For those of you who have read Star Fox:Deception, you may have noticed several similarities between Will, and Dan. this is because Will was originally named Daniel Wander, and was originally almost the same character. i changed that when i decided i was going to post this, and while doing my over haul of Deception back in November of 2014. anyway, do enjoy!


My eyes slowly opened and I took in the clean medical bay around me. I sat up as I looked around, taking in all of the medical equipment. Carrion was on a bed next to mine, her chest rising and falling at a slow steady rate. All the dirt had been cleaned off her face and I noticed all of the small cuts across it. Her body was covered in clean bandages. On my other side was Reynolds. I could see his monitor and I watched as his heart beat regularly and his breath came out slow and steady. The door in front of me shot open and I watched as a female navel captain flanked by two marines in fatigues marched in.

"Hello Wander. Glad to see you awake. Captain Samantha Robles of the U.N.S.C. Bastogne." I saluted and she returned the salute.

"Ma-am, How many of my people did you pull off the planet?"

"Seventeen. Four of which, will never fight again. In this room, we have Kyle Reynolds, Haden Bale, Maria Carrion and yourself. Reynolds is still in critical condition, Bale is waiting for us to finish cloning his lung for a transplant, and Carrion is fair, but stable." She smiled to me as she spoke.

"What about the others?"

"I'll send a report to you once you're up." I slung myself around and dropped to the floor. I cringed as pain shot through my right leg. I remember the brute spike and the plasma round. I shoved the pain back and stood up.

"I'm up, where's the damned report?" the captain smiled.

"In your office, Sergeant." I nodded as I grabbed the fatigues left on the med table beside me. I realized that I wasn't on a monitor as I pulled the uniform on.

"How long was I out, ma-am?" she smiled again she responded.

"Only about twelve hours." I nodded as she led the way out of the small ward. It opened into a surgery area with seven other doors, likely leading to similar wards. We walked to the end and stepped out of the door and into the hallway.

"While in the city, did you happen to find the superintendent, or its data?" She stopped as she spoke to me.

"Where's my gear?" she gave me a puzzled look as she pointed down the hall.

"Down in the hanger bay. I had the techs repair armor and weapons that were damaged. Some of those are in the armory. Corporal, have Corporal Beasley moved down to the hanger." The corporal nodded as he spoke into his radio. I signaled to the Captain to lead the way.

"After you Ma-am, it is your ship after all." She smirked and led the way down the hallway. My voice startled me as I spoke.

"Ma-am, where did your ship come from?" she seemed to debate something with herself before she spoke.

"Well, we arrived about twenty minutes before we pulled you off planet. We picked something up and noticed your convoy. I followed it, against my orders. I engaged as soon as we had a good position to fire down on the covies." I thought for a second as she spoke.

"Wait, this ship has an active camo system. That's the only way you could've gotten down to the planet. The fleet had punched just large enough of a hole to EVAC civvies in the enemy's blockade. Which would also explain this ship randomly appearing." The Captain cringed a little as I spoke.

"Well, technically, that is top secret information. But yes, this ship is equipped with an active camouflage system as well as other electronic disruption systems, both active and passive. In short, we can hide from any ship, human or covenant. Officially, she is part of a new design group, known as the Charon Mark Two Heavy Frigate. She has been modified from the standard mark two design for stealth ops. Rigged for deep space support missions, Charon Mark Two's have bigger reactors, more armor, a longer MAC gun, and firepower to outgun a Paris class. They also have twenty four Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles. Drop pods as you like to call them. Most other frigates only have twelve. She is also wider, taller and longer than even the Paris class, giving us a bigger hanger and supply compliment than other frigates, while having roughly the same crew." The captain smiled as I responded.

"Sounds useful. How many are Charon Mark Two's are there?" she held up three fingers as she spoke.

"Three. The Bastogne, the Normandy, and the Gettysburg. The other two are prototypes on trails for the standard design." The small troupe fell silent as we walked into an elevator. She depressed a button and the elevator shot down to the hanger deck. I glanced up, inspecting the racks built into the top of the hanger. There were six Pelicans hanging from the center rack, each one facing the back of the ship. On the deck of the hanger was a handful of hornets as well as a seventh pelican and a vulture gunship.

"Wander, it's great to see ya awake. How ya feelin?" Beasley came trotting over from the pile of equipment lying on the deck.

"I'm fine. Where's my gear?" Beasley pointed and I noticed the second soldier crouched, sorting through the gear.

"Right over there, Anderson has been working on sorting the gear out." I nodded and moved over to him.

"Private, find my gear yet?" he nodded and pointed over to a much smaller pile a short distance away. I found my pistol lying on top of the pile, neatly tucked away in its holster. I strapped the holster on, felling the empty magazine well on the pistol. I opened my pack and grabbed out two of the magazines, both fully loaded, and slid one in the weapon and the other into a pouch on the holster. I dug through the pile until I found my wrist computer, which someone had pulled off my armor. I yanked out the memory chip and pocketed it.

