A quick author's note before we get started.

This story is NOT intended for people who dislike "Children Of StarFox" Stories.

If you dispise that kind of story arc, I am sorry but this story is not for you.

I won't eat the headers with MASSIVE author's notes anymore, after this chapter.

Thanks:)

Okay! Yet another story in the Reflections Universe… This one was suggested by a small group of people. I asked about it, in the last chapter of Reflections of the Future and it looks as though I'll have enough readers to write this story. Then, I got behind on some things and I even had people go cross-genre, leaving feedback to ask for this story to happen, over in my Sly Cooper story reviews, lol.

A lot of people do NOT care for "children of StarFox" stories.

I may, if Star becomes popular, have a sequel for him in store... you know, develop him a bit. I may bring the main characters back at the end, depends on how things pan out... nobody is dead. They're missing and preseumed dead.

There's going to be action, drama, romance and I think I'm going to make this story either TEEN or MATURE rating, unlike the other Reflections Stories. See, I'm pulling a NINTENDO, here. As you all know, Fox and Krystal both lost their parents to murder (which is assumable that it was Andross in both cases). But, see, this is the plot of my story as well and will portray some dark times in the McCloud future…

Again, if you dislike one of those "StarFox The Next Generation" plots with "StarFox Junior" characters, I won't fault you for closing out of this story before reading it. But if you want to have an open mind… thanks!

Sorry I changed the title 50 times… Reflections of the Distant Future, Distant Reflections, Reflections of The Next Generation, StarFox: Reflections Of Tomorrow. Lord, I went through a lot of names… Anyway, HERE.

-Kitsune

Reflections of A New Generation

A tale of suspense and drama

By

Kit Karamak

Aka

Ken Weaver

Disclaimer For entertainment purposes only. Used without permission of Nintendo. StarFox is copyright 1993, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 (and maybe 2006/2007 depending if the Nintendo DS rumors are true!). All expressed characters, places and objects are permission of Nintendo. StarFox and Starwing are trademarked and licensed to Nintendo with publishing license rights leant to Rare and Namco, Benimaru Itoh and Nintendo Power Magazine. All rights reserved. Do not sell or redistribute this story for financial gain. If you do, people will think you're not nice. I like money, porn and video games. Imaginary Lawyers will knock on your door to the beat of the "Badgers" song if you put your name on this story, else I don't care if you repost this story, you don't even have to ask if you want to do it… just… do it :) Disclaimers are lame and boring. I do, however, accept donations for no reason other than the reasons of "because". Have a nice day and smile more often. It takes less muscular use than frowning; think of the economy of muscular usage. Did you really read this whole thing? StarFox is lawfully under ownership of Nintendo. The Intellectual Properties belong to Nintendo, who has been in business for over one hundred years, as a card game that predates card games like Old Maid and Uno. StarFox also has licensing through F-zero, James McCloud pilot. StarFox IS StarWing, which is the European-release title name. Neat. I like Cookies. Nintendo Owns Both titled licensed franchised trademarked copyright Intellectual Properties of Nintendo Of America and Nintendo of Japan.

Reflections...

Time flows like a river and history often repeats itself...

But the slight changes make us who we are and our choices help define us...

...Lest we end up like our parents...

(six years ago)

Prologue:

The soft scarlet glow reflected into the eyes of Star McCloud. Sixteen years old; Star McCloud, who disliked his name, lived up to it just the way his mother and the Cerinia Oracle had apparently predicted. Contrasting against soft brown fur, he had a blue birthmark in the shape of a star around his right eye and matching strands of azure headfur. His cerulean bangs came down to his nose; some strands stood out with decorative white beads for added weight.

His mother, Krystal McCloud, put her paws firmly on his broad shoulders, looking at the teenager sullenly. "I don't exactly care, young man. I know what you are thinking and the answer is NO. You'll get into the escape pod and we'll cover your descent with the Arwings." The metallic deck plates shook gently beneath their feet.

"Extraction is on Katina, right mom?" Star frowned thoughtfully, lowering his soft gaze to the floor. A mismatch of iris colors, he had one green eye and one blue eye, which were now being used to burn a metaphorical 'hole' in the deck of GreatFox II. The hull-breech warning played consistently over the PA speakers to which Krystal shook her head with a sigh. She could sense his true thoughts behind the question.

"I know… I loved this ship, too; we'll have to use the Carrier full time, now. Yes, sweetheart: We'll all meet up on Katina. Now get going."

"What about all our belongings?" He placed a paw on his pocket, feeling the rectangular box he'd borrowed from his father, safe and secure. However, his mind turned to everything else – irreplaceable Cerinian artifacts, personal possessions and family heirlooms.

Krystal shook her head. "Doctor Andross isn't waiting for us, so you need to hurry; now, Star."

