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Star Fox: Inertia Chapter 3 By Tempo

~ ~ ~

"Wow! That's a lot of dumbledang pods." Tricky watched as his fellow EarthWalkers loaded striped melons into the last cargo containers. Now and then, an automated hover-crane thrummed down from the sky to ferry another crate to the Great Fox II. Slippy sat on the heavy stone railing, feet kicking as he beamed commands from his control tablet.

Fox stood with his team at the ramp of the ziggurat. "You're sure we can take all these?"

"No problem! They grow like weeds." The pink dinosaur bounced with excitement, which shook the ancient stone blocks of the ramp. "Thanks for catching all those grubtubs for us." He bucked his head in the direction of a mound of blaster-singed fungi.

Krystal smiled at the few members of other tribes who'd come to watch the commotion, then nodded at the mushroom heap. "What'll you do with them?"

"Give them to the other EarthWalkers." Cheery as ever, he looked back at her, his honorary Star Fox badge swinging from a spike on his frill. "They'd be mad if I didn't share."

Krystal slipped an amused smile to her fellow vulpine.

McCloud smirked back and patted the dinosaur's frill. "You're a good ruler, Tricky."

"Thanks, Fox!" The EarthWalker beamed, rubbing his beak on Fox's vest. "Are you guys still stuck on that bad spaceship? The one you didn't like?"

Fox's ears drooped as if under heavy gravity. "Yes."

"You could always live here." Tricky swayed his tail in a distinctly canid fashion. "It's nice to have someone around with thumbs."

"Thanks, old pal." The vulpine leader swayed his own tail. "But we're not ready to give up the stars just yet."

"Alright." The dinosaur looked up at the blue sky. "Any time you want to give me my own spaceship, I'd be happy to help you. I've been in space, ya know."

"Yeah, but in my cargo compartment." Fox held his paws about a meter apart. "You've hit a growth spurt since then."

Falco crowed a laugh. "We're gonna need a bigger Arwing."

~ ~ ~

Crate upon crate of dumbledang pods packed the hangar. Slippy had left the aftmost bays empty for Arwings. The fragrance of the melons, delicate in single, became cloying en masse. Fox considered having him seal the containers, just in case of another decompression.

The frog patted the fighter moorings, which he'd managed to clamp onto the middle crate in each stack. "That should hold them for now, but we're not rigged for cargo. I'll lash them down."

"Don't forget to patch the sails and scrape off the barnacles." Falco crowed at his own wit.

Krystal peered down the neat rows of shipping containers. "I think it looks quite sharp."

The amphibian grinned with pride.

"Yeah, it's still better than that time we had to transport caviar and Slippy got all weird about it."

The squat mechanic propped his fists on his hips. "How would you feel about transporting bird eggs? For food?"

The avian scoffed. "I eat eggs for breakfast."

Looking over the ships inventory on his comm gauntlet, Fox skimmed past five screens of dumbledang pods before getting to the rest of the foodstuffs. "Mostly reconstituted."

"Those are eggs?" The frog blinked. "I thought it was pudding mix."

"Either way, you shouldn't have stuck yer tongue in the bag!" Falco punched the frog in the shoulder.

"Hey! Leave me alone!" Slippy rubbed his arm and stuck his tongue out at the tall bird.

Fox stepped between them. "Okay guys, let's break it up. We already took care of this with that 'No Sampling' sign in the pantry."

The mechanic adjusted his tool belt. "We should stop at a military surplus yard. I put our cargo doors back on, but the mechanism's toast."

One paw rubbing the fur of his scruff, the tan vulpine offered Slippy an honest look. "We aren't flush with cash at the moment."

Across the walkway, Krystal leaned back, her palms atop the railing. "How are our defenses coming?"

"I'm having some trouble there. We can launch nova bombs now, but I'm pretty nervous without an interceptor system." He spread his webbed hands. "These civilian-grade deflector shields are designed for asteroids, not weapons fire."

She cast an anxious look at the bay doors. "And with someone out there gunning for us..."

"I say we go pirate huntin'." Falco punched his own palm. "Take it to 'em."

Fox gave the falcon a sidelong look. "Tell me who shot at us, and we'll do just that."

