A lot of people get confused about the difference between Meteo, and the actual asteroid belt that rings Lylat. The difference is pretty simple though. Meteo is the densest region of the asteroid belt, and happens to be nearest to Corneria. During the Lylat War it acted as a natural barrier between Corneria and the Venomian fleet. Andross's forces spent years crushing and redirecting asteroids to make it passable. When they did, it allowed them to launch their surprise attack on Corneria City, bypassing the Cornerian fleet stationed at Sector Y.

Now, dense for an asteroid belt is a relative term. There are a lot of pockets of empty space, but then there are also huge areas where the asteroids are in orbits so unstable they collide with each other. Those things are scary. Trust me, I've flown between them.

BR-558 is located inside one of those big pockets of empty space. It's a helluva navigational task to get through them. Without ROB on hand the only person I trust to fly this bucket we borrowed from Fara through the lane leading to it is Falco. Oh, he plays dumb, he is dumb, but his grasp of piloting and astrogation aren't just brilliant, their instinctive. Sit him down and ask him to do multiplication tables and he'll stare at you resentfully as he works through them for hours. Sit him down in the navigator position and he does complex algebra and spatial geometry without so much as a grimace. I've never been able to figure it out. I have learned to trust it.

"There it is," Falco says, glancing up from his control board to look at the main screen. "Why do people live here?"

"The money used to be good," I say.

"Yeah? When?"

"A hundred years ago."

"Why don't people leave?" Krystal asks, glancing at me from where she's sitting at the operations board.

"They can't." I sigh. "Crespo used all sorts of legal, contractual, and just plain unfair pay structures to make it almost impossible for you to be able to afford to move away once you're here."

"Why did people come in the first place?" Krystal shakes her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"Desperation. And deceptive marketing. There are a lot more desperate people in Lylat than you'd think, living on Corneria," I explain.

Falco snorts. "Ain't that the truth."

"Are we in comms range?"

Krystal taps a control. "Yes."

"Hail their dockmaster."

Krystal taps a few more buttons and then points to me. "Channel open."

"This is the hauler..." I realize we didn't give this thing a name. "Gorkon. Requesting permission to dock."

"Hauler Gorkon, are you picking up or dropping off?"

The voice comes back laden with static. Not a surprise. Their comm systems are probably outdated, and Meteo creates a lot of interference. At least it's intelligible. "Looking to pick up."

"Understood. Sending coordinates for a docking arm. Be aware that Crespo policy requires you to remain docked for forty-eight hours, and that new arrivals must wait seventy-two hours before being granted access to the corporate market."

"Copy that."

Krystal closes the channel.

"Why the delays?" Slippy asks.

"Cuts down on smuggling and piracy," Falco replies. "If you're a smuggler there's no way you want to risk hanging around for two days."

"Consider it a lucky break," I say. "Our unloaded ship won't attract much attention sitting in its berth. Bring us in Falco. Nice and casual."

"You got it."

We approach BR-558's dockyard. It consists of a habitat dome with dozens of umbilical lines poking out of it. There isn't much traffic, though I do spot a couple of ore freighters. "Not exactly a bustling center for commerce," Krystal notes.

"No." I get up from my chair. "Suit up everyone. We've got a bomb to retrieve."

Once we're docked we get changed into the outfits Fara provided. We all look a bit more rough and tumble. Falco and I both put on our shades, which Krystal rolls her eyes at. "What?"

"Only you two would wear shades inside a space station."

"Look, it's one way to get around any facial recognition technology they might have," I reply.

"Sure." Krystal removes her jewelry, then musses her fur and hair. She's grown out that purple hair of hers a bit longer, and when she smears a bit of paint on her cheeks to make them darker I almost think she might go unrecognized. "I know what you're thinking. But there's a reason I've only ever been complimentary of women dying their fur to look like mine."

"Ego?" I tease.

"Har har."

I do get it. The more people who decide to be blue, the less distinctive she gets. That being said she puts the hood of her coat up to cover herself. "You look like a monk."

"Do I?"

"Yes."

"I'll be a lousy one. You're too tempting not to give into."

Falco groans. Slippy ignores us.

"Let's get going guys."

We head out of the ship. In case I forgot to mention, we're armed to the teeth. Just in places no one is likely to detect. I'm not saying where. That'd give it away.

