Fox poured a cup of coffee, setting the pot aside to add in his preferred amount of cream and sugar. The Anglars had been defeated three years to the day, and the Star Fox team had seen no action since then. They had gotten some income by assisting with instruction for special forces training in the Cornerian Military, but aside from that, all four mercenaries had ended up needing to attain second jobs. Falco was working as a manager at a department store downtown, Slippy had snagged a position as a mechanic at a garage in the outskirts of Corneria City, Krystal was working for a fashion boutique, and Fox, believing the he had found the most embarrassing job, was working as a barista at a coffee shop in the strip district.

Krystal walked out, wearing one of the latest styles that Corneria had to offer, "Morning Fox, what's your shift today?"

He took a drink of his coffee, sighing and setting it down on the counter, "Seven to three, same as I usually get scheduled. How about you?"

The blue vixen was fixing her hair in a mirror on the wall, and turned around to continue talking with her friend, "Eight to two. I'm getting sick of these six-hour shifts; I'm never going to get any money. But hey, it's better than nothing I suppose."

Fox walked over to the table and sat down, yawning, clearly showing that he had not slept decently the previous night, "I just hope this shift goes fast. Seven to nine is always the worst, because all those business people have to have their morning coffee."

Krystal poured herself a cup and joined the vulpine at the table, "Sounds like my job, except it's stuck-up teenage girls there. When I was their age, I never acted like that. Then again, I grew up on a different planet, so I guess it's better to keep my mouth shut," she took a sip from her mug, "Oh Fox, this is really good. It seems like your barista skills are rubbing off here at home." She smirked at him playfully.

He returned her smirk with one of his own, "Cute. Is Slippy still asleep?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but he should be getting up soon. I think he works at eight. When did Falco say he'd be back?"

Fox gave another yawn and fastened his name tag to the navy blue apron that was part of his uniform, and then took another sip of his coffee, "He oughta be back any minute now. He was on night shift until five-thirty."

The blue vulpine took a bite of a bagel she had prepared, "I'm glad my job doesn't have night shifts. I'd hate to be asleep all day."

The four of them were currently sharing an apartment lease, as affording individual leases was not possible for any of them. The Cornerian economy had suffered a fatal collapse after the end of the Anglar war, and as prices rose, jobs were continually cut. No one was totally sure what caused the collapse, as the government released very little about the situation. The previous administration of Corneria had borrowed large sums of money from Mushroom World in the neighboring planetary system, from both the Mushroom and Koopa kingdoms combined. They had believed that it would help stimulate economic growth, but all it ended up doing was pushing the planetary debt higher.

"Hey Fox, turn on the TV, I wanna see the news before I head to work," Krystal finished her coffee and took another bite of her bagel.

The vulpine did so, and there was a three-way conversation occurring between the current Cornerian President, who was ex-military general Daniel Pepper, Mushroom Kingdom Princess Peach Toadstool, and Koopa Kingdom Monarch Bowser Koopa. The two foxes immediately gave their attention to the television.

"I can assure you that the Cornerian government is doing everything that we can to begin repayment to both of your kingdoms. The budget for the coming year is in formation at the capitol as we speak." President Pepper appeared nervous and drained, as the entire week had put him in meeting after meeting with members of the Legislative and Executive councils.

Princess Peach was the next to speak, "President Pepper, the Mushroom Kingdom is beginning to feel the shockwaves from the immense amount of money your planet borrowed from us. While I understand that your people are in economic turmoil, my job is to look out for the residents of my kingdom, and I am not at all pleased to see our economy begin to fail. Your government needs to work with our ambassadors to find an effective solution for everyone."

Bowser now commented, "Tensions are high between Corneria and the Koopa Kingdom, President Pepper. What you need to realize is that Mushroom World in general owns a large portion of your government in financial means, and if matters are not resolved soon, we will be forced to take action."

Krystal felt her eyes go wide and she slammed a hand on the table, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Fox finished his coffee and gave a sigh, "It means Mushroom World is pissed."

"You don't think Bowser means war, do you?"

Fox looked seriously at her and folded his arms, "I'd say it's exactly what he means."

Krystal looked down at her bagel, and then back up at Fox, "Well I'm sure that Princess Peach wouldn't do such a thing."

Fox pointed at the TV, "Sure about that?"

Princess Peach was speaking once more, "While I don't like the thought of taking any type of disciplinary action against Corneria, President Pepper, I for once cannot disagree with King Bowser."

Falco walked in at this point, and appeared absolutely exhausted, but he set his keys down and poured a cup of coffee, "Morning assholes," he gave them a very tired smirk.

Krystal returned his smirk, "And how was your shift, you jackass?"

Falco took a long drink of his coffee and leaned back against the counter, "Long and shitty. Who the hell needs to go to the store at two in the morning?"

Fox motioned for the two of them to stop talking, "Quiet, I want to see this."

The president was appearing more distressed, and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief before he replied to the two leaders, "We have the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial councils working with all of your ambassadors right now, and we hope to have a situation worked out by tomorrow. We plea for your cooperation until then."

Princess Peach replied, "Both King Bowser and I have reviewed Cornerian budgets from previous years and we've discovered that your administration spends an incredible amount on your military compared to other expenditures. If I could make a suggestion, I would advise you to cut back and begin repayment with that money."

Pepper replied, "Princess, it's incredibly complicated–"

Bowser cut him off angrily, "You aren't in a position to call shots, President Pepper. We have two planets suffering economically because of your government's mistakes."

Falco set his coffee mug on the counter, "The fuck is this?"

Fox stood up and put on his visor, "Mushroom World wants paid, and it looks like our government can't afford to pay them back. They're threatening war, so I'm wondering if we'll be back in business sooner than we thought we'd be," he grabbed his keys, "I'm out. I'll see you guys this afternoon."

Fox took his leave, and Falco headed up to bed while Krystal changed the channel; the report had ended. Slippy soon came down, and poured himself a bowl of cereal. He looked absolutely exhausted, and Krystal could not help but feel bad for him. The frog typically had ten to twelve-hour shifts six days a week, and his pay was far from stellar. Giving a yawn, he started conversing with the blue vixen across the table.

"Good morning, Krystal. Do you work at eight too?"

She nodded, throwing the paper towel she had set her bagel on in the garbage, "Yep, eight to two. What's your shift today?"

Slippy took a bite of his cereal, "Eight to seven. We have a lot of repairs to make today, so I can hardly wait to get over to the garage," that last bit was said in complete sarcasm.

Krystal nodded, but gave a concerned look to the television—this was going to be an incredibly long day.