~ ~ ~

Krystal walked with her fellow vulpine back to her quarters. She hit the button to open the door, walked in, and sat on the bed. A quick swipe of her paws detached the staff holster from her thigh. "You don't look like an 'Inari'. Maybe a 'Marcus'; I've always thought that was a nice name."

Fox strode into her quarters and threw his vest and blaster belt on the sofa. While still nervous, he'd relaxed over the last few nights of sleeping in her quarters. "My mom named me Inari, but Cornerian birth certificates have the line for species next to the given name, so..."

Arms crossed over her breasts, Krystal smirked. "You can't be serious."

"By the time anyone noticed, the name had populated through the system." He swept a paw out toward the stars through her window. "The best we could get was a note in my file, but the listing is still 'Fox' McCloud. Happens all the time."

Incredulity spread across her muzzle with her smile. She patted the bed beside her.

He took a seat at her side. His tail fluffed back and forth, amused but revealing no clues as to the truth. "Guess you'll have to check Corneria's records."

She hit the dimmer switch on her nightstand and leaned against his chest. "Why didn't we do this ages ago?"

"We live dangerous lives." Tension infiltrated his posture and tone; he slipped an arm around her. "I'd hate to be dating you and then die. Or have you die."

"We're on a good streak of not dying." Her gaze flicked up to his. "One I expect to continue, with you letting me watch your back again."

"So long as I get to watch yours." Behind her, he traced a paw from nape to tail.

Eyes closed in pleasure, she shivered. "You're good at that."

His fingers trailed up and down the silky fur of her back. His black-tipped ears dipped to the sides in cute affection. "You make me want to be good at things like that."

"You sweet talk and fly an Arwing?" Her nose brushed his. "I'm sure you have got girls lining up around the spacedock."

Tugging his gloves off, he rolled his eyes. "I'd never sleep with fans. Reputation, remember?"

Amusement glowed in those aqua eyes. "Then who have you slept with?"

His ears popped up like targeting reticles. "Uh, I'm not-- I haven't-- I mean--"

The vixen's gentle laugh and touch on his thigh quieted him. "I don't mean to tease. Though, you are cute when you're flustered."

Fox crossed his arms with a shrug. "I'm a busy guy, okay?"

"Well, I've been a busy girl." Muzzle within whisker distance of his, her every word washed through his fur in a tease of hot breath. That slender blue paw caressed his thigh. "Maybe we should slow down together?"

They kissed. Tender paws traced eager bodies. She opened her muzzle, just a little at first, and he followed suit. His tongue slipped hot over hers. His hand rose to caress her breast, a move that surprised both of them. Brushing her muzzle along his, she cupped her paw over his, then guided it under her shirt. A wave of arousal washed over him as he touched her bra. He stroked the fur of her stomach, but couldn't get his fingertips under the garment.

Unzipping his green flight suit, she caressed his chest with only a black t-shirt in the way. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear: "Why don't you get comfortable?"

With a nod, he stood and tugged the garment off, then got it tangled on his boots and had to hop out of them.

Meanwhile, trying not to giggle at his situation, Krystal slipped out of her own clothes and sandals. Just for effect, she lifted a leg onto the bed and pretended to stretch, her tail just happening to curl for a perfect view of her delicate pink folds.

With a huff of victory, he stood before her in socks, a black t-shirt, and form-fitting boxers. He then noticed she was naked. She felt his brain shut down for a second.

A sultry grin spread over her muzzle. It felt good to have him want her. She licked her lips. "Like the view?"

With a blush and a cocky grin, he stepped closer and curled his fingers under her muzzle. They kissed again. His gentle paws removed her jewelry, then he knelt to uncinch her tail bands and set them on the floor. This brought him eye level with her crotch. Spreading her legs, his muzzle drifted between her thighs. He glanced up at her. "Do you want me to?"

Now it was her turn to blush. Being naked around someone she trusted was one thing, but having him stare between her legs... "O-okay."

His dark nose sniffed closer. He stroked her knees, then up to her hips. "You might have to guide me through this."

"Alright..." She watched as his muzzle met her mound, then gasped as his tongue traced her lips.

"Sorry. Is my nose too cold?" He rubbed it, sniffed, then blushed to the ears at her scent.

