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Chapter -12- Fighting Instincts

Miracle...

Fox sighed through clenched teeth. "You know, Peppy has always told me to trust my instincts, but right now, it's pretty hard to fight those urges. I've never been in the mood to fool around while pinned down by blaster fire. At least, you know, not before today."

Krystal pointed her blaster over a broken wall, opening fire to the east, and, with her right paw, she pointed her staff through a window frame, and unleashed the fire blaster setting to the south. The staff was propped in the corner of the sill for support in aiming.

Fox added, "I bet Krazoan crimes dropped through the floor. No one wanted to do anything but spend time with their lover."

Krystal fired her staff's fire blast attack three more times through the window on the assault team across the way. "I certainly hope it did not lead to any sexual assault crimes."

The ancient home-like dwelling withstood the incoming blaster volley from the enemy squad.

Fox, with his back in the northwest of the small building's remains, fired his blaster out the north window, then pivoted and fired twice out the west opening, where the destroyed wall once went to another portion of the dwelling many centuries ago. "Oh, man, I hadn't thought of it that way. I hope the Krazoa were more civilized than modern Lylat species." He glanced back at her and eyed her figure. "Damn, though. The longer we're here, the more that pheromone is messing with my head."

Krystal scoffed at him. "You want to lay atop me now? It's your tail that will be blown off."

"I mean..." Fox cleared his throat with an awkward sort of chuckle. "You could always be on top."

"Fox McCloud! Why, you mangey scoundrel!" She froze, sensing a strange flood of emotions from Fox. Her heart dropped. "Oh. Sorry. That's what ... she used to call you, is it?"

"Uh, well, yeah. As a joke." He opened fire again, to both the north and the west. "I'm happy with you, Krystal. Don't think I'm missing Fara like that. It's just ... her death is a reminder that this job is really dangerous, and a relationship, at least in this line of work, is ... I mean, it's not conducive to..." Fox sighed. "I mean..."

"Yes?" She opened fire from her blaster and staff again. "I'm listening."

"It's hard enough to think with a freaking erection, and I definitely can't think when I'm trying to survive a gunfight. All I can do is fight back and pray my girl isn't killed in action like Fara."

"Fox, let me show you something." Krystal turned away from the southeastern corner of the old dwelling. She sauntered toward her mate. She took a step to the left. A blaster round whizzed by her. She continued to walk toward him, paused, ducked just as a blaster round flew over her ears and struck the inner wall, nearby, then she continued across the roofless room. "I am a telepath. When I focus on fighting, I know if I'm in the crosshairs of the enemy, so I am virtually untouchable. Even on the Aparoid homeworld, where I could only sense the feelings of the queen, and her drones milled about gormlessly, firing without thinking, I still held my weight. I did so without injury."

Fox chuckled nervously. "Krystal, you ... uh ... you just avoided taking an energy round to the head two times in a row. Get your tail over here and take cover."

Krystal scoffed, took a step to the side, just as a hot energy round raced by her cheek close enough to singe fur. She pushed her staff tip against Fox, shoved him against the wall, flush, just as an energy round passed through the north window and out the west window, diagonally through the building.

Each window, even with his shoulders, was lined up at a forty-five-degree angle. The heat of the energy round could be felt by both.

"You see?" she said with an alluring smile. "You need me at your side, and you need me on your six. And what a nice six you have, you daft dishy man. You literally cannot live without me."

"I, uh ... I mean, I've done pretty well so far."

"I agree. You have been a jammy boy. But if you want to be the most effective, you need a telepath on your team. I'm happy to prove it."

"I'm not going to lie, that, uh, pushing me out of the way ... was pretty impressive."

Krystal grinned. She leaned in, kissed him, then released him from the wall with a twirl of her staff. "How are you on ammo?"

Fox glanced down at his blaster. "The battery is low. You?"

"I just put a fresh one in. I'm good for a while."

He cleared his throat. "How about your staff?"

She smiled. "Beltino's new battery pack allows it to last for hours of use at a time. It's at about eight-five percent." She twirled it again and handed the staff to him, end-first. "Here, you use it."

Fox holstered his blaster, took the staff, and twirled it with power, causing a low-whooshing sound. He passed it from his right paw to his left, twirling it skillfully. "Haven't played with this in a while."

"Mm, so, you were a majorette in the academy marching band or something?"

Fox scoffed. "What?! No way."

"Well, you twirl my staff like a majorette. I was going to say I'm impressed with the muscle memory. I just wanted to know if you were going to toss it, twirl, pirouette, and catch to the beat of the enemy gunfire."

"Ha. Freaking. Ha." Fox pointed it out the window, glanced down the length of the staff, and opened fire.

An enemy blaster round went straight up into the air somewhere in the distance, where the staff's fire round struck.

"I couldn't even see that enemy," said Krystal, genuinely impressed. "Nice shooting. How'd you know where he was?"

"Based on where his rounds were coming from. I just couldn't get an angle on him while trying to pin down snipers from the other direction."

Krystal reached out, grasped the staff, and pulled on it, forcing him to take two steps closer to her. A round passed into the wall where Fox had been standing, a second prior. "Speaking of snipers. There are three left, and four infantrymen. Told you ... without me, you'd lose your bonce, love. What's your plan?"

"Bonce? That the Cerinian word for head?"

"Yes, a bonce is that thick skull you call your head, Fox."

Fox smirked. "Are you ready to be dazzled?"

"Dazzle me," she said.

"Stay right here." He reached into his pocket, withdrew his communicator, and handed it to her. "Kindly video this for me?"

She looked insulted, but took the camera phone, and activated the video mode. "Fine, fine." Her expression melted into one of slight amusement. "Okay, I get it, you're not trying to protect me - you're trying to peacock for me."

"Exactly!" Fox vaulted through the southern window with the staff, dropped into a roll just as an energy round passed by, and made a hard sprint to the south.

Krystal videoed his 'heroics.' She softly said, "This would be more fun if he'd leapt from the window, full-bloody-starkers."

Silence.

She pinch-zoomed in on the screen, zooming up on Fox, down on the ground, below. "He'd better never get it in that thick head of his that I need a man to save me."