Once we clear the umbilical we stop by the registration office and sign for the ship. When the bureaucracy is satisfied Slippy says, "Where do we even start looking?"

I glance at Falco. "Why are you lookin' at me?"

"You must know someone here," I tell him.

"Yeah. I kinda figured we'd go the direct route though."

I shake my head. "Tamarind is CID. There's no way he's still using their facility here. He'll have moved somewhere else. You know the kind of people that can tell us where."

Falco rubs his beak, thinking. "Yeah. Yeah I know someone. I think he still lives here. Probably. No one ever leaves this dump. Follow me."

I let him take the lead. Falco has always been the person on the team with the least sterling reputation. Ever since I've known him he's been hanging around and getting to know people I would generously call the 'wrong crowd.' It got us into all sorts of trouble as kids. Now it's turned out to be all kinds of useful. I do my best to live up to my heroic reputation, but the reality of the universe is that mercenaries have to deal with the less savory types. My dad used to say that having your hands clean has nothing to do with being a good person. It has everything to do with not helping out. Maybe not the most conventional perspective, but he and I never lived conventional lives.

We take a couple of twists and turns and then arrive at an empty train station. Falco glances at the flickering screen map and then says, "Gonna be a bit of a ride."

I take a look at where he's taking us before we board the train. Sector 21505. An old pergium mine. We'll be going down.

Slippy takes a seat in the nearly empty car. "I don't like this place."

Looking around at the peeled paint, rust, and torn ad posters I say, "What's to like?"

"Why aren't there more people on this route?" Krystal asks.

"We're heading to an old pergium mine," Falco says. "They don't mine that shit anymore."

"Really?"

I nod. "The vein ran dry a long time ago. Pergium reactor plants are also on their way out. Have been for decades. I think only Venom and Fichina are still actively using them."

"Any particular reason?"

"Pergium mining is dangerous," I explain. "The element is found only in certain places, and is highly radioactive. Not to mention unstable. Safety concerns and scarcity made it obsolete."

"There was also that big explosion," Falco reminds us.

"What big explosion?" Krystal's expression twists with concern.

Slippy takes this one. "An asteroid mining station in the Sargasso Sector blew up during a Pergium mining operation. Two thousand fatalities. And it created a radioactive cloud about five million kilometers across. It was fifty years ago though. The cloud has mostly dissipated."

"Pergium is common in Sargasso," I tell her, glancing out the window as we race past empty stops. "That accident dried up the market. Ever since then, Sargasso has been a pirate haven, with almost no legitimate trade."

"I see. So that's why Wolf set up there."

"Yeah." I cross my arms.

"Miss him?" Falco needles.

"Like Slippy said, I would have been happy never seeing his face again."

"He helped us with the Aparoids," Krystal reminds me.

"Sure. To save his own skin. Either way, he got what he deserved when his crime syndicate rebelled against him. Let's not worry about him." I hate talking about Wolf. The first mission to Sauria might have been the best high profile mission I ever took, simply because Wolf didn't try to crash the party and take my payday away from me. I only ran into him a few times between the Aparoids and the Lylat War, but he always managed to show up when I was doing something important. Ugh, whatever. Krystal is giving me a look. "What?"

"Nothing." She flicks her ears. "Trust me, I'd be happy not to run into them too."

"Panther still after you?" Falco asks.

"Yes." She rubs her muzzle. "He keeps changing subspace mail addresses to thwart my spam folder."

"Do I even want to know what he's sending you?" I ask, fairly certain that I don't.

"Nothing tasteful." Krystal sighs and tips her head back. "Allie and Siona hear me. Why did you saddle me with an obnoxious stalker? Could he not have been a subtler one?"

I reach out and squeeze her shoulder. "Want me to kill him?"

She looks at me and smiles coldly. "I wouldn't be angry if you did. But it does seem a touch disproportionate."

"Fair enough. But just say the word."

"Our stop is coming up," Falco says.

"Should I be concerned," Slippy says, standing up, "That no one boarded that whole time? There were stops before the Pergium mining sector."

Falco shrugs. "My guess, this train is on his payroll. Nobody was waiting for it at the stop where we boarded."

"This guy then," I say. "He's got pull around here?"

"He's got pull all over the system," Falco replies, stepping out. I let him take the lead. "He's a legit guy, as far as legit goes."