"No, it felt lovely." Hips shifting, she bit her lower lip. "You can keep going, if you like..."

Without hesitation, he pressed his muzzle between her thighs and licked again. Each lick got bolder, deeper, and made her shudder and lean back. Soon the wet sound of his laps filled the small room. Soft moans escaped her lips, causing him to wag and sink his tongue into her folds.

Krystal gripped the sheets, feeling not only her own arousal, but his as well. One paw rose to play with her nipples, while her other stroked Fox's hair, urging him on. His efforts and her growing lust conspired to get her very wet, very fast. "Mmmmmf!"

With a growl of arousal, he dug his nose deeper and licked with abandon.

"That's the way, Fox." She panted and gripped his ears. Her muscles contracted on that delightful intruder, her hips jostling atop the sheets. "Just like that."

In her shifting, her foot bumped something hard and hot straining in his underpants. He moaned in pleasure, nose-deep in her folds. His breath, hot with passion, filtered through the fur of her crotch. He opened his mouth, working his lips over hers. That fluffy tail darted back and forth across the carpet as he tightened his grip on her thighs.

Her breath caught short. Her eyes fluttered closed as her body shuddered around him. Pleasure rushed through her body like a shockwave as she worked her hips against his muzzle. "Oh Fox!"

The licking never slowed. If anything, it sped up, unrelenting as her hips rocked atop the mattress. He grabbed her rump, not letting her wiggle away from his lapping mouth--even if she'd wanted to.

As her orgasm ebbed, she gasped and smoothed the fur of his head. Her lips tingled with tenderness, compelling her to lift his face from her crotch. Her blue paws held his chin as she tried to pant away the heat under her fur.

His muzzle dark with her juices, he licked his lips and grinned up at her. Pride flashed in his bright green eyes. "That was fast."

"I usually take longer, but I could feel how...turned on you got." She rubbed her thighs together. "That felt incredible."

"Glad to be of service." He stretched up and kissed her. His mouth tasted a bit like her, but that only reminded her of where it had been just moments before.

While he licked along her teeth, she reached under his shirt and tugged it up. Together, they drew it over his head. As he stood, she pulled him close, cupping her paw to the ample bulge of his crotch. "Someone's excited." Her claw tips toyed along his waistband. "Mind if I have a look?"

"S-sure." Those tan paws tugged down his boxers at a tantalizing pace, exposing first a turgid splash of red, then his swollen sheath. They then tucked the elastic with care behind his sac. That white-furred scrotum hung, polite and fuzzy, under his full sheath and half-exposed cock. Deep pink and sleek, the tip shone with a drop of clear precum.

Her fingertips rose to her lips, a blush creeping under her cheek ruffs. "Oh my."

"What?" Fox blushed even deeper, the insides of ears rivaling his cock for pinkness. A blend of nervous anxiety and pent-up arousal swept off him.

"You're just rather...prettier than I expected." Her dextrous paw closed around the base of his shaft and worked the sheath up and down. All the way up, just his cock tip peeked from its fluffy white home, as shy as he was. All the way down, the swell of his growing knot glinted in the dim light. She glanced up to its owner. "Hotter as well. My toys don't get this warm...and they certainly don't drip."

Standing between her knees, he winced with pleasure and looked to be on the verge of drooling. "Dang, that feels good..."

She smirked as she thumbed the top of his joystick. "I've done some pretty extensive reading during some of our slower missions." Slender blue paws stroked his sheath back and forth and cupped his balls. His heartbeat pulsed under her paw pads.

Hand on her shoulder, he shuddered. "I need to lay down or I'm gonna tip over."

With a quiet giggle, she scooted to one side of the bed and let him lay down beside her. Eager for the feel of him in her grasp, her fingers curled around his girth. Straddling his hips, she leaned in to nuzzle his cheek. "I can feel how much you like this. How much you like me stroking you. I like it too."

Arousal radiated in frantic spikes, a sensation she'd felt herself countless times. He groaned, his breath getting ragged. A dribble of heat soaked into the fur of her knuckles. "I-- I'm-- Mmm!"

