PLEASE READ.
In order to avoid any in all copyright issues:
All Star Fox characters are rightfully the property of their respective owners. I CLAIM ABSOLUTELY NO OWNERSHIP OF ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR VEHICLES OR PLANETS THAT ARE ALREADY THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. I only claim ownership of any other original characters depicted in the story (Axios, Luna, Corvo, The Nightshade, The Black Suns, The Void, etc.).
On one more note if you guys notice any errors such as grammatical or spelling, please leave a review. I want you guys to have the best possible experience with the story and I don't your experience to be tainted with minor errors.
Now then; about the story. This is fictional story set two years after the events of Star Fox: Command. To make things a bit simpler, this is going off the ending "Fox and Krystal" in which Krystal decides to rejoin the team after Fox promised that they would always be together. Hopefully that will shed a bit more light on the setting. Now then, I believe there is a story that needs to be read.
1. A Routine Run
~There are ordinary days, and there are eventful days. But in the life of a mercenary, most days are far from ordinary. Laser fire filled the air, and the Star Fox team engaged in combat with low level insurrectionists that occupied a factory within MacBeth. Their objective was to neutralize this local resistance and continue a routine patrol over the planets within the Lylat system. Amidst the battle, AA fire was loosely trailing the Skyclaw. "Come on!" Falco yelled as he was effortlessly dodging laser fire. "I don't understand why these jokers don't just give up. They can hardly even provide me with a challenge here!" The Skyclaw was spiraling between AA rounds and was gracefully cutting through the sky untouched. Seeing an opening to strike back, Falco grinned. "All right, my turn."
He put the Skyclaw into an angled dive and locked onto one of the AA guns and he launched a charge shot and quickly destroyed it. He noticed a second AA gun and veered his ship towards it, however; before he could destroy his second target, laser fire rained from above and destroyed the gun before he fire a single round. "Hey what gives?" he thought. He looked up and noticed the Bullfrog quickly pulling out of a nose dive upon the destruction of the AA turret.
"Woo hoo hoo! Yea baby!" Slippy yelled in his excitement.
"Hey come on man! He was mine!" Falco angrily called out.
"Oh, sorry Falco. I'm just trying to have as much fun as I can here. Insurrectionists don't really provide much joy these days."
"Whatever."
The Skyclaw and the Bullfrog quickly formed up on each other's wing but had to quickly break formation as there was one more AA fire harassing them from below. Falco and Slippy both locked gazes with each other and they both looked at the turret. "Dibs!" they both called out.
Within a heartbeat, the Skyclaw and the Bullfrog dove down towards the AA turret. As soon as they were in range they had both charged their lasers for a quick kill; however, another set of lasers came before them and destroyed the turret position before they could get there in time. "Sorry boys." Amanda giggled. Falco and Slippy both pulled up and noticed the Tadpole coming from the distance.
"Great, I lose both of my kills to the toads." Falco quietly said to himself.
"Hey hot shot, think of it as making your work easier on yourself." Slippy said. "Besides, we still got to keep the skies clear for Fox and Krystal."
"Speaking of that," Amanda said, "What's taking them?"
In response to her question, Falco activated the communicator in his ship.
"Hey Foxie, how about an update?" Falco asked.
Fox and Krystal were infiltrating the factory on the ground. Although the team was ordered to neutralize the insurrectionists, they were also ordered to retrieve what data they could that would aid the Cornerian military against these rebels. At the time of Falco's calling, Fox was taking cover behind a corner avoiding rifle fire from a group of insurrectionists that were down a large hall way from him. "A little busy here Falco!" he said as he was firing his rifle.
"Fox!" cried out a feminine voice.
Fox quickly turned around and noticed a rebel was about to ambush him from behind; he had a knife ready in his hands and was charging at Fox in an attempt to stab him. As this rebel leaped out towards Fox, a fireball soared through the air and impacted the rebel in the head. The rebel fell to the floor with major burns to the head, and Fox placed a rifle round into his head to put the soldier out of his misery. Fox turned to the source of the voice and smiled. "Thanks Krystal!" he said.
"Be more careful!" Krystal called out. Krystal was behind cover holding her magical staff and she also had a blaster holstered to her belt in case she would be separated from her staff. Rifle fire continued to have to duo pinned down and Fox was still hiding behind cover until he heard a break in rifle fire. He peaked around the corner and aimed his rifle but immediately had to retreat behind it due to incoming fire.
"At this rate we'll never make it to the control room." Fox thought. "Why did these guys have to show up? This is ridiculous."
