Authors note: This is my first Star Fox fanfiction and I hope that you all enjoy what you get. Please give feedback and tell me what to work on and what you like about the story!

Chapter 1: Terms of agreement

Kursed... A name that has struck deep into the core of many hearts, especially the many bounty hunters that have heard her name. Well... It wasn't her 'original' name.

Kursed use to be someone else, had a life that felt promising and fulfilling. She once had a lover, then another, but neither of them could protect her feelings from hurt. She ran away to lead a new life away from the Lylat System. Her former name had all become a lost memory and now the blue furred Vixen had a tight grasp on her hopefully 'better' life...

Kursed today had no hires available today, and so that left her with some sort of peace. A few days ago she was in the planet Kew for a job, but it seems as though a previous hire required a return trip to Corneria, but she hadn't met the hire for pay as of yet. Whoever owed her twenty-thousand bits will pay if he/she doesn't hand it over... She was told to meet him/her in person. As of now she is within the Lylat system once again, despite her promises to avoid returning to it, but it happens to be that she can't keep a promise, even to herself. What was even worse was the fact that she was in the city of Corneria and she was risking two things: meeting someone she cannot handle and meeting people that would remind her of her forgotten, painful past.

There was another reason why she came to Corneria. She wasn't particularly sure herself however; but for now, she will enjoy the hospitality of the hotel. The price was expensive, but nonetheless her taste. She prefers a soft, warm bed to the cold Cloud Runner. As long as no one notices the ship at first glance, she'll be able to stay incognito. Luckily, most of the Cornerian fleet consisting of young soldiers had been spread out to police the Lylat system, but often the spread becomes too thin and their attempts are not as effective. Kursed could remember when she worked closely with the recruits, and now that they're older and more experienced, hopefully they can hold their own for the little extra while.

It was almost lunch time, and Kursed was feeling at least a little peckish. The blue Vixen had neglected the need to nourish herself, and often a bounty hunter like herself would require energy to keep themselves going. At least a little bit of food wouldn't hurt. There was a fine restaurant just outside the hotel and knowing she had enough money to pay for it, she decided that she'll be treating herself. She decided to put on a denim garment scheme, consisting of a denim knee length skirt, a light blue blouse, almost matching her fur color, and a denim jacket to go over. Though not particularly her best choice of outfits, she felt comfortable in them.

Before she made her way out, she had to make sure she had everything that she would need: Her PDA which stores all information such as identity, a concealable ballistic handgun for personal defense, and obviously, her purse. Kursed learned through her younger years that it was easier to have a purse with all the 'womanly' things near you. She then looked at the handgun and thought about how primitive it looked compared to the blasters, laser and plasma based weaponry of military branches and thugs, but it happened to be a growing trend among the veteran bounty hunters, military branches and thugs alike to wield one. A weapon like this didn't look technologically advanced, but it sure possessed a sort of character to it.

One last check, and it was herself. Nothing out of the ordinary, still a beautiful face as most would consider, but she had noticed how her hair had grown longer, just to shoulder length but still longer than her old hairstyle, back when she wasn't Kursed... When she was...

Snapping her mind out of the distractions, she continued fourth, leaving the room and closing it behind her, hearing the automated lock click.

"Oi, lassy." A black furred hedgecat called the waitress who had served her, and with bill in hand, wagged it around before her. "My compliments to the chef, and to your fast and effective service."

"Why thank you sir." The waitress, a tall, sleek and pretty leopard replied with a generous smile. "Is there anything else we can offer for today?"

The hedgecat grinned and nodded. "I'll have a good cappuccino and get me a slice of your best cheesecake."

"As you wish sir." The waitress smiled before making her way to the kitchen.

The black furred hedgecat checked on his PDA: No job requests, at least not any new ones. "Lovely, I can chill." In reality, this was his break for another mission that he has to deal with, and it had been ongoing for at least a couple of months. He was a patient one however and took small jobs on the side for the extra bit of currency.

Kursed entered the restaurant, noticing that it is not full of customers, but had the one or two. It was still pretty early in the day, so it was best to assume not many customers would be here. Her eye caught on to the hedgecat, who wore a black trench coat that matched his fur color, and a rose on his breast pocket that instantly reminded her of one person she knew of. Whether this person knew that person or not, she kept it to herself and took a seat as far as possible.