"So ah Wander, I didn't get to properly introduce myself earlier. My name's Jimmy Anderson." He held out his hand for me to shake it. I glared at him for a second, making it clear that I wasn't going to accept it.

"Private, where is specialist Carrion's kit?" he shrugged and pointed off to another pile. I opened her pack and grabbed out the databank with the AI's data. My breath came in ragged gasps as I trotted back to the captain.

"Is that the AI?" Beasley trotted over to join us as I shook my head, revealing the AI chip in my pocket.

"No ma-am. This is the AI. The core is its data, ma-am." She nodded and signaled to me to follow.

"Just so you know, I do not permit carrying weapons on my ship unless you are security staff or prepping for combat." I dropped my hand to the weapon as I responded.

"Ma-am, with all due respect, my weapon stays with me. Loaded. Period, ma-am." She smirked as she spoke.

"How come every person that says 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'? I'll let it slide. This time." The elevator whisked us up to the bridge deck and she led me to a conference room behind the bridge. The door slid open and pure rage funneled through my body as I recognized the man across the table from me.


Beasley struggled to control Dan as he tried to dive across the table at the Doctor. The AI's data had clattered to the floor, forgotten in the struggle. Dan had managed to get close enough to the doctor to hammer his face.

"You son of a bitch! You tried to kill us!" The Captain stepped in between Wander and Coleman as he spoke.

"Captain, this man shot one of my troopers, he should be put death."

"Doctor, expla…." The captain was cut off by Wander.

"Ma-am, he gave his men orders to kill us. I had to take the shot!" the Doctor snarled as he spoke.

"You useless lying…" his voice was cut off as the captain slammed her fist into his chest.

"You, sit down and shut up. You, full story, now." Wander glared at the doctor as he spoke, crossing his arms.

"We got shot down in the city. His troops found us, pulled us out. He then threatened to leave us planet side if we didn't help him find the super intendant. We found it and he had his guys threaten us at gunpoint. If we didn't hand over the AI, they were to fire. Turns out, he dumped everyone behind us, wounded included." Beasley nodded and spoke.

"He's telling the truth ma-am." She nodded as she spoke.

"I know. It's not the only time he tried to leave you behind. He tried to order me to not save you. I told him to eff off. My ship, my decision. And I don't leave guys behind. Coleman, if I don't hear one sweet and sappy apology, you aint getting this data. If it wasn't for my decision, you wouldn't have access to it." Coleman's face was covered in pure rage.

"Fine. Captain, I am sorry I ordered you to not save your precious soldiers." She glared at him as she picked up the data cell.

"Wander, is this the AI?" I shook my head, showing her the chip.

"No, just the data." She smirked as she tossed it at the Doctor.

"Since you only apologized to me, you only get the data. Enjoy trying to analyze it without an AI. Wander, follow me." Beasley followed the two of them as he listened in.

"I hate that guy. Been trying to take command of my ship ever since he came on board. I'm sorry but for now, you need to stay in the med bay. We don't have any open bunks on the ship. Beasley already knows that." Dan nodded to her as they stepped into the elevator.

"I'm guessing I have free roam of the ship, aside from the obvious restrictions, engineering, bridge and so on. Ma-am."

"Yes, as well as deck three. All of deck three. There is a galley on deck two with the med bay; armory is just above the hanger. We have a simulated weapon range off of it. Your armor and weapons are stored there with no munitions. I'll let your sidearm slide. You do have access to the bridge though." He nodded as the elevator stopped again and the small group stepped out.

"What about my guys." Wander stopped dead in his tracks, crossing his arms at her.

"You have full access to their rooms; given the same privacy id expect you to give them. And I'll have a roster brought to you soon. Get some rest Sergeant, it's a long flight." He nodded and stepped into the med bay.

"Ma-am, I'm going back down to the hanger. Going to help sort stuff out."

"Wait, Beasley, has he always been this stiff and well, disrespectful?"

"You get used to it. He aint friendly, but he takes care of his team. It's all he has. I'm sorry if it's buggin' ya ma-am." She nodded as he saluted and darted away, lost in his own thoughts.


Carrion heard a faint rhythmic beep as she slowly awoke. Her eye's flicked open and she slowly sat up. Something tugged slightly at her arm as her entire body throbbed. She couldn't even use her right arm through the pain. The room she was in had four other beds in it. Both of the beds beside her were empty, but the last bed to the left of her had someone in it. She tried to tell who it was, but her vision swam as she nearly collapsed from the pain. The door slid open and she watched as a soldier in fatigues walked in with someone in a medical uniform.

"Here is the roster you asked for sergeant." He nodded, accepting the data pad from the doctor.