"I don't like that negativity, Fox." Krystal said. Fox had forgotten that Krystal had the ability to read the mind of others. He would often become a bit weak minded when he was around her due to his feelings for her. However, this was not the time or place to be distracted.
"Well you got any bright ideas?" he called out to her.
"I might." she answered.
Krystal gripped her staff tightly, and its energy had started to glow. "Get ready!" she called out to Fox.
Fox emptied the magazine in his rifle and replaced it with a fresh one. Krystal leaped into the air as a light ran up and down the staff. Krystal then used the staff's earthquake ability to create a shockwave that staggered all of the rebels down the hall from them. Fox turned the corner and opened fire and as he let his rounds fly, the rebels started to drop one by one. "Just like target practice." he thought.
As soon as the last rebel dropped to the ground, Fox and Krystal emerged from the safety of their cover. They scanned the room and noticed that there were no more rebels. "It looks clear." Krystal said.
"Looks that way. Let's grab that data and go home." Fox responded. Fox and Krystal made their way through the factory to find its main control center. When they reached the control room, Fox activated his communicator. "Ok Falco, we're in the clear." he said. To his surprise, Fox heard no response in his communicator. "Falco?"
"Oh, huh? What? Oh hey, you guys are done. About time." Falco responded.
"What were you doing? Taking a nap?"
"Na just rested my eyes a bit. You ready down there?"
"Almost, just need to grab the data. Tell ROB to bring in the Great Fox for an extraction."
"Copy that bud."
"See you on board. Fox out." Fox silenced his communicator and approached the console. Krystal had her staff in her hands ready in case another wave of rebels was to ambush them. As Fox started to work with the keys on the console, Krystal approached him.
"Hey Fox?" Krystal asked.
"Yea?" Fox responded.
"Why is the Cornerian military dealing with low level insurrectionists this far from home?"
"Peppy just wants to make sure that the Lylat is in a better state of peace. Ever since the Anglars the military has been even more cautious about another faction rising to power and bringing another threat."
"But why insurrectionists now?"
Fox continued punching in keys within the console. After a brief minute of typing, a loading bar was displayed onto the monitors and Fox stepped back from the console. "No one knows." Fox said. "Peppy is seeking to arrest the leader to prevent any more terrorism. These rebels have launched a few skirmishes throughout the system, and the Cornerian military isn't pleased one bit." Fox approached Krystal and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're being called in trying to preserve the peace; although sometimes, like today for instance, we're forced to use aggression." he said.
Krystal lowered her staff to relax herself. She enjoyed Fox's company and even more his soothing touch. She was the happiest person alive whenever she was with him; whether it was a mission or just recreational time back home on Corneria.
Krystal sheathed her staff behind and turned to face Fox. She took his hand and gently kissed it. Fox loved to see her happy and safe within his reach. He regretted his choice of asking her to leave Star Fox in the past, but every minute he has with her slowly eases his mind away from the memory of that dreadful mistake. "I just wanted to make sure that everything is going to be ok." Krystal said.
Fox smiled, and came close to embrace her. He loved that feeling of warmth when Krystal was in his arms. "Everything will be ok." he said. "I promise."
Krystal gave Fox an enticing look, and pointed her finger at him. "I'm going to hold you to that, Fox McCloud." she said.
Letting their affections towards the other take hold, their faces slowly approached each other. They were thinking about sharing a kiss with the other but before they could have their moment however, they were interrupted by a message that flashed onto the monitor. "Download Complete" the monitor said. Fox smiled at Krystal and gently released her. He turned to face the console and he activated his communicator.
"ROB, do you have the data?" Fox asked.
A robotic voice responded through his communicator. "Affirmative." ROB said. "Data transfer at one hundred percent, and I detect that all remaining rebels are on a retreat course."
"Yea that's right!" Falco interrupted while piloting the Skyclaw. "Run so I don't have to kick your sorry hides a second time!"
"Odds are we'll probably run into them again Falco." Amanda said. "At least now we can go home."
"I'll second that," Slippy said, "I could use a nap too; these insurrectionists aren't putting up much of a fight and it's making me really sleepy."
"Ok," Fox said, "All ships report back to the Great Fox. ROB, we need an extraction."
"Affirmative." ROB said. Within a matter of minutes, the Skyclaw, Bullfrog, and Tadpole were secured in the hangar bay, and Fox and Krystal were beamed aboard the Great Fox. The team met up with ROB on board the ships bridge as ROB was analyzing the data they had received from within the factory.
"Find anything useful ROB?" Slippy asked.
"These files contain information on rebel forts and fleet locations. My analysis indicates that their numbers are falling rapidly, and that surrender from them will be imminent." ROB said as he was analyzing the data.