The doors of the staff kitchen opened and two waitresses entered the scenario, both in formal uniform and wielding electronic notepads. One of them approached the mix-breed, whilst the other tended to the blue Vixen herself. "Hi, welcome to Casanova's, may I take your order?"

Kursed had a look at the menu. Earlier she had felt only a little peckish, but now that she had arrived, her appetite had increased just at the sight of the food's names. Many delightful dish names just made her mouth water. "Uhm..." Looking at the starters, she took notice of the 'deconstructed prawn toast' starter portion. She had enjoyed prawn toast before. "Erm... For starters I'll have the deconstructed prawn toast portion..."

"Mhm, anything else?"

"For the main course..." She turned to the main courses and skimmed through until she spotted something that sounded scrumptious by thought alone. "... A... Steak with grilled vegetables, and cumin yogurt and roast potatoes on the side."

"Any desserts and drinks?"

A tempting treat she couldn't refuse. "Yes, I'll have the..." She spotted something of interest in the dessert menu and smiled. "I'll have a large hazel flute, and can I have a warm bottle of sake?"

"Interesting combo ma'am. Yes, I'll get the chefs right on it." The waitress, a well figured wolf smiled, bowed and headed towards the staff kitchen and made her way in.

From this point on, Kursed couldn't help but think of the food at hand. However, after some intense thoughts about 'steak', it pointed back to her old life... She shook her head, snapping herself out of the mental trance. 'I knew I shouldn't have come back to this place...' It was hard enough returning to the Lylat System, even more difficult to suppress the past... But she realized the inevitability that it will come bouncing back to her.

Taking a deep breath in, she managed to compose herself. Lunch was in the make...

The hedgecat looked ahead to the blue Vixen sitting across the restaurant. He noticed how she kept running her hands through her hair, not in the fashion to fix it but because she was distraught in thought. He decided to ignore it and return his attention to his PDA which was on the network. He browsed through news about the Cornerian fleet, and noticed a headline: "Increase in illegal activity."

He had noticed a growing pattern of gangs and small time criminals increasing around certain planets of the Lylat System. "Bloody hell..." He commented, taking a sip of his hot drink there after. He knew that the Cornerian army had not enough troops in Lylat to police the planets, since he had worked personally along side them.

Having processed the thought, he then figured it could be a way to get paid, and he is well known among the high ranking of the Cornerian Military branches. Mercenaries and bounty hunters with close ties to major factions usually get the better pay. He pocketed the small PDA and relaxed himself in his seat.

He then returned his gaze to the blue Vixen who had food on her table. "I guess I ain't the only one who likes the food around 'ere..." He thought to himself.

"Excuse me... Um... Sir?"

The hedgecat turned to the waitress who was awaiting pay for the orders. "No need to be polite lass, the name's Gabriel."

"Ah, Gabriel..."

Gabriel handed a wad of cash to the waitress, not caring how much was in it, and neither wanting any back. "Keep the rest as a tip." He stood up just as the waitress left him, but then he halted her. "Wait."

"Is there a problem?"

"No, it's fine. Just wanted to say I'll be payin' fer the burd over there. Oh and I'll have my cheesecake to go." He pointed to the blue Vixen. His keen eye noticed one of her ears perk. He handed another wad of cash and let the waitress to her duties. When he noticed her standing there with a gaping mouth of surprise, he sighed. "Are you really going to be daft and stand out here with two wads of cash?"

"I'm sorry. I'll be on my way." She left the main dining area.

Gabriel then, without permission of the blue fox, decided to take a seat opposite of her. "Don't mind me, I'm just here for the company."

Kursed was unsure of that, and had her hand reach for the gun in her purse, aiming it under the table at the unknown man. "You are?"

"Gabriel Magilligan. Call me Frost."

"Frost? 'The' Frost?"

The story went that Frost was part of the Cornerian army and rose in ranks so fast, that he became special forces. One day he decided to leave the army to become a mercenary. Even mercenaries and bounty hunters alike had feared Frost, until one day he disappeared for no particular reason. "Quite a story, barely any character development..." Kursed thought sarcastically.

"Maybe there's something about me you rather not know..."

Kursed shook her head when she heard Frost's thoughts in her own mind. Though she is capable of reading other people's minds, she hadn't in a long time done so... Or had she read his mind? She then looked at the hedgecat whose gaze was as if concentrated on her. "Did you...?"

Gabriel only chuckled, tapping twice on the side of his head. "I've heard a lot about the infamous Kursed, never thought I'd meet her right now. And as expected, yer aimin' a bloody piece at me. Can't I meet a braw burd in the universe who ain't a shietey bitch?"