With a swish of her tail, she climbed down his body to rub her muzzle along his throbbing dick. His scent, masculine and clean, teased her nostrils, made her salivate. She gave him a single sensuous lick, curling her tongue around his shaft, then dragging it up over the head.

A yowl of pleasure cut the air. He shivered, pulsed against her lips, then a burst of thick heat splashed the roof of her mouth. Orgasm crackled up his nerve endings, collected to a critical mass in his crotch, contracted his sac, and then fired out of him as pure liquid pleasure onto her waiting tongue. She moaned around the sudden mouthful, his salty taste made her swallow even as she pulled away. The heat slicked down her throat as another jet sprayed across her muzzle. Surprise grasped her paw around his knot, making him arch his back and groan, shooting a slippery constellation of vulpine seed across the pristine fur of his stomach. Her whiskers felt heavy with the weight of his ejaculate, and a string of it trailed down to her chin. She wiped them clean with the back of her paw.

In stunned wonder, Fox watched, his head on her pillow, his cock shooting a final pulse of sticky white passion. His every panted breath exalted her, even as he collapsed to the bed.

Pleasure emanated from him in waves, coaxing her to straddle his hips and grind atop him. Even as he lay in afterglow, her clit tingled with arousal, demanding attention. Her sticky fingers flew between her legs, working his semen over that tender nub, stroking with undeniable need. "That was quick..."

"I was..." He panted, then stroked her thighs as they squeezed around him. "...excited."

The vixen moaned as she planted kisses along his chest before leaning back to ride him, her fingers working. A second orgasm surged through her, less intense than the first, but leaving her brain in a haze of pleasure. She moaned as her clitoris throbbed under a slick layer of vulpine fluids. As the pleasure ebbed, she curled up next to him, listening to him breathe. Just as she started to wonder if he'd passed out, those strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tight, making her feel warm in the depths of space.

She nuzzled into his fur with a smile and a sigh. A vixen could get used to this.

~ ~ ~

Fox watched the shining shores of Zoness, kilometers below. With the waters almost as pure as before the Lylat Wars, the tourist economy had recovered somewhat. The dumbledang pods had sold for a moderate price, though getting them for free certainly helped the team's bottom line.

Slippy, standing at the controls for the hover crane, guided yet another shipping container out the bay doors and down to the planet. "I'm not sad to see the melons go."

"You shouldn't be. You ate more than the rest of us combined."

The frog tapped out a few final commands on the control panel. "Okay! The rest of the crates should be delivered automatically." He bounced down from the box he'd been sitting on. "What'd you want me to work on next?"

"Actually..." Fox smiled. "Falco's too embarrassed to admit it, but he's always been very curious about amphibian reproduction."

"Oh! Well, it's not that different from avians, on a genetic level. Most of the differences relate to external fertilization." Inspiration struck the amphibian, causing a hop of excitement. "I'll prepare a slideshow!"

The vulpine nodded, careful to keep his expression neutral. "Make sure it's got plenty of visual aids. You know how Falco likes those."

"Sure thing, Fox!" He nodded. "Yeah, I've seen those all those posters of ladies on the walls of his quarters."

As he tried not to smirk, the vulpine's comm gauntlet blinked with a message. He hit the view button and read it. "Well, Tricky just offered to pay us to take him and some tribal elders to Fortuna. Something about supposed Saurian ruins there. Too bad somebody has a mass driver with our name on it..." He typed up a quick reply.

The frog eyed him. "Why do you keep using the buttons on those? They have gesture control."

Hitting send, McCloud spread his gloved fingers. "Look, it said that on the box, but we both know it never worked right."

Slippy nodded. "It's those darn carbon-flex sensors. Dad told me the original prototype had optical ones, but they were too expensive." His webbed hands toyed with a ratchet. "Hey Fox... I have an idea, but you might not like it."

His ears rose. "Shoot."

"Sector Y."

Half graveyard, half minefield, the old battlefield had hung in space for years, making it only slightly younger than the Great Fox II. Live munitions peppered the area and even the weakest deflector shields could set them off, so no serious attempt had been made at salvage. "How would we get the Great Fox in?"

"Most of the sector is too dense for a ship this big." The amphibian laid his hand flat and pretended to tow the spanner after it. "We'd have to tow out what we need."

