Author's note:

There was going to be something Christmas-y in this story, but sadly I'm not going to be able to upload it in time for Christmas 2020.

Chapter 10: New Recruits

Dash flew up sharply. The alarm in his ears told him what his eyes were too afraid to. Katt was right behind him and her missile was about to tag him. He somersaulted and made a hard turn right. She stuck to his tail like glue. After the way that Katt followed him during their pretend chase earlier, Dash did not like his chances now that playtime was over.

"Okay, Dash," he tried to encourage himself. "Imagine you're back at the Academy. Time to break out all the stops."

Thus, he did. Dash executed one manoeuvre after the next to try and shake Katt. He even pulled some advanced stunts that he never truly got the hang of. The endless forces strained his fighter to its limits and Dash almost past his. He eventually had to ease up before he passed out. G-Diffusers weren't a shield for the living body against reckless flying.

Dash fought back the bile burning in his gut. The last thing he needed was to fly with his vomit sloshing around the cockpit. Tears blurred his vision as he glanced at the radar. Fortunately, he had won a short lead on Katt. She was a skilled pilot, but her old, customised ship didn't have the hardware to keep up with his for long. Dash had checked earlier on the ground. The added good news was that Katt was no longer targeting him. But that could change in an instant.

'What can I do?' he panted. If there was more cloud cover, Dash could try breaking Katt's line of sight and getting the jump on her. Alas, the skies were clear. The only thing floating around this high with them was the Great Fox. 'Actually… That could work.'

Dash gunned it towards the carrier. Katt came up close behind. With their straightening flight path, she began to target him again. The Great Fox grew larger with every metre.

"Here goes nothing."

"Uh… Pep?" Falco blinked. "What's that guy doing?"

After a circus performance that would have made most pilots forcibly eject their stomachs, Bowman's starfighter suddenly made a beeline towards the Great Fox. Falco and Peppy stared at the ship's nose, which looked about to drive into them.

Peppy balked. "Might wanna grab onto something! Just in case!"

Realistically, Falco didn't think the young pilot would do something too stupid. Then he remembered that he had been a young pilot once. Falco quickly threw his arms around one of the crewmen's seats. "ROB! Tell that idiot to watch where he's flying!"

Dash dived underneath the Great Fox and rose along its opposite side. He then flew over its head and down to complete the loop. Dash quickly applied his G-Diffusers to break, hiding behind the dreadnaught's hull. A second later, Katt shot past overhead. Dash chased after her.

"How the hell did you do that?!" Katt exclaimed as he began targeting her starfighter.

"Extra G-Diffusers installed across the body," Dash smirked proudly. They were also what helped him pull off so many more manoeuvres than her a minute ago. Those four months spent digging through scrap yards had finally paid off. Though now that Katt knew about his ace-in-the-hole, that trick might not work a second time. He needed to finish this quickly.

Dash took aim and concentrated. It became Katt's turn to play the mouse in their game. He followed her manoeuvres, but the accrued strain on his body had worn Dash out. Given how quickly Katt straightened her path again, she was tiring too. He pushed his starfighter to its maximum speed. His modifications made Dash nimbler, but Katt's ship was slightly faster that the Monkey Arrow.

Katt ascended sharply. She didn't follow through with any loops or turns, leading Dash to wonder what she was doing. The sun shone directly into his face. If Katt thought she could blind him, the filter film on Dash's windshield nipped that plan in the bud. Yet why did it feel like he was being led?

Suddenly, Katt's afterburners went out. Her starfighter fell past Dash. He then heard an engine kick-start and alarms blaring from his console. Before Dash could act, the robotic voice called in. "You have been eliminated. Please return to the landing point as soon as possible." Dash staggered to think. What had just happened?

"Not bad, Dash," Katt chimed. "You've got some mad skills, but it looks like I win this time. No hard feelings, right?"

