Hello, everyone! Phantom here with another chapter to Star Fox: Journey. I won't go into deep detail what this chapter is about, but I will say that it's kind of mostly just random bullshit I came up, put it down on paper, typed it up, ran it through Grammarly, and then copy + pasted the final results onto here.

With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

P.S. Chapter 3 to I'm Your Favorite, Right? is coming along slowly but surely. I can't wait to get it finished and post it for y'all to read. I must warn you, it got dark pretty quick at the beginning. Thankfully, it'll get somewhat brighter as we go along. Phantom out.

Docking the alien spacecraft with the Great Fox's hangar was no easy task, even with the computer guidance of ROB-64. But the automated pilot managed to pull off the feat without a hitch. Once ROB secured the spacecraft, Star Fox, Star Wolf, and the CDF security attachment moved down to the hangar with all due haste. Like Wolf mentioned earlier, who knew if the occupants of the alien vessel were hostile? It was better to be safe than sorry and let the aliens wreak havoc on the Great Fox before anyone could stop them.

Fox studied everyone around her as the three teams beheld the craft before them. Slippy and Katt Monroe were the only ones left of the old Star Fox team, as Fox had to kick Falco Lombardi off the team for being an obnoxious asshole. Miyu Lynx and Fay Spaniel were newer additions shortly after the Lylat Wars had ended. Miyu was Fox's friend from childhood, while Fay was more of a tag-along companion for the feline. Fox was relieved and glad that none of her friends had left her.

Fox then switched her gaze to her arch-rival, who was wearing an indecipherable expression.

That was common for Wolf O'Donnell, as Fox had never met her until Andross and his army attacked Corneria, and she knew very little about the lupine. To Wolf's left and right were Panther Caroso and Leon Powalski. Panther, Fox knew from her academy days. But only in passing. Otherwise, she was as much a stranger to Fox as Wolf was. Leon, however, everyone knew one way or the other. He was famous for his work as an assassin; many military leaders before and after the Lylat Wars lost their lives to him. As for why he was still walking free instead of being behind bars, the notion baffled Fox. However, she figured the Council had something to say about that, considering their attitude towards the late Andross. But that was just a blind guess, and Fox hoped it wasn't true.

"Hey, Fox?"

Fox shook her head and looked at the stocky amphibian who snapped her from her thoughts. "Yes, Slippy? What is it?"

Slippy Toad, the engineer and tech wizard for Star Fox, cleared his throat and gulped nervously, attempting to ignore the steely-eyed glares from Wolf O'Donnell and her cronies. "Well, um, the scans I've been performing on the ship here are...confusing. The materials that compose its hull are made of metals and alloys that are either non-existent or extremely rare to the Lylat System."

Wolf snorted loudly and rolled one eye. "Of course, it is, frog boy. It's an alien ship. What else would it be made of? Military-grade steel and metal alloys?" She scoffed and shook her head. "No need to state the obvious, little guy. Whatever we're dealing with is not from our system."

"Slippy's just doing his job, O'Donnell," Fox growled softly. "Snap at him again, and I'll order the security detail to place you in restraining cuffs. Understood?"

Wolf huffed, crossing her arms over her large, ample chest. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, pup."

With a sigh, Fox turned back to Slippy and asked, "Well, what else you got for me, buddy? Any hidden traps or defensive weapons we should be aware of?"

Slippy glanced down at his equipment, squinting at the screen and remaining silent for a hot minute. Then he shook his head and gave Fox a thumbs-up. "All clear, Fox."

Fox nodded and turned to the CDF soldiers standing behind her and the others. "Okay, bring out the plasma cutter and open this can of worms. But stay on your guard. Who knows what these aliens have in store for us?"

At Fox's words, the CDF detail moved in to crack open the alien spacecraft. The vulpine watched as one of the uniformed soldiers pulled out the so-called 'plasma cutter' and began slicing a sizable hole in the ship's hull. It took a while, but eventually, the tool made it through the surprisingly thick metal, creating an opening large enough for everyone to crawl through with little difficulty.

Fox ordered the CDF team to stay behind in case anything happened to her, the other mercenaries, or the aliens somehow manage to give them the slip. This was met with several protests, but some death glares from the mercenaries forced them into silence, and they complied without another word. With a jerk of Fox's head, everyone - excluding Slippy and the CDF team - entered the alien ship and began exploring its interior.

They didn't have to look far for the cockpit, but when they did, everyone was in for quite the shock:

Wolf was the first to break the stunning silence. "Is that what I think it is?"

Fox took several steps forward, moving in front of Wolf and rubbing her eyes as she struggled to believe what she was seeing. At the center of everyone's attention was a Cerinian, alive and breathing but unconscious. A coat of cerulean fur mixed with light and dark shades of blue covered most of the unmoving vixen, while her face, chest, and belly were a cream-white color. On her arms and legs were tribal markings. Her attire was a bit risque in that the top and loincloth left little to the imagination, especially with her shapely hips and generously-sized bust. But what piqued Fox's interest was the jewelry.