With a nod and a deep breath, the vulpine decided salvaging for scrap still beat playing by a cruise company's rules. "I'll think about it. It's not a bad idea."

"No, but I've had a worse one." He turned his tablet around to show the red hulk of the ship they'd fought. "This is from Krystal's gun camera. It's a Sargasso battlecruiser, but heavily modified. In addition to this stealth plating, it probably has some kind of EM dampening, which is why it barely showed up on radar."

Fox's ears rose. "Before our own client jammed us."

The frog nodded. "It should have missile pods in the front too, but..." He zoomed in on the prow. "You see these spikes?"

McCloud took the tablet and examined the image. Angular black shapes protruded from the hull. "What are those?"

"Well, that's the bad part: I think they're G-diffusers."

He handed the tablet back. "You're joking."

"It would explain why they didn't need much power for their mass driver." The mechanic adjusted his toolbelt, then his ball cap. "They canceled out the momentum of the slugs before firing."

His comm gauntlet beeped. He glanced down to see a message from Krystal, asking if he was okay. He keyed in 'yes' before he even realized she'd sensed his emotions from decks away. "Where do pirates get G-diffusers?"

Slippy swallowed. "I know where we left some..."

~ ~ ~

The Great Fox dropped out of warp with a shudder. Krystal, seated in her cockpit, watched as the hangar doors opened above the green world of Fichina. Beside her, Fox tossed her a little smile through his canopy. The next moment, a servo hauled his Arwing out into space.

With a series of dull chugs, the docking system catapulted the three other Arwings out, one after another. Again in the familiar embrace of the stars, she urged her craft onward into formation with the others.

Space crackled, reflections of a single form coalescing into a sleek silver fighter with green markings. The pilot shot past them, circled around to their flank, and dipped a wing in greeting. In the cockpit, a grey dog with commander stripes on his helmet looked their way. "Star Fox One, on behalf of the Cornerian military: how's it hangin'?"

"Bill!" Happiness rippled from the lead Arwing. "You made it."

She had to smile. His joy was infectious.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting." He rolled his fighter above Fox's and bumped his fist against the glass. "With great power comes great paperwork."

"Tell me about it." The vulpine returned the gesture.

"Let's continue this lovefest planetside." Bill switched to general frequency. "Fichina Control, this is Kahuna One. I'm bringing in four friendlies."

A middle-aged canine with her hair in a bun appeared on the comm display. "Copy that, Kahuna One. You are cleared to land."

After burning down through the atmosphere, they came upon a modest outpost. Radar towers and utility buildings ringed a central installation. Impact craters pockmarked the grassy landscape, some with bits of aircraft still poking out of them. The five fighters touched down on the tarmac. Krystal popped the canopy, climbed out, and landed on the pavement, just in time to see Falco and Bill leap into a flying chest bump.

As the dog landed, his floppy ears slapped against the surface of his helmet, then he turned his attention to the stout mechanic. "Slippy dude, what's hoppin'?" He exchanged a damp high-five with the frog.

Fox strode up, tail swishing. "You didn't need to come out here yourself."

"As if!" The canine woofed a laugh. "We needed to catch up." He threw an arm around Fox's shoulders. "You ought to drop in at Katina sometime. We can chill and grab some 'za, just like the good old days."

As she crunched over the gritty pavement, she felt the canine's attention shift her way.

The dog doffed his flight helmet and nodded her way. "You gonna introduce me to the wild blue yonder?"

"Krystal, this is Bill." The smaller canid swept a paw between them. "We went to the Academy together."

She rolled her eyes. "I never would have guessed."

"Bill, Krystal." He reversed the gesture. "We met keeping Sauria from exploding."

"Righteous." The military pilot clasped her hand, then patted her back, wagging all the while. "Been hearing about you for a while."

"Good things, I trust?" A burst of daft affection translated through their brief physical contact. Dogs always felt like that.

He nodded, still wagging. "Well, dudes, dudette, let's shoot this tube." He led the way into the cavernous west door of the complex.

She took Fox's arm. "You're sure he speaks Lylat?"

"As much as he ever does." Fox kept an eye on the sentry bots as the group walked in. "The place is looking better than I remember."