Dash sagged into his seat. Gears in his brain spun without any traction. "Yeah…" he said blankly. "No hard feelings…"

Peppy Hare contacted him and Katt to congratulate them both on a spectacular display. As they obeyed his instructions to land, Dash digested the last few seconds of the battle and finally understood what had gone wrong. Katt had cut her engines off during the chase. She then used their steep angle and Papetoon's gravity to fall behind Dash. As soon as she passed him, Katt restarted her starfighter and targeted Dash at the same time. The distance between them was so close, it barely took a second for her missile to lock.

It had been an insane and reckless trap, and Dash flew straight into it. He doubted many other pilots could have pulled off the timing required. To make things worse, Dash had a sinking suspicion that his stunt with the Great Fox was what inspired Katt. He should have seen it coming.

Dash glanced over to Katt flying alongside him at a distance. Back at the Academy, people used to say that he'd become an amazing pilot someday. But when he looked at Katt and the skills she'd shown, he knew that she was already one. There was a wide gap in their abilities. Dash knew he'd never have survived this long if she had been his opponent from the start.

If anyone deserved a place on the Star Fox squadron, it was undoubtably Katt Monroe.

"Now that was a show!" Peppy whistled. He elbowed Falco to elicit a response.

"Okay, fine. They both did fairly good," Falco relented. He checked his watch. "Huh… That kid survived four whole minutes against Katt. Not bad."

"Quite impressive, I'd say," Peppy nodded. "I don't think I've seen anything like that fighter Bowman's flying, either. Did you see how he came to a full stop after completing that loop?"

"I was too busy waiting for one of those idiots to hit us," Falco huffed.

"His G-Diffuser system is more advanced than anything I've seen on the open market. I'm surprised to find a freelancer with something like that, especially a novice. He sure knows how to use it well."

Falco raised his brow. "How do you think he got his hands on it?"

"We might have to ask him ourselves."

"You sound like you've already made up your mind to hire him."

"And you haven't?"

"I just want to go over the footage again. Make sure we haven't missed any other promising candidates."

"You mean anyone you'd rather have over Katt and the rookie who came second to her, don't you?" Falco refused to answer Peppy, who wore a knowing smirk.

After the 20 pilots assembled in front of the Great Fox again, Peppy thanked them all for their time. He promised that they would carefully consider everyone's performance and advise them of the outcome within the next week. Katt was disappointed she wasn't invited onto the team there and then. She knew it was only a matter of time though.

And thus, five days later, Katt found the email in her inbox. As to be expected, it was Peppy, not Falco, who offered Katt the job. He asked her to meet them on Corneria. She packed her bags that day and flew straight over.

Star Fox often docked at the airfield alongside Corneria City's coastline. It was there where Katt found the Great Fox. She hailed the carrier and eased her Catspaw into its hangar. Just as she powered down her engine, Katt heard another starfighter approach. She watched it land with a grin on her face. It was the Monkey Arrow.

"Dash!" Katt called as they opened their canopies. She met the little monkey in the middle and clasped his hand. "So, you made it through too."

"Yeah! It's incredible," Dash beamed. "Congratulations on getting in."

"Right back at you."

"Yes. Congratulations to you both." Katt and Dash turned towards Peppy. He approached them with Falco dragging his feet behind him. Peppy smiled to her. "Katt, it's good to see you again. Sorry that we didn't get to catch up on Papetoon."

Katt shrugged. "Eh, that's fine. Wouldn't have looked good if everyone else thought you guys were playing favourites."

"Trust me," Falco grumbled. "Nobody hires a little kid and the biggest nuisance known to the Cornerian Army out of favouritism."

"Aww. I missed you too, Falco."

"Anyway," Peppy interrupted pointedly. "Thank you both for accepting our offer. We've been short-staffed since the fiasco in Balven, so we appreciate having you onboard now."

"Hey, no worries." Katt's spirits then lowered. "So… how are things with rescuing Fox?"

Falco turned his beak further away from her at his mention. "Slow going," Peppy sighed sadly. "Slippy and Vixy are out in the Balven System gathering information. They're due to check in within a week."

Katt's ears flattened. "I'm sorry about Fox. I'll do everything that I can to help."

"Me too," Dash promised.

