Alternative chapter title: Sad Bird.

Chapter 16: Justice

Isaac was a genius. Within a few hours, he provided Falco and Katt all the information that they could ever need. The accounts, themselves, were full of bogus personal details. No surprise there. However, Isaac did succeed in tracing some of the data to more promising leads. Falco didn't understand how Isaac did it, but they finally had a name and a location.

Unfortunately, the funds had already been transferred out of the accounts. Isaac couldn't view the bank details to trace them without getting through the two-factor authentication safeguards. Falco didn't want to tip the scammer off before they had them in their grasp, and Katt didn't want Isaac getting into any more trouble than he was already risking. So, they took the intel, treated Isaac to a hot bowl of MacBethic noodles as thanks, and wished him happy trails.

Their scammer was Gerald Billson, a 30-year-old IT technician working at a public high school. As luck would have it, Billson lived on the other side of the country to Isaac, in a place called Corbal City. It made for a short flight to reach. Falco and Katt spent the night at a motel 20 minutes from Billson's apartment complex. They surveyed the area the following morning.

All the entrances were locked with key scanners. There was no way to pick the locks open or climb the walls. Falco almost regretted not bringing Isaac along. Fortunately, an idea came to him. They spent another hour sitting in the unimpressive, white car that Katt had rented, watching the front door. At last, their perp made his appearance.

Falco recognised Billson from the profile pic that Isaac found on a social media account. The overweight gerbil didn't even look like a criminal. Falco never would have looked twice at the guy's faded blue hoodie and shorts. He snorted as Billson turned the other way down the street. This whole situation reeked of disappointment. That didn't mean Billson was off the hook though.

"Let's go." Falco stepped out of the car and crossed the road. A set of headphones covered Billson's ears. He had no idea that someone was tailing him. Falco pulled his cap lower over his sunglasses, hoping that no one, especially not Billson, would recognise his face. Being a war hero celebrity could be downright inconvenient at times.

Part of Falco wanted to grab the rodent right there and then. However, his secondary goal was to get back the money Billson stole, so Falco kept both his cool and distance. Katt followed from the other side of the street. She'd be ready to take over in case Falco lost their target.

Billson lived within walking distance of the local mall. It became harder to track his short stature in a crowd, though Falco kept up long enough to see him walk into an electronics store. Falco waited for Katt to catch up with him. "Guy's gone into the Galaxy Gizmo. Think you can make your move?"

"I can work with that." She brushed past him and entered the store.

Pop music played overhead as Katt strolled through the aisles. She was mindful of Billson's location but did not approach him directly. Even when Katt did reach him, she did not engage. She stood in the corner of his vision, pretending to compare two external hard drives for a moment. A casual flick from her hot-pink tail caught Billson's eye. He glanced at Katt briefly, saw that her attention was elsewhere, and moved on.

Katt lingered for another minute. She sighed slightly louder than necessary before returning both products to the shelf. Less blatantly, she wandered into the next aisle that Billson went to. Again, Katt stood away from him. She hummed at a set of small speakers. Her tail flicked again as Katt examined the price tag. She caught Billson glancing at her a second time. He quickly looked away but peeked at Katt again when he thought she wouldn't notice. Good. She had his interest now.

Mumbling softly, Katt shelfed the speakers. She migrated towards Billson, passing him, and stopped at his opposite side. "Excuse me," she muttered. He shuffled aside so that Katt could pick up another speaker. The price was lower than the previous.

Making a show of reading the box, Katt wore a reserved frown. She noticed Billson glimpsing at her. Time to make her move. "Excuse me?" Katt turned to him. "Do you know which of these speakers would be the best to buy?"

Billson paled for a second. A beautiful woman talking to him out of the blue caught him off guard. "Uh… That… depends… What do you plan to do with them?"

"I just need something that I can stream with," Katt shrugged. "I used to have a good setup at home, but my asshole of an ex took it all when he left me." She made a sad face at the box in her hands. "I thought I could get the same devices that I had, but none of the stores I've been to have them in stock anymore. I'm having trouble figuring out what to get instead."

Meeting his eye with her pout, she chipped away at Billson's defences. He swallowed. "I… I could… give you a hand." Quickly, he sifted through the shelves. "What price range are you going for?"

Of course, Katt claimed that she was on a tight budget. There was no way she was blowing her savings for the sake of a ruse, even if she returned later to get a refund. Billson asked one question after another, narrowing down their search. Katt partially feigned interest in a red set of speakers.