"I hate that name," he suddenly snapped, being ushered back towards the escape pods along the wall. Krystal looked hurt. He held contempt for the name the Oracle suggested and his disrespect for the Cerinian custom brought about a visible flinch. She frowned at the boy and shook her head once more. She always knew his lack of fondness for it, but he never reacted with such blatant insensitivity before. He tried to keep an obdurate glare but the expression melted into a simple face-fault.

"I love you, Star. Hurry, your father just launched, he'll cover you. I have to join him and we'll see you down on the ground. Peppy will be going with you," she added, sensing that 'Old-man' Hare was approaching. The rabbit nodded politely to Mrs. McCloud then opened the hatch to the escape pod, motioning for Star to get inside.

The ship trembled again, starting with a stiff shaking and ending with a low rumbling noise that bellowed through the corridors. Metal against metal screeched in protest somewhere else on the ship and a creaking noise followed from the deck below them. It was nearly breaking up at the bolts from the way things sounded. Star clinched his paws tightly, glancing at Peppy Hare then the pod. The elderly lapin was a dinosaur, more or less.

The teenaged kit shook his head, narrowing his eyes for a moment then frowned. He couldn't believe that he wasn't allowed to fly against Andross. Finally, he moved back to the wall and slipped through the porthole, sliding down into one of the escape pod seats. They were cold, and he could see his breath emanating from his snout. Peppy slipped in behind, drawing the hatch shut.

Star's mother glanced through the small glass hole in the door and telepathically reminded him of her love for him…. 'Just in case,' she added in thoughts. The simple notion of the possibility of never seeing them again riled him up. The teenager began to reach for the hatch again but Peppy pulled him back to the seat. Krystal moved away from the Plexiglas and disappeared. In mere seconds, the GreatFox II Cruiser began to shrink through the small bubble glass.

A few moments later, Krystal's fighter burst from the hanger bay just in time… GreatFox II, the team's dreadnaught cruiser, flashed, reflecting hues of scarlet against his eyes. The garnet explosion would replay in young McCloud's eyes for years and years to come. Peppy placed a paw on his shoulder and the teenager shrugged it off with a callous sigh. He was never this rebellious but he also wanted nothing more than to fly against the man who was responsible for the murder of his grandparents on both sides of his family.

Star drew his paw back, striking the bitter cold bulkhead. Peppy shook his head slowly, drew in a long slow breath then released it in the form of a sad sigh. "That's the second time we've lost that ship in combat." The GreatFox Carrier, a polished red and silver mini attack-carrier, came into view. Peppy growled softly then added, "According to sensors, ROB64's escape pod never left the GF Cruiser. Who is going to pilot the entire Carrier? He's one of the family... Andross is still a damned child, kicking and screaming for revenge over being expelled from Corneria." Peppy watched the goose-neck cruiser which pitched without control. Its remains gravitated towards nearby Sauria, taking on an atmospheric glow. The fireball faded from Peppy's eyes; he watched it plummet with a frown. "I loved that ship. The carrier could never replace it."

"I thought Andross was older than you," Star finally said, settling down for a moment. He continued to hold his obstinate anger, feeling robbed of the chance to help his parents defeat a family nemesis. However, he realized that punching the interior of an escape pod did nothing to fix the problem. He slumped into a rear passenger seat, favoring his bruised knuckles. "Shouldn't he be hobbling around with a walker by now?"

The lapin nodded, saying, "He is older than me, but he's a 'genetic research' director. Not only that, he was also a Weapons 'Research and Development' dual major, Junior." Peppy placed a paw on Star's shoulder, calling him that nickname because he knew that Star hated his first name. The boy closed his eyes, appreciative of the consideration for the namesake respect but still angry. The boy released a long sigh, flaring his nostrils in a poor attempt to remain stoic. Peppy sighed then said, "Some say he found a way to either cheat or slow the process of aging and death. Whatever his story is, he's back and Fox will handle it."

Young McCloud glared out the rear porthole, watching the ship sink into a rapidly deteriorating orbit over Sauria. It resembled a huge fireball from the distance. 'GreatFox' …it seemed lame of his Grandfather to name the ship after his father but the team's name was easily just as bad. But for James' son to name his offspring after the first part of the squadron name… pathetic. Star folded his arms. He hated his name, he disliked the unoriginality of his father's name and in his opinion, if the team name was going to be "Star Fox" then he should at least be out there flying with his old man right now. Being kept out of the cockpit only infuriated him further – he hated the name even more because it couldn't live up to it.

"Sorry, Jim," Peppy mused thoughtfully. "I thought this second ship would last. I was wrong, old friend."

"Can we see what's going on?" Star finally asked, reaching for the external visual controls. "She said they're going to cover our descent. Let's get it going."