She noticed his Scottish dialect, and how it differs to her Estuary English dialect. He looked professional, but sure as hell didn't sound like one. "What is it you want?"

He sat back and grinned. "Well... I just wanted to meet ya. Nothin' says 'hello' like a good welcome chat. But right now, a gun's barrel is pointin' rite at me."

Kursed attempted to read his mind, but she was met with a mental wall. She was up against a very formidable character. She sighed and showed the gun before dropping it back into her purse. "Fine, it's away..."

"A little hostile aren't yee? I can't have a nice sit down with anyone unless we got a pint hand in hand and making our selves look like dobbers."

The Vixen could barely make any sense of what he was trying to say, but after taking a little bit of time to process what he had said, she nodded in agreement. But she didn't want to be distracted by anything and wanted to really know what Frost wanted. "You're here for something, and I'm not comfortable being around people I don't know for long casual talk. Just get to the point and tell me what you want." She was stern and confident that her tone would be intimidating, but then she found herself gaping in shock that he gestured his hand, waving it about. Was he really going to dismiss a possible threat!?

Magilligan sat forward, folding his arms and placing it on the table. "You're living a lie."

The Vixen gasped: could he know the truth about her past? The truth about Kursed? "L-L-Lie?" She stammered.

"We both have a story to tell. But sitting here, I took the time to learn more about you. It's probably intrusive and I don't like to put myself into other people's nose, but right now I can't help myself." He took a piece of steak that Kursed hadn't eaten from her plate, threw it into his mouth and began chewing. Somehow, his face was in a grin, making him look almost over confident.

She was losing her composure, and in panicking tone, she said: "I think you h-h-have the w-w-wrong p-p-"

"I don't." He heard his PDA ring, and decided it was best to attend to it. He answered the call. It was Peppy Hare, the current General of the Cornerian army.

"Peppy...?"

"Magilligan. Talk to me."

"Gabriel, am I calling at a bad time?" Peppy asked.

Gabriel looked over to Kursed, how her beauty seemed innocent, it almost entranced him. He stopped looking at her and then chuckled before looking back at Peppy. "Nah, nothin' wrong 'ere."

Peppy nodded. "Look, Gabriel. We're at another crisis and I can only rely on the best of the best. I fear that you alone however will not be able to do this."

"Quit jabberin' about and get straight to the point."

"Well... One of our most trusted affiliates, Fox McCloud, is missing."

The hearing of the name struck Kursed with a powerful mental blow that rocked her core. That name alone had brought back all her memories of her past that she had tried to forget about, all those memories...

"What do you mean you're leaving!?" The red Vixen asked in disbelief.

"I can't handle this anymore Fox, I'm sorry but I have to leave you."

"You can't leave Krystal!" Krystal... A name that had been for a long time forsaken... "Krystal... I need you..."

As much as his tear filled eyes were compelling her to stay, she promised herself that she would leave. Not for Star Fox, not for Star Wolf, but just for herself. As her eyes watered to similar look to Fox's... She ran off without any thought.

Fox attempted pursuit and kept her trail 'til he fell over. As he finally managed to regain his balance, she was already gone. He couldn't understand her pain until now, but had he understood earlier... She wouldn't have left... "Kursed..." He whispered to himself before crying out loudly for it to echo in the streets of Corneria: "Krystal!"

Snapping from her trance, she shook her head and attempted to suppress the memory with all her mental strength. She then looked at Frost, the hedgecat had relaxed in his seat for too long. He had probably gone through her mind to see her memory. It brought back pain and regret, and a strong sense of rage. Not wanting to hear anymore memories, she promised herself to leave Corneria once again. Being polite however, she thanked Frost for paying for her food with a nod, before taking her purse and abruptly leaving. She had to get her things from the hotel room.

The mix-bred fur just relaxed in his seat whilst still on his PDA communicator to Peppy. "Hey Peppy, you said somethin' about me needin' someone else to help."

"I know you're stronger than you look, but we can't risk you going in alone and directly, at least not yet."

"Well I think I have one person I can add for the job, but you'll hav'ta settle a higher pay agreement so that I can split profits."

Peppy grinned, holding the tip of his right moustache. "Name a price."

Gabriel always loved it when Peppy allowed him to name his own price. At this point, he had to name a high price since he'd be splitting wages to the other possible team mates. "I'll need at least nine hundred grand."