Fox, down below, dropped down, swept the leg out from beneath a soldier, and brought the staff outward, catching the bottom of the lizard's jawline as he fell to the ground.

Krystal continued in a soft voice. "It's sweet, when my man is clever for me, but I certainly don't need to be saved. Ever. I was fooled once. Once, Fox. That won't happen again. Just so we're clear." Again, she pinch-zoomed in a bit more on the camera application.

Fox, down by the tree line, activated the freeze blast, brought down one of the trees with a strong smack of the staff, and then dashed up a hill. He pointed the staff downward, froze the grass, and went sliding down the other side of the hill, barreling over two enemies. He rolled, stood up, kicked backward to strike one soldier, then he used the staff to uppercut the other soldier, launching the man backward.

"Good goddess, he's playing Action Man down there. Fine, fine, play amongst the Venom rankers, then."

Fox spun around, opened fire three times, and hit the enemy, over by the frosty downed tree, with two of the three fire blasts. One of the globs of fire that missed its mark continued across the battlefield. It struck a small generator. The liquid fuel, inside the generator, ignited and exploded. It sent someone over by the generator flying backward. They lost hold of their sniper rifle.

Krystal laughed. "Okay, he's having fun at my expense. I like this. But I'm not one to be counted out!" She brought the phone to her chest, where her flight suit secured it to the fabric mesh with a loud click.

"Let's see if I can stick the landing without abseiling the wall, then, yeah?" She climbed over the half wall of the second floor. With a grunt, she landed on the dusty ground in front of the skeleton home.

She stood up in the dusty cloud, tensed up, and dashed across the overgrown field. She gracefully employed some of her gymnastics training, first a forward flip, then two quick pirouettes to build up momentum, followed by a roundhouse to the first enemy she approached.

The simian went flying backwards.

Krystal pointed her blaster at him and shot him down in an instant, before he could hit the ground. She was sexually charged, high strung on adrenaline, and copulation was a seemingly deviant demon gnawing at the back of her mind. It was almost painful.

She saw how the ape landed on his rump in a sitting position. She ran at him, put a foot on his left shoulder, and flipped off of it, so that she landed on the back of another soldier, trying to aim a sniper rifle at Fox, across the field.

Krystal locked her blaster beneath the ape's throat, her legs around his lower ribcage, and she pulled back with all her might, choking him.

The soldier dropped his rifle and reached for her forearms.

Krystal dug her heel into his sternum, overpowering him. She felt him began to struggle with consciousness beneath her. He dropped back, landing on the ground, atop of her, in an attempt to knock her free, but she held on tight until his eyes rolled up into his head.

Once he went still, she pushed him off, set her blaster to a low level, and fired on him. He relaxed completely. "Manky monkey," she whispered, while rubbing her ribs, where she was nearly crushed by her foe.

"You good?!" Fox called from across the field.

She stood up and dusted herself off. "Five out of seven sorted!" she shouted back.

Fox, across the way, smirked and looked up from number six out of seven - a Venomian lizard wearing assault armor.

The lizard reached up and grasped at Fox's forearm, which was around his throat. He put his feet up against a nearby tree to try and break out of the choke hold but was using up his precious oxygen quickly.

Fox glanced over at Krystal's staff, nearby, but he couldn't reach it. He knew he'd have to dispatch his enemy the old fashion way. He jerked back, pulling the lizard away from the tree, so that the soldier's boots thumped on the ground. The pilot held on tightly for dear life until, finally, the soldier's body relaxed.

Silence.

Fox took a deep breath, said a small prayer, guided the soldier onto his side, while still holding tightly to his throat, and, with a grimace of dissatisfaction, he put his knee on the man's hip, and leveraged the soldier's throat, snapping his neck.

Fox frowned and muttered under his breath. "Dammit, I really hate doing that."

"What was that?" asked a reptilian woman in a husky voice. "You hate what?" She pressed a gun barrel against Fox's skull behind his right ear.

"I hate killing people that I've knocked unconscious. It's battle, one-on-one, until one of us dies, but if you eject, you should be allowed to go home and fight another day. But this? Right here? This isn't space. This isn't a dogfight, and the arena rules of engagement are different. Letting him live means I would die in my sleep the next time I make camp."

"Yes, Cornerian, those are the rules of engagement. And you gave him a death in combat instead of the shame of defeat."

Fox released the man's body, put his paws outward, and stood up slowly. "Turn around, or...?"

"If you wish."

Fox turned to face the blaster barrel, able to see about two inches into it from the angle of the sunlight. He took a deep breath, and said, "All right, well, how are we doing this? Am I a POW or am I a notch on your blaster buttstock?"

"Our orders were to kill on sight. I just wanted to know what you muttered when you killed Mar-Keil. Thank you for telling me."

Fox nodded, locked eyes with the female lizard, and waited. "Well, you got me. What're you waiting for?"

The female lizard pressed in on her trigger, charging her shot. "You won't suffer. A fully charged shot means an instant death. You earned that honor."

Krystal dropped down from above, staff aloft. She brought the staff down, performing the quake attack directly upon the skull of the lizard. The staff stuck its mark and shattered every bone in her body, including the skull, in a split second.

It was an instantaneous death.

The lizard's body dropped to the ground.

The blaster fired harmlessly into a tree behind Fox, leaving a large charred hole clean through the tree trunk. .

Krystal bent at the waist, paws on her knees, with the staff across her legs. She stayed doubled-over for a moment, adjacent to the decimated soldier, panting softly. "That was intense, huh?" She stood up, twirled the staff, and tossed it to him. "You dropped this."

Fox caught it back-handedly, twirled it the opposite direction, and put it on his back. The staff telescopically shrank to its storage size. "Good timing."

"Told you, Fox. You need me, hon. I'll always have your six. Not because I've fallen in love with you, but because that's what teammates do for one another." She looked down at the woman's body at her feet. It was motionless save for a few twitching fingers. Krystal took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then released it slowly, to relax her heartrate. She shook her head, and said, "That was close."

"Too close," Fox agreed. "I thought you said seven?"

"Yeah, she entered the fight late. So ... she's eight.

"I should have kept my guard up."