From what she could remember from her studies on the Cerinian people, only those of noble blood wore intricate gems and jewels such as these. This raised the question of who this Cerinian was and which family she belonged to. However, before Fox could study the Cerinian vixen any further, Wolf let out a curse and drew her blaster, the telltale whine of the weapon charging ringing in Fox's ears.

She turned her attention from the blue vixen to the source of Wolf's sudden aggression and froze in her tracks, her eyes widening at the sight in front of her:

In the seat adjacent to the unconscious Cerinian (how Fox missed the conspicuous object was beyond her) was the second alien lifeform, very much alive and awake, holding its hands up in a defensive position. Wolf held her blaster to the alien's forehead at point-blank range but kept her finger off the trigger. Despite the lupine's exceptional trigger discipline, Fox gave her a stern, warning glare, which Wolf noticed out of the corner of her vision and slowly lowered her blaster. But she kept her one eye on the peculiar-looking creature.

Fox sighed, shaking her head, and sidled up next to Wolf and got a closer look at the alien.

It was similar to the primates native to the Lylat System, sharing a flat, hairless face and short ears attached to the sides of their head. However, that was where the similarities ended. The rest of the alien's body was devoid of fur, save for the messy mop of dirty-blonde hair on top of its head and the tiny dots lining its jaw. The sharp features of the alien's face, along with its broad shoulders and chest, led Fox to believe it was a male.

Cautiously, Fox put up both hands in a show of non-aggression to calm the alien's nerves while everyone else waited with bated breath for the alien to move aggressively. But the alien remained apprehensive and fearful of his current company; Fox decided it was best to defuse the situation before it escalated and extended an olive branch to the alien.

"I'm Fox McCloud, leader of Star Fox. Can you understand me?" Slowly but surely, the alien nodded. Everyone was taken aback by this revelation. Fox, however, kept her surprise hidden and continued speaking with the creature. "We found your ship in our planet's orbit, but you wouldn't answer our hails. What happened?"

The alien blinked several times and shook his head, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to form words. Instead, a strangled noise came from his throat, and he suddenly grimaced. The alien grabbed his head and let out a scream. The Cerinian reciprocated his actions and writhed in her seat, screaming in pain with her hands clutching her head. Then, as if linked in mind and body, the alien and the Cerinian went rigid, their voices silent, and they slid to the floor, collapsing in a heap. Fox and the others remained motionless, stunned by the scene they had witnessed.

Fox broke the silence and went into action. "Wolf, Miyu, and Katt help me with these two and take them to the infirmary. Everyone else, head back to the bridge and tell ROB to make for Killian Base ASAP!"

At her command, the mixed teams moved with due haste with their assignments while Fox led the shuffling charge with the alien and the Cerinian in tow, both locked in a fireman's carry. Wolf assisted Fox with the alien male, while Katt and Miyu helped with the Cerinian. Fox couldn't afford to lose both the alien and the Cerinian. Peppy gave her strict orders to ensure their survival, and Fox would be damned if she let them perish. All she had to do was to keep them alive long enough to admit them to a proper hospital on Corneria; The Great Fox's medical equipment could only do so much - especially for whatever it was that affected the alien and the Cerinian simultaneously.

'Whoever you are,' her mind pleaded. 'Please don't die.'

James sometimes wondered if the universe, or some omniscient, all-seeing deity, hated him enough to make his entire life a living hell.

He was an outcast to society because he never had the chance to have a normal childhood; he was always singled out by all the kids at school, the academy, and college. Then the war started, and the world around him burst into flames. James lost his parents when the ICA first firebombed the colony, then nuked the moon entirely. He was one of the fortunate few to escape, thanks to the UFF. However, that was when James's life took another turn for the worse.

James was very bright, an attribute that went unappreciated by his family and classmates, but not the UFF. He solved equations that even the most influential scientists and mathematicians from before the civil war had difficulty solving. What took them decades to figure out, James did it in less than five minutes. With his genius brain, James set out to create the first proper FTL engine for humanity. However, this attracted the attention of the UFF zealots, who wanted to do everything they could to gain the upper hand on the ICA. So, just before James could begin his project, the zealots kidnapped and forced him to create the FTL engine for their cause.

That was six months ago, or however long it's been since he was out like a light. Wait a minute.

James groaned, the throbbing in his head flaring suddenly before slowly fading away. What...happened? The last thing he remembered was making the jump with Krystal, and then...nothing. Except for a massive headache equivalent to a freight train hitting him at full speed. But at least that was subsiding - slowly but surely.

As James returned to the land of the living, he groaned at the faint throbbing pain in his temple and scrunched his eyes before blinking them open; he immediately regretted it as pure, blinding white light met him. "Gah! Fucking, damn it."

"James?"

Turning his head towards the source of the voice, James attempted to open his eyes again and found Krystal sitting upright on the edge of her bed. Gone was her top and loincloth, as it was replaced by a white hospital gown. "K-Krystal? Are you okay? Where are we? What happened?"