As she decided whether she would keep it for real or not, Katt asked Billson about what he was looking for in the store. He was more than willing to tell her. Katt smiled and nodded as he bragged about the new computer setup he was building. Years of knowing Isaac taught Katt all the right things to say to keep Billson talking.

Next, Katt convinced Billson to also help her pick from the hard drives she had been looking at earlier, as well as a few other items for her 'project.' Soon, her arms were full of junk she didn't want or need. "Thank you so much for helping me out, Gerald," she beamed. "It was really sweet of you."

A blush touched Billson's cheek as he scratched it. "Uh… It was nothing. I was more than happy to."

Katt bounced on her heels. Her tail flicked behind her shoulders. "Say… I know this sounds a bit sudden…" she said hesitantly, "but are you by any chance free tonight? There's this party I'm going to with a few girlfriends. Maybe you'd like to come along? As my way of thanking you?"

His face turned beet red. "Uh… oh… uh… um… Sure," he stammered. "That sounds… awesome!"

"Great!" Katt shuffled her burden to reach for her phone. "Let me give you my number. Is 6:30 a good time for you?"

Billson couldn't fish out his own phone fast enough. "Absolutely!"

It was going to be a hassle to change her phone number after this was over. Regardless, Katt kept up her chipper façade. She asked Billson where he lived and gasped when he told her. "That's just on the way for me! How about I meet you there and we'll go together?"

"That sounds perfect," Billson grinned. With that, the stage was set.

After Katt paid at the register, she waved goodbye to Billson and winked to ensure he thought about her for the rest of the day. When she left the store, Katt passed Falco standing next to the café in the middle of the hall. He casually walked alongside her while sipping an iced coffee.

"So?" he asked. "How did it go?"

Katt flourished her phone. "I got his number," she touted. "And we're meeting tonight at his place to go to a party. Wanna join us?"

"I'd rather stick to the plan," he huffed. Katt sniffed. He was no fun at all.

"I hope that you appreciate this," she told him. "Because I went through a lot to get that slimeball to invite me to his house."

Falco tossed his empty cup into a trash can. "I do. And don't worry. I'll make sure it's worth the hassle."

They had the rest of the day before it became time to pay Billson a visit. Katt would have loved to have taken in the sights; maybe find a way to persuade Falco to give up on this endeavour. Sadly, he was having none of that. They spent the last two hours on the clock staking out Billson's complex from their car.

It was cramped. It was boring. And the rental's radio was shot. Sitting inside her Catspaw in the depths of space for hours on end was bearable. This, however, was not. Katt eyed the dashboard clock. It would be another 45 minutes before they could wrap this up and go home.

Falco sat in the driver's seat. He stared at the building's entrance relentlessly. "Your date's finally come home," he spoke for the first time since they began waiting. "Looks like he's gotten himself a haircut."

Katt rolled her eyes. "At least he's making the effort. Better than some dates I've had." She watched Billson waddle inside. There didn't seem to be any discernible difference about his appearance from where she sat. Granted, Falco's eyesight was naturally sharper than hers.

"Are you really sure you want to go through with this?" Katt sighed. "We could just leave an anonymous tip with the cops and be done with it. Once they arrest Billson, they can give the money back to the people he stole from."

Falco exhaled. His fist tightened against the car window. "Yes. I'm sure. This isn't about the money, Katt. Or about Billson robbing people blind."

"Then what is this about?" Silence was Katt's first answer. "Falco, I've been playing along with this because you're my friend and I want to help you. But you are now asking me to break into a guy's apartment and shake him down without explaining why we're doing it. I have followed you through a lot of crazy schemes over the years without ever questioning it, but I am seriously reaching my limit this time."

Stubbornly, Falco continued ignoring her. Katt's glare sharpened. "So, you can either tell me what's really going on with you, or I can leave right now and let you try to nab Billson before the cops show up. It's your choice, Falco."

She gave him time to answer. He didn't speak. Just as Katt was about to reach for the door, Falco sighed. "If this were any other circumstance, I wouldn't even care." Katt released the door handle and sat back, listening. "There's always some deadbeat looking to scam someone out of their money. That's just a fact of life. But this guy… he used Fox to play on peoples' sympathies."

"Is this about Fox then?" Katt asked gently.

Falco rubbed his face. He still didn't look at her. "He's been stranded on that damned planet for eight months. Eight months! God only knows if Fox is still alive or how he's getting by. He is in the worst kind of shit that you can possibly imagine, and all of a sudden this prick decides it's funny to make some fast cash off him!"