She detached the phone from the front of her suit top and tossed it to him. "Here's yer mobile." She pronounced the word, 'moe bile'

"Thanks." He ended the video she'd been taking, then he shoved his cell into his pocket. Fox shook his head with a frown.

"What is it, love?"

"Me. Dragging you into this. You want to become a mother, and I love that about you. It's the positive, wholesome, goodness that I don't get to see often enough in life, you know? What if one of those guys had a dead-man's bomb strapped to his or her gear belt? They could have killed us as their dying act."

"Fox, stop. You're worrying too much."

"I know, I know. Maybe I should've had you cover me from the air."

"Fox, you were the one in danger." She held up her paws, displaying her claws with a grin. "Not me. I didn't even scratch my nail varnish."

"No, you're right. You've come so far in such a short time ... you could possibly beat me in a spar, now. Even though I clear my mind when I fight, you've always been able to counter my every move when we spar."

"And I have that one punch chi attack I showed you a couple'a years ago."

"Yeah, true. Krystal, don't get me wrong, okay? You're a valuable asset to my team. I love having you here. I love working with you. I love fighting by your side. I'm just ... afraid. I've loved and lost once, already. I've had years to get over the death of Fara Phoenix, but I'm still not over the fact it was my fault as team leader. And, I mean, you ... you're possibly the last of your kind."

"Well, I'm holding out hope ... Cerinia was a space-faring race, after all. Just because I didn't see any ships on my sensors as I left the system, and just because no one answered my hails, it doesn't mean I'm the last."

"We talked about kids, and I agree that you would make an amazing mother."

"Oi," she mumbled somewhat embarrassed. "I mean, yes, Fox, the desire to procreate is strong, has been for a while now. The call of my biological clock is strong because I feel like the last one of my kind. It's even stronger here."

"But you're also going to be optimistic about Cerinians?"

Krystal shrugged. "It would be emotionally healthy to be optimistic, love. And, yes, maybe there's a handful of survivors. But, what if they're all male? Or all female? If I never cross paths with them, they won't be able to save my race, either. But I have a handle on my insecurities. Especially because I have you at my side."

"Of course you have me at your side, Krystal. I would never break up with you. I know, I know, you're not saying I would. And we've already agreed that we should become parents. I like the idea. No, I love the idea. I'm just afraid of this line of work. If I was indisposed, you'd have to protect yourself and our baby. It's just ... I mean..." He rubbed his face with his left paw. "There's a lot left to do before Lylat would be safe enough for me to raise a family."

"Let's both rely on one another to keep a handle on our insecurities, Fox. We have one another, and, together, no one can beat us. We'll make Lylat safe, together, so that we can raise a family without worries."

"I am committed to that, Krystal. And when I'm too old to fight, I'll teach the next generation to fight for Lylat."

Krystal offered a soft smile. She still sensed his insecurities but felt as though they had a handle on them, together, for the time being. "Well, for now, let's finish our work here. We'll all breathe a little easier with Andrew Oikonny behind bars."

Fox shrugged. "He's wanted dead or alive."

"You've killed Andross. You had to. Defeating him two times over Venom wasn't enough. You had to kill him over Sauria. But Andrew is different. He's not even very smart, let alone clever or resourceful, and once he is behind bars, that will be it. He'll sit and rot. You don't have to darken your soul with another murder."

"Krystal, I kill almost every pilot I shoot down, if they don't eject fast enough. And..." he held his paws outward. "These soldiers, right here. Aparoids - an entire race. I committed genocide. What's one more to keep Lylat safe?"

Krystal sighed. She slugged Fox in the shoulder. "That's for giving in to your frustrations. You've got the bloody nous to be the good guy when the time comes. Don't be a cockup in the court of public opinion, Fox."

"Be the bigger man, huh?"

"Good, you understand. But, just so we're clear, Lylat will never be 'safe enough' if you're obsessing over every little detail."

Fox reached up and rubbed the spot where his shoulder met his bicep, with a grunt, to keep it from knotting up. "Yeah, well..." He sighed softly with a shake of his head. "Geeze. If you'd told me, last week, that I'd be trying to figure out the semantics of starting a family, I'd have laughed. But ... here we are."

"Here we are," she agreed.

"Are we really disagreeing about something?"

"Yes, Fox. I believe we are. There's no time like the present, but you want to wait until Lylat is 'safe,' which will never happen. I'm not going to have this spat with you. I don't like arguing."

"I mean, it's more of a disagreement, right?"

"Isn't that what an argument is? We're just being civil about it." A pause, then Krystal added, "At least the sex is good."

Fox smirked. "You think we have time for make-up sex?"

Krystal chuckled dryly. "That actually sounds rather nice, but let's clear the area of enemies, first."

"You know, when I gave you that ring ... we never set a date. Maybe it's time to do that."

Krystal eyed him. She cleared her throat, exhaled calmly through her nose, and asked, "When are you thinking?" Her relaxed demeanor and relaxed tone covered up the intensity of her excitement, and the sudden rush of adrenaline that caused her heart to pound.

"My availability is wide open. We could get married right here, at one of these amazing temples, or even on Sauria at the Krazoa Temple. I'm thinking we've waited long enough. Let's simply set a date for however long it would take to get everything together. I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She offered him a genuine smile. "This ... almost makes up for arguing with me about the fact that I will be fighting by your side, happily, for the rest of my days. Team 'US.' Wedding bands and energy blasters."

"Krystal, if we're married, then you _have to _be out of this lifestyle."

She wasn't ready to hear that. Her maw dropped wide open.

"What? I have to know you're safe. I can't have you used against me. I will put the rest of the team in danger to safe you every time."

"So, you'd have me across Lylat, living alone with our child ... like Vivian Hare?"

"Krystal..."

"I can protect myself; I can protect our child."

Fox ran his paw back through his head-fur. His ears laid flat. "How can you protect our child if you're under fire?"

"Fox, don't start this again. I protected you up in that cottage!" She pointed back at the little story-and-a-half house they had used, earlier, when they were pinned down by blaster fire.

"Krystal, please. I can't put a child in danger like that. I can't watch my daughter become the next Fara Phoenix, or my son become the next James McCloud. If they choose that lifestyle when they're old enough, then fine. But I can't watch it happen to them when they're too young to die. We're talking about babies, here."