A small smile touched Peppy's lips. "Thank you." A moment later, he perked himself up. "But in the meantime, we have some contracts lined up, which we look forward to getting your help with. We'll give you some time to settle in first and get to know the ship."

"What a lovely idea, Peppy." Katt sauntered forward and snatched Falco by the arm. He yelped in protest. "Falco, here, can show me to my room. Then he can take me on a private tour."

"You've already been around the Great Fox before!" Falco growled. "Let go of me!"

"Come on, Blue. Don't be like that," Katt smirked. "A gentleman should always escort a lady with proper manners and dignified poise."

"If you're a lady, then I'm the President of Aquas!"

"Is… that normal for them?" Katt heard Dash ask worriedly. Peppy chuckled in response.

"You get used to it. Now, Dash; if you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you in private about a few things."

Katt became curious about the other two, though right now her priority was keeping Falco from breaking loose. When they stopped inside the elevator on their way to the crew's quarters, Falco finally yanked his arm free. "Jeez," he fumed. "Is this how you plan to treat your new captain from now on?"

"Maybe," she winked. He turned his back on her. "Oh, come on. Don't pretend you're not the slightest bit happy I'm here."

"Whatever," Falco huffed, jamming the button to take them up. "Just remember that we're paying you to work, not to screw around. We didn't let you on the team just so you can play damsel in distress and bat your eyelashes at everyone."

Katt sniffed in offence. "Well then," she crossed her arms. "See if I ever save you when you get yourself in trouble."

"Ha! Never happen."

"How many times have I already saved your tail feathers since you joined Star Fox?" Katt inspected her nails. "Five times now?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Falco's glare sharpened.

"Funny. I'm sure Peppy remembers how I kept Copperheads from blowing up this carrier." The elevator doors opened at their destination.

"Yeah, by shooting down one measly missile. Fox and I took out the rest."

Katt could have gone back and forth over this for a while longer. However, that was not what she was here for. "Are you okay?"

"I was before you showed up and opened your mouth."

"You know what I mean." Katt was starting to get sick of Falco's attitude fast. "I'm talking about what happened with Fox. How are you holding up?"

Falco stormed ahead of her. "I'm fine," he answered curtly. "Fox is missing, and we're working to find him. That's all there is to it."

"Falco, it's alright to say if you're upset about it. I'm worried about Fox too."

"I'm not upset!" Falco snapped, startling Katt. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fox can take care of himself. He'll be fine until we get him off that planet."

With this kind of reaction from him, Katt decided it was wiser to let the matter go for now. She knew how Falco coped with stress. Poorly. It looked as though he had thrown up a lot of walls around what he was truly feeling. Katt would need time to work them down. He must be badly shaken up on the inside to be so defensive. "Okay. Just know that I'm here for you if you ever need to talk to someone."

Falco only grunted. They stopped in front of one of the staterooms. "This one's yours," he muttered. "Linen's in the closet. Wi-Fi password's written down on the nightstand. You know where the showers are."

"Thanks." Katt lifted the duffle bag from her shoulder and carried it into the room. There was a double-sized bed bolted to the carpet floor next to a side table. She also had a small desk tucked near the closet built into the wall. "If you guys don't need me in the next hour, I'll take a soak and join you later."

"Don't want that tour you strongarmed me for?" Falco folded his arms.

"I did, but your grouchy attitude's put me out of the mood." Katt threw her bag over the bed. "Besides, I've seen the place half a dozen times already."

Falco turned away. "Whatever. Do what you need to settle in and get a good night's sleep. We'll brief you and the kid on the first contract in the morning."

Katt smirked. "Sounds fun. Looking forward to working with you, Captain."

With a snort of distaste, Falco left her to be. Katt pouted at how little fun he was being. She chose to forgive him this one time. Eventually, he'll get used to having her around again and maybe, finally, pull that stick out of his ass.

"Please, Dash. Take a seat."

Dash followed Peppy into a small office. He sat down on one of the two chairs bolted in front of the desk. Peppy took the seat behind it so they were facing each other. The old hare clasped his hands together. "So, how does it feel to become a member of Star Fox?"

