Here we are, the next chapter of Star Fox Annihilation and yet somehow it's still going smoothly, I've very surprised at that.

This chapter will be a lot shorter than the others, only having two scenes. That's good for me though this chapter is still important as two VERY important things happen that we've been with for. Hopefully they live up to the hype.

The only thing I'm disappointed in is how low this story is in reviews and attention it's getting. I know I may be asking a lot but if you're reading this story please leave a review, even a short one, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.


Chapter 16: New Family?

Great Fox hangar

Dang it, where the heck is she?

Fox thought as he paced back and forth in front of his Arwing.

Looking up at the clock hanging over his Arwing he deduced he'd been waiting on Fara for nearly an hour. After Peppy gave him the message that Fara was coming to discuss something important, he agreed to wait in the hangar till she arrived. If he had known it would take so long to arrive he would've put lil Vixy to bed first, something that takes forever, before heading to the hangar. Instead, there he was, strutting around the place waiting for his ex-wife to arrive. It wasn't good on his mental state as his mind wondered on possibilities of how Fara would react around Krystal, and possibly Diana. Knowing Fara's jealous tendencies he didn't see too many positive possibilities.

Fox was beginning to get frustrated when he heard the hangar door slide open. He turned around to see Krystal enter. She had a slight but nervous smile on as she approached him. Seeing her was not what he expected or hoped to see in the hangar when Fara arrived. Despite that he was still glad to see her.

"Krystal, what are you doing here?" Fox nervously asked.

"I was on the bridge with Peppy when Fara's call came through. I figured I'd at least come with you and meet her. I'm bound to meet her sooner or later so I wanted to get it over with."

"Can't say I blame you, though I'm not sure how Fara would respond seeing you."

"I don't think it'll be too bad. She strikes me as a well composed professional, so I think we'll be fine."

Before Fox could reply he heard the hangar door open behind them again. He turned around to see Diana enter with Vixy following close behind her. Vixy looked a little tired, it was well past her bed time but it didn't seem to slow her down as she ran to his side. Diana had a slight smile which made him uneasy as it was something he'd rarely seen with her. Krystal nodded at Diana with a big smile and she returned it.

Fox looked at Diana confused as she approached him. "Diana, why are you here?"

"I overhead you and Peppy speaking so I figured I'd join you. It's an opportunity to meet Fara and I thought that Vixy would want to see her mother." Diana replied as she leaned in close to Fox and whispered. "Next time try speaking quieter, we reptiles have better hearing than you think."

"Ah, well I'll definitely take that under advisement. After our fight you're the last person on this ship I want mad at me."

"Hm, never imagined the great Fox McCloud would be scared of anything, but I'm at least glad it's me."

Fox picked up Vixy and was about to reply to Diana only to hear what sounded like a shuttle approaching. He turned to see a Space Dynamics shuttle nearing the hangar entrance. A lump settled in his throat as he watched the shuttle slowly enter the hangar and land at the nearest available spot. He could feel himself getting nervous as the shuttle landed followed by the back doors opening. Krystal and Diana stood behind him as he waited patiently but also nervously, having them nearby made him less nervous but not by much. After a few moments Fara stepped out of the shuttle and looked straight at Fox and the others and waved at them with a smile. She seemed slightly awkward about something which was unheard of. Whatever Fara had on her mind must've been very important if she appeared to be so nervous.

Okay, here we go. Fox thought as watched Fara approach them.

"Fara, it's good to see you again." Fox said as he lowered Vixy to the ground.

Vixy ran to Fara and jumped into her arms. Fara hugged Vixy tight and kissed her on the head. Fox had to hold back a grin watching Vixy's tail wag so quickly it was almost a blur. He did let out a soft sigh upon noticing that Fara didn't look angry in the slightest, he figured she'd have some anger left over after she saw the video of him and Krystal. Either Vixy did her job at making Fara happy or there was something major on her mind that distracted her from it.

Fara smiled as she nodded back at Fox. "It's good to see you still alive and well. You seem to be doing a good job at keeping Vixy happy."

"That's easier than you think. She's had no shortage of excitement around here lately."

"Which had me worried about her safety, though I had a feeling you'd keep her out of harms way." Fara replied then looked towards Krystal and Diana. "So, this is Krystal and Diana Sharpscale? They certainly look like interesting individuals."

Fox couldn't help but smirk. "They definitely are. I guess they came along to meet you."

"Then introductions are required my dear Fox."

"Of course, where are my manners." Fox responded as he stepped towards Krystal first. "Fara, I'd like you to meet Krystal, the woman who helped us on Sauria."