"Your definition of legit is different from mine," I remind him.

"He doesn't smuggle drugs or sentients."

"Good enough for me."

We descend into what looks like a ghost town. Old structures covered in rust and broken windows. No sign of life. I let my hand rest near my blaster. Falco and Krystal do the same. Slippy stays in the middle. He's the liability in the fight. We compensate. His skills are useful enough that it's worth the hassle. Plus, ya know, he's my friend.

"Sensing anything Krys?" I ask.

"As a matter of fact..."

She doesn't finish her sentence. From out of the shadows at least twenty guys appear. They're wearing red environment suits. Old mining gear converted for military use. Common among pirates. Those suits are tougher than standard environmental suits, and pirates in space need to be prepared to suck vacuum at any moment.

"Friends of yours?" I ask Falco.

"Nope." Falco shakes his head and raises his hands.

We all follow suit. "Swell. Who do you boys work for then?"

Someone breaks from the pack and steps forward. He removes his helmet. He's an ape. Grizzled. Scars across his muzzle. Judging by those scars it looks like they're from some cybernetic implants he had removed. Ex-Venom military then. "I'm Captain Cargy of the New Androssian Militia."

NAM. Shit. "Nice to meet you."

He smiles. He's got a couple of gold teeth. "You're not fooling anyone, you know."

"What's that?" I play dumb.

"Fox McCloud. Falco Lombardi. Slippy Toad. Krystal." He points to each of us in turn.

"Oh. Yeah. I guess we are kinda famous." I smile. "You know, we were just passing through. This doesn't have to be unpleasant."

Cargy considers me. "Maybe. Do you have ten million in cash on you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're right, I'm sorry." Cargy grins even wider. "Twenty-five million. That's how much the four of you are worth on the Interchange."

I have a bounty on the Interchange? Fuck me. Great. "Could we negotiate?"

Cargy laughs. "You've got nerve McCloud. Kill my emperor twice, and then negotiate your own price? I like your attitude almost enough to consider it. Best thing is? You're worth the same dead or alive."

"Well that's just insulting. The people who want me aren't interested in torturing me?" I notice a flicker of movement behind the crowd of Militia thugs. Krystal mind taps me and I get the message. Stall a few more seconds. "Can I at least know who it is that wants me dead or alive?"

Cargy shrugs. "There's almost too many people guaranteeing the price to name. In fact, taking you alive might be enough to start a bidding war. My organization could use all the credits it can get."

"As long as you only plan to spend them on bombs and guns and all that," I say. "By the way, what are you doing here? Looking for me? Sorry to say you aren't my type."

"Looking for something else actually. Point in your favor, you might know where it is," Cargy tells me. "You also might know where to find a certain someone. Lives around here. Does business on the Interchange every now and then."

I glance at Falco. Left out that little detail, did you Falco? "We're just sightseeing."

"Yes. The sights here are interesting." Cargy frowns. "Alright. I'm done. Hopkins! Cuffs."

"You have cuffs?" I arch an eyebrow.

"The New Androssian Militia is always ready to offer mercy."

"You mean take hostages."

"An organization has to make a living. Our operating costs are rather high."

"I bet."

Hopkins, or whatever his name is, starts to come forward just when all hell breaks loose. From out of the shattered windows and emerging like demons from dumpsters and trash cans, an army of modified Mr. and Mrs. Helpers appear. On arms that should have been fitted with cleaning implements and liquid spritzers are instead electrified weapons and blasters. A few of them even have buzzsaws. And all of them are yelling battlecries in those ridiculous accents that would have had me in hysterics if they weren't shooting the Militia.

"Down!" I yell. I pull my blaster from its hidden holster and sight on the nearest NAMer. I squeeze the trigger and he drops. Falco and Krystal have both opened fire. A couple of the bots go down, but the Militia have been caught by surprise, and in a couple of minutes they're all on the ground, dead or disabled. The bots start dragging the bodies towards an open door full of holding cells.

We pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off. A Mr. Helper scoots over and says, "Good day, sahr! Good job distracting them, by the way. Now, if you'll follow me, there's someone who would like to see you."

"Who is that?" I ask.

"I was told to be mysterious, sahr."

I glance at Falco. He nods, and I see him trying not to look hopeful.