Krystal glowered at him. "No, you'd be training our child, from day one, to survive the possibility of anything. And I mean anything, even the possibility of Corneria being doomed in the same way as Cerinia."

"I could train our kid from a speeder bike in a ravine, practicing on an old scowl, half-buried in the sands of Papetoon's western desert. I know the Arwing is a smooth ride for a fighter, but can you imagine breast feeding a baby while doing barrel rolls and dodging a squadron flank attack?"

Krystal groaned. "There are machines to pump breast milk so the baby can eat while I'm on a sortie, Fox!"

"Krystal, once the kid is out of the toddler age, we could talk about bringing you back to the active lineup."

"Come off it, Fox!" She exhaled through clenched teeth, then, in a softer voice, said, "Fine. You're so worried? Then you retire, too. Whatever we do in life, I want to do it together. All in. None of this 'I'll fight while you sit home' nonsense. I'm not the kind of woman that sits home and watches the news, hoping her man is alive. I need to be out here, with you, covering your tail."

"I need to maintain peace in Lylat by staying out here and fighting for it. The price of peace and freedom is eternal vigilance and hard work."

"God dammit, Fox. We are a team. You need to treat your future wife as your partner, or even your sidekick, or this relationship is doomed from the starting gate."

Fox pressed both of his palms firmly against his eyeballs. "We have never fought before. What the hell is happening here?"

Krystal frowned. "Our ... hormones are out of whack?"

He replied with a sour expression. "That's ... possible, actually. Didn't we hear that the Krazoans factionalized, and that led to their demise?"

"Yes. Wait, is that what you think is happening here? A side effect of this ... this _pheromone_in the air might be causing us to argue?"

"It's possible," said Fox with a firm nod. "It might be causing us to become more aggressive as part of an increase in sex drive."

"Oh, God." Krystal cringed at the thought that they were both so completely affected by whatever was in the air.

Fox brought his gauntlet up and touched the user interface screen. A few seconds later, Slippy's holographic head appeared above his left paw.

"Hiya, Fox! What's up?"

"Slippy, run a chemical breakdown on the breathing air. Krystal and I think we're under the influence of something making us aggressive among other side effects."

"Yeah, the pheromones. Don't you ever check your texts? Back on the Sauria operation, you didn't check them once. But I could see from my end that your heart rate was elevated at the time, so I assumed you were fighting."

Fox stole a glance at Krystal, then cut his gaze back to Slippy. "Uh, probably. It's happened quite a few times. Thanks for the heads up. Sorry I missed it. It's just affecting us, you know?"

"Based on your physiology, it would cause increased sexual libido, mild aggression, possible anxiety and frustration, and, of course, it will change your metabolic rate, so expect to feel hungry more often."

Fox rubbed his chin with his right paw. "Now that you mention it..."

"All right, I can see that Andrew's people are trying to track this data stream. They wanna use the call to triangulate our position. So only call if you need me, Fox! And we'll have to keep it short! Bye for now!"

Fox grimaced. He watched Slippy's image fade, and Krystal's image become clear a few feet ahead. He offered her a weak smile. "Looks like you were right."

"Looks like you should set your gauntlet to vibrate when you receive messages." She returned his slight grin, approached, and patted his muzzle with her palm. "Let's just promise to turn our aggression toward Andrew's forces. They won't know what hit them."

"I think we already are," said Fox. He glanced back at the female lizard's body with the crushed skull. He exhaled and shook his head. Blood and clear cerebrospinal fluid leaked from the lizard's nostrils, ears, eyes, and the corners of her mouth.

"Oh, that? That was me protecting you. I hit her with the level two quake attack."

Fox sighed softly with a frown. "Krystal, I'm exposing you to this life and..."

"Oh, come off it," she replied in a flat tone. Her ears laid back. "I mean it. You can't keep trying to push me away. We're a team, Fox."

"You're right. I just ... I feel bad that I've exposed you to something that you may regret later. You don't regret it now, but it's possible that, well, later, when you're..."

"Fox, seriously, shut yer mush. Look, I want to be a mum. And when I'm a mother, and I'm doped up on hormones, and I'm pouting that I am afraid to be a bad mother because I've killed people, I'm going to put on my big girl pants, and I'm going to remind myself that I can't mother a child without a compatible man in my life, and everyone I destroyed? It was to protect the man capable of giving Cerinia new life. I did what I had to do to survive, to preserve my race. I'll make videos of myself, telling myself, so that I can watch them and appreciate my situation. I'm prepared."

Fox nodded. "Okay. Okay, that's cool. I'm worrying too much. Sorry, hon."

"No need to apologize. It's sweet. It's just ... also starting to get annoying, love. No offense. I'm telling you, Fox, I have survived losing everything. I have survived nearly losing my new life when the Aparoids attacked. I sure as hell won't sit aside and let any other threat stand in my way."

"I can appreciate that. It's why I need to keep fighting to keep Lylat safe."

"Asking you to fight alone is a possible death sentence. That's why I'm going to fight by your side, Fox."

"Fair enough," he replied in a soft tone. "I just want to make sure we don't both wind up dead."

"At least we'll be together," she replied with a slight grin. She quickly lifted her paws, gesturing for him not to take offense. "I'm deflecting. That was a joke, okay?"

Fox replied with a nod. "All right, let's get back to work, then, huh?"

"Music to my ears. My family always had very strong work ethic. We take pride in our work. I'm ready to throw myself back into it with both paws."

"Both feet," said Fox with a chuckle. "That's the expression - both feet. Because no one dives headfirst into drama - that's only for swimming pools."

Krystal chuckled with amusement. "Fine. Both feet, then. I'll dropkick our problems. With both feet."

"Now you're talking," he replied with a wry grin of amusement. "Now, we just have to find the next hunting party."

"I hope these squads don't all have eight enemies or more."

Fox frowned. "Yeah. That would suck. Do you sense anyone in the area?"

"At the edge of my range," she replied with a firm nod. "Let's get moving. I am ready to finish this job so we can decorate our new joint quarters on the carrier. I think we should call it Great Fox Carrier, but I would love to have another dreadnaught as well. A ... Great Fox 2, in honor of your father's ship."