Furiously, Falco slammed his fist onto his thigh. He shook his head. "I can't let him get away with this."

"So, you're trying to protect Fox's honour? Is that what this is about?"

"Maybe?" Falco sighed again. "I don't know."

"Would Fox really care about this guy?" Katt asked. "I mean, sure he'd be pissed off. But would he be upset enough to hunt someone down like this?"

"I don't know," Falco hung his head. "All that I do know is that I have to do something about this."

"Why is that?"

He became silent again. Katt considered pushing him once more but refrained. She had been waiting months for Falco to finally open up about Fox's accident. She couldn't risk jeopardising this chance.

After a minute, Falco turned to face the steering wheel. Katt could at last see his eye. The soul within it laid broken before her. She saw nothing of the spark that she admired.

"Back in Balven… I watched that nova bomb hit Fox. When I realised that he couldn't control his Arwing anymore, I rushed after him." He took a breath. It shuddered terribly. Falco held two fingers millimetres apart in front of him. "I was this close to him, Katt. This close. But when I was just about to catch him, my Arwing failed on me."

Horror washed over Katt, leaving her feeling cold all over. This was what Falco had been dealing with all this time?! "I missed my chance. I wasn't fast enough." His shoulders trembled. "If I had known what was going on sooner, I could have saved him… But instead, I let Fox fall into that death-trap!"

Katt could no longer contain herself. She took hold of Falco's arm. "Falco… You did everything that you could. It's not your fault."

"Who's else could it have been?!" he hissed, fighting back tears. "Peppy and Slippy were too far away. I was the only one who could have done something… and I choked!" Falco slammed his fist again. "Fox could be dead on that planet for all we know! And it's all because I let him down…" A sob escaped him. It tore Katt's heart apart.

Normally, Falco would never let her do what she was about to, but Katt felt that he needed this. She laid her arm around Falco and pulled him close. Katt then pressed her brow against his head. Her other hand took hold of his, completing the embrace.

"You did everything that you could," she whispered again. "Fox wouldn't blame you for what happened. What matters most is that you're working hard to find a way to save him. And we will. So, please don't beat yourself up."

Falco hiccupped. "You don't have to feel you have to fix everything on your own either," Katt continued. "You have friends who want to help you. Just tell us what's wrong and we'll work together to make it better. That's what we're here for." Her thumb brushed his wrist. "It's what I'm here for."

She allowed Falco to express his anguish how he needed to for as long as he needed to. Katt stroked his back soothingly without judgement. "Let's just go back, Falco. He's not worth it."

Drying his face, Falco stared off to the complex. "If you go through with what you're planning, you'll only get yourself in trouble too," Katt cautioned. "You could go to jail for breaking and entering if Billson decides to take you down with him. Then you won't be able to keep searching for Fox, and it'll ruin Star Fox's reputation. No one will want to help us anymore."

A lump hung in Katt's throat. She hoped against hope that Falco wouldn't be his usual stubborn self this time and walk away. After a few minutes, Falco finally sighed, defeated. "Alright," he mumbled. "You win. Let's get out of here."

Katt smiled. "Thank you." She gently squeezed his hand.

Listlessly, Falco started the engine. He pulled out onto the road. Billson's apartment drifted further behind them until Katt could no longer see it in the mirror. They returned to the motel, checked out, and drove towards the airfield where they left their fighters. Falco was dreadfully quiet the entire time.

Katt's phone rang. Billson's number flashed on screen. It was past time for them to meet. She let the call ring out. "Say… If we had gone after Billson, what would you have done?"

Falco tapped his fingers over the wheel. "He'd have let you up to his floor. I'd follow you to his apartment. Then I'd hold him at gunpoint until he either gave back the money or sent it to the Foundation."

A dry snicker shook through Katt. "Wow. We'd have gotten into bigger trouble than he'd have if Billson ratted us out. He might even have gotten off scot-free if the cash actually went where he promised it would go."

Falco huffed. "Yeah…"

Katt's face fell. "Do you want me to report him? We can still stop Billson from exploiting more people that way."

Blue fingers continued to tap. "Do what you want."

Nodding sullenly, Katt dialled a new number on her phone. She brought it to her ear. "Hello, police…?"

Falco's heart was heavy the entire trip back to the Great Fox. He felt as empty as the black space surrounding him. His thoughts were fuzzy and incoherent. Did he regret leaving emptyhanded? Or did he regret almost sabotaging everything his team had been working towards over a score to settle? Falco couldn't tell which it was, or whether it was both or neither.

