type of red bean, and a large plate with small, cubed chunks of meat. The meat appeared to be the main course. He sniffed, picking up a rich aroma of seasonings and spices, particularly from the meat chunks. Tantalizing his senses, they overwhelmed him, his eyes watering as the scent wafted throughout the room.

However, something was missing.

"No forks or knives?"

"No need." Sable smirked, as she extended a claw on her finger and speared one of the meat chunks with it, putting the morsel in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. "When all other weapons fail, you still have your claws. Eating with your hands trains dexterity with your claws, so you will be prepared to use them when needed."

Panther held up his ungloved left hand, slowly extending his own talons. He couldn't remember the last time he'd used them.

Sable eyed the rounded tips of Panther's nails in curiosity. "Why did you file them down?"

"They get in my way more than anything." Panther turned over his hand. "I do that so I don't scratch things by accident."

"Life in Lylat has pacified you." She smiled. "But don't worry. That will be remedied soon enough. Anyway, try the food."

Looking at the meat a second time, his eyebrows raised. He speared one of the chunks with the claw on his pointer finger and stuck it in his mouth, letting his sharp teeth grind it up. The spices were a medley in his mouth, almost overwhelming the meat itself, but even he could recognize the underlying flavor of the cuts he was eating.

"This…" Panther swallowed the chewed-up cube, looking at the rest on the tray. "Is this thoreice meat?"

Sable grinned, appreciating his knowledge. "I presume you know how much it sells for in Lylat, yes?"

Panther couldn't say anything, stunned by what was before him.

He was a connoisseur of fine foods, having a few favored cafes and restaurants within Corneria City, and he used them to sample the finest delicacies Lylat had to offer. It impressed women too, with his knowledge about dishes like two-hundred-credits-a-pound khazana crab from Zoness, three-hundred-credits-a-pound shakora steaks from Katina, or albarra ice cream from the finest dairies in Corneria's countryside. His dates would think him cultured, intelligent, and rich as they dined together on such fine things. And why not spend the money? With his mercenary line of work, he could easily die at any time, so why not live as if every day was his last?

This meat however… A small dish of thoreice had a price tag in Corneria City which could feed a family there for a couple of months easily. And here they were eating a massive tray of it like something from a cheap buffet.

"It's a local delicacy on Thaljista." Sable continued to eat smaller chunks. "There's a particular House that made its fortune breeding, raising, and slaughtering thoreice cattle along the Thoreice River. Hence the name. Do you know the House?"

Panther stared at her blankly. He wasn't even sure what she meant by 'House'. Families or dynasties, perhaps? He shook his head.

Sable giggled. "You have much to learn, young Caruso."

Young Caruso?  While confused by the remark, he kept eating. Mmm…this whole Thaljistani thing still felt weird, but if this was the cuisine, he could get used to it.

"Thaljista might be alien to you now, but when we get there, it will all make sense. It has more to do with you than you think." She reached over, stroking him on the leg. "Anyway, eat up. Your training begins after breakfast."

Panther was busy picking up the next cube of meat, but turned to her in surprise. "What, training?"

She smirked, grasping his glove, although Panther could still feel her hand all the same. "I didn't have Jima fix that for no reason, you know."

While confused at first, Panther thought he understood now. Ooveh had told Panther all about what it could do after Nail used it against him. "You want me to learn how to use this?"

"You catch on quick, I see." She smiled at him. "That's what makes you so…attractive," she purred.

"But why?"

"Why...I did tell you that what you'd be doing for me on Thaljista would be like what you did for Star Wolf, right? As in dangerous missions?"

That was true, he supposed. "But I already know how to fight. What do I need this for?" He held up his gloved right hand.

"You seem to already know what that glove is capable of. Wouldn't you like to master it? Wouldn't you want to keep me safe?"

Panther's eyes widened. She was already this serious about them being a couple? To be honest, he only did mercenary work for a paycheck, so he could finance his little escapades with various women. He didn't particularly care about being the best, just so long as he was better than whoever he was up against. He'd survived this long and made lots of money doing it. However, Panther didn't think honesty would go over well, so...

"Of course," He lied, forcing a smile. To change the subject he asked, "How do you even make something like this, though?" Panther rolled the sleeve back on his robe, as he turned his gloved hand over, fanning his fingers out. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I'm surprised too, although for a different reason." Sable ran a finger across his silvery hand, teasing the black cat. "What you have is a knockoff, created by the Separatists."

Panther's eyes widened. A knockoff?

"At least now it's upgraded to the same standard as our original gloves." She smiled. "One of many wonderful creations brought to us by the House of Azer, the rulers of the Azerian Kingdom, and the rightful rulers of Thaljista. Their knowledge comes directly from Thaal-Ja himself. The gloves—along with so many other wonderous things—are divinely inspired."

Panther looked at the glove again. Hard to believe a god's knowledge was used to make it, although with how weird this thing was, for all he knew it could be true.

"It is the same for this ship, the Onyx. I see the way you look at it." Sable gestured to the room around her. "How the walls morph and change shape. How spacious it is. It is a perfect example of the things our Queen and her ancestors have created for our people. When the Queen summons Thaal-Ja after we return with the case, he will smile upon everything we have created from his knowledge, while smiting our enemies, and he will allow us to join his empire amongst the stars."

"Sounds…great." Panther looked around the room, pretending he was in awe, turning away further so she couldn't see his bewildered face.

"Do you doubt me, Panther?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Well, no…" Panther lied, unconvincingly, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

Sable didn't seem to mind, still smiling at him. "Don't worry. When we are home, you will see his ascension yourself. You shall see and believe." Again, there was that thing about calling Thaljista their home even though he'd never been there, like it was already a fact. "Anyway," she took one of the meat cubes and chewed on it. "Please eat, your training begins soon."

Why did she keep talking that way? She almost sounded like a crazy street preacher. Panther himself was never a religious or spiritual person, because he rightly suspected almost every religious order in Lylat would condemn his hedonistic ways. But now he found himself stuck in close proximity to somebody who spoke of creating paradise, about a chosen people, about a god returning to raise their civilization to something better than he could ever dream of. And she sounded so sure of it, as if she had personally seen this god performing miracles. Heck, this glove thing was a miracle if he'd ever seen one.

What the hell was he getting himself into?

~X~

Thirty minutes later, Panther found himself inside a training room alongside Sable. The walls and floors here were white, in contrast with the black walls throughout the rest of the ship. It blinded him for a moment as he entered, with his eyes needing some time to adjust. A fighting ring outlined in red sat in the middle of the room, while a small shooting range waited off to one side.

The snow leopard bodyguard that accompanied Sable on the Retribution waited inside, still wearing the same gray bodysuit as before, along with her silver gloves. She stared right at him, her face hard edged but otherwise expressionless, scanning him as if to detect any hint of weakness.

"Please, remove your robe." Sable held out her hand.

After unbuttoning it, he handed over the garment, leaving him in nothing but his new burgundy-colored trousers and his 'miracle' glove.

"Jima." Sable nodded towards the snow leopard. "Let's begin."

"Put your fingers together. Imagine them forming into a sword." Jima sounded like she thought this was a waste of time, but didn't want to object.

Was it that simple? Silently obeying, Panther shut his eyes. Imagining a sword wasn't difficult for him. He did enjoy fencing from time to time. Perhaps he should imagine a rapier. He could feel his fingers narrowing, sharpening, and growing, like it was happening in real time. Bizarre… Like his arm had suddenly doubled in length. His eyes flew open.

Astonished, he saw his arm actually had become a sword, Panther holding it up and examining it. But as quickly as he'd created it, the blade melted away again, forming into his fingers once more. He looked at his hand, turning it over again and again.

Jima let out a sigh of disappointment. "Don't worry." Again, her words were meant to be reassuring, but sounded like she didn't want to be doing this. Nonetheless she dutifully carried on. "It'll take some time before you're comfortable with the gauntlet's many modes. It does require a fair bit of concentration. But it'll become natural over time. Try again, this time without closing your eyes."

Panther focused on the fingers under the glove, snapping his arm off to one side away from both of them. He pictured the thin rapier he wanted to form, the blade extending outwards. He looked it over again, impressed by his feat, but it quickly collapsed back into his hand again.

"Try again," Jima disinterestedly repeated.

Panther tried many more times over the next hour, each time managing to form the sword, but he couldn't maintain it, the weapon disappearing again as fast as it had appeared. How was he supposed to do this? He never was one for this meditative clearing your mind stuff. He was frustrated, the sword lasting a shorter amount of time each time as his annoyance grew.

"You're not focusing." Jima frowned.

"What do you mean?" Panther asked. "How can I maintain focus?"

"Let go of your feelings. They're interfering with your concentration." A harsh edge colored her speech. "The sword is the first and most basic form you will learn. There are many more you'll need to learn after this, and they are considerably more complex."

That news daunted Panther. A sword was straightforward to imagine in his head with its simple shape. What about something like a gun?

"Worry not, Panther." This time it was Sable behind him. She gave him a smile. "You'll get there eventually, right? You just need a little more practice."

Jima sighed. "Let me say it again. If you can master creating the sword and holding its form indefinitely, then you have the fundamentals covered for all forms." At least while Jima was stern, she hadn't lost her patience yet, but that might be due to Sable's influence. "Now, try to make the sword again. Think about holding its form. Nothing else. Think of it like you might concentrate on breathing when you want to relax."

Panther nodded, forming his hands into a blade shape once more. The sword appeared this time again, Panther not thinking about how incredible it was he was making a sword with only this crazy glove and his imagination. No. He just needed to imagine holding the shape. The sword stuck this time, Panther turning it over and over again to examine it. No thoughts on how cool this was or anything. But then he couldn't help but notice his fingertips appearing on the tip of the blade, his confidence collapsing as the form went back into his hand.

Jima appeared to be at the end of her patience and about to berate Panther, but a harsh glare from Sable prevented her from speaking.

"Maybe we all need a break. This is all new to him, after all. We don't want to overwhelm him." The panthress stepped forward. "Panther, how about you and I have a little time alone?"

She ran a hand over his shoulder from behind, pulling him in closer. His heart fluttered at her touch, the frustration disappearing from his mind almost immediately. Oh yes, he thought he would like that very much now. If only to get away from Jima for a while.