"That ... sounds perfect."

Krystal offered him a smile. She met his gaze, winked in a playful way, and jerked her head to the left. "This way, my love."

Fox fell into step at her side. "Sauria. That's where we should take the next step of our relationship. Tricky would never let us hear the end of it if he couldn't attend, and his tribe needs him local. So ... Sauria."

"That sounds perfect," she said. She reached for his paw and took it into her own. "And, honey, I mean it ... no more talk about this line of work being too dangerous for me. Seriously."

"Or else ... what?"

Krystal turned her head and glowered. "I mean it."

"I know, I know. I'm just curious what you'll do."

She scoffed at him, then smirked, and, in a playful tone, said, "I'll see if Panther is compatible with my genetics."

Fox gawked. "You wouldn't!"

"I'm kidding!" she gave his paw a squeeze. "Can you see that man raising a child? A son would become a womanizer, and a daughter would become a confused and fairly disgusted young woman, who gets very tired, very quickly, of her father flirting with every bug, flower, person, and object in his line of sight."

Fox chuckled. "Fair enough." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Please, don't ever hook up with him. Like, if I die or whatever, don't hook up with him. Please."

"God, Fox, haven't we been over that?"

"I know. It's just ... Panther. Freaking Panther."

"I know, I know."

"I would not know how to handle that."

"Fox, stop. You're the only man for me." She gave a tug on his paw. "Now, c'mon."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Fox walked with her toward the nearest footpath in the overgrown tree-line, nearby. Then, in a fake husky voice, he said, "You can ride on my wing, Krystal. Rrr-errr-errr."

Krystal broke into silvery peals of laughter. She replied the way she had replied to Panther, back during the Aparoid invasion. "Only if I'm covering Fox!"

"Har, har, har. Okay, Krystal. Maybe tomorrow, then. I have no life, and the Aparoids destroyed my favorite Cornerian eatery, so my schedule is always open."

She laughed again and gave his paw a firm squeeze. "Daft boy. C'mon. This way."

X

X

A few hours later...

Krystal knelt in the jungle foliage , peering through the lush green verdure at a grouping of Venom soldiers. She watched in silence at the lizards and apes having a smoke adjacent to an old building that resembled an apartment complex of sorts.

The building stopped somewhere around the fifth or sixth story. It appeared to have once towered over the ground, based on the amount of rubble around the outside of the building.

Krystal studied the remains. Based on the amount of debris, she decided the building was likely to have collapsed at its metaphorical knees.

She stole a glance at McCloud, beside her, peering through a pair of high-def binoculars. Her gaze returned to the building beyond the treeline.

"You wouldn't believe what they're talking about," she said.

A wry grin tugged at Fox's muzzle. "The same thing soldiers always talk about. Their sexual conquests, their kills, their guns, and the car they have waiting for them back home."

Krystal blinked at Fox. She turned to face him, so that her nose was almost in his ear. "You don't talk about that kind of stuff when on a job, do you?"

Fox kept his gaze forward, on the soldiers in the clearing. "I'm not a soldier."

"You're a gun-for-hire. Do you talk about those things?"

Fox chuckled and shook his head. "Not since meeting you. Guess I found a girl worth growing up for."

She bit her lower lip, looked away from Fox, and exhaled slowly. After a moment to compose herself, she said, "Okay, that was a pretty good line. Props to you."

"Wait, did I surprise you?"

Krystal nodded, causing her nose and whiskers to brush the side of his face. "It happens, sometimes. Like, when you just reply with the first thing that comes to your mind, without thinking about it ... anyway, it was nice to hear."

Fox leaned back from the binoculars. "They're almost finished their cigarettes. They're checking their magazines, then they'll continue hunting for us."

"Oh, I see ... our window for an ambush is closing, because they'll go back to searching for us again."

"Exactly. Here's the plan..."

"Fox, the sun is going down quickly, and lizards don't see in the dark as well as you and I. Also, they don't appear to have any night vision gear on them. They're going to do a perimeter sweep and then make camp. They even have someone to take the first watch shift."

"So, you wanna put them down now, or do you want to wait until they're asleep?"

"Asleep, but ... I'm sensing you want to attack now?"

Fox nodded. "The commanding officer is on the communicator right now, checking in for the night with his superior. As soon as he puts that thing in his pocket, we rush them and take their gear."

"All right," she said with a nod. "I'm ready when you are."

"Don't kill the guy on the communicator. He knows the location of Andrew."

Krystal furrowed her brows. "How do you know?"

"Because that tattoo on his neck."

Krystal reached for Fox's binoculars, peered into them, and held her breath to focus her ability. "I think you're right."

"Yup. We can stun him, break limbs - whatever we have to do for information, so long as he doesn't die."

"Right, we probably don't have to go that far. You can ask him questions, and I can telepathically interrogate him."

"Or, if you want, you can ask the questions. I'm okay with that."

"Okay, love. Good plan. Ready when you are."

Fox nodded firmly. "Just as soon as he ends that call."

Silence.

The two vulpinian pilots waited.

The head lizard closed his communicator and turned to the group, giving loud, clear instructions. Instead of making camp, they started packing up their gear.

Fox furrowed his brows. "What's going on?"

Krystal tilted her head as if trying to get better reception on the group's intentions from so far away. "They're ... leaving?"

Fox turned to face her. "Wait, what? Seriously?"

"They just got word that Venom is under attack. And losing. Badly. Most of these soldiers are pilots. They're better in a cockpit than on a ground mission. Andrew wants them to stay and overwhelm team Star Fox, but they want to go home and protect their families, just in case Corneria's military assault happens with the same zeal that a Venom military assault would have against Corneria."

"Meaning...?"

Krystal shrugged her shoulders and backed up from the dense brush. "Meaning they expect Corneria to burn everything to the ground the way Venom would do in an assault on Corneria. They are afraid for their families back home. They have no idea that Corneria is coming to liberate. They're scared and don't wish to tarry about."

Fox frowned. "And there's no way to assure them that Corneria is only there to break the command structure, and hand over the planet to the citizens."