Peppy – the aging rabbit in his late seventies – reached out for the controls and placed his paw against the control lock, which released the automated computer lockout. Star quickly punched in some commands and brought up multiple camera angles on the small screens against the front panel. Slippy's Arwing looked to be in desperate need of repair, since it was the first one into the fray. Caught off guard, the team's personalized ships, which included the Bull Frog and the Sky Claw, sat on the team's Carrier in disuse.

Piloted by Lucy, the large vessel came about. Bay doors on the front opened, displaying massive missiles, waiting to for deployment. Peppy glanced at the screen and licked his lips. "You be careful, sweetheart. You have a teenager to raise, waiting for you on Fichina, Lucy. Play it smart like daddy taught you…"

Meanwhile, Falco was doing no better than Slippy Toad at this point. Fox held his own and Krystal's fighter streaked across the ebon backdrop, drawing an enemy away from the escape pod and back towards the main engagement. The four of them teamed up and came around for a new assault pattern. Peppy reached a paw to push his glasses further up his nose, so he could see what was going on.

Their attacks seemed to be working well on Andross' freakish machine. However, the Arwings, somewhat outdated, struggled to turn the tide against Oikonny's newest invention. This was a job for a heavyweight fighter or possibly even a medium cruiser with battle cannons. Star glanced back at Peppy then scooted to the side to give the old man some space to see what was going on.

Peppy's jaw dropped. Star could see an oddly colored flash, reflected in the old man's glasses. The teenager whipped his head back to the monitor, just in time to see something so completely devastating that it would haunt him forever: A gravity bomb detonation. A sizable section of universe bent for a moment, inverting itself in a massive implosion that caused all four Arwings and the remaining GreatFox Carrier to vanish. Within mere minutes, Andross wiped out the entire StarFox Armada. Star's eyes widened and he spun about, heading for the nearest window bubble, placing his paws upon it, squinting into the void.

There was something in the distance. Some sort of light, perhaps? Maybe hope? Star clinched his eyes shut as hard as he could, until tears formed at the corners of those mismatched ocular orbs…. He prepared himself to open his eyes once more; the tiny light in the distance grew ridiculously bright…

C h a p t e r - 1

His eyes did open and that's where the light was coming from. It replaced the dark, inky void of space and the last vestiges of his historical nightmare. Star sat up in bed, twenty-two years old, reaching up to rub his face. That was six years and some-odd months ago. That blinding ray of hope at the end of his dream was nothing more than the sunlight pouring in through the window, shining in his face.

It was going to be another crappy day. His heart was heavy with memory. Star kicked the blankets off the bed and pushed his feet into a set of sandals. He opened the door of his room and stepped out into the hallway. The subterranean dwelling only had windows in the bedrooms; the kitchen was far darker.

The young fox knocked a few times on a roommate's door in passing. The vulpine grumbled softly. "Get up, old man," he said, heading for another door at the end of the hallway. A few moments later, Star reappeared from the bathroom and walking passed a guy easily fifty years old. Retired Major William Gray; the husky gave a slow nod scooting by the youth, heading for the bathroom. Star paused in the hallway, turning to look at some photographs on the wall.

Peppy Hare was in one picture, shortly before passing away from old age. McCloud's parents were in another picture, one with Peppy and another without. Star's godfather, Falco Lombardi, was in one photograph with Slippy Toad, who touted an electro-magnetic wrench. A few moments passed and Gray came out of the bathroom, scratching at his sides.

"Why aren't you the General of Corneria's armies, Bill?" Star abruptly asked.

"Aw man, c'mon," Bill mumbled in a groggy-sounding voice. "I retired, dude. Star, your dad was a good guy and ole' Pepper was a good guy and even Peppy made a pretty good leader… but I couldn't do military forever. Did you really think I'd make a good General? I can be the squadron leader of multiple flight groups and multi-task everyone's position and what they're doing, but General?"

McCloud kept his eyes on the pictures. "You'd have been a better General than the dumbass who's in there now," Star snorted disdainfully.

"Man, not this early in the morning," Bill groused, walking back towards his room. "What'cha wake me up so early for? It's a Saturday."

"I tried to sleep in," Star sourly remarked. "And now I'm ready for breakfast."

"Did you have the dream again?" Bill asked this with a soft frown of understanding. He knew that the boy had seen some harsh things a few years ago and now the poor kid was alone. Young McCloud was a damn fine pilot, however. Bill was able to use his pension to help the two of them secure two old Arwings, stripped of their offensive gear. Star was able to practice flying as often as he could and that was the only thing that mattered, on most days.

Andross Oikonny disappeared. He'd not resurfaced in six long years now. Star had a private vendetta building up in his heart that he wanted to fulfill but he was not in a hurry just yet. He actually wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep right now but that just wasn't in the cards, having woken up from his reoccurring nightmare yet again.