"Sort of like a dream come true." Dash gave a nervous grin. "I mean, it's like getting picked to join your favourite team at the LBL."

Peppy smiled and nodded. "Are you a Cornerian Stars fan at all?"

"Zoness Tigers, actually. My family spent a few years living in their home city. I watched my first game there when they went against the Aquas Sharks."

"They've been hitting a lot of home runs this season," Peppy remarked. "I, myself, am more of a Paladins fan."

Although it would be nice to discuss baseball some more, Dash couldn't help but address the matter that made him so anxious. "Um… Sir? There was something that you wanted to talk about?"

"Ah, yes." Peppy's hand moved towards a folder sitting atop the desk. He flipped it open. "There were a few things about your application that I found curious. You declared that you have a blood relation with Doctor Simon Andross?"

Dash swallowed. "Yes, sir. He… he's my grandfather. I've never met him though. My family distanced themselves from him shortly before the Lylat Wars started. All I know about Doctor Andross is from the stories my mother told me as a child."

"And what kind of stories were they?"

"That my grandfather was the most brilliant scientist of the modern age, and that he did a lot of great things to help people with his research. But then… the Catalyst happened. And Grandfather declared war on Corneria after being exiled for his crimes."

Dash could see the expression forming in Peppy's eye. It was the same as when Dash told other people about his connection to Andross, which was almost never. "Please understand! I've never believed Andross did the right thing during the war!" he added fretfully. "My grandmother left him after what happened 20 years ago. She's only ever called him vile and wicked whenever his name got brought up."

Peppy raised a gentle hand. "It's okay, son. I'm not assuming anything. We did our background checks, and we know that your family has had nothing to do with Andross or his army. I'm merely curious as to why you wanted to join the squadron that killed your grandfather eight years ago."

"Yeah…" Dash nodded weakly towards the desk. "It looks weird on paper. But… even though Andross was my grandfather, I don't feel any attachment to him that's enough for me to hate you guys. I spent half my life worried and afraid of the war. I just wanted it to end. Killing Andross was just the way that it had to happen." He chuckled without any humour. "I see your squad as heroes just as much as everyone else does."

"I see." Peppy leaned back in his chair. "I'm sorry if we've caused you any pain as a result."

"It's fine. I'm just glad I could take my finals without worrying about bombs dropping over my head." Dash felt the old, complex blend of emotions rise within him. "It's weird though. My mother and grandmother told me different things about Andross. What he did with the Catalyst and after it was unforgivable. Yet, Andross also did a lot of good things before then. Sometimes I feel bad for him that people forget about all that. It doesn't make up for his crimes… but it's made me feel conflicted for most of my life."

Peppy nodded in understanding. "When you mention it, I still remember the days when people looked up to Andross. He was a good man back then. It was a shame that he changed so terribly in the end."

Dash sighed. "It was. I hope that doesn't make you think poorly of me or my family. Even though I have some respect for my grandfather's early achievements, I still idolise Star Fox and Captain McCloud for ending the war, as well."

"It's quite alright. I appreciate that you were upfront about this." Peppy flicked through the folder and pulled out a single document. "Which makes it all the more unfortunate that you lied to us about this."

He placed the page in front of Dash. It was his birth certificate. His original birth certificate! "You wrote on your application that you're 20-years-old. This tells me that you're actually 17." Peppy wore a stern frown. "Care to explain this?"

Dash paled. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "It's just hard for me to work as a pilot since I'm underage. I changed the year on my birth certificate so that people would take me seriously. I swear I never meant any harm!"

Peppy examined the document again. "You know, I did find it strange that your academic transcripts were all legitimate." He raised a brow at Dash. "Did you skip a year at school?"

He nodded. "Four times, sir."

"Impressive. And then you studied at university and the Academy at the same time?" Indeed, Dash had. Peppy whistled. "You certainly picked up some of your grandfather's traits. Let's hope that they're all the right ones."

Dash hung his head low. "I'm really sorry for lying to you. I wanted to be a part of Star Fox so badly. I thought that it wouldn't matter so long as I proved I could be useful to you."