The Mr. Helper leads us down the street and then right up to a solid rock wall. He broadcasts a couple of musical notes, and the wall dissolves. A hologram. A good one, too. Behind it is a long tunnel, hollowed out of the asteroid. Probably an old mine shaft. "This way, sahr. I do apologize for the mess. The owner prefers the clutter. Imagine!"

"I'm trying to." I give Falco a look. "Does your guy work for the Interchange?"

"No. He works with them. Sometimes." Falco holds up his hands. "Hey, even she does. Smuggling is hard to do without dealing with them every now and then."

"Fair enough." The Interchange is a criminal organization notorious throughout the galaxy. They're a bit more complicated than most though. See, they act mostly as facilitators. Putting people in contact with each other, posting illegal bounties, providing secure means for transferring large amounts of currency, and providing information and blackmail material for the right price. They're not just dangerous for who they help though. If their leadership take a personal interest in something, they are quite possibly the most dangerous faction you can have after you. Even I do my best to just steer clear of them.

At the end of the tunnel is a pressure door. The Mr. Helper puts an arm in a socket and the door opens. "Pleasant day, sahr. I'll be back on the line." He jets off.

"You first," I tell Falco. Krystal snorts. Slippy shivers. It's cold down here.

"Yo! Klep! You in here?" Falco calls out.

The lights in the room come on and I look up to see a big man sitting in a bigger chair, suspended from the ceiling. He's got a mask on, and a jacket that covers him. He rasps his voice through a grill at the bottom of the mask. "Falco Lombardi. And just what are you doing here?"

"Came to see ya, Klep. You know my friends. Fox. Slippy. Krystal." He introduces us.

"Fox McCloud." Klep is staring at me. I think. Hard to tell with the mask. "Not often you come down into the dirt with the rest of us. Thanks for the Aparoids though. Fine job you did there."

"No problem." I shrug.

"You also managed to knock out a significant competitor for me." Klep leans forward. "Wolf O'Donnell. My smuggling operations in Sargasso are starting to turn a much healthier profit, now that he isn't taking his exorbitant cut."

"You sellin' to him?" Falco asks. "He's probably in need of your kinda merchandise."

"He hasn't asked." Klep shakes his head. "And besides, I don't want him to win. He probably will anyway though. Wolf is a survivor. Even if he never reclaims Sargasso, there are plenty of other areas where he could set up shop and continue to be a galactic irritant."

I chuckle. "He'd hate to hear himself described that way."

"It's accurate though." Klep leans back. "I know why you're here. And I'll start this negotiation very poorly by saying, I'm willing to help you out."

"Thanks Klep." Falco smiles.

"Don't thank me."

I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn, hand going for my reholstered blaster. Then I jerk it away when I see who emerges from the shadows. Yellow tank top. Dark jeans. Brown leather belt with a serious hand cannon hanging off of it. And a bomber jacket. Add to that baby blue eyes, platinum blonde hair that she insists is as natural as her pink fur, and you have one of the most unique individuals in Lylat.

Lady Pink smiles and says, "All of you can relax. Katt Monroe is here."

"Katt." Falco stares at her, intent. "How are you mixed up in all this?"

Katt cocks her hip and twirls her hair. "Not in any way you need to worry about."

"Spill it Katt," I break in. "I'm already on CID's payroll."

"Oh that must chafe." Katt laughs. She's got a very musical laugh. Like a brass band singer's. Nothing compared to Krystal's though. If you ask me. "I'm here on my own behalf. Big ears wants to make a bomb that can take out tech, I want to get a look inside of it."

"Why?"

"So I can update my designs to be resistant, of course." Katt purrs. "It'll make my tech the hottest on the market. Again. Let me help you."

I scratch my cheek ruffs. It's not the most nefarious motive she could have. Katt's a good friend, and I trust her, but Fara will have my ass if I help Katt get a look inside her prototype bomb. "How can you help us?"

"I know where Tamarind is," Katt says.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah."

"How?"

Katt grins and her purring is almost a roar. Her chest is vibrating. Just a little. Falco is thoroughly mesmerized. "I sold Crespo a big batch of robots. Mr. and Mrs. Helpers, and mining bots. I may have forgotten to tell them that I can surveil the whole asteroid through them."

"That cannot be legal." Krystal shakes her head.

"Legal shmegal. Doesn't hurt anyone." Katt shrugs. "I don't do blackmail. Well, unless someone really deserves it."