Any time he actually experienced the nightmare, it would stay fresh in his mind for hours. Any time he shut his eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep would result in seeing the GreatFox II become a fireball and disappear over Sauria. If he kept them shut, the entire sequence would play out again, including the crash landing over Katina. To avoid the memories, he simply got up and keep himself active until the early morning grogginess passed.

"You realize it's only zero-eight hundred hours?" Bill inquired with a furrowing of his bushy, gray-furred brows.

"Yeah," Star chuckled absentmindedly. "You ever think we'll get a team together and go after Oikonny?"

"All right," Bill said, putting his paws up defensively. "Enough. Do you remember the last time you went into a tangent over that whole thing? We will have a team if it falls together. I've never been the mercenary type and I don't fly anymore, beyond taking you out for a few lessons."

"You also don't approve of the people I hang around with," Star mused thoughtfully, cocking an eyebrow at the older man. The husky returned with a slight grin. "I know," Star continued, "You took care of Husky and Bulldog unit; I've heard it a million times. I know my friends are street scum, but they're still my friends."

"And rather ironically, I once dared your father to find the first slime ball he could… that's how he met your godfather. I've become a hypocrite – sue me." Bill frowned, folding his paws across his chest. "So is this your way of telling me you're going out this morning?" He asked, standing there in the hallway, wearing nothing more than sweat pants.

"I'm self responsible and I aim to get things done. I have a team to assemble so I can move forward, Bill. I still think you should have become a General, though."

Gray repeated his question. "So, is this your way of telling me you're going out this morning," adding, "with the son of that stupid jerk off?"

"You're very perceptive, old timer," Star said, with a grin. "I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?"

"I'm sure a big, self responsible man can get his own meals, right Junior?" Bill cracked a grin before heading back towards his room. "I know I used to be military for years but guess what? Today is Saturday. I'm sleeping in," he added, going back towards the doorway of his own room.

"Don't call me 'Junior'," McCloud grumbled, shaking his head. His sapphire bangs bounced from left to right and a sigh escaped the fox's muzzle. "That was a nickname Peppy used. Sorry, it just bothers me."

"I can respect that," Bill said, shaking his head in reply. "And clean this place up will ya? I could be living in Military Assisted Living right now, with a pretty young nurse asking if I want powder on my tail in a clean den." The door closed behind Gray and Star stood there, alone, in the hallway with a smirk. Both of them knew that Bill Gray had no intent of living in the M.A.L. condominiums because the staff treated half of the elderly people as if everyone was ninety-five and beyond self-help.

"MAL means "bad" in some languages, Major William Gray!" The young McCloud called back through the door. He chuckled, headed to his room and got dressed.

Star McCloud readied himself to meet up with his ilk out on the streets of Katina. He glanced over at a picture frame on his nightstand. The glossy eight by ten displayed his Father and Grandfather's best friend, Peppy Hare. The lapin single handedly raised Star from the age of sixteen until the age of twenty. For four years, Peppy was there to help get the young McCloud through tough times.

The vulpine pilot pulled his father's red bandana around his neck, tying it at the end then slipped a vest over his shoulders. He reached for a rectangular case on the dresser. He pushed the nondescript box into his pocket for good luck. Once he was dressed, the twenty-two year old glanced into an old mirror that was faded black around the edges. The bluish furred star over his right eye matched the thick cerulean bangs that clung to the side of his face.

The boy lifted a paw up to brush the azure strands back and a frown touched his muzzle. "I'd already be on the team by now," he said, speaking of Andross' crime against his family, six years ago. It stuck with him the way fire clung to napalm jelly. Anger consumed him deep inside. His heart hurt every bit as much as his mind. He clinched his eyes shut tightly, trying to take a moment to calm down. It was hard, knowing that a guilty man ran free. Doctor Andross Oikonny was responsible for murdering two generations of his relatives on both the maternal and paternal branches of the McCloud family tree. Star shuttered. Andross was also a suspect in the destruction of Cerinia – not to mention the death of his mother.

The problem with closing his eyes was that he always saw something from the past that hurt to watch. This time was no different…

…Two years ago

A younger Star McCloud, at age twenty, stepped from his room. The apartment felt awkward today. The vulpine pilot's eyes darted from left to right, passing through the living room and stopping outside of old man Peppy's door. Usually the rabbit was up at this hour, drinking coffee or tea from a white mug with a "P" emblazed upon the size.

"Peppy, you in there?" Star finally called, reaching for the handle. He gave the knob a jiggle but it was locked. "You all right in there, old man?" he hollered through the door, before knocking a few times. No reply. "Peppy? C'mon now, you only lock the door when you're in bed and you never sleep in this late because you take an ungodly amount of naps throughout the day; are you all right in there?" Silence.