Jima complied, stepping away.

Meanwhile, Sable massaged Panther's shoulders, allowing the tension to fade from his body. However, he couldn't hide his disappointment at not even being able to maintain a basic form. They'd been trying for so long, but he just couldn't do it.

"Just forget about the training for now," Sable whispered, pulling him into an embrace from behind, their body warmth mingling. "You need to unwind a little anyway. Oh, you are so tense right now."

Panther could feel her soft breasts against his back. His heart was thudding in his chest. She followed up by playfully nibbling his shoulder and giving him licks on his neck. With each stroke he felt like he'd been touched by a goddess. Nothing else existed for him in this moment. With a flash, she spun him around, the two black panthers face to face with one another. She giggled giving him a little peck on the cheek.

It felt so odd. Normally he'd be the one taking initiative like this. All the same though, he couldn't help but be enchanted and let her take the lead. She was bewitching.

"Why don't we go back to your quarters for a bit, hmm?"

She took his hand, gently tugging him out of the training hall. Panther could do little but follow after her, feeling like he was floating along rather than walking. They were soon back in his room, Sable gesturing towards his bed. She gently coaxed him out of his garments and beckoned him to lie down.

He was soon receiving the best massage of his life, his mind raced with what might come next.

~X~

Panther quietly seethed.

A week ago, nothing had happened after Sable had rubbed him down. They'd talked a little bit, she worked out some of his back and bicep muscles...then she handed him his clothes and sent him right back out to training. Rinse and repeat.

Jima had been running him ragged, training him how to form shapes out of that damned glove, which was still attached to him. She wouldn't tell him how to remove it, saying he had to keep it on to better bonding.

Even when not training, Sable always turned him down, changed the subject, gave him something else to do at the last second. Everytime when he thought they were going to mate, something came up. Why? He clearly knew that she wanted him. They were all over each other when nobody else was around. Goddamn it, what was with these games she was playing? She'd seen his bare fur every day since they left Lylat, and the black cat was eager for her to return the favor.

He also knew she was playing right into his weaknesses, and yet he couldn't help but fall for it every time. She knew exactly how to push his buttons. Yet despite it all, he couldn't help but keep hoping one day he'd finally get a real taste of that panthress.

Something else seemed odd to him too. Despite this huge ship, he'd seen almost nobody else since coming aboard besides Sable, and occasionally Jima for training. Where was everybody else? Did they just have an entire wing of the Onyx to themselves?

That's why today he had a weird feeling as she led him to the bridge, where there'd probably be other people. Today instead of training, she wanted him to be present when they arrived at Thaljista, their home.

Panther entered the bridge behind her, and finally saw someone else besides the two females. It felt so bizarre realizing all of these other people were here, yet he hadn't seen anything of them since coming aboard. Not to mention, coming from Lylat, he still wasn't used to everyone around him being a cat. Alongside the rest of the crew, he spotted Jima and Rihat again, still with the same deadpan expression on their faces as they supervised the bridge officers.

"You're just in time." The ship's captain, a bobcat, smiled at Sable and Panther. "First Officer, take us out of warp, please."

The wildcat at the navigation station nodded as he moved the throttle back. Thaljista zoomed into view, filling the viewport in front of them. Curious, Panther moved in to take a closer look.

Deserts covered most of the surface, reminding him of Titania. He could see several mountain ranges too, the planet mostly consisted of a variety of brown hues. A few seas dotted the landscape, blue dots sparkling in the sun and contrasting against the sand and mountains. Snow and ice covered the poles, while a few green areas could be seen, mostly along the seas.

By one of the seas on the dark side of the planet, he noticed a great deal of lights twinkling by the shore, indicating the presence of a large port city there. He looked around more on the dark side of the planet, but he couldn't spot any light concentrations of equal size.

Sable walked up beside him. "That's the city of Kinnor, the headquarters of the Separatists. Or the Free People of Azer, as they call themselves." A scowl crossed her face, as she strode up to the window, folding her arms together. "As beautiful as it looks from above, Thaljista's been scarred by civil war for the past seven years now. We've been in a cease fire for two years, but I'd say every day the Separatists still exist is another lost battle." She snorted. "Longnoses… My entire life they've been on this planet, poisoning it. They must all be swept away, in preparation for Thaal-Ja's return. That, or enslaved."

"Longnoses?"

"Yes." Sable snorted. "Canines, they have such hideously long muzzles, and all the other non-feline species don't look any better. But now that we have returned with the case, they won't be around much longer. Not with Thaal-Ja on our side." She finished, a devilish smirk on her face.

Longnoses…enslaved…what the hell? Panther was astonished. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised by her attitude considering how she'd talked to Wolf, but she was serious about doing that to every non-cat on the planet?

"Come. It's time to head to the capital for our homecoming." She turned away from the viewport, heading back to the bridge's exit.

Panther stared after her as she strode away, unable to move. Giichi… He'd said a lot of people were going to die if she got her hands on the case. Was this what he meant? Was he telling the truth back on Fortuna?

"Panther?" Sable stopped at the door.

Jima and Rihat flanked her, both of them staring at him. Gulping, he quickly rejoined them, wondering what he'd gotten himself into now.

As they entered the hallway, Rihat departed, while the rest of them went off towards Sable's quarters. Now that he knew what they were planning, these two terrified him on a whole new level. But what could he do? He was only along for the ride now.

Sable stepped into her room briefly, returning with the silver briefcase. Panther eyed it again. The thing inside of that would enable them to kill so many people? Would she really be raising the god Thaal-Ja? What would happen once this god made his appearance, if it really was raised? Everything passed in a blur, Panther soon found himself inside a shuttle about to leave for the surface, the same one Sable had used to pick up Panther off the Retribution. As they were about to leave, Rihat returned, this time with a familiar face in tow: Giichi.

Panther forgot he was on the ship, not having seen him since they'd come aboard the Onyx a week ago. The yellow sand cat still wore the same red hoodie and jeans he'd been captured in, the clothes a fair bit dirtier now since he hadn't seemed to have changed them since he was brought aboard. While he was unharmed, he had a weary, defeated look to him, rings underneath his eyes like he'd been crying.

But when Giichi locked eyes with Panther, the sand cat transformed before his eyes. Giichi straightened up, his shoulders no longer slumping, eyes picking up a hardened edge as the wrinkles smoothing out, ears pointed and tail curling behind him. He did not say anything, but he didn't have to. Were it not for Jima and Rihat keeping an eye on him, Giichi might have very well charged Panther right there and clawed him in the face. However, Rihat had the good sense to put cuffs on Giichi and chain him to a seat.

On the one hand, Panther was royally pissed off that Giichi and Nail tried to kill him, and also cost him his job with Star Wolf. If Giichi really did attack right now, Panther would be happy to break him in half. But on the other hand, he now understood more about why the sand cat warned him to not give the case to Sable. Quite a conundrum to reconcile those feelings.

Within a few minutes they were underway, Rihat piloting as they headed towards the light side of the planet. Panther heard some indistinct radio chatter from the front cockpit, spotting two black and orange fighters falling into formation next to them as an escort. They were delta shaped like the Onyx. Panther didn't recognize their particular design, but maybe since Thaljista was so far out of the way they had to design their own ships.

Reentry went unusually smoothly, Panther hardly noticing a rattle through the ship's structure as they descended into the atmosphere. As the orange haze around the ship vanished, he looked out through the front viewport again, getting his first look at Thaljista up close. It looked about like it did from the air, with rocky crags flashing past amidst large stretches of sand in between them. Even inside the air-conditioned ship, he could almost feel the heat outside.

Sable smiled, watching it all slide past. "Feels good to be home again. I was growing tired of being in that cold starship." She turned to look at him.

"It looks a little…desolate." Panther watched as the desert slid by. He only said it to keep the silence away, so Sable wouldn't notice he was less chatty now.

"Yes, but with the blessings of Thaal-Ja, Queen Kula has attained the power to change the land itself. She has already done so around the capital. Once Thaal-Ja has been called and peace has returned to Thaljista, we will terraform more of the planet. You'll see. Queen Kula and the rest of her house are truly blessed. Have been for centuries…well, except for a few mistakes, here and there…"

She cast a sideways glance at Giichi, who glared at her.

"Regardless, I cannot wait to show you the capital. It is an impressive sight to behold, and only Felidae are allowed in, as it should be."

A city populated by nothing but cats. He'd never seen entire cities segregated in Lylat, that was for sure. While he wouldn't have thought much of it before, Sable taking pride in such a fact brought a little nausea to him, now that he knew more about her.

It wasn't like this with Star Wolf. For all of his flaws, at least Wolf had a strict no discrimination policy. There were a lot of Venomians out of work after the Lylat Wars ended, and they were eager for whatever jobs they could get. Corneria and her colonies wouldn't have them, but Panther had met many ex-Venomian soldiers who worked just as hard or even harder than any Cornerians he'd met. Like Tadao…Panther sighed. Poor guy. He was weird but he didn't deserve what happened to him.

He looked at Sable, that warm smile on her face as the rocky crags slid past. Would he end up thinking like her if he spent enough time here?

Loud buzzing sounded from the cockpit, Panther noticing a flashing red light on the pilot's console. Sable frowned, standing up to move forward. "What's going on?"

"Contacts approaching, fast." Rihat pointed at the holographic image of their radar, indicating eight red dots approaching the three green dots marking their shuttle and their two escort fighters. "Fighters. Two delta formations."

"Separatists?"

"Looks that way from the models." Holograms of the fighters hovered in front of Panther. The makeup was inconsistent, to say the least. Some old Venomian models, some old Space Dynamics fighters, plus a few local designs Panther didn't recognize. Even through the hologram, most of them looked jury-rigged and maintained with random hunks of scrap, like pirate vessels, but they flew in perfect formation, reflecting years of training with each other.

"Contact the capital!" Sable shouted. "Get us some backup!"

"Already done. Hang on."

Panther watched as the two black and orange Royalist fighters ascended upwards to meet the enemy, while their shuttle dipped into the canyons for cover, rock walls sliding past them. Panther held on for dear life, looking out the window as the rock walls streaked past at blurring speeds, the passageway only inches wider than the ship itself.