I hold up a hand. "I don't want to know. Where is Tamarind? And is the bomb in the same place?"

"I don't know about the bomb specifically," Katt says. When I glance at Klep she adds, "He knows what I know. Don't worry, I'm paying him for his silence."

"And very generously, I might add," Klep says, sinking deeper into his chair and robes.

"I'm sure Tamarind knows where the bomb is though," Katt goes on. "And with Blue here, we can get it out of him."

I glance at Krystal. She nods. "I'm the only telepath Lylat's ever encountered. Whatever training Tamarind has, he won't be able to keep it from me."

"Powers like those could be very useful to a man such as myself," Klep says. "How much do you work for?"

Krystal smiles sweetly. "You can't afford me."

Klep shrugs. "You never know. I'll forward you an offer. Just in case."

"So Foxy," Katt says. "What do you say? Do you want my help? Or do me and my bots have to do this ourselves?"

"Fine." I hold out my hand. Katt shakes it. "If Fara asks if you got scans of the thing, I will tell her the truth."

"Oh don't worry about her." Katt rubs her hands together. "She'll just have to pay a retainer for my silence. She did that last time, right Pinky?"

From the shadows she had been standing in floats a quadcopter with a single photoreceptor and a pink chassis. Katt's personal companion bot. One of only a handful of Smart AIs in existence. Genuine sentience. Falco frowns. He and Pinky don't get along.

Katt turns to Klep. "Pinky has transferred my payment to your account. I trust you'll find it sufficiently generous?"

Klep produces a computer slate from his chair and takes a look at it. He laughs, deep and hearty. "Oh yes. I might even be able to take a vacation at this rate."

"Assuming we succeed and you aren't stuck sucking vacuum," Katt says. "Which, by the way, will be what happens if you double cross me."

Klep makes an unhappy noise. "Have I ever given you reason to doubt me?"

"No." Katt grins. It's a very feline expression that, honestly, is much more unnerving than anything else. The layers of implied threat oozing off of Katt are impressive. "See you around." She gives him a two finger salute and then heads for the door. I motion for the team to follow her.

"You sold him the bots, didn't you?" I ask.

"Of course. He tries anything, they're loyal to me first. He knows that." Katt purrs and stops suddenly, making Falco collide with her. She reaches up and strokes his beak. His arms wrap around her stomach. I try not to notice that she's grinding her ass into his crotch. "Good to see you, Falco baby."

"Yeah. You gonna stick around for the victory party?" he asks.

"Wouldn't miss it. First though," she pulls away from him. "We have work to do."

()()()()

"I almost don't believe it," I mutter, looking through my electro-binoculars at the top floor of Crespo Tower. Tamarind is sitting pretty, surrounded by security robots. Not Katt's models. These look like Ares Corporation bots. Nothing I haven't dealt with before.

"I suppose," Krystal says, standing next to me, "The CID would have some connections with Crespo."

"Yeah. Which brings up the question of why they didn't hand him over." I sigh. "Money."

"Can you really blame them?" Krystal asks. "We're mercs."

"Good point." I bring my wristcomm to my muzzle. "Everyone in position?"

"Slippy here, Katt and I are ready."

"Falco here, I'm set up. Sniper support is with you."

"Good. We go on your signal, Slip." I adjust the boosterpack on my back. Klep provided them. I triple checked every component to make sure they were sound. They are. We do our weapons check, and then the signal comes.

An entire city block at the heart of BR-558 goes dark. Everything but the ventilation system loses power. There'll be chaos, but chaos is what we're going for, and this is an area where Crespo Emergency Services will take care of things quick and efficient. This is where the bigwigs live.

"Ready?" Krystal nods. "Off we go."

Together we jump from the roof we've been standing on. Our boosterpacks trigger and we're flying through the air and the dark, aided by night vision goggles. The window approaches, and right on time Falco fires a shot that shatters it. We sail through and land, the packs deactivating as soon as our feet touch the ground.

I bring my blaster up and fire. Two of the robots go down, and I see Tamarind dive for cover. He's armed, and I expect him to be dangerous. CID doesn't hire wimps and cowards the way Andross tended to.

