Chapter 1

It was too quiet. He tightened his grip on the blaster. The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air. Something terrible had happened here. He didn't know the name of the planet, or who the strange, ape like and feline creatures were, but it was clear that a battle raged here.

Something bumped into him. He whirled around, and came face to face with a blaster. He looked passed the weapon, and saw a woman. She looked at him, confusion clearly showing on her face. She looked just like him!

Her eyes widened, and she fired the blaster over his shoulder. Something struck him from behind…

Fox McCloud woke up, breathing heavily.

---

"Ok, here's one for you. You're chasing a Dralthi into an asteroid field. He attempts evasive action, and ducks behind one of the rocks."

"That's easy, I chase him, and blast him."

"Bang, you're dead. Five more Dralthi were hiding behind the rock. The Kilrathi Gang Bang," Chris said with a smile. Falco glared at the Terran. Chris Johnson was a pilot in the Terran Confederation, before crash landing on Fortuna. A tachyon burst had fouled up his Rapier's jump drive, sending the Terran into the Lylat System.

He looked up just in time to see Fox walk into the lounge.

"You look like hell, Fox," Chris said.

"Whatever that means," Falco muttered.

"Didn't sleep very well," Fox explained.

"What, did Krystal tell you she's pregnant or something?" Falco wisecracked.

"What…no!" Fox shot at the Avian. Chris smiled. At least morale was high. He had to admit, life on the Great Fox was interesting.

"Who said I was pregnant?"

Everyone turned, and saw Krystal standing in the door, arms crossed over her chest. Chris pointed at Falco. The blue vixen glared at the Avian with her I can make your life a living hell look.

"So, Krystal. What brings you down here?" Chris asked, leaning back in his chair. She looked at Fox, concern clearly showing on her face. From what Chris knew about the Cerenian, he guessed that she sensed something from Fox.

"I'm alright, Krystal," Fox said.

"You had that dream again, didn't you?" She asked, pulling up a chair. Fox looked into her eyes. B-u-s-t-e-d.

"Falco, go check on the Arwings," he said.

"Huh?" the Avian was confused.

"Loosely translated as scram," Chris told him. Falco shrugged, then got up and left the lounge.

"You want me to go to?" he asked. Fox shook his head.

"You might be able to help," Fox said.

"With what?" Chris asked.

Fox described the dream. Chris listened, and latched on to the descriptions of the bodies.

"Sounds like a mix of Terrans and Kilrathi," he said.

"Kilrathi?" Krystal asked.

"A race of feline warriors that the Confederation has been at war with for, hell, years," Chris explained.

"But what about the woman? That's what's bothering me. She looks just like me, but I don't know who she is," Fox said.

"Beats me," Chris said, "Maybe you got a twin sister or something."

---

Fox McCloud woke up. Ever since her Arwing fell through that weird space-time rift, she had been having weird dreams. She rubbed her head. The dream was still fresh. An alien planet, the battlefield, the dead bodies… oh god, the bodies. And then there he was. A Cornerian, looking just as shocked as she was. Why did he have her face? None of it made any sense.

"What does it mean?" she asked herself. Fox shook her head. She decided to get up and get some fresh air.

The sky was clear. Fox looked up at the countless stars, and wondered if she would ever see her home again.

"Excuse me lady, but could you help me?"

Fox turned and saw a young kit looking into her eyes and shaking. She guessed that the child was lost. At this time of night, it was dangerous to be out on your own.

"Alright, just give me a sec," she said with a smile. Fox went back into her shelter and grabbed her blaster. She holstered it and exited the shelter.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked the kit.

"I got lost," he told her.

The pair headed off in the direction of the nearby town. Fox listened as the kit told her what happened. Silently, she sympathized with the child's plight, knowing how it felt to be so far from home.

Two shadowy figures darted out in front of them. Fox grabbed the kit's arm, and pulled him behind her.

"Kinda late for such a beautiful vixen to be out," one of them said, obviously checking her out.

"What do you want?" Fox asked, her hand inching closer to the blaster on her hip.

"All your valuables, and maybe your body too," the other said.

"Don't think so," she growled, drawing the blaster.

"Ooo, the hot one's packin' some heat," one said, obviously not intimidated. The muggers both drew daggers. Fox rolled her eyes, and shot them out of their hands.

"Crap! She means business! Let's bolt!"

The muggers ran off, and didn't look back. Fox holstered the blaster, and checked on the child. He was wide eyed with amazement.

"That was cool!" he exclaimed.

The commotion had attracted someone's attention. A young vixen poked her head out a door to see what was going on. She aimed a flashlight at the pair, and gasped.

"ALEX!"

The kit ran over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Mom!" the kit said. Fox turned to leave, when the mother called out to her.

"Did you help my son?" she asked.

"Yes, I did," Fox answered.

"Thank you. I don't know how to repay you," the mother said.

"Just glad I could help," Fox replied, and started to walk down the street.

"Could you at least tell me your name?"

"Fox," she called back over her shoulder.

---

Krystal watched as Fox slept. After Chris had left, Fox just crashed on the couch. His face was currently mashed against a pillow. He must have been tired. She looked out the viewport at the countless stars. Something was wrong.

For as long as Krystal could remember, she could sense when something was wrong. A Jedi, who had come to Cerenia for a while, said that she may be Force sensitive. Whatever that means. She just figured that it went with being a telepath.

Whatever was going on, it was serious. It was like an odd feeling of foreboding, as if something terrible was about to happen. She closed her eyes, and tried to sense what it was. So much for that idea, she got nothing. She sighed.