"Alright, here goes," Star said, placing his shoulder up against the doorway. He took a step back then slammed his body up against the door. It didn't give. "That was me, trying to get your attention, old man. Get up, so I know you're not kicking the bucket!" No reply. McCloud waited for several minutes but nothing came of it.

The kit flinched with the thought of numerous possibilities. But what he knew to be a possibility would ultimately become inevitability. He tried to listen with his mind but couldn't hear the rabbit's thoughts. With renewed vigor, the young fox of twenty years dashed forward, slamming his shoulder up against the door hard. The metal swivel braces groaned with each shoulder attack. They squeaked in protest, but only another moment before the bolts finally gave. He forced the door from its hinged mounts.

McCloud's body bubbled forth stumbling into the master bedroom. He took a moment to regain his balance. He stood up straight, his eyes coming to land upon the body of Peppy Hare, motionless in bed. He heard no breathing. The fox's animal instincts told him that the body ceased to live. Star approached the bedside with a confused sort of reverence. His heart pounded and yet a pin drop would have shattered such a silence. Every footfall was massive as he moved closer to the bed.

"Peppy…?" he finally squeaked out. Peppy Hare was the last living connection to his father that Star could even think of. The kit's lower lip trembled for a moment, his teeth chattering as if a sudden cold had come over him. His eyes welled up with tears. He was finally in proximity of the bed… of the body.

McCloud's paw reached outwards and he touched the rabbit's cold nose. He then reached down for the old man's silent chest, finally bringing his paw up to Peppy's neck. Star felt no pulse and no warmth. The old man had died in his sleep and was gone, now. Star's chest clinched into knots and he slowly sank to his knees at the bedside. This was a personal death.

Peppy was more than a roommate. Peppy Hare was his caretaker and the last tie to his parents. It was like living with a grandparent. At twenty years old, the unprepared boy struggled with this blow. His heart wrenched and his stomach turned to ice. Slowly the fox lowered his head to the bed and wept softly. Death was in the air and youthful Star didn't know how to react.

Tears stained his fur, matting down the sandy coloration of his face and equally soaking the azure patch of fur around his right eye. He knew he had to get up and call the Emergency services but first thing was first: He had to take a moment to grieve. Mourning would become a consistency for the next month but this initial set of tears was required immediately.

There, at Peppy's bedside, the youthful fox sobbed softly over the rabbit's death. Suppuration felt natural; the tears felt welcome and comforted him, as they were all he had left.

In the days to come, there would be a small funeral and most only a few media people would show as well as descendants, such as a few distant cousins and his granddaughter, Vivian. Star could never have dreamt that Peppy's memorial is where he would meet his next closest friend and truly the last living connection to Fox McCloud… It was none other than Retired Major William Gray of Katina. The pilot who commanded Husky and Bulldog unit during the Lylat Wars, close to three decades ago…

…The memory faded. Star McCloud wiped his face with his sleeves and then hurried to finish getting ready. He planned to meet up with a friend this morning. It just so happened to be a friend that Bill Gray detested, despite how close the two boys were. That didn't matter to Star. Nothing mattered right now, except for getting there on time and heaven knows he spent enough of that luxury on memories this morning.

Broad day light; his eyes fell upon an apartment complex at the edge of town, where he had lived with Peppy. Another shudder of disdain ripped through his body for a moment then he pushed the feelings aside. There, they would remain forgotten as best as possible. Really, he bottled his emotions – the only way he knew to deal with them. The faux landscape of greens that lined the silver city streets blurred and his vulpine gaze lowered to the ground.

Star rubbed his eyes, shaking the reverie. He looked off into the distance. The streets of Katina's Capital were rather nice but the slums around the outer provinces told a different story. Young McCloud ventured down a dimly illuminated alley. The lack of light, even for ten in the morning, felt odd.

He approached a metal door surrounded by a very plain gray cinderblock wall. His eyes shifted, furtively glancing about before knocking on the metal door with the backside of his right paw. After a moment, a slide opened in the center of the door and the soft glow of a lit room acted as an aura to the pair of eyes within. "Password?"

"Are you freakin' serious?" McCloud snapped, adding, "Since when do amateur Mercenaries require passwords?" he recited purposefully. There was a click sound followed by the door squeaking open. Star gave a smirk at the lupine behind it. The other boy stepped back and gestured McCloud inside.

Star knew that Bill hated the kid just because of who his father was. It didn't matter, though. The younger wolf had an odd tuft of bright red hair, the only trait garnished from his mother, a vixen. Much like Star, the timber wolf half-breed's parents named him for his most distinguishing feature. Although, at birth, the little wolf cub was red furred from head to toe; by his early teenage years, only his hair was still red, as well as a strip of fur that ran down his throat, over the center of his chest and tummy.