Next to me Krystal has her staff out. She's taken to fighting with it again. It doesn't come up on weapon scans either, which makes it a very good choice for a missions where we're trying to keep a bit more of a low profile. Not that I think that's going to happen after this show. With the fire blaster she melts the last two bots in the room. "Secure the door," I tell her. "Tamarind! Come out, it's over."

"Not even close." Tamarind stands up and fires a bolt. It goes wide, but I feel it singe the fur on my cheek. "Let's negotiate McCloud."

"That's not how this works." From his sniper position Falco fires again. The bolt cracks through the air and hits the muzzle of Tamarind's blaster. He yelps and drops it. "Surrender, or the next one will be your head."

"Don't bluff," Tamarind says, shaking his head. "You need me alive."

I frown. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I know where the Arc bomb is. And I know the codes to deactivate it."

From the door I hear a pounding noise. "We've got company," Krystal says. She walks over to Tamarind. "Here's the part you don't understand." She grabs him by the head. His eyes widen and he tries to get away. She holds him firm. "I don't need you to talk. I don't need you to cooperate. All I need you to do..." Her eyes start to glow, as do the tips of her fingers, "Is hold still."

Tamarind squirms, and then his eyes squeeze shut and he starts yelling. I cringe a bit. Krystal's mind touches have always been benign and pleasant for me. Having one forced on you though? That has to be painful and terrifying.

Around us the lights in the room flicker and come back online. The door, depowered and sealed, whirs open. I turn and open fire. The first Crespo Security man through goes down, a smoking hole in his chest. I want to ask Krystal how much longer she needs, but I don't dare break her focus. Instead I get between her and the door and activate my barrier charge. A blue sphere of reflective energy surrounds me, and the blaster bolts from the security personnel are absorbed by the shield. It's ticking down though, and I know it won't last long.

I return fire, but in the moment it took me to get in front of Krystal they've gotten inside. "Krys..."

"Got it!" She yanks her hands away from him and Tamarind crumples to the ground. His nose is bleeding. "Come on."

I nod, and the two of us activate our boosterpacks and jet out of the broken window. Once we're clear we dive down and Falco opens up, covering our retreat. I can see flashing lights at street level. Krystal and I peel off between a pair of apartment buildings. Our goggles give us a marker for the rendezvous point.

"Katt here," her voice comes through the audio bead in my ear. "Slippy and I have exited the power relay. We're on our way to the rendezvous point."

"Copy that." I bring my wrist comm to my muzzle. "Falco, clear outta there."

"Gotcha. Falling back. No one made my position."

"Good."

A few minutes of flying gets us out of the headquarters area, and I think we're clear. "Fox."

"What?"

I hear it before I feel it. The thrumming engines of a VTOL security craft. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me."

"Leave this one to me," Krystal says. She reverses her booster pack and I find some cover. I sight on the pilot and open fire with my blaster, drawing his attention. I don't expect to break through the transparent aluminum, but I don't need to. He takes the bait and starts firing at me. I switch positions, flying a randomized evasion pattern. He's trying to get precision shots, worried about causing collateral damage. I'll give him credit for that. We are inside a pressure dome. Wide shots from his guns could be a problem.

While I keep his attention Krystal flies in low, then boosts up and through the open doors of the troop bay. In moments bodies are flying out the doors. I wince. Crespo is gonna have words with Corneria over this one. Then again I don't feel too bad. Crespo hires cheap for its security personnel. And cheap means mean, criminal, and thug. We're probably doing the galaxy a favor here.

I see the doors to the cockpit open, and Krystal appears for a split second, cracking the pilot upside the head with her staff. Then she's out, backflipping out of the troop bay, getting her booster on, and rejoining me as the VTOL spins into a building, and then comes to a screeching halt on a skybridge. People scatter, and no one gets crushed. Lucky.

"A bit messy," I tell her as we resume our flight.

"You always liked it when I made a mess though," she replies.

I try not to choke on my next breath, but then I smile. She gets me. There's a tunnel up ahead. We take it, heading down five levels until we reach an old commercial zone. The shops have long since shuddered, but there's a fair amount of underground commerce still going on. We hit the deck and ditch the boosterpacks. No one bats an eye at the fact that we just came in here like this. I guess it's par for the course.

Our rendezvous point is an old perfume shop. it still stinks. A few minutes after Krystal and I arrive Katt and Slippy come barreling in, with Falco bringing up the rear. "So," Katt says, "Did you find it?"