Bill let the guards at the door scan his ID card. "Dudes had a lotta wrecks to recover. Lotta newbies bit it during evac. Things got pretty gnarly until you showed up."

Falco glanced back at the craters as they entered the building. "Yeah, no thanks to Star Wolf."

"Sketchy suckers." The dog punched Fox on the shoulder. "I know who's got my back."

They entered a sprawling chamber, their footsteps echoing over scuffed concrete floors. Each direction had its own massive door, large enough to fly a small ship in. All around, Cornerians in lab coats or military jumpers milled about. Some worked on spacecraft, others on more obscure machinery, and one wheeled past an Aparoid plasma cannon, complete with twitching sensory hairs.

Bill Grey offered them only a shrug. "Remember, guys, whatever you see here, you didn't."

They continued on until they reached a bay sealed by a blast door, of which there were dozens.

"Check it, Fox." Leaning forward, Bill pressed his nose to the scan plate. Heavy locks clattered inside the vault door. He swung the door open. Inside, their shattered pieces stacked in neat piles, stood four ruined Wolfen fighters. He jerked a thumb at the spiky, predatory craft. "That is not one of ours."

Slippy waddled around the bay, then climbed up a ladder beside the first Wolfen to look it over. "Are they complete?"

"Tough to say. Lotta stuff took a dirt dive during the terraform." He swept one paw over the other. "They still get bogus readings from all the wrecks."

He tapped on the G-diffuser casing, then unbolted it and lifted it away. A neat bundle of coils and wires lay beneath. After a moment hesitation, the frog looked up in dismay. "This G-diffuser's a fake."

McCloud sighed. They'd feared as much. "You're sure?"

"Wolfen G-diffusers are based on the Arwing Mark I model." The amphibian tapped the device. "This is a coffee maker."

Bill's jowls drooped. "Bummer."

Falco's crest rose. "Crud!"

Slippy said nothing, but hurried through checking the rest of the G-diffusers. Coffee machines all.

Krystal turned to the officer. "Could they be somewhere else in the base?"

"All Venom tech gets signed in and out." Bill flicked through his tablet. "According to the records, every Wolfen should have their G-diffusers."

Muzzle dipped, the vixen closed her eyes for a few seconds, then shook her head at Fox. "I'm reading anger, anxiety, and paranoia from the staff, but all directed at other members of the staff."

A smirk crept onto the red fox's face. "Office politics?"

She nodded, hair beads jingling. "Makes me glad I work from a smaller office."

He grabbed a clear containment bag from a small rack and filled it with a few more obscure tools from Slippy's belt. "Bill, do me a favor and don't mention this to the base staff."

The dog nodded. "I'll launch an inquiry when I get home. We'll find who jacked 'em." He shook his heavy muzzle. "This is some court martial biz."

Fox sealed the bag, tucked it under his arm, then walked out the door of the vault. His tone shifted to calm confidence. "It was good seeing you again, Bill." He patted the bag of tools. "We'll have this tech to Kew in a few weeks time."

Krystal smiled, sensing his ruse. If this base really had someone providing pirates with contraband parts, tipping their hand now might alert the traitor. Walking out with a 'shipment' would provide cover.

The dog gave a conspiratorial wag as they strode back toward the gate. "It's a long trip, Fox, but they have sick waves. You should kick it there a while--I can lend you some sticks from my quiver."

The tan vulpine made sure to walk past as many people as possible. "Might take you up on that. Our budget's a little thin."

"If your crew ever gets tired of the merc life, I could pull some strings, get you named my third squadron."

Falco cawed. "Now I see why you were bein' so nice to us."

"I don't know if we're there just yet."

They made it through the security gate. The guards scanned and documented their bag of tools, then asked for signatures made out to their pups.

The canine officer walked them back to their Arwings. His tail still wagged, but Krystal felt the brave front he put on. He shook her hand, high-fived Falco and Slippy, then hugged his old schoolmate. "Take care, Fox."

He patted the tall dog on the back. "You too, Bill."

Commander Bill Grey climbed into his craft and, as the canopy closed, flashed them a gesture with his pinky and thumb. "The rest of you kooks hang loose, alright?"

Standing straight, Fox watched him lift off, emanating a sense of his own mortality.