"Crimson O'Donnell," Star said, narrowing his eyes, offering a paw. The boy thrust his own paw out, taking McCloud's in a complex handshake that the two had been using for the last few months. The complicated gesture reached a climatic high five and then concluded with a half-hug that brought each young man shoulder to shoulder.

Star offered as polite of a smirk as possible, releasing his best friend with a slight shove. O'Donnell snatched a glass bottle from the shelf and placed the bottle-top beneath his left arm. He pushed the metallic cap up against his flesh and fur as tightly as possible then gave his left arm a quick jerk to the side. The maneuver successfully snapped the cap clean off the bottle. "Have a beer, asshole," Crimson added, passing it to McCloud, who received the glass bottle and took a long pull from it.

"What's our agenda today, anyhow?" Crimson asked, taking a drink from his own bottle of beer.

Star glanced down at the glass container he was holding then lifted his eyes back to O'Donnell with a slight shrug. "I don't know. Remember when we used to drink this stuff and it was cool? Before we were old enough to drink it; those were the days."

"I remember when dad used to get it for us," Crimson chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Those were the days, growing up. You were what, seventeen?"

"Yeah and you were sixteen. You'll always be six months behind me," Star chuckled, then sullenly added, "But I suppose age doesn't even matter anymore," the vulpine continued with a slight shrug.

"Yeah, it doesn't really matter. Crap happens: you get older and wiser, then nothing's the same anymore" Wolf's son said casually, finishing the contents from his own glass bottle. The two retreated further into the old building that they were using as a base of operations. They ascended a poorly constructed wooden staircase, leading from the first floor, up to an unnatural hole in the ceiling.

The steps creaked with the shift of weight but Crimson took them two at a time with no worry. Star, not trusting his own carpentry work, took them slowly to the top. The smell of pine had died down since their construction, two months ago, and the assembly of the steps showed signs of an inexperienced builder.

Upstairs, there were two beat up sofas, one of which had duct tape covering a tear in the center cushion. The paisley shapes of tan over a traditional brown backing made it obvious that someone threw this sofa on the sidewalk due to its lack of fashion. It was also obvious that a free sofa, let alone two free couches became too good of an offer for these boys to pass up. It was the only furnishing in the upstairs part of the building, minus a wooden round spool object with a hole in the center.

The cable spool, usually used for running cable off the back end of a truck, became a coffee table. The hole in the center of the large wooden spool remained partially covered with a square piece of plywood. While slightly crooked, it remained at the center to keep things, such as beer bottles, from falling into the hole whenever the makeshift table came into use.

"We need money," Crimson muttered softly, dropping into one of the two sofas. A light cloud of dust wafted out from underneath the cushions, in response to his rather average weight.

"Well we can't go robbing banks," Star chuckled. He saw O'Donnell's quirked brow and cocked his own brow in reply. It seemed as though the two had almost an entire conversation telegraphed by facial expressions and it lasted almost a full minute.

Finally, the half-breed timber wolf broke the silence, saying, "Why are you so against it?"

"Because," Star said, plopping down into the other sofa. He kicked his legs up over the makeshift coffee table. "It will hurt future business if we have a bad reputation. I say we solicit our services. We both have a legal bounty-hunting license. Let's make use of it," the vulpine noted, drawing a blaster out from underneath one of the cushions he was sitting on.

The fox flipped open the loading chamber, noting the weapon was empty. "Who keeps a 'dry' blaster hidden in the couch?"

"Someone who forgot to load it," Crimson replied with a smirk. "Or maybe it was someone who's too much of a pansy to make use of it?" he continued, casting a devious sort of grin. "Which one are you, Star?"

"I'll let you know, the first time I leave unloaded weapons in all the good hiding spots," the Reynard mused in reply, looking the weapon over. He flipped the pistol about in his paw, glancing at the initials carved into the bottom of the handle. He tossed the blaster at Crimson and offered a Cheshire grin.

Crimson caught the gun then flipped it over. Seeing his initials in the bottom, he could only smirk back at his best friend. Before he got a word in edgewise, however, Star snickered then added, "So which one are you O'Donnell?"

"Yeah, yeah. Shaddaup," Crimson chortled softly. "It's pretty obvious that we should look into that job that's been on 'The Board' for two months now."

"Dude," Star frowned, shaking his head slowly. "I bet the pay isn't even worth the hassle." The Board, an unofficial military gift forum, held job postings for volunteers. It was known as The Black Board or just "The Board" because some of these jobs were Black Operations reject missions. Eventually, worthless escorting jobs would pop up, along with other small odd jobs for extra cash.