Over their heads, explosions rocked the shuttle, nearly sending them scraping into the rock wall.

"Our escorts are down!" Rihat shouted. "We're on our own!"

"How much longer till backup arrives?!" Sable shouted.

"Twenty minutes!"

"What's going on?!" Panther shouted.

Sable turned back to Panther. "I'm not sure how, but the Separatists know we have the case and Giichi."

Panther gulped. Yeah, maybe he shouldn't have come here after all. Looked like he might die before his new life even started.

With their escort gone, orange laser blasts flashed past their shuttle, striking the walls and kicking up dust clouds. Panther couldn't see where they were going at times, Rihat having to gun it through the clouds and hoping they didn't hit anything. They roared out through the canyon's exit, coming upon a wider valley filled with sand dunes. A truck was parked on the sand. Something mounted to the back rotated to point at them, as new alarms blared in the cockpit.

"Missile lock!" Rihat cried out.

A blast of smoke fizzled away from the truck, the missile streaking straight towards them… No way Rihat could dodge it, not with how fast it was. Panther shut his eyes, waiting for impact.

A dull thud vibrated through the structure as the missile hit. He opened his eyes. They were still alive?

The alarms had stopped too… but Rihat struggled with the stick, pulling on it with all his might. "EMP missile! Hold on!"

Panther looked out the front viewport as the shuttle dropped, only gliding on its wings towards the dunes below. Pulling up at the last second, they skidded across the sand. With gravity dispersion disabled, the entire shuttle shook and rattled around them. Panther thought his bones and the rest of his body were going to shake apart. The shuttle spun sideways, drifting across the sand. Maybe they'd have a smooth stop, but a massive impact blasted through the entire shuttle, sending his head colliding with the nearby wall. As he lay there slumped, blood trickled down the side of his head, and he heard the distant cracks of gunshots...

Chapter Text

Warm, sticky blood ran down the left side of Panther's head, soaking into the shoulder of his robe. The flesh around his left eye was swollen. Through his blurred vision, he saw the inside of the shuttle was a mess. The front viewport was cracked with the outside partly covered with rocks and sand. Dark figures moved around in the cabin, the low light making it difficult to see who they were, although he soon recognized the slim, body-suited figure of Jima approaching him.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Panther only heard muffles. His mind felt like it was trapped in fog. She moved closer, her face only a few inches away from his own, but Panther needed to focus to make out what she was saying.

"…I said we can't stay here. We have to move." Jima unbuckled him from the chair and dragged him to a stand, shoving a blaster rifle with a shoulder strap into his hands. "You're not ready to use your glove. I'm afraid you still need this."

Panther fumbled with the rifle, almost dropping it as he swayed to his feet.

Sable clutched the silver case in one hand, a blaster pistol in the other. Rihat unbuckled Giichi's cuffs from his hand rest, wrestling him to his feet. The sand cat tried to pull away, but his strength was no match for the puma's, as Rihat buckled the cuffs back again.

Jima stepped over to the cracked front viewport. "Stand back."

She raised her gloved hand with the fingers pressed together. They melded together into a flat blade shape, like forms he'd done during training, but hers crackled with orange energy, the glow lighting up the cabin. Stepping forward, she stabbed the blade into the transparent acrylic glass, melting right through it. This was no mean feat, as the viewport had to stand up to the rigors of space. Yet she cut right into it as though the material was soft butter, the glass glowing orange where her weapon made contact. After a short time, she'd carved a hole big enough for them to crawl through, punching out the cut section and sending it flying away into a nearby sand dune.

Even in his dazed state, Panther watched with astonishment. Maybe he could do that one day?

"Get moving!" Jima pulled Panther towards the window.

As he climbed out, his long burgundy robe trailed around him, catching on things and making it an awkward process.

The cool temperature from inside the shuttle vanished, his black fur absorbing heat at a rapid pace. The hot desert sun blinded him as he exited outside, Panther holding a hand up to shield his eyes. He saw nothing but white for a few seconds, the harsh light reflecting off the sand at him.

To his right, a sea of sand dunes stretched as far as he could see. To the left, craggy cliffs towered overhead. Little else surrounded the shuttle's wreck but more rocky formations along with wide expanses of sand. In the south, a large dust cloud arose, almost reaching the nearby cliffs in height. A second cloud grew in the north. Distant rumbling echoed across the sand from both directions.

That's not wind…

"Get over there, you fool!" Jima shouted at Panther, pointing to the cliffs.

Following her finger, Panther spotted the weathered façade of a ruin hewn from the cliffside. It looked like a temple carved out of the rock itself.

Rihat ran across the sand with Giichi on his back, the sand cat squirming and kicking his legs in the air but accomplishing little else. Sable sprinted behind them, panicking as she watched the approaching dust clouds.

Panther followed as best as he could. While he'd recovered his balance, his feet dug into the grit and the long folds of his burgundy robe almost tripped him several times. Fed up with it, he dropped his rifle, pulled out his claws and slashing at the lower folds, letting them drop to the ground while collecting his weapon again.

"Panther!" Jima pointed to the sky. "Look out!"

Something sparkled in the blue sky, the sun reflecting off shiny metal. Orange laser blasts shredded the sand around him, sending up great plumes of the stuff and turning it into glowing glass. He fell to the ground, the mighty roar of the fighter's engine deafening him as it swooped back up into the air. Panther hacked and coughed, his robe covered in dust and burns.

Welcome home, Panther…

Jima dragged him to his feet again, yanking him across the sand as fast as they could go, Panther almost tripping over his feet as he tried to keep up with her. She didn't look happy about pulling him along. Probably would've left him behind if not for Sable.

Black dots appeared at the bottom of the dust clouds. Trucks, dune buggies, and hover bikes drove at the front of the billows. Laser blasts whipped past Panther's ears, striking the sand around him and making more pits of glowing glass.

He didn't need Jima's encouragement anymore, as he took off running faster. She held out her hand, dispersing the glove into droplets to form a protective bubble around them, deflecting the incoming shots.

Ahead, the sand gave way to broad stone steps, leading up to the temple's front entrance. While Panther's head still pounded from the crash, he did his best to hurry after the others, stumbling up the broad stairs. They passed an ancient, weathered statue of a lion as they ascended, the stone chipped and smoothed by harsh winds and storms for probably centuries. The figure wore regal-looking attire and held a staff, which felt familiar to Panther.

Laser blasts flashed through the air around them, several striking the statue. The lion's left wrist broke off, the hand falling to the ground and shattering.

They were almost inside the temple now, Panther noticing more lions carved into the columns alongside the entrance doorway. More incoming fire pelted the area around them, kicking up rocks and pebbles as it struck the columns.

Several vehicles pulled up at the bottom of the stairs, soldiers jumping out of them. While Panther only took a quick glance, the force attacking them was an oddly familiar sight. Lots of the vehicles were old Cornerian military surplus, or local imitations of the same design. Their uniforms had old desert camouflage patterns used by the Cornerian military too. Come to think of it, the reports of their blasters sounded like a rifle retired from CDF's service a couple decades ago too. Rihat said they were Separatists, but right now it felt like they were being chased by a CDF military company that fell through a time warp from about twenty years ago.

Not like any of their old stuff slowed them down, though. They charged up the steps behind them like it was a race, firing their blaster rifles as they went.

At least Panther was almost at the door to the temple. Rihat waited at the doorway, his glove transformed into a projectile weapon. He fired short bursts of orange energy at the approaching troops, pausing for a moment to let Jima and Panther inside.

Panther collapsed to the floor, his lungs on fire after running up all those steps. He glanced around the room, spotting murals painted on the nearby columns and walls. Even though they were weathered and faded from the sunlight coming in through the doorway, he noticed more lion and lioness figures everywhere, all of them dressed like royalty. He wanted to look closer, but now wasn't the time.

"On your feet!" Jima screamed. For the third time or so, the snow leopard dragged his ass off the ground, shoving him towards a nearby column to hide.

Grunting, Panther got into cover, watching as Rihat, Sable, and Giichi hid behind another column on the other side of the stone hallway.

Lasers flew inside through the open doorway, pockmarking the stone walls. Even though Panther was disoriented, he noted how his foes were disciplined enough to keep up a relentless barrage, firing in waves so someone was always shooting while the others reloaded. He didn't like this. These guys knew they were coming, plus they'd executed that coordinated ambush with the fighters and ground vehicles almost flawlessly.

He could hear their steps outside almost at the door, the noise rising over the sound of the laser blasts. Panther raised his rifle at the door, waiting for the first of them to appear.

But Jima raised her hand, motioning for him to get back behind the pillar.

"Cover your ears."

Her glove transformed into two prongs, looking like a...tuning fork? Jima focused the prongs on a support pillar next to the column's entrance. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but then he noticed an almost inaudible tone, building in volume. He didn't like it, his ears curling back as he put his hands over them.

The column shook like it was in an earthquake, before it exploded outwards and sent rocky fragments flying everywhere. Without its support, the door's frame and the rocks above collapsed. A dusty explosion filled the entrance into the temple, the debris tumbling with a mighty crash. The chamber, illuminated only by the sun outside, plunged into darkness, the rumble of the falling rocks reverberating afterwards.

Panther's eyes widened. She'd destroyed the doorway with nothing but sound? What else could these gloves do?

"Get settled in." Jima's gauntlet reformed back around her hand. She and Rihat switched on portable flashlights attached to their harnesses. "Backup will arrive in fifteen minutes."

Panther looked at the pile of rock now sealing them inside the temple. Outside, there was an eerie silence aside from the roar of enemy fighters circling around.

"Will we be safe until then?" he asked.

As if on cue, someone outside shouted, "Fire in the hole!"

An explosion rocked the entire room, almost causing Panther to fall to his feet. Rivers of dust rained from the ceiling, cracks traveling upwards along the rock walls.

"Does that answer your question, Panther?" Jima clenched her gloved fist, staring at the crumbling rock wall. "The Separatists are desperate. What is in the case means the end of their way of life. They are ready to die to make sure we don't bring it to Queen Kula." She turned around to look at him, passing him a radio. "Here. Take Sable and Giichi further inside the temple. Find a place to hide. If you run into trouble, you can call us on that radio."

"What?" Panther asked.