Though it was subtle Fox noticed Fara's expression quickly change from happy to what seemed to be anger. Despite only displaying the emotion for an instant it was enough for him to notice, he could also see daggers shoot out of Fara's eyes into Krystal's face. As quickly as the expression appeared it disappeared, though he was certain Krystal noticed it, no way her telepathy didn't pick up on it.

Krystal smiled as best she could as she approached Fara. "It's an honor to meet you Miss Phoenix. Fox has told me a lot about you. I know what you saw about me and him but I hope there will be no tension between us. I don't want us getting off on the wrong foot."

Fara laughed softly as she shook Krystal's hand. "You got nothing to worry about, Fox and I aren't married anymore so no hard feelings."

"That's . . . not what I thought you'd say the first time we met. I figured you'd be a little more mad."

"Of course not, anger gets people nowhere. I might be a little jealous but I'm not angry. I want us to get along so we'll see where it goes. I'll have a talk with Fox later though, when things aren't so . . . difficult."

"Uh, difficult?"

"Yeah, that's the best word I can think of at the moment. There are quite a few things going on so we don't really have the time to talk." Fara replied with a sigh. "But I would like a conversation with you later."

"We'll see, I hope that happens to. I'd like to clear the air if possible."

"That makes two of us." Fara said with a grin then looked up at Diana and approached her. "Mrs. Sharpscale, it's an honor to meet you. The reports I've read speak very highly of you and your brother."

Diana nodded, giving Fara a slight smile. "Thank you Miss Phoenix, I'm not used to getting compliments."

"Hm, I guess we'll have to change that. In the mean time I have a feeling getting to know you is going to be fun."

Diana shrugged her shoulders. "I doubt it, outside of fighting I'm not that interesting."

"We'll see, I think you could be. Though that will have to be later, the reason I came here comes first."

"And what is that, Fara?" Fox asked as he stepped towards Fara. "You have yet to mention why you came here."

"I know, that's because I didn't know how to explain it." Fara replied then turned towards the shuttle and shouted. "Cara, you can come out now."

Fox looked back at the shuttle to see two figures step out; a female panther followed by a child. The woman seemed slightly familiar but not in a "we've met in person" way. She seemed a little nervous but didn't appear to let it slow her down. It was the child that got Fox's attention as she appeared to be a feline/canine hybrid. Looking closely at the child there was something very familiar in her features, as if she reminded him of someone.

Fara stepped towards the woman and child, extending an arm towards them. "Fox, Krystal, Diana, I want you to meet Cara Caruso and her daughter Felicity, they are the reason I'm here."

Fox approached Cara and offered his hand to her. "Cara, it's nice to meet you."

Cara nodded as she accepted Fox's hand. "It's nice to meet you too Fox. I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm not surprised, everyone's heard of him." Diana chimmed in only to get a lot of stares.

"That is true though my information comes from a much more . . . connected source and it's the reason I'm here."

Fox and everyone else, except Fara, looked at Cara confusedly. "What do you mean by connected source?"

"Well, uh, I'm not sure how to put it to cause the least amount of shock. Regardless I think all of you may have trouble believing it."

"They're here because of your brother, Todd." Krystal said before Cara or Fara could.

Fara and Cara looked at Krystal shocked and confused. The expressions on their faces made Fox nearly bust out laughing. Vixy didn't hold back a giggle while Diana barely shrugged.

Fox shrugged at Fara. "I told you in reports that she's a telepath."

"Ah, yeah I remember that. I guess it'll take some getting used to."

"A long time most likely. I'm still not used to her saying what's on my mind."

"And I'm sorry about that." Krystal said to Fara. "I often forget I'm not among my own people so I tend not to say what's on my mind or say things I see on other people's minds."

Fara shrugged. "It's fine, I guess as long as you don't do it too much or dig too deep into my mind, there's a lot of sensitive information in there."

"I'll try but can't make any certain promises, could happen accidentally."

"Then please, don't read my mind unless necessary."

To Fox that last comment from Fara seemed a little too aggressive, her tone certainly didn't help. She did have a reason to be assertive, as the CEO of Space Dynamics she had access to a lot of top secret information to not just her company but also for the Cornerian military. For that reason Fara could suspect Krystal of spying or as a security risk at the very least. However, Fox thought her response to Krystal was a little too aggressive, she could definitely have toned it down, though saying that to her would not be good for his health.