One of the longest standing listings detailed a trip to the jungle region of Sauria, which was still uninhabited. A Cornerian serial killer on the loose fled to Sauria, terrorized some of the colonies that had sprouted up over the last two decades then disappeared in the jungle region.

"What are our odds of finding that freak?" Star asked.

O'Donnell threw his paws upwards. "Let's at least give it a try. The board claims we can get money up front to use towards supplies to make an extended trip out of the entire mission. This is an adventure, man. What the heck are you waiting for? Damn, Star, free money up front."

"Yeah, Red, and if we never see the guy, we've got to return the up-front payment," Star grumbled. "No one takes it because there is a huge chunk of land to explore and this guy could be anywhere."

"We need the money," Crimson snapped. "If we pull it off, it will give us a good reputation to get hard jobs done," He said, tilting his head slightly. "Isn't that what you're worried about? Having a positive reputation so we can climb out of this hole and be somebody? Ironically, your old man was the first person to scout that rock on foot ages ago."

Star just sighed, closing his eyes. After a few moments, he lifted his right paw, waving at the half-breed wolf in an almost dismissive sort of way. "Just do it. Let's contact the agent, geeze. I'll tell Bill Gray that I won't be home for a few days and pack. You're so stubborn sometimes. Is that why you called me down here? Because you had a grand idea to take an impossible job?"

"Damn right it is," Crimson said proudly, standing up and stretching. The lupine looked pleased, cocking a grin at his best friend. "That's why my father can't stand me. I'm an impulsive, impetuous thrill seeker, who flies by the seat of my pants. Man," O'Donnell said, thoughtfully noting, "I've not heard him say that in a long time."

"You've avoided him for a long time," Star reminded, sitting up as well, with a frown. "Go sign us up and collect the U.F.F. (Up Front Fee) and I'll meet you here in an hour, then we'll go to the airport."

(Half an hour later…)

Crimson O'Donnell stood expressionlessly in the center of a busy terminal lobby. His stoic indignation caused passing bystanders to feel ill at ease. His most distinguishing characteristic was the fiery tuft of red hair upon his head. It was the color of his mother's headfur; she was a red vixen who had become the mate of Wolf O'Donnell. Something about the young punk inspired fear in the average citizen.

Star McCloud came from the nearby counter, reproached the half-breed lupine and handed over a ticket. O'Donnell took the ticket, looked it over then woefully moped, "What? No window seat?"

"Why don't you actually try reading the ticket," Star said, knocking Crimson to the side with a brush of his shoulder, heading for the security checkpoint down the hallway. O'Donnell glanced down and read the word, suite on the front. He smirked, hurrying to catch up with his friend.

"I understand, Star. I just wish you wouldn't get so touchy. You get like this every twenty-eight days and it's starting to worry me, man," O'Donnell mused, placing his duffle bag on the conveyer belt. Star did the same, walking through the metal detector backwards, facing his friend.

"Do I really get like this every twenty-eight days? You don't say," Star retorted, with a smirk. "And you know I hate that name," McCloud muttered, taking his carry-on bags from the conveyer belt, leaving the security checkpoint behind. "So you got your window seat, I got us the least expensive suite so we wouldn't have to sit in chairs for thirty hours. But I think you should have stowed away."

"Hey, it might have saved money for booze," Crimson joshed with a playful voice. His tone was a far cry from the over-serious attitude that his father always strived to portray in public. He recalled a memory concerning his twin sister, Bliss; a grin tugged at the corner of his maw. "I know of a family member who stowed away on a freighter once and got away with it, too." The fire-headed half-breed gave a broad grin, shouldering his carry on pack. The two friends quickly made their way across the airport, passing various shops and food places.

Once they arrived at their gate, they both handed their tickets over to the booth near the loading tube then boarded the transport ship. Both of them felt empowered and optimistic about their upcoming work on Sauria. It was their first real job ahead of them. Minor gigs in the past didn't compare to this. Star only hoped that the new StarFox Mercenary team would prove to be successful. But first, it was time to explore the transportation ship and find their room.

A/N: A lot is going to happen on their first mission. They'll gain an unexpected new team mate, they'll run into someone that Crimson, aka "Red", used to hang with… they'll learn how to cooperate as a team and they'll get the chance to fly something stolen… all this and more, coming up in chapter 2 and 3. I already have Chapter 2 written and I'm starting on Chapter 3. I was going to wait to upload this chapter until I finished Sly Cooper's LAMENT OF CARMELITA but I had a ton of people waiting for this story and I wanted to sorta prove that it will be a reality… I may have rushed chapter 1 by posting it tonight but I suppose that's better than nothing… I'm sure I'd have eventually re-wrote it 40 times if I didn't post it tonight… Hopefully it doesn't suck or NEED 40 more re-writes. LOL. It's been in rough draft form like this, since I posted the last two chapters of Reflections Of The Future, lol. Anyway, I want feedback on this. Good or bad, I want to know two things… if everyone who was waiting for it finally saw it, to make sure you guys know it's up… and secondly, to see who loves or hates it, so far. Yeah, I know the main character's name is LAME. So are most of the character's names, if you think about it. Leave it to Nintendo to name characters based on what they are… or based on an inside joke - a woman trapped in a crystal… named KRYSTAL?