"You're nothing but a cub, Panther." She glared back. "You won't be much help against the Separatists, but being a bodyguard shouldn't be too challenging for you…or so I hope."

A growl rose in Panther's throat. She'd talked to him like this the entire time they'd been in training, only just barely reined in by Sable sometimes being in the room. Though he wanted to prove her wrong, he also knew her experience with the glove far outclassed his, which frustrated him to no end considering she and Rihat were still in their teens.

Another explosion shook the chamber from outside.

"Hurry! Go before it's too late!" Jima cried out.

Sable rose to her feet, still holding the case in one hand and a blaster in the other, the weapon pointed at Giichi's back. "Can you take charge of him?" Before Panther could respond, Sable shoved the handcuffed Giichi straight towards him.

Panther let the rifle hang by it's shoulder strap before Giichi stumbled into his arms. The sand cat looking up with a pleading expression, opening his mouth to say something.

"Panther! We have to go!" Sable interrupted Giichi, waving with her gun towards a nearby passageway.

Not knowing what else to do, Panther sighed and ran after her, dragging along Giichi by his handcuffs, not too different from how he'd just been dragged by Jima. Though he could feel Giichi trying to pull back to slow them down, it did little good considering the size and strength difference between them.

Sable stepped aside, letting Panther take the lead down the dark corridor deeper into the temple complex. He flicked on the blaster rifle's flashlight to see, the light bouncing off the walls as he ran.

The sounds of the explosions from outside subsided as they moved further in, the temperature dropping as Panther felt the presence of many tons of rock over their heads. It wasn't long before the only sounds were their echoing footsteps bouncing off the walls, Panther's mounted light the sole island of illumination in a cool sea of darkness. Even so, he kept running onwards, only knowing for the moment that safety meant going deeper into this abyss.

What a surreal experience. Were it not for his pain and exhaustion, he would've believed this was all a bad dream. But then he supposed in a way this was appropriate, given everything he'd experienced over the past week had a weird dreamlike quality to it. His last morning on the Retribution, he hadn't woken up thinking he'd be fired from his job at Star Wolf, followed by flying 'home' to a planet he'd never heard of with a panthress he'd never met before. It would've sounded crazy if someone told him the day before about all of this.

Sable kept casting the occasional frightened glance back down the hall, as if expecting to see a platoon of soldiers appear behind them at any second. First time Panther had ever seen her scared of anything. Seemed she wasn't used to not being in total control of everything happening around her.

And Giichi… While he wasn't strong enough to break free from Panther pulling him along, the sand cat was definitely plotting something. Whenever he had the chance, he glanced at the case over and over again, obviously trying to come up with a plan for how to escape with it.

Up ahead, Panther saw light for the first time since they'd entered the corridors. Had the Separatists found another way in?

Panther reduced his pace to a slow walk, waving for Giichi and Sable to slow down behind him. Creeping up to the side of the doorway, rifle in hand, Panther peeked around the corner, barrel first.

No one was there, but Panther's eyes widened in awe at what he saw.

A giant open hallway, more like the inside of a cathedral rather than a corridor, glowed from the warm sunlight coming in through cracks and holes in the arched ceiling, dust particles dancing in the golden beams of light. Ornate columns lined the sides, more murals of lions here carved out of the stone. Despite their situation, he couldn't help but stop for a moment to take it all in. He could almost feel the worshippers of centuries' past walking through this hall, lingering like gentle spirits in the air.

However, the sound of ships flying outside disturbed the peace, echoing in from the holes in the ceiling. In fact, was the noise getting louder? Almost like one was flying in closer…

"HEEEEEEEEEEYYYY!" Giichi screamed towards the ceiling, cupping his mouth with his hands. "It's Giichi! I'm in here! We've got the case! Mmmpppph!"

After awkwardly stashing her blaster in her belt, Sable angrily covered Giichi's mouth with one hand, the sand cat squirming around to get out of her grip. Then Giichi bit down, causing her to hiss in pain, so she gave him a good scratch across the face with her claws, leaving a giant red gash on his cheek. It devolved into a full-on cat fight, the two of them trying to bite and claw each other all over the place.

Panther rushed over, grabbed Giichi, ripped him away from Sable and threw him to the floor, putting a foot on his back and the rifle's barrel to his neck.

"Enough!" Panther shouted.

Sable—her dirty dress now covered with claw marks and blood—snarled and stormed over to give the sand cat a solid kick in the side, but Panther held up a hand to stop her. "No!" he said. "We need to keep moving!"

Sable looked like she wanted to give Panther a tongue lashing, but she also knew he was right.

As if to emphasize Panther's point, a loud vibration from above slightly shook the room, streams of dust coming down from the ceiling as the engine noise cut out. A ship had landed on the roof.

Giichi tried to shout again, but with his muzzle planted to the floor he couldn't do much but make mumbling noises. Throwing the rifle over his back with the shoulder strap, Panther quickly hoisted the sand cat to his feet, making sure to keep one hand always clamped over his mouth. He chose the first doorway he could see in the hall and ran straight for it, dragging along Giichi while Sable followed behind with the case. They entered what appeared to be some sort of library or scriptorium, rotting wooden shelves and desks filling the large space. Scattered, faded scrolls and other scraps of paper littering the shelves and floors. Long since extinguished oil lamps lay sprinkled about the space, with scattered vials of ink and rotting reeds that would have been used as pens. Panther had no idea what this place would've been used for, and he didn't care.

He rushed past everything to the other end of the room…only to realize there wasn't another exit on the other side. It was a dead end.

In the hall behind them, ropes unspooled through the holes in the ceiling, followed by Separatist troops making fast rope descents into the corridor. Soon, the hallway was full of them. It didn't take long for one of them to walk into the library and spot Panther, Sable, and Giichi.

"Hands up!" The soldier raised his rifle.

Without thinking about it, Panther transformed his glove into a knife and put it to Giichi's throat, using the sand cat as a shield. Sable quickly took cover behind the two of them.

The rest of the soldiers rushed inside, jostling to get past each other and raising their weapons alongside the first one. They looked like they could barely contain themselves from bum rushing Panther or just filling him full of holes, considering Sable was holding onto the case behind him. He hated to admit it, but Giichi was useful for once in this instance.

"Release Giichi!" another soldier screamed. "Lower the knife! Get on the ground!"

Like Panther was going to do that. Instead, he kneeled more, clutching tighter to Giichi with one hand while putting the blade of his glove knife closer to the sand cat's throat. It worked to keep the soldiers at bay. For now.

Come to think of it though…the knife wasn't dissipating? He could still feel the blade formed. Wasn't he struggling to do this just a day before? But then again this was the first time he'd had to do it in real combat. Amazing what that could do to focus the mind…

"Okay, calm down boys, let me through." The voice was gentle, fatherly. Almost like a dad trying to break up a childhood scrap.

The soldiers quieted down and parted, allowing a large brown bull to step forward. Seemingly their leader, he lowered his weapon and let it hang by his shoulder strap. He moved off to the side and out of the line of fire of his comrades, his movements slow and deliberate so he didn't spook Panther or Sable.

"Hey buddy…" the bull said to Panther, keeping his tone light and friendly. "What's your name?"

"…Panther," he replied, still trying to keep the sand cat perfectly shielding his body, needing to kneel since Giichi was so much shorter.

"Panther." The soldier nodded, keeping his voice even despite the tense mood. "All right. I'm Captain Tor Mattherson. You don't look like a Royalist soldier. Don't think you'd be dressed that way if you were." He noted Panther's burgundy robe, which was filthy and ripped by this point. His eyes focused on the silver glove Panther wore, plainly visible since he was threatening Giichi with it. "You don't look like a Retinue either, but you've got that. Interesting. Why do you have it?"

Considering the glove used to be Nail's, then it had suddenly bonded to Panther's hand without warning, and Sable had apparently decided he now needed to keep it and train with it, yet Panther had no explanation for why any of this was happening, he simply said "…I don't know."

Tor raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsure of what to make of Panther's answer, but carried on. "I presume you already know the importance of what's in Sable's case there, and what will happen if the Royalists get it."

Though Panther didn't say anything, his serious expression and clenched teeth told Tor he understood completely.

"You don't look like you're on board with Sable's plans." Tor moved to sit down on a nearby chair, as if this were just a friendly chat. "Am I right?"

Again, Panther remained silent, considering Sable was directly behind him. If he said the wrong thing, he sensed it could be fatal later.

But as before, Tor inferred the answer simply from how Panther was uncomfortable with the questions. "You know, if you don't agree with what she wants, here's your chance to put a stop to that. If you let us have Giichi, Sable, and the case, it will all end right here. You'll be a hero to millions of persecuted people on this planet." The bull gave him a large smile. "What do you say?"

"He's lying!" Sable shrieked behind Panther. "The Separatists are allies of Corneria! You don't need to take my word for it, Panther! You can see they use Cornerian gear. You side with them, they'll extradite you back to Lylat! You'll be in prison the rest of your life! OR WORSE!"

Panther's eyes widened. That was a very real and ominous threat for him. Sable must have looked at his rap sheet or something while they were en route to Thaljista.

Tor's friendly expression darkened as he looked at Sable. He turned back to Panther. "Panther, listen…I'm not going to do that. I also don't want to hurt you. I don't want to kill you either. But the fate of this world is riding on what's inside that case. I cannot leave here without it. The only choice you have here is if you give it over willingly or we take it by force. But work with us, and you will be rewarded."

"I'll put in a good word for you too, Panther." Giichi smiled in spite of the knife glove at his neck. "I'll make sure Razir doesn't send you back to Lylat. I can protect you!"

"You can protect me?" Panther whispered in Giichi's ear. He had not loosened his grip on the sand cat. Though intended to be reassuring, it only enraged him. "Do you really mean that? Or is this like back on the Retribution where you pretended you were my friend?"

Giichi's face went pale.

"Or when your Sentinel friends put that bomb in your room?"

"I saved your life there!" Giichi protested. "Nail wanted to detonate it while you were in the room, but I convinced him to hold off until you left. And I told Canma to spare you too!"

"Yeah?" Panther tightened his grip a bit more, letting the tip of his knife blade stick just enough into Giichi's neck to draw blood. "You also embarrassed me in front of Wolf, and got me fired. I wouldn't be in this crazy situation right now if it were for you."