"Thanks doc, let me know how that transplant goes." The doctor nodded and stepped out as she recognized Wander.

"Wander? I… Where are we?" he looked at her with what seemed like bewilderment as he spoke.

"A Frigate called the Bastogne. Go back to sleep." He stripped off his uniform jacket and dropped down on his bunk, almost instantly asleep. A nurse came in and walked up beside her.

"How are you Miss Carrion?" she grimaced as she spoke.

"Like crap ma-am. Can't use my right arm, trouble breathing, gut feels like liquid, leg is burning, back is in pain. Ma-am." The nurse nodded as she sat her up, slowly stripping off each of the bandages to inspect the injuries beneath.

"Well, your injuries have improved, surprisingly enough. You need to rest. Ill up the pain meds a little bit to help you sleep." The nurse smiled as she punched in a few commands on the monitor beside her.

"I can't sleep. Where is Haden?" the nurse glanced at her, confused. "Private Haden Bale, did he survive?" she smiled as she realized who Carrion was talking about.

"Yes, he did. He is in surgery right now, lung transplant. Doctor Richardson is very optimistic about his condition. He's in good hands Miss." Carrion smiled back at her as she drifted off to sleep.


I stared into Mikayla's eyes as I held her in my lap, pressing my shirt into her gaping stomach, barely affecting the torrent of blood flowing out. I knew she only had seconds left.

"Damn it Mikayla, hold on. You can make it. Don't die on me girl. I love you!" she smiled up at me, her voice almost non-existent.

"Through ash and dust, wind and rain, life and death, Il always will be, by your side. I have always loved you Dan," her smile didn't fade as she raised her hand to my cheek. I grabbed her hand and pressed it to my face, closing my eyes to fight off the tears as the airlock sealed beside us. The floor vibrated as the thrusters fired, lifting the civilian liner into the air. Mikayla's hand went limp in my own and I screamed, no longer trying to hold back the tears.


Carrion suddenly awoke as someone screamed. She shot up when she heard a pistol get racked and the safety flicked off. She could barely see Wander's outline as he shook violently his weapon was scanning the room and she noticed that he was drenched in sweat.

"Whoa there Dan. Put the gun down." She recognized Reynolds voice and Wander calmed down a little.

"Dan, it's alright. Just calm down." Her own voice felt weak as she spoke. The weapon's safety clicked back on and he slipped it back in its holster. His eyes still flicked wildly around the room as his breath came in ragged gasps.

"What the fuck are you two looking at? Go back to sleep." Right after he spoke, the door slid open and one of the nurses stepped in, flicking the lights on.

"Everyone okay? I heard someone scream." Wander spoke up before anyone else could.

"Were fine. It was nothing." He dropped back down to his bunk and seemed to instantly fall asleep. The light turned back off and Carrion felt herself drift off.


Beasley stepped off the elevator and into the hanger. Anderson was now sitting on one of the many cargo crates, chatting with what looked like Ryan and a marine he didn't know. Something seemed familiar about the third soldier and he simply couldn't place it. Anderson's voice rang out across the hanger as he called to Beasley.

"Hey Damien, get over here!" Beasley trotted over as he greeted Ryan and Anderson.

"Hey Anderson. David, how's the leg?" Ryan was still on crutches from the leg he broke.

"Hurts like hell. But doc says he is going to do some reinforcement of it as it heals. Works by me. Already broken the damn thing about five times in my life." Beasley smirked as he spoke to the unknown marine.

"Who are you?" he tried to make his tone friendly to the young trooper.

"My name is Gibson Jones. My friends just call me Gibbs though." He smiled to him as his memory clicked into place.

"Jones, hey, glad you made it out." All of their faces dropped as they remembered all of the soldiers left dead on the planet.

"I lost my family down there." They all looked at Anderson as he spoke. Beasley patted him on the shoulder as he spoke.

"Hey, hang in there kid. War is brutal, war is hell. And these aliens, don't respect life like we do. They won't spare civilians. Just remember that the next time we see them. And know that no matter what happens, we are your family. To the end." The other two nodded in agreement. Tears filled the young man's eyes as he let himself cry. The other two both placed their hands on his shoulders as he spoke.

"My sister, she was only sixteen. Just gotten her first boyfriend what a week ago? My dad was a farmer. Was damn good at it too. Everyone wanted the food he grew. My mother was a nurse at one of the biggest hospitals on the planet. Was considered one of the best. And now, they are all gone." He felt his heart sink, thinking of his fifteen month old boy at home. He hadn't seen him in almost eight months. Images of his wife shot through his mind and tears started to flow out. He glanced at the two people beside him and noticed that the entire group had tears in their eyes.