"Hmm..." Peppy leaned his head on his hand.

Frost raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"I would've expected a higher price. Your usual asking price would about four hundred grand. Are you really going to share it off or be greedy like our last visit to the Cornerian casino?"

Gabriel chuckled, remembering the time he visited Peppy and went to the local casino, and Gabriel used most of his money before resorting to borrowing Peppy's to win it back. "Yeah I remember." He nodded. "No, I promise not to be a bloody bastirt and I won't let the buggers leave skint."

The old hare shook his head, almost looking like he couldn't believe Frost would keep his promise, but then smiled. "Alright. I trust you on this. I'll approve your fee. Don't disappoint Frost."

"Right, right..."

Peppy was then interrupted by a soldier. The old hare General turned to hear out what the younger soldier had to say. The hedgecat couldn't hear what the two were talking about, he could see the hint of grimace on the General's face. After he saw the soldier leave, he could tell that Peppy had something to say.

"Well Gabriel, I think your first step to your investigation might have just been pointed out for you, and I have a side job for you. Apparently, a former bounty hunter named Rise had been seen leaving the planet Venom and is headed for Sauria. Apparently he was affiliated with Andross forces, maybe he has some information about McCloud."

"And the other bit of news?"

"Also, another bounty hunter going by the name 'Kursed' had been reported to have landed in Corneria. If you can, apprehend the foe. We cannot have a loose bounty hunter in Corneria, especially one that may be affiliated with Andross' forces."

Coincidentally that wouldn't be necessary... "Nah, I have a better idea. I'm sure a good negotiation of price would turn her to our side."

"Her...?" Peppy asked suspiciously.

Gabriel nodded. "I'm going to have a close encounter with her..."

The vixen was rushing herself, making sure she had everything was stuffed in her luggage. She obviously had all her clothes in it. She couldn't care less for the money that her hire offered; she had to leave before her past begins to haunt her again. "Better safe than sorry, better safe than sorry…" She continuously recited, trying to keep the memories away from her mind.

She had to leave Corneria, Lylat, all of it behind!

Just as she was about to approach the door with luggage in hand, she heard a knock. "W-who is it?" She asked with a stammering voice.

"Room service…"

There was a really weird hint of a familiar accent with that voice. Not trusting it, she left her luggage on the floor, and drew the pistol from her purse. "Room service? I never asked for any room service."

There was no sudden reply but then the voice replied slowly and sharply: "It's complimentary."

Noticing the pause between her question and the speaker's reply, she knew that this couldn't be room service. She looked at the door handle, and didn't hesitate to wrap her hand around it. She counted to three and pulled the door open to take aim at her possible adversary but then found that she couldn't aim her gun at him when the foe pulled a gun on her, putting it on her neck.

"You know, you really should be more careful of who you open the door to."

It was the hedgecat… She felt the cold end of the barrel of his revolver, a considerably antique firearm but nonetheless, never under estimated even to now. She didn't want it to end like this, and she wasn't going to die here and now. The blue furred vixen quickly managed to throw off his aim, and threw a powerful punch at his face.

The hedgecat quickly recoiled and barely managed to dodge the thrown fist. Knowing that Kursed meant business at this point, he wasn't going to play around. When he noticed that the vixen was going to raise her pistol on him, he thought fast and pulled into a flamingo stance before thrusting his lifted foot forwards and knocking Kursed back with a powerful kick.

The blue furred vixen recovered from the attack and took aim, firing twice at the hedgecat. She missed when he managed to take cover just outside the door. "Damn it!" She cursed, taking cover behind the double bed of her room. It didn't offer strong protection but she had little choice.

Gabriel peaked out into the room. Just as he did, two more shots came at his way. He smiled and backed off, safe in his cover he wasn't shaken by the incoming gunfire. The tough wall he leaned against was capable of stopping weak pistol fire, whilst his revolver would pierce through it in comparison. He kept calm and carried on with his task. Reaching for his inner pocket, he took hold of a small box, and pulled it out. It was a small box of cigarettes. He then noticed a sign that said 'NO SMOKING'. "Bah… I have a fag whether ya twats like it or not." He opened it and used his lips to take hold of one. Reaching into his inner pocket again he produced a lighter from it. Igniting a small flame, he lit up the cigarette and inhaled an unhealthy breath.

