A nearing noise woke me up. It was just footsteps. I ignored them and set my head back down. It must be just a guard.

I preferred being asleep now. It was the easiest way to make time pass. If only I could just sleep through all of my sentence, never having to dwell for hours about all of the ways I'd earned it. If I could just sleep and dream about the people I missed. Often, in the dream universe, I saw Robin again. It turned out she was alive somehow, or I found a way to bring her back, or I had a chance to go back in time and spend her last days with her. Sometimes, in the dream universe, I saw Cheetah again. I somehow made her forgive me, or I found a way to un-break her heart, or for no logical reason I'd be at one of the Hot Rodder's bases watching a movie with her like nothing had ever gone wrong. Occasionally, in the dream world, Katt found a way to save me yet again.

It was someone else this time-an old friend I'd had at the flight academy. He was a friendly fellow, and versatile, capable of befriending many different sorts of people. He was also very kind and brave, always willing to help someone. I didn't want to go home at the end of the year, and rather than leave me to the mercy of Raven and Polly, he and his mother let me stay at their place during the summer. It was all perfect until she was killed. He was devastated. I tried to help him in whatever little way I could while the Cornerian Police were investigating and trying to identify the culprit. Just as he and his father were starting to get used to it, I got the news of Robin's murder. Fox and his father offered to come with me, but I said no. They were still coping with their own loss; I didn't want to burden them with mine. Soon overcome with grief and vendetta, I went hunting for Robin's killer, and, as I delved deeper into the Lylatian underworld, I'd forgotten about Fox McCloud.

The dream flitted through various memories of him: times we'd flown together, played video games, set up pranks, some moments where we got in trivial arguments, but always worked them out.

"Falco?" I didn't know for a second if I was awake or asleep. It felt like I'd been woken, but I was sure I was still hearing Fox's voice. To my shock, I discovered both were true. He'd gotten a little taller, and he had a melancholy posture not typical of him, but I was certain in an instant that it was Fox looking into my eyes from outside. Peppy was right behind him too.

Yet even though I had no doubt, "Fox?" was all I could say, wide eyed, as I stood. Though it only momentarily lessened his depressed stance, he smiled when I did.

Peppy, however, had eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion and disapproval. That reminded me that while this room felt normal to me now, it was supposed to be a disgrace, and I hesitated to step any closer to them. Fox caught the awkwardness and looked down. A painful one-second silence resulted.

"James is dead," Peppy stated, robotically stolid.

I needed a moment to take that in. As impossible as it seemed, in reality, James had a dangerous job, and it would explain why Peppy and Fox both looked like they'd only recently been put back together after being broken. My mind then raced with what to do or say. I wanted to be sympathetic, and it seemed like the right thing to do, but I didn't know if it would be welcomed or if it would even sound sincere if I tried.

Peppy didn't require me to speak; he kept going when he could see I'd accepted the news. "Star Fox was sent to Venom, the barren planet Dr. Andross was banished to a few years ago, to investigate some suspicious signals. The ambush we saw coming, but James would never have guessed that Pigma was bribed to turn on us." Here, Peppy's stoicism faltered for a second, "Andross has been secretly developing weapons. War is coming, most definitely. Fox and I are going to fight and avenge James. We're building a new Star Fox team. Fox wanted you to be in it. When we found out where you were, I advised against it, but he insisted on at least talking to you."

"Thank you," Fox whispered to Peppy, grateful not to have to give the difficult explanation. He faced me again. "Falco, I don't get it. I know you're not a bad guy."

There was a pain in his eyes that I could only hold gaze with for a second before switching it to my feet. "Guess I've changed," I mumbled.

Fox still didn't understand at all. "Why?"

"I…" Even though I'd had limitless hours to brood on the past, being in solitude, I'd never needed to translate those thoughts and feelings into words.

"The last time I saw you was when you were going to your sister's funeral," Fox remembered. "How were you?" Obviously I wasn't great, but he asked to show sympathy, like I'd wanted to for him. I was pretty sure it was more sincere than obligatory.

"I was livid at myself for not coming back to see her before it was too late." I'd never told anyone that before. "I wasn't really as mad at the killer until I got to Zoness and learned more details. There was a name left beside her… in…" I don't know if I'd ever heard my voice shake this terribly, "her… blood. Well, sort of. It was… cryptic. 'Eric Powalski's brother'. This Eric Powalski turned out to be a cop who was killed, and it was suspected by some detectives but never proven that someone in my mom's company might've had to do with it. It looked fishy of us, but I couldn't have cared less! Robin was the last of them who would kill anyone!" becoming conscious of how much my voice had risen and the furious paces I'd made, I stopped to breathe and unclench my fists.