Krystal nods. "Yeah. And you aren't going to like it."

"Great. Where is it?" I ask.

Pinky projects a map of the asteroid. Krystal takes a brief look at it and then points. "Right there."

"Oh for fuck sake." I rub my eyes. "Could you have misread his mind?"

Krystal stares daggers at me. "You're not Cerinian, so I'll forgive you for that grave insult to my abilities."

"Sorry babe." She's teasing. I think.

Falco is shaking his head. "I don't get it. What's the huge problem?"

Slippy glances at him and says, "It's been set right on the primary maglock for the entire asteroid. If it goes off, this whole thing will spin into space."

"It's already in space."

"It'll hurtle into other rocks," Slippy clarifies. "And we'll all die."

"I mean, Fara said that'd happen no matter where it went off," Falco says.

"Yeah. I guess that's true." I sigh. "But the fact that he put it there means he definitely has contacts in Crespo. That's the only way I can see him being able to access such a secure component."

"Oh he definitely has contacts." Katt smiles. "I'll sell the names to CID. They can clean up."

"How noble."

"Girl's gotta make a living, Foxy boy." Katt's smile never wavers.

"Okay. Well, problem number two," I say. "That's in space."

"Do you have your Arwings?" Katt asks.

"Yes, but shooting it seems like a bad idea."

"True." Katt considers. "I'll talk to Klep. I'm sure he's got spacesuits he'll let me borrow. Or buy."

"Okay." A plan is forming in my head. "Slippy?"

Slippy nods. "Did we get the code for it?"

Krystal rattles off a series of letters and numbers that I cannot even begin to keep track of. "You got that Slip?"

"Yup." Slippy nods. "With that, this should be a piece of cake."

"Right. Let's hope so. Katt, you're flying with us."

"I'd rather be with Slippy." Katt frowns.

"I'll let you scan the thing after we retrieve it," I promise her. "Without Slip I'm down a pilot, so you're it."

Katt locks gazes with me. "You better promise I get a look inside of it."

"Promise."

She nods. "Fine." Behind her Pinky blats something. He's been quiet up until now. "Pinky says if you double cross us he'll zap you."

"Uh huh."

"Hey man," Falco says. "Don't underestimate that little bastard."

"I won't." I take a look at my team. "Katt, get us the suits, then meet us at our ship."

"You got it."

"Krys?"

"Yes dear?"

"Did you kill Tamarind?"

"No." Krystal shakes her head. "But he'll be out for awhile."

"Okay." I nod, my tail flicking involuntarily. "I'll contact Fara and let her know we're ready for retrieval. Let's get this done. Star Fox, move out."

()()()()

Crespo is screaming at us by the time our Arwings leave Fara's old mothership. Screaming, but not shooting. I close the channel, confident they won't get further involved. They know better than to try and take us on in space. Now that they know who we are, they'll take the bloody nose and then go into damage control once the diplomatic incident between them and Corneria starts. Man, that'll be quite the show.

"Katt, tighten up a little," I say. Katt's drifting out of the diamond.

"I don't like tight formations," Katt replies.

"Too bad."

Silence. Then, "Fine." Her Invader II-class fighter, Catspaw, returns to formation. She keeps pace with us like she's been flying with us for years. In a way she has. She's been helping me and Falco out since the Lylat War. She has not, however, ever been a permanent member of the team.

"Slippy, you hangin' in there?" I ask.

Bringing up the rear of our formation is Slippy, who has taken a shuttlepod from our carrier. I don't envy him the job he's got to do, space walking to override a big bomb. "I'm all good, Fox."

"Excellent. We're approaching the mag lock at two hundred KM." I check the distance meter. "Star Fox, establish an Athevra perimeter at twenty KM."

"You sure that's the formation you want?"

"Yes Falco. Comply."

"Complying."

Athevra will give Slippy the maximum amount of cover possible, up to and including us using our shields as barriers for him in close. Falco is complaining since it severely limits our maneuverability. I'm less concerned about that aspect since Crespo isn't launching fighters.

"This is Slippy. I am going full stop and exiting the shuttle. Wish me luck, guys."

"Good luck Slippy." We establish the perimeter, and I take a moment to watch Slippy exit his shuttle and start approaching the bomb.

"This thing is a monster. I'm glad Fara gave us the schematics."