A short silence followed as no one seemed to know what to say. To Fox he guessed it was probably a combination of Cara's mysterious replies and Fara's outburst to Krystal, if it could be called that. He wanted to move on from the telepathy conversation to what Cara was doing there but couldn't find the words to say. It wasn't till he felt Vixy tugging on his shirt that the situation seemed to change.

"Daddy, why does that little kit look a little like uncle Todd." Vixy asked as she pointed towards Felicity.

Fara smiled as she bent over and patted Vixy on the head. "Well, that's because she is part of him little Vixy. Felicity here is your cousin."

An eerie silence fell over the hangar as Fox's mind tried to wrap itself what Fara said. He knew Fara had a dark sense of humor but if she was joking that was way too far for her usual jokes. However, when it came to family she didn't joke around and the look on her face was deadly serious.

"What . . . what are saying?" Fox stuttered.

Cara sighed as she stepped forward. "I was stuck on Fichina with your brother, he is the reason we're alive. Felicity is Todd's daughter and your niece."

Fox took a step back to keep himself from falling. He tried to comprehend what Cara just said but it didn't seem possible. What little she said told him so much that it was almost too much to take in. All he could do was stutter and stare back and forth from Cara to Felicity trying to understand what she said. Though the shock was intense he could see it was having a significant impact on Diana and Krystal as well but he was taking it far worse than both of them combined.

Fara laid a hand on Fox's shoulder. "Assemble everyone on the bridge and we'll explain everything."

X

Great Fox Bridge

"WAIT, YOU'RE TELLING ME TODD IS ALIVE, AND THAT YOU'RE HIS MATE AND SHE'S HIS DAUGHTER?!" Daria shouted at Cara, pointing briefly at Felicity.

Everyone on the bridge would've looked at Daria after her outburst if they weren't already starring shockingly at Cara and Felicity, even Diana and Torygg appeared to be stunned. When Fox summoned everyone to the bridge the last thing she and the others expected to hear was Cara explaining that Todd, the brother who she believed to be dead, was not only still alive but also the father of the Panther/fox hybrid in front of her. Cara just dropped the news bomb right out of the gate with little backstory besides saying that Todd was still alive. It had become so quiet that they could hear the small asteroid peddles brushing on the Great Fox's hull from inside the bridge. Apparently the only person who wasn't shocked was Fara, probably because Cara already explained it to her.

Cara nodded. "Yes, and I know it's hard to believe but I'm telling the truth."

"I know how you guys are feeling, I had trouble believing it too when I first heard it." Fara said as she stepped forward. "That's why to confirm it I had my science team do a DNA test on Felicity. Without a doubt she is Todd's daughter."

"So, that makes me a double aunt now?" Daria said in a slightly sarcastic tone.

Cara nodded. "Yes, I know it's a major shock and I'm sorry for it but . . ."

Fox raised his hand towards Cara to stop her. "There's nothing to be sorry about, my sister and I are estatic about the news, so will the rest of the family when they find out. We're just glad to hear that you two and Todd are still alive. We'll discuss more details later on Felicity, kind of a big shock and probably something that should be discussed privately in family."

"I agree, her existence is out of blue so I understand that it's a private family matter. Even Todd and I had a tough time raising her."

"Which is why I have a major question. I thought that it was impossible for a feline to reproduce with a canine?" Fay blurted out.

"Uh, apparently it's not as we're looking at the proof of that." Diana said pointing at Felicity. "Though even I'm curious as to how it happened."

"I think that's something best explained when the children aren't around." Fox stated, getting a nod from everyone.

Out of the corner of her eye Daria saw Vixy and Felicity standing awkwardly close to each other. Felicity stopped right in front of Vixy and strangely sniffed her as if she was sniffing her prey or trying to determine who Vixy was. Vixy remained calm as she appeared to observe Felicity, apparently curious as to what she'd do. After some time Felicity finally reached towards Vixy and hug her. Vixy hardly moved a muscle as Felicity hugged her till she finally gave in and hugged back. Watching it nearly made Daria laugh, she'd never seen Vixy cautious towards anyone before but Felicity was different. Felicity did seem to be a little feral, maybe it was her long, matted fur or unusually long, sharp claws. Perhaps being on Fichina her whole short life had an effect on her. Daria had a feeling getting Felicity to adjust to living in a civilization may be a bit of a challenge. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind as Felicity and Vixy starred at each other, neither seemed sure what to do. No one else seemed to notice, they were too busy popping question after question at Cara who tried her best to answer.

As Daria watched Felicity and Vixy a thought crossed her mind causing her to turn towards Cara and softly growl. "If what you say is true than where is Todd?"

Cara lowered her head as she answered. "Still on Fichina, he stayed behind."