"Hey, let's get this gear sorted and stowed. This war aint over, so unless you want someone else losing it all, I suggest you kick some alien ass, Hooyah?!" the two army troopers chanted Hooah at the same time as Jones' Hooyah, creating a somewhat disgruntled sound. The four of them moved to the pile of gear and slowly started sorting through all of it.


Carrion slipped out of her hospital bed, wincing in pain as she slowly pulled her clothing on. She had to go find Wander. After the first night and his nightmare, he was moved to an empty officer's stateroom. She hadn't seen him in almost a week and she wanted to make sure he was alright. She knew the docs wanted her to stay in bed, but she couldn't. Her leg and shoulder burned as she slipped on her boots. She tried to move quietly through the med bay as she whimpered with almost every step. Her hand stayed tight to her stomach where a dull throb was still constantly there. She limped out one of the main doors into the hallway. Her mind started debating how to find him and nearly missed him slip out of the cafeteria.

"Hey! Dan!" she knew her voice was weak and he spun almost instantly, responding as he did so.

"Carrion, shouldn't you be in the med bay?" she nodded as he approached her.

"Yeah I know but I'm worried about you. You saved all of our lives, so I owe you that much. Are you okay?" he crossed his arms and glared at her.

"I'm fine." She sensed the hostility in his voice and she quickly changed the subject.

"Sergeant Wander? Who did I remind you off back on Verent?" she saw a flash of pain rip through his body as he spoke.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Go back to bed." He moved to turn away and she grabbed his arm.

"Dan, in the club. You said I reminded you of someone. That person, it's who your nightmares are about, isn't it? You lost someone on Actium, someone you were close to. That's who I reminded you of?" he tore his arm out of her grip and snarled as he spoke.

"I said, go back to bed Carrion. That's an order. I'll court martial you if you don't." she shied away from him as he turned and stalked down the hallway, disappearing into a side room. She slowly moved back into the med bay, two nurses nearly ran into her as they darted out to look for her.


Reynolds felt a hand gently resting on his shoulder. His eyes flicked open seeing the white ceiling above him in the med bay. He looked to his right and smiled when he saw Sánchez sitting next to him.

"Hey Lorianna. I was just thinking about you." She returned the smile as she spoke.

"I thought you agreed to never call me that again after I learned you were a Spartan?" he grinned as he spoke, knowing she never let anyone else use her first name.

"I don't care anymore. I'm just happy to see you again. Honestly, I thought I never would after that op years ago. Yet here we are." She smiled and blushed as she looked down.

"Neither did I. but I'm very glad." Her face dropped more as Reynolds spoke again.

"You never gave me an answer though." Her face dropped more as she seemed to remember something else.

"Kyle, Tanner is dead. Everyone from the old team is. Except me and you." Reynolds reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek, letting his hand rest on her shoulder.

"He will be missed. Don't give up. You are never going to lose me." She grabbed his hand, holding it for a second. She then placed it back at his side as she stood.

"I… better go." Reynolds blinked, trying to fight back tears.

"I can't stop you. But I wish I could." The silence between them lengthened until she stepped out of the med bay and the door sealed behind her. Reynolds mind drifted off to the past as he let himself fall back into a restless sleep.


Robles watched all of the screens and techs around her as they micro-managed their systems and other controls for the slip space jump.

"Lieutenant Stevens. Drop us into real space and set course for Tribute. We'll get extra supplies and drop the survivors there."

"Aye, Aye, ma-am." She watched as an array of blues and whites quickly changed in the viewport. Elongated stars appeared and quickly resolved into their individual points. The view drifted as he reset the course.

"Ma-am, it'll be an hour until we can fire the slip space drive again. Engineer Brooks wants to make sure it's alright. Bastogne is brand new, ma-am." Lieutenant Chun at the engineering console glanced over her shoulder as she spoke.

"Alright. One hour. Then we gotta be under way again." They both saluted and she stepped off the bridge, her executive officer following. "Jeremiah, I want the helmet cams from the survivors brought to the briefing room on the double." He nodded as he stepped into the elevator. She stepped into the briefing room and sat down in one of the chairs, facing the screen. Within a few minutes, he trotted back in and plugged a data crystal into the wall. It showed Staff Sergeant D. Wander as it loaded the video and audio data. She fast forwarded the log until they reached the front line. A sigh escaped her body as she settled in, knowing that the footage she was about to watch was going to be horrifying and bloody.


She felt a hand shake her awake and she realized she had fallen asleep. The log had been paused at what looked like a club house as Wander fired his rifle at thin air.

"Sorry ma-am, you should watch this next clip. Wander and Carrion got cut off and were severely outmanned." He resumed the clip and she watched the two of them worked together to bring down the elites and the other lighter infantry. She paused it as they summoned the elevator.

"Wow. If any of the other survivors are even half as good as them, I think we may just have found our team." Jeremiah smiled as he spoke.

"I do believe we have ma-am."