"Well so much for their war effort." Falco disappointedly comented.
"At least we know there won't be much more fighting left." Amanda said with relief.
"Either way, we have a job to do." Fox said as he read the data. "The sooner we capture their leader, the sooner this rebellion of theirs will end."
To take their attention away from the data, the team noticed a light on their communications terminal was flashing. "Incoming transmission." ROB said. "General Hare in on the comm."
"Let's see what's up with gramps." said Falco. Fox nodded his head at ROB and soon a hologram of Peppy appeared over the ship's holoprojector.
"General Hare to Star Fox, do you read?" Peppy asked. Peppy was the general of the Cornerian military. He was in charge of dealing with the local insurrectionists and he was in charge of the many fleets the Cornerian military had. He also worked closely with the Star Fox team.
"We read you Peppy," Fox responded, "and we've recovered the data from the rebel factory here on MacBeth."
"Good work, but now we have a situation. I have ordered all of the fleet commanders back to Corneria immediately. There has been a development with insurrectionists that requires an immediate briefing. I would like you to attend this meeting."
"What's the problem Peppy?"
"We may have apprehended one of their leaders, but they're not what we expected." Peppy took a moment to adjust his glasses. "These insurrectionists mean little compared to what their leaders have in mind; Fox, the Lylat system in in grave danger."
The team exchanged looks amongst each other. "Are their leaders that large of a threat?" Amanda asked.
"Yes and their intentions are far from friendly." Peppy responded.
Thinking about the potential danger that the situation could bring, Fox took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Ok, I'll be there." Fox responded.
"See you soon; Peppy out."
Peppy's image faded back into the holoprojector and disappeared from view. "ROB, take us home." Fox said.
"Affirmative." responded ROB. All except Falco left the bridge and Fox turned back towards him.
"Coming Falco?" he asked.
"Nah, I think I'll catch some shut eye in here tonight. Make sure ROB doesn't screw up our flight home" Falco said jokingly.
"I am more than capable for plotting an optimal course to Corneria thank you very much." ROB retorted.
Fox waved Falco good bye and left the bridge. "What's going on?" he thought as he walked through the halls of the Great Fox. "So if these guys are just pawns, then who are these new players? I don't like this. Not one bit." He continued down the halls of the Great Fox towards the men's restroom and as he entered he could hear the showers running in the adjacent women's restroom. "It's probably Krystal." Fox thought.
He continued into the men's restroom and noticed the clothing rack adjacent to the shower stalls. Fox started to undo his combat armor as he turned on the shower while his thoughts continued to surge in his head. "I promised her that we would be together," he thought, "but if this new threat forces us apart then I'll never see her again for sure. Who are their leaders? What is so important that Peppy had to call every fleet commander back home? Why is it that when I am with her a new problem always arises?"
Fox undid the top of his combat armor and tossed it to the ground in his frustration. He was standing with the lower part of the armor and a black muscle t-shirt. He laid his hands on the wall and let his head sink. "Why? I can't lose her again, and I promised that we would always be together."
To put a stop to his mental storm, he heard a knock on the door. He went to open it and noticed Krystal standing outside. Her hair was wet and she was in a black tank top with sweatpants. She had a towel wrapped around her neck as she had just exited the shower.
"You know," Krystal said as she gave Fox a look irritation, "if there is anything you want to talk about, I'm here for you."
Fox realized where she was coming from. "How much did you hear?" he asked.
"Enough"
"Krystal I-"
Krystal placed a finger on his lip. "I know. You promised me that we will be together, and you're trying so hard to keep it that way." She said. "But for me, please don't stress yourself. I'll share the danger with you and we'll help each other through it. I'll always be there even in the darkest of times. But please, don't stress yourself."
Her words brought life back into Fox. He was relieved of his stress, and he smiled at Krystal. After a brief moment of exchanging smiles with each other, the two gently brought their faces together to share a kiss. Afterwards Krystal smiled at Fox and nodded at the showers. "Now, I do believe that you were in the middle of something?" she asked.
Fox turned towards the running water. "I'll be back out in a bit." he said to her.
The two embraced again and Fox returned to the showers. He was at ease with his feelings, and his head was clear. The warm water ran throughout his fur, and he was relaxed as he could be. After a brief shower, he returned to his quarters and noticed that Krystal was sound asleep within his bed. Fox smiled at the sight and took a deep breath. After setting down his towel on his desk, he turned the lights off and gently crawled in with her. He placed his arm over her and held her close and relaxed himself in comfort. "Together, always together." he thought. His eyes started to get heavy, and soon he drifted into sleep.
"Always together…"