Though he enjoyed the taste of tobacco, he couldn't sidetrack. He had to apprehend the vixen first. He knocked on the door twice, and then pulled his hand away as two blasts of gunfire sounded from the other side of the room. "Nice reaction time." The mix-breed commented. Quickly he reached for the door handle and pulled it closed, at the same time, the crash of gunfire sounded and a bullet grazed his arm. It was only a minor flesh wound, and shrugged it off… Like he does for most small wounds.

The blue vixen kept her aim at the now closed door. She wondered why the hedgecat would suddenly reach for the door and close it, as if it provided any more cover than the wall he is hiding behind. Slowly she stood up however and cautiously walked closer to the door, keeping her aim straight ahead.

Magilligan took off his trench coat and put it aside, and folded the sleeves of his shirt to elbow length. "One… Two… Three…" Gabriel counted, and then turned to the door and with a powerful, inhuman kick, blasted the door off its hinges and straight at the vixen. He charged in…

The vixen was caught off guard and was knocked down, and in the process, dropped her firearm. It slid under the bed and she couldn't reach it in time before the hedgecat had locked on to her. She had nothing near her to save her life, not even a carpet to pull on the enemy, she was cornered. Her professional training as a bounty hunter was all she could rely on and so she quickly pulled herself up and kicked away Magilligan's aim once again.

Gabriel, though lost grip of his gun and dropped it, neither was worried or intimidated, and engaged the vixen in combat. He blocked off a few thrown punches and swung kicks, and returned a few back at her. Though she blocked some of his attacks, she could last for long.

She tried her best to keep up with the enemy but this one was different: He wasn't all brawns and brawl, but rather his attacks were tactical, dynamic and fast. He had a variety of kicks, and never threw an undisciplined punch. She swung a roundhouse kick at him, but this was a quickly regretted as her leg had been caught.

She was vulnerable, and Frost always took opportunities. He threw off the leg and stunned Kursed with a strike of the palm, before finishing up with a straight kick roundhouse, sending the vixen flying across the room and to a wall. "Not bad." He complimented.

Pushed to her limits, she couldn't continue the fight and forced to submit to Magilligan, kneeling on the floor. As she did, she noticed the gun on her right. Feeling a burst of adrenaline take over her, she instinctively took the large revolver and took aim. "Freeze…" She warned. When she noticed that the mix-breed didn't listen, she warned once again: "I said freeze!"

He disregarded her warning and threw his still lit cigarette at the vixen.

The sudden heat making contact with her muzzle stunned her. Her eyelids shielded her eyes and she pulled her gun back. Her aim was thrown off and she was once again vulnerable, much to her disdain. "Fuck!" She swore in panic.

Not wasting any time, Frost charged and threw his boot at her, not literally but he had his boot on to kick her once again. He quickly put his boot on her neck and forced her to stand and pinned her to the wall. "You're quite flexible, but I am too." He flattered himself sarcastically. "Now I had the feeling you'd blast a few at me and I ain't so much as happy to say the least."

"Kill me and get it over with!" Kursed cried out. "Your kind disgusts me!" She insulted to provoke an attack.

"I'm not here to kill you." Gabriel pulled himself away from the vixen, picking up his dropped gun and holstering the large calibre handgun.

The vixen was unsure of what the hedgecat was planning, but she questioned him anyways, hoping for an answer. "What are you here for?"

The mix-breed produced the old cigarette box and lighter from earlier and lit up a new cigarette that his lips caught. He inhaled a breath and put away the box and lighter before holding the cigarette with his right hand, which was also wounded. He still disregarded the wound as if it wasn't bad and turned to the vixen with a stern look. "You heard what Peppy asked for earlier. And right now I don't care whether you want to leave or not. Because are you really going to leave without the promised cash from your old bounty?"

The vixen gasped. "Y-You're the hire!?"

Magilligan nodded. "Right now I'm willing to negotiate a higher price than what was previously offered. "Twenty-thousand bits would be enough to last you a bit had you not damaged your ship as you previously explained in the message."

"Your point?" Kursed growled.

The hedgecat took a seat on the bed, taking another puff of breath with the cigarette in mouth and taking hold of it again before exhaling. "With Peppy offering nine-hundred grand to me, and knowing that I'm going to need a crew to help me with my upcoming investigations, I'm offering you ten percent."