When they landed in the Great Fox's hangar, Falco remained in his cockpit for a few minutes. He stared dejectedly at the controls. A tap on the glass brought Falco face-to-face with Katt. Concern painted her expression. At last, Falco opened the canopy. His boots hit the floor with a flat ring.

As they walked out from the hangar, Peppy charged from the other end of the hallway. "There you are!" he snapped. "Where in hell's blazes have you two been?! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

"Hey, Pep," Falco mumbled. His gaze remained drooped towards the floor. "Sorry… Katt and I just went to visit an old friend. Nothing to worry about."

"Don't give me that, son," Peppy fumed. "I know about the scams and that you both ran off to…"

"Peppy!" Katt interjected, stepping between him and Falco. "Peppy, it's okay. There really is nothing to worry about."

Falco didn't feel like sitting through this right now. "I'm tired," he said. "I'm going to bed."

Katt turned to him, looking sullen again. "Sure… Just call if you need anything."

He merely lifted a wing to signal that he heard her. Then Falco thrusted it back into his pocket and continued down the hall as Katt and Peppy kept talking. Since he didn't want to bump into anyone else in the lift, Falco took the fire stairs up to his quarters. He locked the door behind him, threw his bag to the wall, and fell face-first over the bed.

As he closed his eyes, the last 48 hours replayed themselves in Falco's mind. He still felt the anger that flared when he first learned about the scams. However, it was little more than embers now. A smoke cloud of dejection filled his vision instead. It clogged up Falco's ears and muted everything around him.

He imagined going up to Billson's apartment and driving his foot through the door behind Katt. His blaster slipped out from inside his jacket. Its end pointed level between Billson's terrified eyes. Falco steered him to the nearest computer, shouting and lashing out for the rotten gerbil to return what he stole. But the thought of Billson pissing his pants did not soothe Falco. The knowledge that the real Billson would soon get a visit from the police didn't clean the sick feeling from Falco's chest.

Katt had been right. Unless he killed the guy or scared him enough to keep quiet, Billson could have easily pointed the finger back at Falco for breaking into his house and threatening him. Billson might have still gone to jail for fraud, but the penalties for trespassing and assault were tougher on Zoness. Katt would have copped the same sentence as Falco, or at least been charged as an accomplice. He'd be fine with taking the fall on his own, but he could never drag her down with him like that.

And so, Falco had nothing to show for this whole ordeal. Maybe calling Billson out to the cops had been the proper way to deal with him. However, Falco only followed that path because Katt was there to talk him out of the alternative. His way could have landed him behind bars; Star Fox would have been without a leader again; and the solar system might have viewed the team as nothing but thugs, fallen hard from grace thanks to Fox's second-rate replacement.

When Katt asked Falco how Fox would have felt, that's what it all came back to: the divide between them. Fox wouldn't have flown out to Zoness in a fit of rage. He wouldn't have tracked Billson across the country to make him bleed. He wouldn't have been as stupid as Falco, needing someone like Katt to talk him out of a bad idea. Fox usually chose right. Falco always chose wrong. As a substitute leader, Falco was a disgrace in comparison. He made nothing but mistakes and ended up with bugger-all to show for it.

Katt deserved better than the shit he put her through over the past two days. Finally letting out the guilt he harboured over Fox's accident to her… It helped somewhat. It made it a little easier for Falco to think clearly.

What she also said about having friends to help him… Maybe there was something to that as well. God knew that Falco couldn't do anything right on his own. In a dogfight? Sure, the answers were as clear as day. It was the stuff outside of the battlefield that was too messy for Falco to navigate. He couldn't be trusted to make the right call. He needed someone to help him with that.

He just didn't know how to ask for it.

"Falco, come back here!" Peppy hollered as Falco wandered off towards his room. He made to follow, but Katt stopped him. "Katt, get out of the way."

"Peppy, I mean it," she pleaded. "Please just let it go."

His glower didn't waver. "Then would you mind telling me where the hell you both ran off to?"

Katt hesitated as she thought about how to craft her story. Alas, Peppy was furious with Falco right now, and lying to him wouldn't help that. "Okay. Falco did try to hunt down that scammer. We did find him, but we reported him to the police. That's all there is to it."

Peppy folded his arms. "Really? You didn't try to get the money back yourselves?" he asked sceptically.