Giichi's face darkened. "Nail is dead now because of Star Wolf!" He snarled through the pain. "How do you think I felt when I saw Wolf torture him and push him off that cliff? And besides, no one made you buy that stupid car!"

The venom in that last statement was a surprise, considering how much Giichi had appreciated seeing the Hyoodin for the first time.

Giichi sighed, taking a moment to calm down. "Look, you decide to go with Sable… I promise you, she's only thinking about what she can get out of you. She doesn't care about anyone else. She'll suck you dry and toss you out like trash once she doesn't need you anymore. I've seen her do it personally, Panther!"

What was the story between these two? Giichi seemed to know a lot of personal things about her. He'd said things like this about her back on Fortuna too.

"Don't listen to that traitor!" Sable shrieked behind him. "He's turned his back on Thajista by supporting these…these filth!" She waved her hand at all the non-cat soldiers before them, the bull Tor in particular, who let out an angry snort in reply. Her frown turned into a wicked smile. "Besides, it doesn't matter anyway. When the rest of the Retinue arrive in ten minutes," she said, pointing at the Separatist soldiers, "they will kill all of you. I will get this case and Giichi to the capital, no matter what happens!"

The mention of the Retinue sent a stir through the soldiers, as they passed nervous glances at each other. In fact, Panther noticed one of the soldiers at the front of the line—a dog—getting awfully antsy, the barrel of his gun shaking and trying to find Panther's head as he hid behind Giichi. He looked like he was ready to try pulling the trigger despite the risk. Panther really didn't like that.

Tor stood up from his chair. "If that's true, you have to make a decision now, Panther." He was through being polite, a stern look on his face as he crossed his arms. "Who are you with? Us, or them?"

"They're already dead, Panther!" Sable shouted from behind. "I'll give you anything you want once we're in the capital!"

Panther's heart pounded. He honestly didn't know what to do.

While he didn't doubt Sable had the means to give him anything he wanted, given what he saw aboard the Onyx, what about millions dying if the case made it to the Royalists? Or was this just more lies and bullshit, like everything Giichi had given him on Fortuna? He didn't know about Sable either, considering she kept him in the dark about what her plans were for him. For all he knew, Giichi could be right about her only using him and then discarding him later. But then if he handed over the case, the Separatists wouldn't need him anymore either, would they? They could just shoot him, or throw him to the Cornerian government without a care in the world.

His fingers brushed against the radio hooked to his belt and out of sight of the soldiers, given to him by Jima earlier. She and Rihat were just one call away.

I don't want to do this, but I think it's the only way I save my own skin here.

Out of sight of the soldiers, he gently pushed the 'talk' button on the radio, so Jima could hear everything on the other end.

"Mr. Tor…" Panther started. "I'm sorry, but what guarantee do I have that the Separatists will keep me safe once I hand over Giichi, the case, and Sable to you? I don't know you. I haven't even been on this planet for thirty minutes."

"What?!" Sable shrieked behind him. "You're actually considering it, Panther?!"

Though he had a feeling Sable would react that way, he turned his head to look back at her, winking on the side of his face the Separatists wouldn't be able to see. Though confused, she appeared to catch on that he was up to something.

"You're holding me at gunpoint, you know. Meanwhile the Royalists have been very generous, thus far." Panther continued, stalling for time. "Giichi's friends here, as I discussed earlier, have almost killed me multiple times. How can I trust you?"

He bet that would get Jima and Rihat running to their location, but how long would it take them to get here?

"I can assure you that you will not be handed over to the Cornerians," Tor said. "We might be allies of theirs, but we look out for our own first. If you want to be one of us, all you must do is say so. But I need to know now, Panther. We are out of time, considering the Retinue are coming. Will. You. Join. Us?" The bull leaned forward for emphasis.

Though Tor had meant to make that sound threatening, Panther still had Giichi in his grasp, so he knew he was in control for the moment. Obviously, whoever Giichi was, the sand cat was important to the Separatists. Important enough to where they didn't want to risk losing him to retake the item they claimed would destroy them.

Panther waited for a few more moments to say anything, trying to drag the time out. "I need something more material than your word, Mr. Tor."

Tor's cool, relaxed façade was fading, a grumbled moan of frustration from his maw. "I can't do that, Panther!" Tor grit his teeth. "Last chance. Give up, or we shoot!"

That one nervous dog soldier still had his gun's barrel seeking out Panther's head behind Giichi, ready to instantly fire when the order came.

"Please Panther…" Giichi pleaded, looking like he was about to cry. "They'll kill both of us if they have to."

Shit… Panther had pushed things too far, and the Retinue still weren't here. He was still trying to shrink himself behind Giichi as much as possible, along with Sable trying to do the same behind Panther…

But then there was a scream in the corridor, the shout soon cut off by a cutting sound and the splashing of something on the ground.

"The Retinue are here—ooooaaaaaaaaahhh!" There was the sound of another body falling smack on the ground.

Immediately all the soldiers turned their attention back to the hallway. Sable didn't waste her chance, standing up and firing her pistol and shooting over Panther and Giichi, hitting several soldiers while they were distracted. Panther used the chance to duck behind a stone column, Sable doing the same.

It was just in time, as the remaining soldiers in the library opened fire, laser blasts flashing around the columns and illuminating the room in a strobing red light. The beams ignited old shreds of paper, which in turn lit the old rotted wooden shelves, desks, and chairs on fire, even as they were being shot to pieces.

Panther looked across the library to Sable, neither of them able to even peek out without risking getting hit. Although was it his imagination, or did the incoming fire seem to be decreasing drastically already? It wasn't long before they couldn't hear much else besides all the paper and wood in the library burning and collapsing into charcoal.

Panther risked a glance, noticing most of the soldiers had left the library, leaving an eerie quiet. He and Sable tentatively walked into the hall outside, and found them.

Or what was left of them, anyway.

The hallway was full of fresh corpses, with smooth red cuts across many of their chests that went straight through their armor and down to the body, their blood collecting on the ground together. In the center of the carnage stood Rihat and Jima, their eyes dispassionate as they looked over what they'd done, blood still dripping off the liquid metal swords they'd formed their gloves into.

Sable sighed, not in the least bit phased by the sight, as she leaned against a column to catch her breath. She smiled at Panther, and unlike her rehearsed smiles on the Onyx, this one was a genuine expression of gratitude. "Panther, thank you. You did wonderfully. Turning on the radio without them noticing, letting Jima and Rihat know where we were and what was happening. It was a clever plan. I knew I was right to bring you with us."

While he felt warmed by the praise, what he saw around the hallway was a direct result of his actions. He supposed it was official now.

I am a Royalist.

Was it the right decision? He supposed only time would tell… It disturbed him that he wasn't entirely sure if he had made the correct choice, but there was no going back now.

"Wait!" Sable suddenly said. She looked around the hall frantically. When she didn't see what she was looking for, she shook her head. "No no no…" She rushed back into the library, Panther following her.

Jumping over the corpses of the soldiers she'd shot, she ran back to the spot where she was hiding behind Panther when they were in that hostage situation. She looked around on the floor, a desperate expression on her face as she scanned the whole area, even frantically moving aside a bookshelf that was still burning.

"Where's Giichi?! AND WHERE'S THE CASE?!"

Chapter Text

When Sable wailed that both Giichi and the case were missing, Jima was nonchalant. Anyone else under Sable's command might be startled or discouraged by such a declaration, but Jima merely saw it as a SITREP…an update to their mission…another inconvenience to be overcome.

The snow leopard's nanobot-enhanced eyes scanned across the large corridor, looking for clues as to where Giichi or the case might have gone, when she picked up a small blood trail leading away from the corpses into another passageway. Someone had escaped. Immediately, Jima sprinted down the corridor in pursuit with Rihat close behind, leaving Panther and Sable without a word.

The two Retinue raced through the corridors fast enough to put even elite athletes to shame, their Retinue physical-enhancing suits allowing them to move faster than would normally be possible. And even with the darkness, Jima's enhanced vision allowed her to see with clarity, the droplets of blood highlighted red like small scarlet stars, making the trail easy to follow.

After several more twists and turns, the tight cave passage opened to a yawning underground chasm, a natural rock bridge crossing over to a hole in the wall on the other side.

Someone with a flashlight was in the middle of the bridge, but they were too large to be Giichi. The person turned around, revealing themselves as a brown bull dressed in a Separatist soldier uniform, a wound on his leg causing him to limp and drip blood.

Jima molded her hand into its sword form, about to dash across the bridge and gut him…but then she noticed the silver case in his hand.

Terrified, the bull held the case over the side of the bridge. "Back off or I drop it!"

Even if he actually did that, Jima didn't care much. It would be trivially easy to retrieve it, but it would give Giichi time to get further away.

"Where is Giichi?" she asked.

"Like I'd tell either of you!" the bull shouted back.

Jima walked towards him with a slow but confident pace, her sword at the ready, Rihat following behind her. "Where did Giichi go?"

The bull took a trembling step backwards, both trying to keep an eye on them while also being careful not to fall off into the infinite darkness below…not easy with his leg cut like that. Sure, as a bull he was huge and had massive muscles to match. Jima wouldn’t be surprised if he could knock her out with one clean headbutt or punch. But his shoulder width was wider than the natural bridge itself, giving him poor balance on the narrow path on top of his injured leg. She almost wanted to smile at the predicament the fool had put himself in.

The bull seemed to realize how this was going to end—case or not—so he threw it over the side.

Rihat didn't hesitate, jumping off the bridge after the case, disappearing into the darkness. His Retinue suit would make it no trouble to fall from such a height, after all. Meanwhile Jima readied her sword…but in the moment where her eyes had been following the case and Rihat, the bull threw a hand grenade at her.

Gasping, she kicked off the ground, jumping backwards to get off the bridge as the grenade exploded. Her sword dispersed into droplets, deflecting away any fragmentation as she landed roughly on the stone floor.

When she recovered, she stood up, sword back at the ready…but the rock bridge was now gone, destroyed by the explosion, the bull gone as well. Whether he had fallen or gotten away via the other side of the chasm, it didn't matter. He wasn't the objective.