Krystal slid forward and walked towards James before she sat down at his side. "We were rescued by a mercenary group, James. We somehow managed to survive the journey in one piece; however, I think it had some adverse effects on our bodies and minds. As for where we are, we're currently in a, what I believe is called, hospital."

James squinted at her and blinked in confusion. "Hospital? 'Adverse effects?' What do you mean? And what do you mean by 'mercenaries'?"

A door swooshed open, and a new voice joined the conversation. "The princess means exactly that, sir."

Krystal and James turned their attention to the newcomer, and James's eyes nearly fell out of his head.

In the doorway stood an orange-furred fox, not unlike Krystal in appearance, wearing a green tank top and gray pants and boots. The cause behind his boggled mind was the fox woman's impressive bust, which strained against her top and bounced slightly with every step she took. James quickly averted his gaze to the floor, his face flushing in embarrassment. "I'm Fox, Fox McCloud; leader of the Star Fox mercenary team. You are on the planet Corneria, the capital of the Commonwealth of Independent Colonies and the center of the Lylatian Interplanetary Council. I'll be your guide and assigned bodyguard for the initial tour once the two of you have made a full recovery. In the meantime, I'll have to ask you some questions, particularly you, sir, as we have never seen the likes of you before."

James slowly sat up in his rather comfy cot and stared at the so-called 'Fox McCloud.' So, you're saying that we're in another system full of what I assume are other animal people like you."

"Cornerians," Fox corrected him with a polite smile and nod of her head.

"Right, Cornerians. And did you call Krystal a princess?"

Fox folded her hands behind her and nodded. "Yes, that is correct. Krystal here is the lost princess of Cerinia. She's been missing for two years. In that period, her home and most of her people were destroyed by a madman and his army."

"Wait, 'two years?'" James asked, puzzled. "I think you're mistaken. It's only been a month since Krystal appeared in my species' system. How could it have been two years? Unless-"

"Time dilation," Krystal confirmed his suspicions. "Plus, the difference in time between the Lylat system, here, and your Sol System."

James shook his head, placing a hand against his aching forehead. "Aiee, my poor brain. This is not the first thing I wanted to discuss after waking up from whatever coma I was in."

Fox and Krystal chuckled at this before the former brought her hands forward and let them rest on her shapely hips. "I'd feel the same way if I was you, to be honest. Now, on to the questions." She focused her attention on James. "What is your name?"

James looked up at Fox and replied. "James Beckham Hayes."

"What is, or was your occupation?"

"Temporary engineer and technician before I was forced to build a ship and experimental FTL drive against my will."

Fox paused with a tilt of her head. "Really? What did you do before then?"

James shrugged. "Nothing that I think is important, but I was finishing my education before my life turned upside down."

"Interesting," Fox said with a nod. "And what is your species' name? Appearance-wise, you look similar to the simians of the Lylat System with some glaring differences. For one, you aren't as ugly as they are."

James furrowed a brow at the vixen. "Humans. And you think I'm ugly?"

Fox shook her head. "No, of course not. In fact, I prefer to look at you rather than them."

James blushed slightly and accepted her implied apology. "Right. Thanks. Is there anything else you need to know?"

"Is your species a militant entity? This is a question that the Cornerian Defense Force, our leading military force, is concerned with more than the others I've asked before. Please, answer truthfully."

James puffed his cheeks as he exhaled loudly. "Honestly, I don't know what I can tell you without betraying my kind. But, I will say that throughout humanity's history, we have a lengthy record of being violent and starting wars over the most insignificant reasons." He shrugged. "It's kind of stupid if you ask me."

"I see," Fox said thoughtfully. "Well, I would like to thank you for your time, James Beckham Hayes."

"Just 'James' is fine, please," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Fox smiled kindly and tilted her head forward slightly. "Of course, James. I will return in a few days to take you both to General Peppy Hare, an old friend of mine and the commander of the CDF, to discuss your accommodations, as well as what to do during your stay on Corneria." She turned her gaze to Krystal and added, "As for you, Your Highness, your remaining family and friends have been notified of your return. They'll be visiting within the hour." She widened her smile slightly. "I'm sure they'll be relieved to see you have made it home safely."

Krystal sniffed and bowed her head. "Thank you, Ms. McCloud. I am eager to see them as well."

"Just 'Fox', please. And you are very much welcome, Your Highness," Fox said, sparing a quick glance at James and winking at him before she turned around and left the room.

James and Krystal sat together in silence before the former decided to break it. "So, want to discuss these 'adverse effects' you mentioned?"

Krystal looked at James and smiled. "Of course. However, you might get lost as I go into detail, but please bear with me as best as possible, okay?" James nodded. "Good. Now, how do I say this?" A pause, and the blue vixen put a finger to her lips in thought. Then she shrugged and stared James dead in the eyes. "You and I are permanently linked mentally together and have each other's 'essence' in our bodies." She added with a shrug at the end. "Somehow. This means you are partly me, I am partly you, and you and I can share thoughts."

James blinked several times before his brain could adequately process what Krystal had just said. And yet, all he could muster from the jumble of questions he wanted to ask her was a simple, "What?"