Krystal took his arm. "You have the strangest friends."

A thread of cheer wove into his attitude as he gave a bittersweet nod. "In this business, I'd worry if they were normal."

High above, the Cornerian fighter roared off, trailing vapor across the cloudy sky. When it reached sufficient altitude, it warped off in a burst of blue light.

The four climbed into their Arwings, priming the engines. Krystal keyed in her pre-flight sequence, feeling the reassuring hum of the reactor under her seat. Then the G-diffuser kicked on and the craft went still.

Over the comm, Fox cleared his throat. "Fichina Control, this is Star Fox. Requesting permission to depart."

"Roger, Star Fox." The same dour canine appeared on their HUDs. "You are cleared for takeoff."

With a quiver and a hop, the other Arwings lifted off, not with the rumble of Bill's fighter, but with a whisper. Without momentum, even the lowest setting on the thrusters kept them aloft. One by one, the rest of the team sailed up into the sky. She followed, joining formation at the back. In her rear display, the ground fell away, shrinking from a personal to a geographic scale. As they broke through the clouds, the Great Fox II came into view. While not as pretty as the original, the vixen couldn't deny it had a certain charm.

~ ~ ~

Krystal let out a deep breath as her Arwing catapulted from the Great Fox. The battlefield of Sector Y sprawled in all directions. Countless derelicts hung in silence, a testament to the destruction unleashed during the Lylat Wars. In the distance, the remains of a massive defense satellite floated like a shattered moon.

With a tap of the yaw thrusters, she spun to see her teammates emerge from the dented and scorched hangar doors. Falco's Arwing coasted out next. Slippy puttered after, seated on the hover crane, his helmet rocking side-to-side in contentment.

Fox followed with a yawn. The contract had been written the archaic legal-speak of salvage law. He'd spent the better part of the the night determining the difference between flotsam, jetsam, and lagan under interplanetary statutes. "Okay team, remember: we have permission to salvage any tech that might be dangerous in the wrong hands." He swooped under the crane, then locked formation in front to deflect debris. "In return, we're collecting any data recorders for the Cornerian Naval Museum, so keep an eye out for passive transponders."

"Swell deal Peppy got us." The bird soared above. "We're payin' to wade through this mess."

The vixen gripped her controls, trying to block out the lingering imprints of the lost crews. "Falco, show a little respect." She took up position to the right of Slippy's crane.

Fox ignored his wingmate's grousing. "We're the first team allowed in since search and rescue. Shouldn't be anything too nasty, but watch out for live munitions." He uploaded the Great Fox's scans. Various missiles lit up in the HUD. "If you have to shoot anything, get a lock and hit it from range." Fox paused, keying in signal frequencies. "Falco, scout those data recorders. Mark them on our maps so Slip can pull them later."

"Fine." The Sky Claw fired its engines and wove off into the wreckage, past a hulk about the size of their carrier. "This was the worst idea..."

"With all this radiation, our radar will be spotty. Krystal, I want you watching our backs." Fox stopped before the first hulk. "I'll be helping Slippy cut loose what we need."

"Understood." She opened her mind, just a sliver. Telepathy came with a lot of 'ifs' compared to radar, but if someone living warped into the area with strong emotions, she had a good chance of sensing it.

Old-style Cornerian stenciling named it the Pleiades. The ship had been chosen for being the most intact sister ship of the Great Fox II. Even just thinking the name opened her up to the psychic residue that radiated from it like dying coals.

The vixen adjusted her bearing to see both ships at the same time. "It really does bear an eerie resemblance to ours. Hardly reassuring."

"With a little luck, ours will come out of this looking less destroyed." Fox used his nose cone laser to slice into the shipwreck.

"Let's see what's behind door number one." Hopping off the crane, Slippy puffed along on his jet pack and floated into the still-glowing hole.

"So many mecha." She locked onto a suit of power armor as it tumbled past. "Part of Venom's ground forces?"

McCloud shook his head in the comm display. "Shogun suits; they're designed for space combat."

Even surrounded by destruction, she had to laugh at the absurdity. "Mecha in space?"

"They had pretty good weaponry and tough armor." In his Arwing, Fox turned to look at her. "If Andross hadn't devoted so much engineering time to making them person-shaped, we might've been in trouble."