She looked down into the abyss where the case had gone, confidently walking off the edge of the cliff as if it were nothing but a single stair step. Cool, dark wind whistled past her as she fell feet first, her enhanced eyes allowing her to see the bottom despite the darkness. When she was about to reach the rocky floor, she reached out towards the wall with her glove arm, as it transformed into talons to dig into the rock and slow her fall…stopping her just in time before she reached the bottom.

Rihat was already there digging through the rocky debris, pulling the damaged case out from the rubble of the bridge.

However, the puma seemed bothered by something.  He held the case in his paws as if testing its weight.  Through their nanobots, she sensed he detected the case was slightly lighter than it should have been. Snapping it open, the two of them found out why.

It was empty.

~X~

Giichi ran for his life through the tunnels, the staff Thaal-Ja's Calling slung over his back by its strap.

If he still had tears left, he would've been crying when Mr. Tor had broken his handcuffs, taken the staff out of the case, given it to him, and told him to run. My leg's messed up, I'll just slow you down, he'd said. So many had already died because of this staff, and the bull was one more. Facing the Retinue like that was a death sentence, just like how all the other soldiers died when the two of them had slipped away in the confusion…but the sand cat also knew running was the only option left if he wanted to stop this madness.

He'd had an entire week alone in the brig on the Onyx, nothing to distract him from thinking about everyone else who'd died on Fortuna to keep this thing out of Royalists hands. The first two days, he'd done little but curl up on the bed, as he wrapped his tail around himself and cried. By the third day, his tears had run out, although he didn't feel any better. He'd barely been able to get any sleep. The nightmares never stopped. He couldn't stop dreaming about Nail and the others being tortured and killed at the hands of Star Wolf.

And it's all my fault.

He had told Nail to spare Ooveh. His decision led to Ooveh damaging their fighter before they could escape, leading Star Wolf straight to their secret base of operations. He trusted Wolf and attempted to trade the case for Nail's life. Ergo, he was the reason Nail was dead, along with so many other Sentinel operatives, and he was the reason the Royalists received the case.

But now I can finally fix my mistakes! He clenched the staff's strap tighter. I'm doing this for Nail and everyone else who died! But first, I need to find a way out of this temple…

The front door was an option.  The Separatists probably had it open by now...but if he tried doubling back, he might run into Jima or Rihat on the way there.

However, it probably wasn't the only way out. Many Thaljistani communities—both in the past and now—were built underground in caves to escape the harsh desert sun, so usually they were planned with more than one exit to the outside in case of an emergency, but who knew if any of the other passages were still open. This place obviously wasn't being maintained anymore, so for all he knew any other exits were caved in. Regardless, he needed to look for another way out. It was his best bet for escaping.

Giichi slowed his step to lean against a pillar set in the wall, ears on a swivel even as his breath was ragged and his chest pounding from running. Far as he could tell, he was alone…for the moment. Small glowstones sat in the ceiling, encased behind glass enclosures filled with boron. These were rocks native to Thaljista that glowed aqua blue in the dark, providing natural lighting. Not much light for most species, but for cats with their natural night vision, it was plenty enough to see.

Underneath the glow of the glowstones, he saw more disgusting murals of the lion nobility on the walls, enjoying the fruits of all the wealth they'd extorted from their peasants and slaves. Giichi wrinkled his nose at the sight.

The Ibhu era—when the Ibhu clan of lions reigned over Thaljista—lasted for over eight hundred years. A lot of people suffered and died in slavery so those select few lions could have their lifestyles. If he remembered his Thaljistani history correctly, the lion statue they'd passed outside depicted the king Mkango, so this temple was likely commissioned by him around two centuries ago.

And if it's Mkango, I've got an idea.

Mkango was the final lion king, before he was dethroned from power about a hundred and eighty years ago. Though trying to appear brave and strong like his ancestors, he secretly was a coward, living in perpetual fear of being overthrown…something that came true once the Azer clan came to power.

Because of his paranoia, the old king always kept a secret exit somewhere within all temples, castles, and other royal buildings he'd had constructed, then ordered the builders executed so none could reveal their secrets. Fortunately, some of them survived and passed on their knowledge to history. From their testimony, it was said Mkango liked to keep the hidden passage in or near whichever room he'd hold court, so he could make a quick escape if needed.

And that sounded just about perfect for Giichi right now.

He looked up at the glowstones. Back in the day, these wouldn't have been easy to get, so if he was seeing these he was probably in or near the most prominent section of the temple. So maybe he was near the central worship chamber. If there was a hidden escape passage, Mkango would've had it built around here.

Excited, Giichi started running again. The corridor soon turned broader, the doorways larger and more ornately decorated with stonework. He was getting warmer. He hurried around a corner, entering another room…this one the biggest out of all the chambers he had seen here.

It was another arched room, columns lining the sides. Natural light from outside entered the room through an elaborate series of tunnels cut into the walls. The tunnels had mirrors and smooth surfaces to reflect the light as needed. More elaborate murals covered the walls, depicting a prosperous kingdom with green pastures, fat livestock, impressive cities, and lions prancing about in their fancy clothing. Overhead, the ceiling depicted a twinkling night sky, glass beads set in the stone catching the light. Hot air balloons floated about the stars, the king's lion soldiers leaning out and appearing to survey the murals below.

However, Giichi's attention rested on a massive lion statue on the far end of the hall, dressed in a plain robe. It was meant to depict Thaal-Ja himself, but portraying him as a lion was a blasphemy. When the Ibhu ruled, they built many of these statues, but most of them had been smashed or exploded into gravel since the lions were removed from power. This was a rare surviving example. Originally it would have been overlaid in precious metals like bronze and gold, but all of it was gone, probably stolen by thieves.  Not surprising some of the cat folk in the Outer Territories would care more about money than religion.

Giichi rushed towards the statue, examining the mural on the wall to the left of it. He traced a finger over the stone, searching for cracks and other deformations in the wall. He didn't find much but more images of Mkango and his court… until his finger settled on a sack of gold being handed over to the king by Thaal-Ja himself. The sack was circular, with a noticeable groove around the edges of it set into the stone. It was a little bit larger than the size of a coin, about the right size for a button.

Rolling his eyes, Giichi pushed his thumb against the bag, the stone underneath giving way to its pressure.

With a loud rumble, the Thaal-Ja statue slid to the right, stone grinding against stone. Though glad to have found the passage, he noticed with some irritation how slow the statue was moving, only taking it a centimeter at a time. Well, what did he expect? It was a miracle whatever centuries-old mechanism moving the thing was still working. He impatiently crossed his arms, tapping his foot. The moving statue slowly revealed a small doorway. Just a bit longer and…

A loud shrieking and grinding sound pierced the air, causing Giichi to curl back his ears and grit his teeth. The statue stopped moving, leaving open a slit slightly narrower than Giichi himself. Well crap… Good thing he was small, he supposed. He tried to fit himself through, but the staff on his back was in the way.

Grumbling, he stepped back…and heard something echoing off in the distance. Footsteps. Very, very rapid footsteps. The Retinue. They heard that noise just now.

Giichi whipped the staff off his back, throwing it in through the narrow slit, then tried to fit himself through as well. But even with his small size, he could feel the unyielding stone on both sides keeping him out. He tried to find a way he could contort himself to fit through, but damn it, nothing was working!

The distant footsteps ceased, Giichi sensing a new presence in the room. He froze, turning around while still stuck midway through the hole. At the other end of the worship chamber, Jima and Rihat were there, eyes fixated on Giichi like predatory birds about to swoop upon their prey.

He kept trying to force himself through the opening. The two Retinue took off running again, already halfway across the huge chamber in seconds.

Finally, with one last push, he popped through the gap, almost landing face first on the floor on the other side before he caught himself with his elbows. He stood up, dusting himself off…then was pulled back towards the opening, the neckline of his red hoodie choking him before his back slammed into the walls on either side of the gap. Jima had just grabbed his hood.

Though he did his best to push away from the wall, scrambling to grab any handholds in the stone he could find, Jima seemed to have more strength in one arm than he had throughout his entire body. There was a ripping sound, as the threads of his hood came undone. With one last rip, the hood tore right off in the snow leopard's grasp, Giichi collapsing to the floor a second time. He coughed a few times, running a hand over where he'd been choked by his own neckline, but at least he was otherwise unhurt. My favorite hoodie, though…

He turned around, then wished he hadn't. Jima and Rihat stood silently on the other side of the narrow slit, just wide enough for both to glare at him with one eye each. Quite possibly one of the most terrifying goddamn things he'd ever seen in his life.

They took several steps back, Jima's silver glove morphing into its blaster configuration. She raised it up, Giichi seeing the orange energy begin to charge up. He didn't need any more motivation.

He snatched the staff off the floor and ran as fast as he could down the secret passage. After he was around the next bend, Jima discharged her energy cannon. The corridor rocked and shook around him, dust settling to the floor. He didn't hear her footsteps behind him. Yet.

But when he rounded the next corner, there was a cave-in partially blocking the passageway. Only a small narrow gap full of jagged rocks to climb through was on top of the pile. He couldn't see any light up there. No idea if it would still lead outside, either. But what else could he do?

Giichi scrambled up the pile, rocks and pebbles tumbling down behind him as he crawled into the tiny hole, shoving the staff ahead of him due to the tight passage. He couldn't see anything now, the darkness too complete even for his night vision, as he kept clawing his way through the tiny tunnel. The rocks tore at his clothes and his skin, leaving scrapes and cuts, but he feared the Retinue far more. For a couple more minutes he kept forging ahead, shoving aside rocks and debris as best as he could.

However, he hit a point where the crawlspace ran into a dead end. The rocks ahead wouldn't budge. In desperation, he grasped Thaal-Ja's Calling with both of his hands, and hit the rocks ahead with one end of the staff, using it like the tip of a pickaxe. He didn't even know if it was going to help at all. For all he knew it could've been miles of solid rock behind the blockage.

But with one more strike…he felt a rock tumbling out of the way, a golden ray of sunshine hitting his face. Though momentarily blinded by the light, a huge grin crossed his face. He kept hitting away at what was left of the obstruction, more rocks tumbling down and opening a way forward and bathing him in more of that heavenly light. At last, it was wide enough for him to crawl through.

Pulling himself out, he tumbled down a pile of rocks, landing on the sandy ground outside. He shook himself off, rising to his feet.