"Dash… Please look at me." He did so. Peppy's expression softened a little. "We're more than willing to take people on for their merit." He chuckled. "I mean, look at us. Fox and Slippy were both only 17 when we reformed Star Fox; and Falco was barely a year older than them. We're hardly in a position to judge someone for their age."

A smile touched Dash's face. "However," Peppy continued with a stern edge returning to his, "we need to be confident that you are being honest with us. Deceiving your teammates, even with something as trivial as a date of birth, is not a good starting point for building trust."

Dash nodded shakily. "I understand, sir."

"I'll overlook it this one time. After all, you've proven on Papetoon that you'd be a valuable addition to the team. But please note that I expect you to be completely truthful with us from now on."

Swallowing, Dash nodded again. "Yes, sir. I will, sir."

"Good." Peppy relaxed. A smile reappeared under his whiskers. "And there's no need to call me 'sir' on the regular. Just Peppy will do fine. We don't worry too much about rank or seniority here."

"Understood, sir. Urgh… I mean Peppy."

Peppy's smile remained for a moment longer before another darkened look took over. "Now, Dash," he said softly. "If you're going to be working with us, there's something that you ought to know. Something that needs to be kept quiet outside of the team." Dash felt his heart race. "There are details about our last mission in the Balven System that haven't been made public, mostly to avoid causing a panic. The real reason that we took that mission was to track down your grandfather."

"Track him down?" Dash shook his head, not understanding.

"Apparently, he cloned himself and fled to the Balven System. Since we never found him, that could mean several things. Corneria and Novellon don't believe that Andross has been in contact with his supporters after his escape, so a likely theory is that he's on Purgatory, just like Fox is."

This was world-shattering news. Not just for Dash and his family, but for the Lylat System as a whole. "So, what are we doing about that?"

"At the moment, nothing. Corneria and Novellon are continuing the search, in case Andross has gone into hiding somewhere else. We are not touching that investigation again. I'm not allowing it. Our main goal, instead, is to find Fox and rescue him. The only missions that we're taking are those that can help us achieve that end."

"Oh…"

"I didn't mean to worry you about Andross or your family matters. I simply wanted to let you know so that this doesn't take you by surprise later."

Dash gave a small nod. "I understand. Thank you for telling me, Peppy."

"And while we're still on the topic of Andross, there's one other thing I feel the need to warn you about." Peppy leaned in. "In addition to you and Katt, we've brought Fox's mother, Vixy, onboard to help us with the search effort. I imagine you might know this already, but Andross was responsible for her mate's death during the war."

"Oh…" Dash paled.

"I've already spoken with Vixy about hiring you. She accepts that you have no personal relationship with your grandfather. However, it would be best for everyone if you refrain from mentioning Andross around her, particularly with regards to what you've disclosed with me."

Dash took a deep breath. This was not something he had anticipated. The murder of James McCloud was the one thing Dash always knew was going to create friction with Star Fox. Finding out that he would be working alongside his widow was a more daunting thought. "I'll… I'll do my best to respect her feelings."

"Thank you. That's all I'll ask of you." Peppy tidied the folder away and set it to one side. "Now, I've kept you here for long enough. Why don't I show you to your quarters? We can stop off at the mess hall if you're hungry?"

"Just the quarters will be fine, thank you." Dash didn't feel much like eating right now. As Peppy led him through the Great Fox's halls, Dash went over everything that they had discussed. The parts about his grandfather being alive, and him having to work with Fox McCloud's mother stood at the forefront. He felt like he had bitten off more than he could chew by coming here. Yet, Dash couldn't run away now. The only right thing he could do was see this through.

'You made your bed, Dash. Now it's time to lie in it.'

End note:

Just in case anyone has questions about the timeline prior to this story, the events that happened during the Lylat Wars won't adhere strictly to any game route. Since there are a lot of characters who only appear on certain routes, I'm basing this story on the idea that Star Fox had time to do every possible mission from Star Fox 64. Though that doesn't mean that every possible route was taken during missions.