"Whatever it is, we might have to get involved," she said to herself. Krystal decided to check in on their new Terran friend. With one final look at Fox, she left the lounge.

Chris was working in the hanger. He had nothing better to do, so he dove into the inner workings of his Rapier. Although he was skilled in the cockpit of an Arwing, he wanted to get the Confed fighter ready, just in case. That is, if he could figure out what was wrong with the dang thing. His upper body was buried inside the rear of the fighter when Krystal arrived. Another reason he didn't notice was because he had some music on.

Krystal walked up to the Terran, and tried to get his attention, without much success. She rolled her eyes, and tugged on his leg. There was a sound of something hitting metal, and what must have been some form of cursing coming from inside the fighter. Chris extricated himself from the fighter's guts, and came face to face with Krystal.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were there," he said. He then climbed into the cockpit, and turned off the music.

"You got a minute?" she asked.

"Yea, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if…"

"All personnel to the bridge!"

"We'd better find out what that tin can wants," Chris said, referring to ROB.

---

Fox found her way to the town's bar. She suppressed a laugh when she saw it was named the Flying Fur Saloon. She opened the door, and walked in. Obviously, this was a popular hang out, because it was packed. People were drinking, eating, playing cards, and generally having a good time. Fox made her way to the bar. The bartender noticed her and walked over.

"What'll it be?" he asked.

"Cornerian whiskey," she told him.

"That's strong stuff," the bartender said, "You sure you can handle it?"

Fox put a couple credits on the bar, and the bartender got the message. He took the credits, and poured the drink into a small glass. He handed it to her, and told her that if she wanted anything else, she could flag him down. Before she could even take a drink, an argument turned into a brawl. Fox turned to watch, and thought about the name of the place again, as the fur started to fly. The bartender was prepared for fights, as he reached under the bar, and pulled out an old fashioned shotgun.

"Unless you guys want to get shot, take it outside!" he yelled. The fighters noticed, and slowly left the bar.

Fox smiled, and took a drink.

Suddenly, the building rocked, throwing everybody to the floor. Fox picked herself up off the floor, and heard the sound of explosions outside. Jumping over drunks and other patrons, she darted outside.

It was like a scene from a horror movie. Demonic looking creatures were chasing civilians, while others were actually throwing fireballs. Several buildings were on fire as the assault continued. Fox caught a glimpse of a young kit and his mother running as fast as they could. It was Alex and his mom, and they were running from a large, winged beast wielding a menacing blade.

Fox ran towards the helpless family, drawing her blaster. The beast trapped them up against a building, and raised its blade over its head. Fox, still running, opened fire. Sapphire bolts of energy leapt from the weapon, and slammed into the creature's back. It turned to face its attacker, eyes burning with rage. It swung at the smaller vixen, trying to cleave her in half. Fox rolled out of the way, and unleashed a devastating blaster barrage. Demon or no demon, it finally collapsed into a heap. Fox stood up, and the kit saw her.

"Fox!" Alex exclaimed.

"Let's get you two out of here," Fox said, gesturing for them to follow.

---

"Alright, ROB, spill it," Chris said as he entered the bridge, with Krystal right behind him.

"I do not understand," the robot said.

"I think it means 'start talking'," Fox said, leaning back in his chair. Falco and Slippy arrived a couple minutes later. ROB must have been waiting for them.

"We are receiving a transmission from Corneria," ROB said, and pushed a button. The holo emitter came to life, coalescing into a uniformed hound dog.

"General Pepper! I thought you'd still be on medical leave for another three months!" Fox exclaimed. Ever since the Aparoid invasion eight months ago, General Pepper had been recovering from the near assimilation. Chris was surprised that the General had survived at all, considering what he had heard about the Aparoids.

"I have been able to resume my duties in a limited way. But that is not why I've called, Fox. We need your help once again," the General said.

"What happened?" Fox asked.

"We've received a distress call from a colony outside the Lylat System. The colony is under attack by unknown hostiles. We can't spare anybody else, so it's up to you Star Fox," General Pepper said.

"A colony outside Lylat? I didn't know there were any out that far," Slippy mused.

"Anything else I need to know about the place?" Fox asked.

"The colony, called Mar Sara, has very little in the way of defenses. The only way to get there is by orbital gate. You are their only hope," General Pepper explained.

"Got it, General. We're on it," Fox said.

"Good luck, Star Fox. Pepper out."

The hologram fizzled out. Chris looked over at the team leader.

"So, we got ourselves a rescue," he said.

"ROB, set a course for the Corneria Orbital Gate," Fox ordered.

---

Fox lead Alex and his mother, Roxanne, through the forest. The sound of creatures scratching about the underbrush kept them moving, not knowing whether they were local fauna or hostile demonic invaders. She could feel her heart pounding as they made their way to their destination, Fox's Arwing. Even though the fighter was unable to take off, it could still provide some protection from both the elements and attackers.

"I hope Corneria sends help soon," Roxanne said.

"Let's hope," Fox said quietly.

They reached the Arwing without any trouble. Alex looked at the wreaked fighter, and whistled. Fox walked over to the fighter, and ducked under the fuselage. She opened the cargo compartment on the underside, and pulled out a camouflaged tarp and some extra camping gear.

"You're a pilot?" Alex asked. Fox nodded, and asked for some help with the tarp. Roxanne gave her a hand, draping the tarp over the starboard wing.

"We'll rest here until help arrives," Fox said, "I'll set the Arwing's sensors as a proximity alarm, so we'll know if something gets too close. And the communications system should be able to let any Cornerian ships know where we are."

"I hope you're right, Fox," Roxanne said.