"WHAT, why the heck would he do that?" Miyu shouted, getting all eyes on her and causing Cara to step back and angrily glare at her.

"He had to stay, someone had to keep Andross from leaving."

The mention of Andross' name caused the room to fall deathly silent with a few gasps. Daria nearly dropped her coffee and she saw Fox appear to nearly stumble at Cara's response. No one said a word for what felt like forever, even Daria couldn't find the words to say.

"Andross . . . you're saying that . . . "Diana shouted only to stop when she seemed to notice the children looking at her. ". . . ape is still alive?"

Cara nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I saw him myself. I cannot say what he's doing there but it can't be good."

"With Andross it never is." Fay added.

"If Andross is on Fichina then why did you leave him there?" Miyu shouted, Daria sensing some anger in her tone.

Cara glared angrily at Miyu. "I didn't leave Todd behind, if it was my choice he'd be right here beside me."

"Uh, what do you mean?" Fox asked.

Cara let out a loud sigh. "Todd chose to stay behind. He said he had to keep Andross from leaving Fichina at all costs. So he commendered a shuttle for Felicity and me so we could escape and bring word of Andross to Cornerian. His specific orders were get to Fara Phoenix and tell her everything."

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like Todd." Daria said with a smirk. "He always was selfless when it came to combat and his teammates, especially when his family was involved."

"That's one reason why I fell in love with him. I tried to convince him to come along but he said he couldn't leave knowing Andross was still around."

"So he stayed behind so you two could escape and to prevent Andross from escaping?" Krystal asked.

"Yes, and somehow I know he's still alive." Cara replied then nearly shouted in a determined tone. "That's why we need to get to Fichina as soon as possible, to save Todd."

Falco replied with a sigh. "As much as I hate to be that guy, I have to ask, how do we know she's telling the truth?"

"Because I can tell you she's not." Krystal exclaimed immediately having all eyes on her. "Part of my telepathy allows me to tell if a person is lying. From what I've sensed, everything Cara said is true."

"You're telepathy comes in handy Krystal." Daria said, noticing Krystal blush, then looked back at everyone. "Even without telepathy it's obvious she's telling the truth. You can tell it by her expression."

Cara gave Daria and Krystal reassuring smiles. "Thank you, but if you do believe me what are you going to do about it? Are you going to rescue my mate?"

"Of course, even if I have to go there myself." Daria loudly exclaimed,

"Thankfully that is not necessary." Fox said as he laid a hand on Daria's shoulder. "I couldn't call myself a McCloud if I didn't rescue my brother and dealt with the man who killed my mother. We're going to get him back."

Daria felt pride swell up in her chest as she looked at her older brother. She half expected him to hesitate and delay to call for help. Seeing Fox jump right into the fire with her reminded Daria of the McCloud spirit their family proudly shared. She'd be honored to fly and fight alongside her brother any time.

Slippy suddenly stepped forward. "I'm not trying to ruin the moment but just how are we going to do that? We cannot just barge to Fichina to rescue Todd and take out Andross."

"That's a good question Slippy, one we really need help dealing with." Peppy replied then turned towards Fox. "We need to tell Corneria what's going on."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Peppy." Fara exclaimed. "No doubt there a spies within the government and military. Till my researchers comb through all the data you sent us from the Venom embassy attack we can't be certain who we can trust. The risk of the word getting out is pretty high."

"On top of that it'd take too long for Corneria to mobilize to Fichina, the military isn't exactly the fastest thanks to all the procedures and red tape." Miyu added.

"And we have to worry about Todd as well. Every second we spend here increases the danger for him." Daria responded worriedly.

"That's why the only people who know this are in this room and a few researchers I trust." Fara added. "This information needs to stay between us for the time being."

"So, you're saying we need to deal with this ourselves?" Fox asked getting a nod from Fara. "That certainly complicates things, getting to the South Pole of Fichina isn't easy, it'd be nice to have some assistance."

"Hey Peppy, isn't Lucy on Fichina?" Fay asked.

"Yes, she's doing some research there on a facility. I can't tell you what it is?" Peppy replied with a shrug.

"Huh, do you think she could help us?"

Peppy seemed to think about it for a minute before replying. "I'm not certein though I can give her a call at least."

Peppy turned and left the bridge to the comm room leaving everyone else behind. No one said a word for the longest time, even though there was no doubt plenty of questions for Cara. Daria had numerous questions for Cara and wanted to spend time getting to know Felicity who was still playing with Vixy. Instead, she knew there would be time for that later, there was a more important question running through her mind she had for Fox.