"You went looking for him, didn't you?" Fox asked, with more sympathy remaining in his voice than I expected. Well, he was going after Andross for revenge.

"Yeah… I went looking for him."

"Alone?" Peppy asked.

"Yeah, alone."

"You're lucky you're still alive."

"I know!" I snapped, irritated by a long useless admonishment. I berated myself for the careless exclamation. Peppy didn't look angered or even fazed, but it must've made some kind of impression. "When I finally found Leon Powalski, I thought it would all be worth everything I had to do to get there, but I got reckless, and before I could finish him, a buddy of his snuck up on me. I would have been dead if someone didn't jump to my rescue and get me away somehow. Her name is Katt Monroe. She reminded me of Robin in some ways. I guess that got me to trust her. She convinced her mercenary gang to let me in. I've been with them until I wound up here." I felt this wasn't the best way to end it, that I hadn't justified myself enough, but I didn't know how to.

"It does make sense. I mean, you didn't have anyone to support you, it sounds like, from what I recall of how your family is," Fox eventually commented.

Peppy and I both gazed at Fox. Even after losing his other parent, he was still an idealist who wanted to be everyone's friend.

Peppy's stare turned to me. He'd seen years of experience with crime. He'd watched his best friend die to a traitor. He must've been terrified of Fox meeting the same fate. It felt like he was staring into my mind and could see the other things between meeting the Hot Rodders and this moment that haunted me, but that I wouldn't talk about for anything.

Actually, it was Fox who was reading us like a telepath. "Stop looking at me like that! I'm not a clueless kid! I know I'm taking a chance. I'm heading straight for a power hungry mad scientist here! I've already accepted that I might die, and if it is to be my last flight, I'd like my best friends to be in it. Falco, you're one of the best fliers I've ever seen, and I remember how great we worked together. If you don't kill me, you're at least as likely to save me."

I dared to look him in the eyes again. There was something in them that, to my surprise, made my eyes mist. I didn't understand. This wasn't a tragic moment, but it wasn't perfectly happy either, not even trusting. Even so, Fox still considered me a best friend after these years.

Fox turned to Peppy, and I seized the chance to wipe my eyes clear, though I think Peppy might've gotten a glance of it. I'm not sure.

"Peppy… I know what I'm doing."

"You do," he'd realized. He studied me again. "All right, if you're sure this is the best decision."

"I am," Fox affirmed.

"You're allowed to do this?" I thought to ask, wondering if I should dare to feel relief.

"Star Fox came to be an ally to the CDF. They're willing to bend a rule for me," Peppy explained, with a sliver of contempt for such rule bending, "but there is a condition. Costs of your damage come out of your pay if we succeed."

"I can live with that," I immediately agreed.

"And secondly…" Peppy took two steps forward, as close to face to face with me as possible. "One step out of line, one scratch on Fox or Slippy and I promise you'll regret it."

"Slippy?" I repeated. Slippy was joining the new Star Fox too? That put the three of us back together again. It seemed too perfect to be true.

"Yeah, isn't that awesome?" Fox replied with some of his old exuberance back for a moment.

Peppy gave me a stone cold glare that brought my attention back to him. I had never seen that look from him before. It was chilling. It didn't matter whatsoever that I was half a foot taller. My gaze instantly dropped to the floor in submission. "Wouldn't dream of it, not for all of Lylat."

Peppy stepped back, and I took a deep breath as though I'd had to hold it. "Mr. Raccoon," he addressed a guard who was apparently a little ways to my left. "We've made up our minds. We're taking him along."

The raccoon began pressing a series of buttons on a code pad. "I'll accompany you to the Great Fox to make certain there's no trouble." The blue electric bars faded.

Peppy was in the lead, the raccoon and Fox were on either side of me. This felt stranger than I expected, and still a bit much to conceive. I said nothing for a while, and no one else felt a need to say anything. Fox's expression gradually drooped again. Again, I wanted to say something to comfort him about his father's death but didn't know if I could do it right. There was something simpler I owed him though. "Fox… thank you. So much."

Fox didn't say anything, but what could he? No problem? It was a problem.

"And… about James, if there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

The Great Fox was just ahead, even larger than I recalled, with the Star fox emblem in brilliant red at its side.

"The best thing you can do for me is watch my back and get me to Andross."

"I'll do my best," I promised.