The passageway had let him out on top of a tall cliff, looking down a dizzying height towards a canyon floor far below, a road hewn from the rocky cliff zigzagging all the way down. To his left, it looked like that was the start of the road…but what now?

He looked up in the blue sky, still seeing numerous Separatist ships flying above. Damn it! They were right there! If only he could get the staff and himself aboard one of them, this would all be over!

There wasn't time to hike all the way down to the canyon floor. Maybe he could stand here and signal the ships somehow? But there wasn't enough room to land on this narrow path, and he didn't know how far behind the Retinue were. Sure, if he barely fit through the collapsed passage, maybe they wouldn't be able to follow. But then again they were Retinue, and they had a bad habit of doing the  impossible.

To his left, he heard the buzzing sound of a small engine. A Separatist dune buggy was driving up the path, painted a sandy desert camouflage color. Oh! This was too good to be true!

The vehicle was a sandrail, featherweight and fleet-footed over desert terrain, little more than a roll cage with three seats, four wheels, an engine, and two mounted machine guns attached to it…one for the front passenger and one for a dedicated gunner in the back. There was a Separatist soldier driving, plus another one on the rear turret. Giichi waved to the Separatist occupants, and they waved back, the sandrail sliding into a stop next to him and kicking up a cloud of grit. Giichi coughed as it went into his nose.

The sandrail's warthog driver leaped out, wearing more of that familiar surplus Cornerian gear. His eyes widened in astonishment upon recognizing Giichi, his tusks glinting in the sun. "Holy shit, we've been looking for you!" He looked at the staff in Giichi's hands. "And is that what I think it is?"

His mind running a thousand miles an hour, Giichi frantically nodded. "Listen, we've gotta go, and we gotta go fast!" He pointed back at the cave's exit. "The Retinue are right behind me!"

The warthog understood completely, gesturing for Giichi to sit in the passenger seat.

"Wait!" Giichi shouted at the warthog. "Let me drive!"

The warthog was about to get into the driver's seat, but he suddenly stopped to look at Giichi.  “Wow, General Strafer was serious?  Anyway, go for it.”  He gestured for Giichi to sit.

General Strafer?  Though confused by the warthog’s words, Giichi slid into the driver's seat. It was a little low for him, so he ratcheted it up to where he was looking over the buggy's wedge-shaped hood, feeling the gentle rumble of the engine behind him as he buckled up. He smiled, looking down at the gauge cluster before him, hands sliding over the metal steering wheel, enjoying the touch of the grooves in his grasp. His tail flicked back and forth behind him.

"You…why don't you look scared anymore?" The ferret on the turret eyed him curiously.

Giichi smiled…but then an orange explosion ripped apart the cave-in blocking the tunnel he'd just left from. Out of the cloud of dust and rubble, the two Retinue appeared, Jima's arm cannon form of her glove still glowing hot from her last shot. Her eyes locked onto Giichi instantly, as did Rihat's.

With their target re-acquired, the two broke into a sprint, transitioning into running on all fours as they leaped across the sand, kicking up great plumes of the stuff every time they touched the ground.

Giichi slammed the buggy's stick into reverse, pushing his foot to the floor. The warthog and the ferret's heads lurched forward as the buggy gathered speed. Even so, the Retinue were gaining on them fast. The ferret opened fire with his mounted machine gun, but they merely dispersed their gloves into their shield forms, the droplets flicking the shots away as she closed the gap undeterred. They even moved closer together so both sets of droplets could better protect them.

"Giichi, hold it steady!" the ferret shouted from up above. He pulled out a small break-action grenade launcher, pointing it at the two Retinue, steadying his aim to compensate for the rocky ride.

Giichi briefly let off the gas to let the buggy's suspension settle, giving the ferret a moment of stability.

"Eat this!" With a fwump, the ferret shot off a grenade straight for their pursuers.

The two Retinue tried to slow down and jump in separate directions to avoid the impending blast, but being on the slippery sand delayed their evasion for one critical second. The grenade exploded in front of them, sand blasting into the air and obscuring them from sight.

Giichi didn't know if that got them, but now was the perfect time to flip the buggy around. He released the gas and twisted the wheel to the right. The vehicle's nose spun around one eighty, rock walls flashing past on both sides. The warthog and the ferret clung to the roll cage. Once the buggy was facing forward, Giichi pushed the stick back into drive, slamming down the accelerator. There was a hint of wheel spin upon the sand, and then they were shooting along the dirt pathway at speed. A perfect J-turn. Giichi smirked. Like he'd driven this thing yesterday.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Giichi saw the two Retinue getting to their feet, although they appeared dazed from the blast. Didn't slow them down much, as they took off in a leaping sprint again, but now with the buggy going forwards, they had no chance of catching up. The sandrail was designed to go fast across the desert sands, after all. Soon, they were nothing but specks in the rearview mirror.

Giichi let out a sigh. Finally.

"Not many of us have seen the Retinue and lived." The warthog's shook his head. He laughed at Giichi. "You know, General Strafer said in the briefing that if we ran into you, and you asked to drive, to let you do it.  I’ll admit that order really confused me, but now I understand completely.”

“For real…you just did that one-eighty like it was nothing!" The ferret on the turret was still astonished. "You practice those?"

Giichi shrugged, then let a small chuckle slip as he piloted the buggy down the road. "I do." He hadn’t practiced them recently in real life, but he did on his sim rig on the Retribution.  

“By the way we didn't get to introduce ourselves.”  The warthog pointed to himself.  “I'm Captain Mason, and up there on the gun is Sergeant Alan.  Anyway, let's wait till we're on a transport ship back to Kinnor before we have a party." Mason's grin faded as he changed the frequency on his radio. "Echo 1, this is Zulu 4. We've secured both Golden Child and the package. Meet us at the transmitted coordinates." There was a muffled reply back over his radio, and then the warthog turned to Giichi. "Okay, it's called in. Get us to our evac."

"Where?" Giichi asked. "We need to go down the cliff road, like I saw from the top?"

"Yes. Just get to the bottom." Mason pointed straight down. "A transporter will be waiting for us on the canyon floor. Get us there fast."

A little grin tugged at the end of Giichi's mouth. "You got it."

He pushed the accelerator down harder, watching the speedometer and tachometer climb. The sandrail's front wheels bounced with the suspension, the springs and dampers compressing and decompressing with every bump. You didn't get to see those parts working in an ordinary car. It was fun to watch.

A right switchback approached, a cliff face towering overhead on the left and the view down into the canyon filling the right. Giichi was still headed towards it at full speed.

"Uh…Giichi?" Alan asked from the gunner's nest.

Giichi didn't respond, still having his foot to the floor and a wide smile on his face.

"Giichi! Stop! Brake!"

At the last moment, Giichi planted his foot on the brake. The car's weight shifted forward, Giichi watching everyone's heads tilt with it. He spun the wheel to the side, sending the sandrail into a controlled drift around the corner, kicking up dust as he stepped on the gas. The vehicle's four-wheel drive system kept the car planted and in control, even as the wheels slid in the grit. Giichi's smile got bigger as the car straightened back out again at the turn's exit.

"Don't do that again!" Alan shouted.

"Hmm?" Giichi asked, confused as he glanced up. "What's the problem?"

"You got any idea how scary it is being up here while you're doing that?!" Alan bounced back and forth in his gunner harness, his movement exaggerated from being so high up.

"I mean, Mason did say to get to the transport fast, so…" Giichi shrugged.

"You were about to wet your pants before we found you!" Alan said. "How can you change like that so fast?!"

Giichi didn't say anything, still grinning. After being in that brig for a week, what a liberating feeling it was to hold a steering wheel in his hand. Yes, it was of dire importance to get the staff to the Separatists…but was it a bad thing if he enjoyed himself while doing it?

The sandrail was a bit heavier than he thought it would be considering it was loaded down with two soldiers and their gear, but he was already getting used to throwing its weight around. And with the way this road had a long string of hairpins going back and forth down the mountain like the first turn, he'd have several opportunities to practice.  

However, his moment of joy was spoiled when he looked up, noticing Jima and Rihat standing above them…on the section of road they had just been on before the switchback.  They were staring straight at Giichi.

Oh shit, this isn’t over yet.

The two Retinue casually stepped off the side like it was nothing, slamming down onto the road in front of the buggy with a great cloud of dust.  As the sand cleared away, Jima and Rihat stood up, their tails flicking behind them as they stared down Giichi, determined as ever to stop him.

"Don't they ever give up?!" Alan shrieked.

Alan opened fire with the roof gun. Mason joined in with the turret mounted in front of his seat. Not like the gunfire would make a difference.

Jima and Rihat dispersed their gloves again, the droplets deflecting away all the laser blasts even as they calmly walked towards the speeding buggy about to run them down. Giichi's ears curled back. Was he going to have to run them over? The thought made him want to vomit. But if he stopped, they would kill Mason and Alan, then recapture him and the staff. The war would be lost.

Well, screw it then. Giichi grit his teeth, slamming down the accelerator harder, the nose of the buggy rising as it gained speed. He shut his eyes right before he ran the two Retinue over.  He waited for a wet squishing sound…but instead he heard a thump on the right side of the buggy, where Mason was sitting.  

Squeezing one eye open, he saw Rihat clinging to the right side of the buggy, staring him down with a death glare.  The puma morphed his glove into a sword, about to pierce Mason straight in the heart.  Giichi reacted instantly, swerving the buggy towards the cliffside on the right.  Rihat reacted just as fast, leaping off before he was crushed against the rock wall.  It all happened so fast, Giichi wasn’t even sure if he’d seen that just now.  

Mason sure did though.  “Oh….oh oh oh…” He put a hand over his heart.  “Just saw my life flash before my eyes, Giichi.”  The warthog clapped Giichi on the shoulder. "I have never seen Retinue back down like that before!"

Giichi wasn't feeling proud of having done that, though. He didn't want to imagine what it would've looked like if he'd run them over or ground Rihat into paste on the rock wall.  

It wasn't over yet though. With how this road zigzagged all the way down the cliffs to the canyon floor, the Retinue could simply jump down in front of them like that, over and over again.