"That was Falco's initial plan. I talked him out of it at the last minute," Katt admitted. "Peppy, please. Falco blames himself for failing to save Fox, and he saw taking this guy down as a way to make up for it. Nothing ended up happening, so please don't make a big deal out of this."

Sorrow flashed in Peppy's eyes. It softened his glare a little. "And nothing else happened that I should know about, did it?"

"Like I said: nothing happened," Katt answered. If Peppy dug any deeper, she could not drag Isaac back into this mess.

"Fine," Peppy sighed. "I'll let you both off with a warning this time. But Falco's still getting a lecture over going AWOL. This is not to happen again. Do you understand, Katt?"

With a rigid spine, Katt nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Peppy relaxed. "Will you be turning in as well?"

"Not yet. Haven't eaten dinner. I'll take something to Falco later."

Peppy followed Katt as she walked down the hall. "Very well. Slippy and Vixy came back while you were gone. Be sure to say hi if you pass them."

They took the lift towards the mess hall. When it opened, they bumped into Dash, who jolted in surprise. "Katt! You're back."

"Hey, short stuff," Katt smiled affectionately. She stepped aside. "Sorry. You want to get through?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask Peppy something." Dash turned to the old rabbit. His expression was anxious yet determined at the same time. Peppy's ear perked with interest.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I… Well, I…" Dash bowed his head. He cleared his throat. "I want… I want to leave the team… and go find Andross's army."

"What?!"

"Dash, tell me you're joking!" Katt exclaimed.

"I'm not joking," Dash answered without the stammer. He sighed. "But that didn't come out like I meant it. Sorry. What I mean is, I want to find my grandfather's old supporters and sneak into their ranks. Like a spy."

Peppy patted his startled heart with a huff. "Well, that clears it up a bit better. But still… Why?"

"I've been thinking about how I could be useful to the team," Dash said. "Katt once told me there are things that only I can do. So, I started thinking: Who else could be Andross's grandson other than me?"

Katt tore her claws into her hair. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"But think about it! Doctor Reinard and Slippy are doing their best to find a way into Purgatory, but we still haven't made any progress. If there's something I could do to help them, I should try. Maybe Andross developed some kind of technology that we can use."

It might be possible. The Balven System's top scientists couldn't figure out a way to get through Purgatory's dust layer. Perhaps someone smarter than them could. "I get what you're saying, Dash," Katt said, "but it's still dangerous."

"If Andross's followers find out that you're spying on them, they'll kill you," Peppy warned gravely.

Dash nodded. "I know. But if anyone has a chance of gaining their trust, it might as well be me."

Katt met Peppy's eye. He looked no more certain about this idea than she did. He turned back to Dash and ran his fingers between his ears. "Give me some time to think about this."

It wasn't much of an answer, though Dash smiled. "Thank you."

As Peppy walked off deep in thought, Katt lingered behind. "You don't need to do this, Dash."

"Maybe… Maybe not," he replied. "But I want to try."

Katt chewed her lip. "Please be careful. If you do this, don't take any stupid risks."

"I know. I'll be careful."

She hoped that he would. Katt's family broke down during the early years of the Lylat Wars. She later left that shambled mess and found a new one with Falco in the Hot Rodders. Then she joined Star Fox, and her teammates became her family as well. Dash was like the little brother that she never had. Always wanted to be involved but felt awkward when he tried. He was goofy in a charming way. The thought of Dash putting himself in danger worried her worse than Falco's thickheadedness did.

If Dash ever got hurt because of something that she let him do, Katt would never forgive herself.

Gerald Billson slurped on a slushie as he made his way back to his apartment. With a plastic retail bag in his other hand, Billson juggled his burdens so that he could pull the housekeys from his pocket. He successfully pushed the front door open, bolted it behind him, and made his way directly to the open space that served as his dining and living room.

Billson placed the bag over the table that he used more for card games than eating. Hard, plastic packages clattered together inside. The new parts that he purchased would make his home network even more powerful. Normally, he wouldn't splurge like this so soon after having already been to Galaxy Gizmo the other day. The itch needed to be scratched though. Billson felt he deserved this. Getting stood up by that cat chick still made his blood boil. Katherine, she said her name was.

She was the one who approached him in the first place! Billson never expected her to ask him out after helping her, but damn if he was going to say no! He even went and cleaned up his image for her. But nothing! An hour passed after Kathrine said she'd come over. Three separate calls. No answer. Not even a text to explain herself!