"No, Love. They think they'll be going home to smoldering ruins and raped daughters. They're going to leg it back to their dropships, quick-like. Their plan is to head to a moon in orbit around Venom, where there are fighters prepped and unmanned. It's an emergency plan of theirs, apparently."

"I'll have Slippy warn Bill to shut that moon down before any fighters get off the ground."

"Probably for the best," Krystal agreed. "I'm glad they're not staying to help that daft prat, Oikonny."

Fox crept back into the jungle, away from the ruined buildings and the Venom soldiers.

Once he was far enough away, he turned on the screen of his gauntlet, and typed a message to Slippy.

A reply came quick, reading, "Opening a channel to Bill right now. Stand by."

Ninety seconds later, Slippy added another message. "Bill and company destroyed the ghost fleet on that moon as their opening maneuver in the assault on Venom. They're employing EMP attacks to prevent a resistance, and they're jamming Venom comms. The assault is nearly over. He was actually surprised to hear you overheard that the pilots on Miracle were able to receive a status update from Venom. He said that by the time those dropships make it to Venom, the battle will already have been won. He's actually in the capital city right now, gathering Venom lawmakers, and is about to hand over the planet to them, under the condition that they break allegiance to Oikonny. Apparently, Corneria and a few other IDC planets around Lylat are going to fund Venom's separation from Oikonny until their economy is stable."

"Holy smokes," Fox said under his breath. He called Slippy on the gauntlet, using the holo-chat. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he was deep enough in the jungle so as not to be seen.

Slippy answered with a wave. "Heya!"

Fox asked, "Did Bill's people arrive with a treaty already drafted and ready for the lizards to sign, or something?"

Slippy turned away from the holo-chat, tapped a few buttons off camera, and brought Bill into the conversation.

"Fooox!" Bill said at a low volume, due to the setting on Fox's gauntlet. The canine smiled brightly. "Finally, I'm going to be as famous as you, for winning the war against Venom, once and for all, my dude!" Bill had his piloting helmet under his left arm, which faded into polygons of light near his elbow. The chin strap hung down, disappearing beyond the holographic emitter's range of sight.

Fox chuckled. "Hey, Bill. Who knew the two most famous pilots in Lylat history shared a bunk rack in the academy?"

"Right?! That bunk rack is going to wind up in a museum! Anyway, Venom's government is kind of a mess, right now. We have three nations, and only two of them even care about what's going on - the other is avoiding Oikonny's people, avoiding the other nations, and avoiding what they _claim is an aquatic race ... first I've even heard of that. Anyway, we've rounded up the executive, judicial, and congressional leadership for the two nations that back Oikonny_."

"What's the plan, Bill?"

"Well, we're offering to help them adopt a model that will work for their situation, but the Venom military groups want to try and take over in Oikonny's name. They're even willing to work together with each other to make this happen, because Andross saved their people ... or so they claim. Anyhow, they're only willing to lay down arms if Andrew surrenders, dies, or winds up in a Cornerian prison."

"Oh ... damn. Did you get that in writing from them?"

"In a manner of speaking, yeah. So, do us all a favor, Fox, and catch that piece of crap. Then it will be totally _over. Pepper and Hare want Andrew disgraced and locked away_."

"Why, so they can do what they did to Andross? They'll just let him go and he'll make an even bigger mess later on."

"Nah, Fox, you capture him, broadcast a video feed of him begging for his life, looking weak, and being his usual whiney-self. We'll air it for Venom. Then, he'll never lead anything ever again. We can even put him in a Venomian prison at that point."

"Yeah, well, you have a really big capital ship leaving Sauria and headed for Venom. Falco didn't destroy it because it's big as hell. The soldiers leaving here think they're going to come and 'liberate' Venom from you. Just stay on your toes."

"I will. I'll take it down myself, if I have to."

"So, Bill, you really want to put Andrew into a Venomian prison? You're sure that's a good idea?"

"Foooox, when have I _ever led you wrong? You passed the academy with my help_."

Fox scoffed. "I aced the academy."

"I remember things differently. Woke you up on your first day before the instructor saw you sleeping in your rack."

Fox rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'll find Oikonny and broadcast his surrender, live, in real time, to you. The live feed should only be a minute or two delay. Maybe longer."

Slippy chimed in. "About eleven minutes based on where Venom and Sauria are in relation to one another in their orbital tracks around Lylat Central."

"Fine, that then." Fox smirked. "See you as soon as the job is done, Grey."

"Hurry up, _mercenary. Or the Cornerian military will swing by and show you how to do a real operation_." Bill grinned. "Clock's ticking, Fox!"

Fox scoffed. "You were always obsessed with schedules and timetables. Give it a rest, Grey. See you when the job is done. But, don't worry, it won't take long, especially now that Andrew's boots-on-the-ground are about to become booster-lights in the sky."

Bill chuckled. "Good! Tick-tock, Fox!" Then, as an afterthought of sorts, Bill added, "Hey! Krystal! If you ever get bored of working as a gun-for-hire, call me up. I'll fast track your career, and you'll be a Cornerian Air Defense pilot in no time flat! Just think it over! See you when you're ready for a _real career! With benefits_!"

"Hey!" Fox barked.

Bill laughed. "Medical, dental, and vision_, Fox! I'm not flirting with your girl. Get a grip_."

"You'd better not be," Fox said, glaring at Bill. Deep down, he questioned what was coming over him to act in such a way.

"Geeze, see if I help _you again_!" Bill laughed. He closed the channel, still laughing, as the holographic image faded away.

Fox turned to Krystal. "I ... don't know what came over me." He dropped his paws to his side with a sigh.

Slippy chimed in, a reminder that McCloud still had an open line. "I'm sure he didn't think nothing of it, Fox. He was probably flattered that you'd think he was remotely capable of holding Krystal's interests."

Krystal chuckled. "I suspect the same."

Fox rubbed his face with his right paw. He lifted his left wrist, so that Slippy's image was even, hovering at about shoulder-height on Fox's left side. McCloud blew raspberries of frustration, licked his lips, and said, "Hey, look ... sorry, you guys, I was talking out my ass, there, you know?" He took a deep breath, held it for four seconds, then he released it slowly, over the course of about eight seconds. He performed the breathing technique one more time. "Okay. Good to go. Slippy, give me an approximation of Andrew's location, based on all localized data broadcasts and communications of all hostiles, and determine a planet-side probability for him."