"Ninety thousand…?" She calculated. As much as she didn't like the idea of helping to rescue the same person that broke her heart all those years ago, she still needed a steady source of income. There hadn't been anyone who offered a good price besides this shady mix-breed who happened to be a bounty hunter himself, and a rich one at that. Her personal ship, the Cloud Runner was also deteriorating. Though she could pay for a hotel room, paying for ship repairs wasn't cheap since the Anglar Blitz.

"Or if you're not satisfied, we can negotiate a better price." Magilligan offered.

The vixen put some more thought in to it. "Make it twenty percent."

"Fifteen."

Though it wasn't exactly 'twenty percent', she would be able to pay off for her ship and take longer refuge without the need of a hire for a little while and live at peace… "Fine." She picked up luggage and looked at the black furred mix-breed.

The hedgecat stood and smiled. He dropped another wad of cash and wrote a note on it: 'This should cover repairs.' He turned to the blue vixen and gestured her to follow him out. As she did, he picked up his coat and put it on. The heavy coat had covered his gun though the bullet grazed arm disappointed him. "This was my favourite coat…" He sighed but continued walking with the blue vixen by his side.

They made their way to an elevator, and the two entered. No one was around and they had a long way to go down. "Now that we settled an agreement, I want to tell you my terms."

"Terms?" She didn't like the sound of it.

"As of now you're under my wing, and you do as I say and follow the rules."

"You have rules?" Kursed chuckled, as if he were joking. The serious look on his muzzle however prompt her to stop laughing. "You aren't kidding, are you?"

The hedgecat shook his head. "I follow ten 'Golden' rules. You better hear them out and listen carefully."

"They're probably the same as any other damn bounty hunter…"

He shook his head once again. "Trust me lass, throughout my years, I've seen people break the bounty hunter rules, and when they do they really do fock up. My rules can be bent or broken for certain situations… But I recommend you follow them to last against any blighter we might 'av ta shoot."

She understood and believed every word he had said, since she noticed that the bounty hunter rules aren't concrete and don't always save one's life. Not only that, he still kept a serious face, and that said a lot about him.

"Rule number one: Keep calm, and have a legal drug on the side."

Kursed almost found that rule ridiculous. If one were to alter their bodies, they won't be able to do a mission at all. "You think legal substances are key to keeping calm?"

"As long as they're not abused, you might be able to have steadier hands with a sniper." He explained. "Rule number 2: Messy kills are valid kills."

The vixen understood the concept of that rule. "Go on." She urged.

"Rule number 3: Do not fight what you're not equipped for. I think that's self explanatory." He puffed once again with his cigarette before continuing with the list of rules. "Rule number 4, don't hesitate. Just act."

That one rule gave Kursed the shivers, as it reminded her of Star Wolf, one of her previous affiliations.

"Rule number 5: When sniping, you shoot as far as possible. Recommended distance of 800m. The bastirts won't hear the bloody shots from that far."

The vixen had never really sniped as far as 800m, and questioned Frost's logic, as she had sniped as far as 200m and she was heard. "I don't believe that no one would not hear a sniper shot even if you shoot further than 800m."

Gabriel only grinned and responded: "Have you seen anyone react to a loud sound 800m away? Not counting thunder." When he saw her shake her head, he continued: "At 800m, it'll be difficult to hear the shot, let alone tell where it had come from in a short amount of time." He leaned on the metallic wall.

"You have your rules well thought out." Kursed complimented with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Rule number 6: after every couple of kills, find better cover. You don't want to find out what happens if you attract the attention of a large calibre wielding bastard who fires a volley of powerful machinegun rounds whilst you're behind a concrete wall." Gabriel knows how different firearms render different sets of cover useless and they become concealment He also takes note of which type of wall or 'cover' would be sufficient for different sets of ammunition, though not all bullets, plasma based projectiles and lasers can be stopped by a single set of cover alone.

"What about rule 7?"

"Don't ask for what you don't need to know about." Kursed found that rule difficult to take into consideration. "It gives the answer-er a better chance to compromise ya."

"Right, rule number 8?"

He leaned forwards and then continued. "Rule number 8: improvising is a good tactic as long as you have the advantage or that you and your enemies are at a stalemate. That way, you do something stupid, you'll have less chance of dying. You try to do something stupid when you're losing, unless it's retreating, you're a dead cunt." He leaned back on the wall and noticed that they're close to the 10th floor, and luckily no one had called for this lift. "Rule number 9: do the job and get out. Unless you got more to deal with, you keep going."