Billson inhaled the last dregs of slushie. He then released his irritation through a loud belch. Fine. Never mind that skank. She didn't know what she was missing out on. If she knew that he was loaded, she'd have come crawling back, begging for a second chance. Not that he'd give her one. He'd kick her to the curb and laugh at her desperate ass. Just what she'd deserve.

There had been something familiar about Kathrine though. Billson tried to think how but didn't recall knowing any pink cat girls before. Maybe he had seen her around town at some point? Thinking about her only made him angry again, so Billson gave up on the effort. Whatever. She was gone and ready to be forgotten.

Billson sat down at his computer, feeling the need to check his finances. Of course, there was nothing to be concerned about. The payout from that charity hoax Billson set up would keep him comfortable for a long time to come. Honestly, the hard part was getting a new bank account opened under a fake name. Idiots threw their spare credits into his hands like Halloween candy. And for what; some vain attempt to save a bigshot mercenary who was probably dead by now? Billson could have laughed.

Except he didn't when he tried to login to the bank's web portal. A red message box appeared after Billson entered his password. His eyes widened. The account was locked due to suspicious activity! Surely this had nothing to do with him, right? Billson's heartrate quickened as he navigated to one of his crowdfunding accounts. It was locked as well! The rest were too!

"Shit!" Billson slammed his fist beside the keyboard. With the accounts locked, all the cash in them was frozen. He took a breath and tried to calm down. This was unfortunate but not a disaster. He still had the savings in his legitimate bank account. None of the others could be tied back to him. The best he could do was cut his losses and cut back on his creature comforts.

A knock then came at his door. "Gerald Billson?!" someone shouted. "This is the police! Open up!"

Billson now panicked. He prayed that this wasn't about the scam. Hastily, Billson cleared his browsing history and deleted every bit of evidence he could think of that might incriminate him. The front door hammered again.

"Gerald Billson! Open the door or we will use force!"

"Just a minute!" he called. "I'm not decent!" Billson prayed that excuse would buy him enough time.

The cop knocked again, giving his final warning. Billson shut down the computer and hurried to unlock the door. A heavyset alligator in blue uniform towered over him. Just the sight of the brute terrified Billson. Yet he wore a wide grin, doing his best to act casual.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, officer," he greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"We've received an anonymous tip accusing you of committing fraudulent activities." The voice came from below Billson. It drew him to a tatty-eared rat who he completely missed due to the guy's monstrously big friend. The rat held up a tablet with a text document displayed. "My partner and I have a warrant to search your premises and bring you in for questioning."

An anonymous tip? Impossible! Billson never told anyone about the scams. "I… I-I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered weakly. "Surely, this is a mistake."

"We'll see about that after we talk down at the station." The rat adjusted his sunglasses. "Now, you can either come along with me; or Detective Bowser, here, can escort you to our cruiser instead."

The alligator crossed his thick arms. He hissed in a manner that turned Billson's blood cold. Swallowing fearfully, he complied as the rat bound his hands in cuffs. As they walked down the hall, Billson watched a team of forensic technicians carry crates past them to the apartment.

After he was pushed into the police cruiser parked on the street, Billson racked his brains for who might have tipped the cops off. Someone found out about his scheme. If the cops had traced him to the hoax accounts themselves, the rat would have said so. Instead, someone had given them his name. Someone who had discovered he was ripping off Star Fox.

Billson suddenly thought about that woman, Katherine. Horror claimed him. Now he remembered where he'd seen her from. That had been Katt Monroe! One of the new members of Star Fox! How had she found him out?

In the next moment, Billson realised that wasn't his greatest worry right now. If Katt Monroe knew what he had done, that had to mean that the rest of her squad knew as well. Billson sweated all over. Fox McCloud was gone, but his teammates were still around. The frog and the rabbit, Billson wasn't scared of. But Falco Lombardi… That guy was the deadliest pilot who Star Fox had. Rumours went around that he used to lead a street gang before becoming a mercenary. If Lombardi had found him instead…

Billson glanced through the cruiser's windows fretfully. Whether or not the cops actually had any dirt on him no longer mattered. If Falco Lombardi was out there looking for blood, a prison cell was the safest place in the Lylat System for Billson to be in right now.

End note:

If you finished this chapter and felt disappointed by the whole affair, that's pretty much the point. This was a fight that Falco was never supposed to pick. However, these events are a crucial stepping stone for his development. Fortunately, Katt was there to keep Falco from slipping.