Slippy grinned. "You mean a _moon-side probability_."

Fox rolled his eyes. "Yes, exactly. You clever devil." His tone was dry, dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes, yes, Amanda says the same thing about me. Can't wait for you guys to meet her in person. You guys will love her!"

Fox cleared his throat. "Okay, cool. Text me with coordinates. I'll keep an eye out on incoming messages this time. I'm setting up my gauntlet so that it gives me a triple-vibration when you message me. Take care, Slip."

"You, too, Fox!"

Again, Fox dropped his arms back to his sides. Slippy's image faded from above Fox's paw.

Fox turned back to Krystal and said, "Okay. We wait for the enemy to leave, then we track down Andrew, and force him to surrender at gunpoint."

"Sounds like a plan," Krystal replied. "I kind of like the idea of him in a jail on Venom. Less drama - we won't have to worry about him making a mess or trying to escape Corneria."

"But I'll be able to keep an eye on him, though."

"Oh, Fox, he failed his followers. Let them be angry at him."

Fox rubbed his chin in thought. "When you put it like that..."

Krystal smiled. She took a step closer to him. "You know, the soldiers have cleared out of the area. That town we saw them using...? Right. It's empty. And it's night, now. We should set up camp until they're all off the lunar surface."

"Are you, uh, thinking what I'm thinking?"

Krystal nodded firmly. "Oh, I'm thinking it ... I'm thinking we can do whatever we want, behave however we like, and then blame the pheromones in the air, later."

Fox grinned brightly. "I like the way you think. Let's uh ... go ... explore that apartment building we saw, earlier. Have to make sure there are no Venom soldiers hiding in it, after all."

Krystal's smile broadened. "Yes, sir! That sounds like a great plan, sir! I'm here to follow your every order, sir."

"Oh, we're roleplaying, now? Well, I order you to take off that jacket. The humidity is a bit high, and you're over-dressed, pilot."

Krystal took it off and tied it around her waist with a grin. "Yes, good thinking, sir."

"Now, let's go and check out those ruins."

"Sir, yes sir!" Krystal hurried off, flitting her tail about to tease him.

Fox followed her, eyes on her backside. "Good girl, pilot."

His gauntlet chirped.

Fox looked down at it, browed furrowed. "Huh. No notifications, and the battery still has enough juice to get through a few more hours. What was that all about?" He shrugged with indifference. "Okay, whatever." Then he chased after Krystal. "Let me just describe, in detail, what I'm going to do to you when I catch you!"

X

X

Slippy face palmed. He peered through his fingers at Amanda with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry you had to hear that."

Amanda asked, "How'd that even happen?"

"If Fox puts his arms at his sides, the computerized gauntlet's gyroscopic sensor changes the holo-call to an audio call. He must have thought he ended the call, and kept talking to Krystal by accident."

The solid-light hologram of the tall pink and white amphibian reached over and gave his cheek a pat. "Honestly, though? Good for them. I say if it makes them happy, they should enjoy it. We're all adults, here. You and I met while roleplaying. But, it was responsible of you to turn down the volume once they announced their intentions."

"Yeah, but not fast enough. Good grief. 'Good girl, pilot,' I mean, really?" Slippy shook his head with a nervous chuckle. "I have known Fox my entire life, and I've never heard him say something like that to anyone."

"Is it really weird for you, Slippy?"

He shook his head. "It's not that ... it's just that they've been all over each other since arriving on the surface, more or less. My ears are tired from wearing the earbuds, and I had to put it on the Bluetooth speaker for a while, but ... yeah, every time they fool around, I turn it down. It's my best friend, and I don't want to hear the stuff he says to his fiancée when they're doing things."

"Most people have to be reminded that it's inappropriate to listen in on someone's private conversations. Good for you, Slippy Toad. You're the kind of mature man I admire."

"Well, it's private."

"Aren't you supposed to be semi-monitoring the comms, though?"

"Yeah, I am, but, I mean, I don't want to hear what Fox says when he's on the toilet, in bed, in his sleep - I'm not morbidly curious like Falco. He used to stand outside the door to the lavatory outside the bridge of the old Great Fox, wait until it sounded like Fox was done doing his business, then shout, 'Ker-SPLASH!' like a child."

Amanda turned away so as not to laugh. "I haven't really heard a lot about Falco, but the more I hear about him, the more I am inclined to laugh at him, not 'with him.' You know?"

"Yeah. He's a typical jock. Only perfect that he's also a fighter pilot jock, too. And a video game shooter jock."

"Pretty typical. Not a lot of substance."

"You ever seen that movie with Tom Hawks?"

"Which one, Slippy?"

"The one where he makes a wish and wakes up in an adult body. That's what Falco is like - a child in an adult's body. It wouldn't surprise me if I ever caught Falco looking down his own pants, then snickering like a twelve-year-old."

Amanda broke out into hysterics. After a moment to regain her composure, she said, "Large. The movie's name is Large."

Slippy snapped his fingers. "Large! That's it! I remember thinking, like, when I was a kid, how cool would it be to dance on a giant keyboard on a floor in the middle of a huge toy store."

"You know how to play the piano?"

"Yeah. I took lessons when I was a kid. But I don't have any talent dancing. So, hitting all the keys with my feet would be a fiasco."

Amanda laughed softly and cupped either side of his face. Her hands felt room temperature and solid like a polished piece of wood. She leaned in and touched her lips to his, carefully, so as not to mash against his mouth too hard with the solid light hologram.

After a moment, she leaned back, and dropped her hands with a smile. "I can't wait to do that for real. To feel the softness of your skin."

"Jeeze. Dad was right. Playing the piano really will get me a girl one day. And I haven't even played anything for you, yet."

Amanda laughed. "You're talented, smart, a fighter pilot, and you've saved Lylat more than once. One day, I'd really like to clone you. The old fashion way, of course."

Slippy swallowed, brought his own fingerless-gloved hands to his face, and bit his lower lip a little. "Oh. That ... that would be lovely. Wait, you're not being affected by the pheromones in the air, here, are ya? Heh."