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT!

Having General Pepper dressed like one of the Beatles on the cover of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band? Or Slippy's comic-book GF being named Croakella? Or, debatably, Fara Phoenix's surname being pronounced "Fennecs" partially because the word 'fennecs' originated in deserts where the animals actually live, originally called "phoenix" foxes, because they rose out of the sand at twilight… and because English is a sloppy evolving language, it was eventually called "fennecs". And that the Japanese version of her name is pronounced… ah forget it, the point I was trying to make …before my 'Train Of Thought' suddenly 'Derailed'… was that I figured "STAR" McCloud would be perfect (and that Nintendo would love it, if they ever wanted to turn my stories into games :D ), plus it goes hand-in-hand with the prediction made by the Oracle at the very end of Reflections Of Krystal!

Leave it to Nintendo to name him MARCUS. In my eye. But I'll address the name "Marcus McCloud" soon enough.

If you don't want to leave reviews or feedback, simply Private Message me or send email to me at RockstarTravestyATaolDOTcom. Thanks!

I moved some of the Author's Note from up top to down here, so I wasn't eating the header…

Let's see:

There are a few reasons why I've written this story in the way I have... When I started on this story, StarFox: Command wasn't even a rumor yet. The further I got in this story, the more the rumors began popping up, followed by screen shots. Before long, we had a picture of Fox and Krystal married with a son. Had I known, I'd have waited until all the details came out and started the story then, but… oh well… It wasn't until, like chapter 7 or 8 before we even knew Peppy would be a General, for goodness sakes.

Now, when I started on this, I made the assumption that Krystal and Fox would become romantically involved. How can I be so sure? Aside from all the romantic tension in the Game Cube SF Games, there were 'throw away' lines found in StarFox Adventures that found its way to the Internet. Who did it? Dwight House. Who is that?

He's a Krystal fan with a Krystal Fansite.

He took some of those sound clips were never used in the game and posted them on his website… one of them was Krystal saying "I'll join your team… if you'll kiss me" … wow, hard core huh? For those of you who don't feel like hunting through the game coding for it, just listen to it here: "http(colon, 2 backslashes)/ krystal . dwightdesign . com / audio / adventuresUnused . html" . Obviously, you have to remove all the spaces I put in, lol. It was never used in the game but the sound file is IN the game, so I think that's cute and… yeah… the point is, I don't have to worry about being suggestive in this story, to people who are or are not fans of something happening in the games…

I'll even cater to some Fara Phoenix Fans later in this story, so just hold tight.

.… I'm crafting it based on history (the game series, of course) and my imagination. Also, as of right now, when I'm starting this story, there are vague hints that there will be a StarFox for the Nintendo DS. No one knows if it's even true but, after chapter 4 and 5 was finished, I saw two screen shots in Japanese and I'm going to scour the internet so I can incorporate what I learn from it into this story. To make it the first to use those elements? Sure, why not. To keep it canon since this story obviously happens AFTER that game? Oh yeah, you know it. So bare with me. Thanks!

Oh and as far as Dwight and his Krystal Site, I'm going to submit Reflections of Krystal and Reflections of the Future to him soon... as soon as I get the chance to sit down and send it to him, that is. Eventually, I WILL get around to it, but for now, let's get to the new story!

Finally, I'm sorry I've been slacking lately. I'm going to try renewing my vows with my wife (Later added note: She decided she didn't want that to happen. Blah) and putting a lot of time into work to keep my job and writing and recording in the studio with my band… So it's just been a lot. YES I'm going to finish Reflections of Peppy, little by little. YES I'm going to finish Nothing Passed Tomorrow, The Curse (It's nearly done!), Similar Paths Taken and the Lament Of Carmelita and Spy Cooper. But to be honest, I had to write a follow up for Reflections of the Future. I mean, the hit-view counter on that story just baffles me! I'm serious. I finished that story in 2005 and, believe me; I didn't work very long on it… I had it done in only 90 days and it ended with under two thousand hits… and yet two years later it's approaching TWENTY THOUSAND HITS.

Anyhow, I'm sorry the author's note is so long here… Just a lot I had to say. This story will start VAGUE… and it will take shape as I get into it. I love you guys! Thanks for reading! Thanks for caring

-Kit