After drifting the dune buggy around the next hairpin, Giichi looked up, seeing Jima and Rihat staring down at them from the road they'd just been driving on. He waited for them to jump…but this time they tried something different.

Jima shapeshifted her glove into its cannon shape again, charging up a shot, with the orange crackling glow visible from even here. She pointed it straight down and fired. With a bright flash, the orange projectile struck the cliff in front of them, creating a rockslide that blocked the road.

"Damn it!" Mason shouted. "They've got us!"

Not quite. Giichi had his eyes on a tiny sliver of road still available at the edge of the cliff on the right…about wide enough for one half of the buggy.

"Alan, Mason, lean left!" Giichi shouted. "Then when I turn right, lean right!"

"Huh? Why?" Mason asked.

"Just do it! I'm going to get us out of this!"

Confused, Mason leaned as far to the left as he could, grasping the buggy's roll cage in one hand. Alan clutched to the left side of his turret.

"Hang on!" Giichi lurched the wheel to the left, using what little space was available. The weight of the buggy shifted towards the left set of tires, Giichi watching the suspension compress on the left front wheel. He had the momentum going. Now to make use of it and swing the pendulum the other way.

"Now! Lean right!"

Though Mason and Alan thought they knew what he was about to do, and they were terrified of it, they did as he asked.

Giichi steered the wheel over to the right, bringing them precariously close to the cliff edge. The buggy's left wheels lifted off the ground. Giichi balanced the buggy on the right two wheels, the vehicle's cabin teetering over the edge of the cliff, giving them a nice view straight down. Mason looked like he was about to crap his pants. Alan was crying out for dear life, only his gunner's restraint harness keeping him from falling out of his seat.

Nonetheless, Giichi kept his eyes on the prize: the narrow gap ahead of them. He nudged the wheel back and forth, keeping them balanced, as they rolled right through the tiny strip of ground. Giichi turned the wheel back to the left, letting the buggy fall back onto its four wheels with a loud thump, everyone's heads bouncing as they made full contact with the ground again.

"Hooooooly shit!" Mason shouted, laughing like they'd passed the first hill of a rollercoaster. "That was goddamn awesome Giichi!"

"Yeah…" Giichi moved the rearview mirror to spot the Retinue watching them up above. "But we haven't escaped yet."

As they sped around the next hairpin, Giichi looked up at the road above, this time seeing Rihat charge a shot with his blaster cannon. He fired…but aimed for the road instead of the cliffside, blasting an entire section away. Whatever was left crumbled into rocks and pebbles, tumbling down the cliff. Nothing was left but a huge impassable chasm now.

Giichi clenched his teeth. Well, going on two wheels wouldn't work this time. His mind raced as he looked around for something—anything—he could do.

Glancing towards the open air to the left, he noticed that while the slope leading down into the canyon was severe, the angle wasn't as steep now that they were lower down the cliff face. Lots of rocks though. Some big ones. It'd be a bumpy ride, to put it lightly. The buggy's suspension would get shredded to pieces or bent all to hell on the way down.

But up from the sky…their salvation had come. Giichi saw the transport ship Mason had promised descending to the canyon floor. At the rate they were going, the ship would probably land in a minute or two.

So, drive straight down? It was dangerous of course, and the buggy wouldn't be able to go much further once they ran out of slope…but now it looked like that would be all they needed.

"Hang on you two!"

"Giichi, wha—" Mason started. "Oh my god!"

The sand cat had already swerved the buggy ninety degrees to the left, taking them off the road and straight down. Within seconds the buggy was bouncing hard up and down over the huge rocks, the springs and dampers on the front wheels smashing together as the bottom of the buggy scraped across the stones over and over. Giichi felt like the hard impacts were going to shake his teeth out of his mouth. Even so, he did his best to pilot the buggy past the larger rocks they couldn't go over, despite gravity making his steering inputs feel more like suggestions than commands.

He could hear Mason and Alan cry out as each impact sent them smacking into their seat or into the side of the rollcage. They were gonna be sore for at least the next few days, but Giichi supposed it'd be a price worth paying if they could get the staff out of here.

When they reached a (relatively) smooth spot, Giichi spared a glance in the mirrors.

Jima and Rihat…they were still chasing! With graceful moves, they hopped and skipped their way down across the rocks, never once losing their footing or even watching where they were planting their feet, their focus never losing Giichi's as he watched them in the mirror. It was like they were part mountain goat or something! Even with the downhill slope on their side, escape wouldn't be possible.

Jima made a large leap, springing herself up into the air. With her trajectory, Giichi realized he was going to come straight down on top of them. And there was nothing they could do to stop her now.

He waited for her to make the landing, but then she suddenly extended the flaps on her suit, letting her float for a second. Multiple orange laser blasts flashed past her, requiring her to divert and disperse her glove to block the shots.

A door gunner on the Separatist transport ship was lighting her up, forcing her to slow down and back off.

Though relieved to be saved again, Giichi was getting exasperated. He didn't need someone explaining to him why the Retinue were scary, but it was something else to see them in action.

But the slope was about to run out, and the buggy didn't seem to be in the mood to go any further without gravity helping out. The engine sputtered behind them, the driveshaft clanked and grinded, the suspension was completely shot, the wheels were bent at horrific angles from multiple rock impacts. Giichi shifted the transmission into neutral so engine resistance wasn't slowing them down anymore, but like it or not they'd be stopping soon.

At least the transport ship had landed now, and the door gunner was still shooting.  All they'd have to do was get aboard and they'd be out.

"We're gonna have to run for it!" Giichi shouted, already unbuckling himself. "Get ready!"

"Giichi…" Mason said. While he'd been excited during the chase before, this time he sounded more solemn. He was unbuckling himself, but it was so he could turn around and shoot his rifle towards the rear of the buggy. "You go on ahead. I'll cover you."

"Me too!" Alan pointed the turret's barrel towards the rear as well. "You need to go now!"

Both Mason and Alan opened fire, shooting to the rear of the buggy.

The two Retinue were still coming, still unflinchingly running forwards across the sand as their metallic droplets deflected away the combined incoming fire.

Damn it… Just like Mr. Tor, just like the soldiers in the temple, just like the Sentinel operatives on Fortuna, just like Nail. Mason and Alan would also be sacrificing themselves. This goddamn war. How many more lives would be sacrificed before it was over?

Giichi clenched at the strap of Thaal-Ja's Calling running over his chest. Did he deserve this many people giving themselves up for his sake? He knew of his own importance, plus the importance of what was in his hands, but he felt like he was racking up a debt he could never pay back.

"Mason…Alan…thank you," Giichi whispered. He jumped out of the buggy's driver seat, running full tilt across the sand as Mason and Alan kept shooting, hoping to buy him the time he'd need to climb aboard that ship.

An explosion startled him, almost making him stumble over. The buggy was now a smoking, flaming wreck, orange energy crackling where one of the two Retinue had fired another energy shot. Jima leaped over the burning wreckage, a plume of sand going up as she landed, still in pursuit as she sprinted on all fours straight for Giichi. He'd be caught within seconds.

But Giichi was now only a few steps away from the transport's open door, a familiar face there.

Alongside the door gunner stood General Gail Strafer, out of his familiar officer's uniform and wearing Cornerian desert camouflage by the rest of his men. He reached out one of his hands to Giichi, the sand cat grabbing onto it to climb aboard the ship.

"Take us up now!" Gail screamed, eyes on Jima.

Even as the wolf's large, strong paw gripped around Giichi's much smaller hand, the ship lifted off, leaving the sand cat dangling in midair. Giichi wasn't afraid though. Gail's grip seemed to be just as strong as Nail's, maybe even more so. The wolf started to pull him into the cabin—

Something heavy latched onto Giichi's leg, the sand cat crying out as the extra weight threatened to snap his arm out of his socket. Looking down, he saw what it was. Jima. She was holding onto his leg, having grabbed on at the last second by stretching out her metallic glove. She still had that determined look on her face as the two of them dangled in midair.

With the sudden extra weight, Gail clutched at the edge of the door with his other hand, a few soldiers grabbing onto the wolf from behind, so he didn't fall out. Next to them, a Separatist soldier pointed a rifle out the door towards Jima, but he couldn't find an angle to shoot her without hitting Giichi.

In the meantime, Giichi screamed out in agony from how much excruciating pain he was in, feeling like his small body would snap in two between Gail holding onto his hand and Jima holding onto his foot.

"Hang on!" Gail tried his best to pull Giichi in, helped by the other soldiers holding onto him. "We'll get you aboard!"

"NO!" Giichi shouted. Jima was still grabbing onto his foot, her hand as unyielding as a vice. If he got pulled aboard, she would as well, and then she would kill everyone on the transporter. Giichi slipped Thaal-Ja's Calling off his back, holding it out with his free hand. "Take this!"

One of the soldiers quickly snatched the staff, bringing it inside.

"Don't let go!" Gail still wouldn't release his hand, even with Jima trying to climb up Giichi to get inside the transport. "I promised I'd save you!"

"You will, but not now!" Giichi shouted, his strength almost gone now. "Goodbye Gail!" Giichi extended the claws in his fingers, digging them into Gail's hand and forcing him to let go.

There were a couple seconds of freefall, Giichi feeling his stomach rising in his chest, followed by a harsh impact into the sand that knocked the wind out of him, grit falling all over him.

After he recovered and opened his eyes, he saw he was lying on top of Jima. She had twisted him around in midair so that she landed first on the sand and took the brunt of the impact for both of them. Giichi thought she might be injured from the fall and he could run again, but it was like the fall barely phased her.  Her arm was around him like an industrial clamp.

She quickly rose to her feet, wrapping her arm around him completely. The sand cat struggled with all his might, but soon realized he was only wasting his energy and stopped.  Goddamn…he thought she’d at least show some pain by taking that hard of an impact.  Yeah they’d landed on sand, but it still wasn’t exactly pleasant to fall into from further than a few meters.  Jima didn't even seem to notice or care about what he was doing, her eyes focused on Gail's transport ship as it flew away, quickly turning into a speck.

Despite being captured again, Giichi cracked a small smile as he watched the Separatist transport ship disappear over the horizon. Other Separatist ships withdrew after, appearing to have received the good news.

Thaal-Ja's Calling was in the hands of the Separatists now.

Thaljista was saved.