Amanda grinned. "No, I'm only under the spell that you put on me."

"Oh. Man. I wish I was as good at coming up with one-liners as you."

"I was raised by my daddy to have confidence. Slippy, I'll turn you into a confident man. Just need some time to mold you. Then you'll have the confidence you want."

"Looking forward to that!" He reached for her holographic hands and grasped the solid-light. "That doesn't hurt you, does it? I'm not squeezing too hard, am I?"

"No. My emitter has a safety setting to make sure that nothing can cause me harm. It's barely touching my hands."

"Oh. Good. You've got one of those expensive holo-emitters."

"Yes. Anyhow, so now what?"

"We get back to work, hacking these Krazoa servers and unlocking their secrets, of course!"

"Sounds great to me." Amanda reached down and gave Slippy's backside a swat. "My man. And no one had better lay a finger on you. That goes for Falco, too. The next time he bullies you, just say the word. I've never punched a falcon's lights out, before. First time for everything."

Slippy gawked, but then grinned in a giddy way. "Would it be unmanly to say I'd kill to see that?"

"No. Manliness is a person who can provide for his family, works hard, is present for his children, and is faithful to his wife. That is manliness. Okay, Slippy, back to work, then, right?"

"Exactly right!"

X

X

Meanwhile, on Venom...

Zazan lowered to one knee, until acknowledged by his emperor, and then he stood up, chin high, back straight, with his shoulders square. "The Cornerians have crushed the reptile rebellion, up on the surface. You were right, your excellency, they don't even know we're here - they didn't acknowledge our existence."

"Outstanding. Will we have to end trading with the nation of reptilian creatures on the opposite side of the world from the other two nations?"

"No, sire, Corneria does not seem to have any desire to deal with them. They are keeping to themselves."

"Excellent." The emperor nodded firmly. "That is what I like to hear."

The emperor tilted his head a bit, listening to the water throughout the fully flooded hall of the throne room. He turned back to Zazan.

Zazan's luminescent green eyes narrowed to slits. "Did you hear something?"

The emperor shook his head. "No. I have been studying the creatures that defeated The Creator. It appears one of them is an amphibian. Is that true?"

Zazan nodded firmly. "Yes, sire. Slippy Toad."

"Disgusting that an Aquarian would choose to side with mammals. And is it true that Slippy Toad's father created some of the hardware used to defeat The Creator?"

"Yes, your excellency."

"Thank you, Zazan. I have been studying the amphibian brain. Did you know Octoman's brainwave output is naturally capable of making an amphibian trust him? He thinks on a frequency that is receptive to amphibians."

Zazan tilted his head in curiosity. "You think Octoman can turn Slippy?"

"I think with a bit of genetic engineering, Octoman can brainwash some of our enemies. He would have a naturally easy time with an amphibian male, based on the way their brainwaves work. I'm fleshing it out, but my study models continue to show that it does not take much for the victim to wake from the influence. But the natural physiology of Octoman's brainwave output makes him the prime candidate to perform such an attack against the mercenary team. With enough practice and a way to amplify his brainwaves, he could even take a mammal under his control."

"Could he?" Zazan eyed his emperor. "That idiot could make people do his bidding?"

"Yes, to some extent. You see, Zazan, brainwaves of the receiving creature ... that's the important part. The avian would likely be immune. The orange and the blue fox would take a great deal of work and breaking them would take too long, unless Octoman had more time to practice. The amphibian, however, would be perfect."

"I didn't even know such a thing was possible."

"I'll have to build the amplifier for Octoman to utilize for my plan to succeed. But I've been studying these creatures, and this ... this Slippy Toad ... deserves to turn against his team. If they survive the dagger to their backs, they will never trust him again. That is how they will be beaten. Divided, they cannot stop me until it's far too late."

"What happens if Octoman fails?"

The emperor shrugged. "Once I have everything in place, they will not beat me, together or otherwise."

"I'll put things into place to prepare for war against Corneria, your liege, but I shall not act until your command."

"Very good, Zazan. You should be in charge of the assault on Corneria."

"I would be honored, your excellency."

"I know," said the emperor. "We will avenge the murder of The Creator. But I have another pressing task at hand."

"May I ask of this task, Sire?"

"Andross didn't know if he could trust us when he was creating us. Reasonable - we could have hated our creator, and he had no way of knowing. He built a device capable of changing the oceans of Venom. This ocean is our greatest defense. Once he realized that we were perfect, and would be fantastic to carry out his vision, he decided to bury the device somewhere on another planet. I don't know where, yet. It's somewhere in Lylat. I want it found and destroyed."

"I will begin an investigation, Sire."

"Very good. You are my most trusted confidant, Zazan. I trust you will handle Corneria when it is time for the attack."

"I am honored by your faith in me. For now, I have recalled all our training forces, shuttered the launch bays, and engaged the false-positive projectors along the ocean floor. It should fool any sensors manufactured in Lylat."

The emperor nodded firmly. "Projectors built from decimated Aparoid technology, as I recall."

Zazan nodded firmly. "By your leave, I would like to inspect the facility once more, to ensure that Corneria's Interplanetary Defense Coalition does not find us."

"I will see you after Corneria's withdraw, so we can refine our strategy on their destruction. You are, of course, monitoring their flight patterns, their rules of engagement, and their protocols while they are here?"

"Yes, my Emperor. We're using computer software programmed by The Creator to study them. The data models will assist us in an assured victory in a short time."

A rare grin tugged at the corner of the emperor's mouth. "I will send for you when their forces are withdrawing. If they change their MO, and decide to occupy Venom, I will let you know. But, all current projections suggest that their economy is balanced by refusing to occupy the territory of others. Instead, they like to set up an economic model for those with whom they wish to do business. I assume they will set up import and export with Venom nations and return to 'business as usual.'"

Zazan smirked and narrowed his glowing green eyes. "I look forward to being the liaison to whom they will answer, when we crush and oppress them."

The emperor chortled in amusement. "This is why I like you as my right-hand man, Zazan. Go. Perform your inspection. We will speak again soon enough."

Zazan placed a finned arm over his chest, lowered to one knee, briefly, then took his leave of the throne room.