Slippy appeared on the comm display. "The weapons are toast, but this reactor's in prime condition. I'm running some tests now--it might be better than what we have now."

Fox nodded. "Anything we can't fit in the field, we'll stow in the hangar and "

The avian's voice crackled over the comm. "Man, there's just no end to this place--"

A brilliant flash rocked the side of the Great Fox.

A blast of debris shot from the side, hull shards smoldering like meteors. Dust and charred ship components rushed out in a geyser of atmosphere.

Falco squawked in shock. "What the heck?"

From the comm, Krystal caught the sharp whine of a hyperjump engine revving. With a waver of energy, their carrier streaked off, leaving them alone with a bogey they couldn't see. Just like they'd instructed ROB before they left. Only a cloud of glowing metal embers remained.

"All aircraft break away!" Fox barked over the comm. "Keep moving--use the wrecks as cover!"

Laser fire flashed from the avian's direction. "Looks like we've got company."

On her radar, a swarm of tiny red dots peppered the already crowded display.

"Drones incoming." The other vulpine growled. "Anyone have a read on their mothership?"

"No reading." A cluster of can-shaped devices closed on her Arwing. She pulsed laser shots into the group, but only took out a couple of the drones. The rest zipped up and clamped onto her ship with a series of magnetic thunks. The noise shocked her, alien in the silence of space. Their tiny blue touches flared against the dark of space and cut into the shell of her fighter. One brazen drone clamped onto the front of her canopy and bored into the glass, leaving streaks across her vision.

A scalpel of green light cut the drone off its legs.

Fox's Arwing buzzed hers, ripping the wicked little devices from her fuselage.

She breathed again, watching the canopy glass fade from an angry orange glow. "Thanks, Fox."

Fox flipped his craft without changing velocity and unleashed a volley of shots over her head. "The drones are set to carve up our Arwings. Roll to shake 'em off."

Krystal double-tapped her thrusters, kicking the craft into a tight aileron roll. Drones scattered in all directions, at least a few smashing against the scored hull of the carrier. A pulse of aggression surged from the other side of the derelict.

Before them, the a section of the Pleiades's armor erupted in a shower of molten metal.

The blue vixen rolled her ship to the side and lost a wingtip in the searing fountain. "They're targeting us through the wreck!"

"Shoot those drones down--we're being marked!" The red fox pulled a U-turn and fired a tracking shot into another cluster of the bots. "Form up on my position. We'll find it by sight if we have to. Slip--"

"Fox, the comm may not be secure." The vixen pitched her Arwing down along the side of the carrier, then caught a pulse of emotion from high above. She swung out of formation and gunned her engines. "Moving to paint target. Standby."

"What?" Concern spiked from the other vulpine. "Krystal? Krystal!"

A secondary crackle of concern trailed after from Slippy and Falco.

She couldn't risk explaining over the comm, but if she could just get closer. Following the ephemeral psychic currents, she rounded the ruined side of the Pleiades and boosted through the wreckage. The other ship wasn't far off. She could feel their anger, their bloodlust. The closer she got, the sharper it became. Her cold paws cranked the lasers to maximum output.

Then she saw it.

There, among the shipwrecks, floated the same rust-red battlecruiser they'd fought in Meteo. The reticle slid right over it, but she unleashed a charged shot of plasma, followed by hail from her twin lasers and both her nova bombs. The withering barrage ripped into the enemy hull, scattering armor and arcs of electricity. The pair of smart bombs collided with the plating and detonated with a blinding flash, vaporizing armor and floating wreckage alike.

The next instant, a yellow field crackled around the ship in a protective bubble. Across the top deck, four turrets tracked to her and strobed pink, streaking a cannonade of plasma at her.

Her plan had worked.

Now she just had to keep from getting vaporized by success.

~ ~ ~

What? I was told furry porn is supposed to have large melons unaffected by gravity. Don't dumbledangs pods count?

Art: Zaush (Used with permission.) Edits: Slate, stokerbramwell, sillyneko345, archaesophilia, eljot001 Proofs: Anakuro, DarkDragon, flack, Thefunkyone

~Tempo