Kursed had broken that rule many times before when she used to be with the disbanded Star Fox crew, and sometimes whilst working with Star Wolf. Hopefully she could follow this rule, because the many times she had broken it, she put herself in danger. Curiosity kills. She then waited for the final rule, but he didn't say anything. There was a short silence between him and her. Becoming impatient, she asked: "What's Golden Rule number 10?"

Gabriel stayed quiet for a moment before he smirked impishly. "Profit…"

Though profit would usually refer to money, there was a sense of ambiguity to his tone, and she couldn't read his mind either. What did profit mean?

"Let's just get moving. I'll explain more about the situation later. I'll take you to my ship and we'll head off for the rest of the crew."

"What do you mea-"

"You think two versus a whole bloody army would save the Lylat system? We're obviously going to need allies and a good number of them as well." Peppy had already had his designated 'allies' marked for the course of his mission.

Kursed wanted to question him, but at this point, she suspected he didn't want any more questions to be asked. She didn't want to irritate him, and decided it's best to keep quiet, despite her heart urging her to shout out detest to his earlier offer. She was already regretting the agreement. "Damn it…" She muttered.

Lucy tended to her father, seeing that he was distraught in thought once again. The small glass of whiskey with ice on the table and the different pictures of 'The old gang' gave her the idea. She approached him and sat beside him. "Dad…"

"It's nothing Lucy, just a bit of nostalgia." He commented.

Lucy shook her head. "You're also worried about Fox. You miss the old day's dad, with Star Fox." She took the time to think and looked at the picture of Fox and Krystal, together in affection. Though she never hated the vixen, she hated her choice to leave. It was her leaving that deteriorated the vulpine to insanity… "If only we could find her…"

"We don't have to…" Peppy commented…

It had been a few hours since they've left orbit of Corneria, and they were now in space. Frost had taken Kursed to his home, which though was large on the outside, had very narrow hallways inside and barely had any large open rooms besides the main communications area and his personal armoury.

She explored the room, taking note of how organised it was. Weapon types were sorted together, from smaller to larger weapons coming from top to bottom. What was really interesting was the fact that few of these weapons were blasters or plasma based, and instead were an assortment of ballistic firearms instead.

There were pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, marksmen rifles, sniper rifles and heavier based weaponry such as rocket launchers and grenade launchers. In one corner of the room, a stack of crates were left there. Taking a closer look, she noticed how they were filled with bullet cartridges, each crate containing different named cartridges of different sizes. Each crate was marked by their respective weapon type.

She took hold of a weapon out of its place, a small carbine assault rifle. It was locked into safety and so she could hold it and not worry of an accidental discharge. The blue furred vixen liked the feel of it, how it wasn't too heavy and was easy handle in a narrow area for its relatively small size for a rifle.

Not wanting to stick around and outstay her welcome to the weapons deposit, she slowly left the gun on the table and left. She looked left and right, and wondered where her room would be. When she saw Frost at the end of the hallway, she approached him. He took her to a cosy room which was near the end of the ship, and liked how it had decent furniture, was painted and had a comfy looking bed that was all to herself.

"This is your room. I'll take care of bed and breakfast, but lunch and dinner depends. Make yourself at home. You have access to everything besides the controls. Food, drink, and any toiletries for females are in the toilets. I always prepare for female guests."

"Thanks for the free hospitality."

"No problem."

Kursed noticed how the hedgecat didn't wear his trench coat and then saw that Frost had still not dressed his earlier gunshot graze, but it had healed. It was fairly inhuman for anyone's gunshot wounds, or even a small scratch, heal in such short time. She was about to question him but then kept her mouth shut about it. Instead, she found the gleaming revolver that Frost holstered. "That's a big gun."

Gabriel chuckled and drew it. "You like my Taurus Raging Bull?" He rhetorically asked. "This is a .500 Smith and Wesson chambered Taurus Raging Bull revolver. This is one hell of a beast as this was designed for hunting big game. Five huge rounds, and unbeatable accuracy and reliability for its class." He holstered the pistol. "A blaster is quite strong in itself but they never are capable of good accuracy. I've seen ground fights with blasters and often a lot of shots are missed rather than hit."

"It is quite difficult to find a blaster that is accurate…" Krystal agreed. "But they're really reliable weapons at the most."

"For some part, but I'll keep to my bullets." He folded his arms before looking at his wrist watch. "Better get some sleep. We start tomorrow and early…" He left Kursed to do as she pleased.

The blue vixen felt welcomed, but not prepared for whatever she was getting herself in to…