Daria looked at her brother and said in a proud tone. "So, bro, what do you say we get our brother back and end that Ape once and for all?"


South Pole, Fichina

What the hell are they talking about down there? Todd thought as he peered through the binoculars at the Venom facility below him, angry that the microphone option had broken.

Lying in the snow, Todd could only sigh from the cliff side he lied in as the Venomians below him ran about their business. The snow slowly buried him to the point where he blended in perfectly with the environment, only his head and binoculars were visible. He didn't feel the cold thanks to his thick coat, that wasn't his concern anyway. If the microphone option on the binoculars hadn't broken he could pick up on what they were saying. Instead, he had to guess what they were saying, unfortunately he wasn't a lip reader. It had recently gotten too dangerous to attempt to get closer with base patrol increase, they'd all but stopped sending out patrols and instead focused on base security, almost as if they were expecting an attack.

If only I could hear what they were saying, then I'd have something for when Cara brings back help. Todd thought as he tried to focus on Andross' quarters but couldn't see through the shutters they had recently installed.

As Todd continued to look over the Venom base his mind trailed off to Cara and Felicity. Naturally, he was worried about them since their escape, he wouldn't be a real mate and father if he didn't. He knew it would most likely be some time before they came back he couldn't help but be worried about them. Anything could've happened to them though he tried not to focus on the negative. Todd had faith Cara and Felicity were safe but not knowing was killing him on the inside. He wished he could be there with them and if it wasn't for Andross he definitely would be. To Todd it was another reason amongst the endless ones to curse Andross.

What I wouldn't give to know how they're doing. Todd thought, letting out a loud sigh.

Suddenly, a strong, feminine voice softly spoke behind him. "I see you're still spying on the desperate."

Todd nearly jumped from his position hearing the voice come from nowhere. He drew his tomahawk and the turned around to face who it was only to freeze when he saw her. Standing over him was the large, red furred woman he knew all too well but was still a mystery to him.

Todd sighed as he holstered his tomahawk and looked up at the woman standing above him. "Zathora, it's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too Todd. Nice to see you're still surviving out here."

"It hasn't been easy, the Venomians picked up patrols for a bit so it was difficult to observe Andross and the others. Thankfully they've stopped doing that recently."

Zathora nodded as she stood over him. "If anyone could survive here it's you, I did teach you a little of what I know after all."

"Hm, so I assume you're not here just to check up on me?"

"I guess I made that too obvious. There'd be no reason to check on you since I knew you'd still be alive."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I came here to inform you on the situation on Cara and Felicity, you have a right to know of their wellbeing."

"Are they alright?" Todd exclaimed loudly and worriedly.

"Yes, they were picked up by a Space Dynamics research team a day ago. Fara met with them and they've filled her in on everything. She's making sure they're taking care of."

"Good, I'm glad Fara's looking after them, she's a good woman. I'm a little surprised she could despite being the CEO's daughter."

Zathora let out a smirk. "Fara's the CEO of Space Dynamics now. Her father stepped down two years ago and she took his place."

"Seriously? Huh? Hard imagine Fara as the business type, she's always been the in-the-field type. Still it's good to know she's in charge, guess this means Cara and Felicity are in safe hands. How are they doing right now?"

"At the moment they are on the Great Fox, just finished explaining the situation to everyone. And to answer the obvious question, yes, Daria was there."

Todd nearly leapt for joy but remained calm. "That's . . . outstanding news. I bet that was a . . . unique meeting."

"It was quite entertaining to watch to say the least, I had a few laughs. Thankfully, Cara got the point across and needless to say Star Fox is headed here right now."

Todd smiled as he nodded to Zathora. "Thank you for telling me. It's a huge weight off my chest to know that they're safe and that my time here is short."

"You're welcome, I had a hunch you'd at least want to know they were safe. It should only been a little while longer till you're off this frozen wasteland." Zathora replied as she laid a hand on Todd's shoulder. "So, you think you can last here a couple of days?"

A smile crossed Todd's face as he looked back through the binoculars. "Of course, I made a promise to my family I'd make it. You know I keep my promises."

So, Cara and Felicity have finally been introduced to Fox, though it seems to have left one heck of a impact on everyone. Everyone now knows that Andross is still alive and where he is, will they arrive in time to catch him? Even bigger concern, how will Fara act around Krystal and Diana what will happen between them and Fox?

Please leave a review. I honestly want to know what you think of the story and how I can improve it.

Hope that you are enjoying the story so far. The next chapter will be uploaded as soon as possible.