"She what?" Katt nearly screeches. "You didn't tell me you had the specs!"

"I wouldn't be attempting this if we didn't," I reply.

"Fox!"

"No."

"I'll pay you."

"No, Katt. I said you could scan it. That's as far as I'll go."

"Ugh. Fine."

"And Katt," I add, "Try hacking into our system and I'll shoot you down myself."

"I wasn't planning to!"

"Uh huh." I know Katt. She most certainly was planning on doing that. My threat is somewhat empty though. She designed Star Fox's computer systems. They're the most secure money can buy, but I have no doubt she's got her own backdoors that'll let her access our data without anyone being the wiser.

"Slippy here, I am entering the code now."

"Copy that." I shake my head. "This is..."

"Can't let you do that, Fox!"

"No." My eyes widen.

"Hello Krystal."

"Fuck off, Panther!"

"Annoying bird!"

"Racist!"

"Wolf..." My scanners light up with hostiles. Three Wolfens inbound. And a carrier. Sargasso class.

"Give up the bomb Fox, and I won't shoot ya," Wolf says, appearing on my comm screen. He's transmitting open frequency. Anyone in range can hear him.

"No."

"Alright. We do this the hard way."

"Katt! Protect Slippy. We'll handle Wolf."

"Acknowledged." Katt moves in and physically covers Slippy with her ship while diverting all her power to her shields.

"Star Fox, break and engage at will."

"Are we shooting to kill here Fox?" Falco asks.

I frown. "No. Shoot to disable." I know Wolf. This is the dance. The perpetual pissing match. I'll indulge him. To a point.

I spot Wolf on my scanners. Falco is already engaging Leon, the two of them flying loops around each other at speeds that make them almost invisible. Krystal has sighted on Panther, and Panther is making his typical mistake of trying to flirt and fly at the same time. The only person he's distracting is himself. Krystal is already on his tail.

"It didn't have to be this way, Wolf," I say, keeping my communications frequency open. Unlike Panther, I'm a good enough pilot I can talk and fly at the same time. He only thinks he is. "After the Aparoids, you could have gone legit."

Green laser fire streaks by my cockpit. He's closing on me fast. We're both going head on. Looks like we're starting with the chicken. "Sure Fox. Because people would forget which side I chose in the Lylat War."

Fair point. "Yeah. That was pretty stupid." I charge my main gun, the plasma spinning and glowing, held by a magnetic field projected by my nose gun. That same magnetic field will offer it limited tracking ability. "I would have put a word in for you."

"Oh yeah?" Wolf is charging his gun too. This really is going to be a game of chicken with ten kilometers to go.

"Yeah. You never gave me the chance to make the offer. Offer has since been rescinded." He's not going to back off. With a hundred meters to go I veer away, then pull up and loop around behind him. He's already going evasive, but I get a bare second lock on with my charge shot. I release the trigger and send the spun plasma his way. It tracks, but he manages to evade it, the energy scraping harmlessly off his shields. The time he takes dodging it forces him to release his own shot before it overloads.

"I'm in tears," Wolf mocks. "I get this Arc bomb, I get control of Sargasso back, and then we'll see what happens."

"Not gonna happen." He's off my scanners. I recalibrate and bring my Arwing around. There he is. He used a small debris cluster to scatter my sensors. "Sorry you wasted your money on Tamarind."

"Money ain't hard to come by," Wolf replies. "You kill him?"

"No."

"Shame. I might have been inclined to pay you off if you had."

I show him exactly what I think of his offer. Blue hyper laser fire coats his tail. He swears and jerks to the left. I keep on him. Then my whole cockpit starts going nuts with warnings. The carrier has me in range. "You play dirty." I dive, avoiding a hail of missile fire. "Katt, missiles inbound."

"I see 'em. Activating counter measures."

The missiles veer off in a thousand directions and detonate harmlessly.

"Fox. Problem."

"What is it Slippy?"

"It's not accepting the code."

"What?" Of all the things...

"It's armed!"

"Slippy...did you enter it right?"

Slippy rattles off the numbers and letters. Krystal breaks in, "It was a three! A three!"

"Oh. Shoot."

Wolf's laughter nearly deafens me. "Why do you keep him around?"

I don't reply. I'd be tempted to say something mean. "Ideas anyone?"

"I got it," Katt replies. "Just a simple hack. CID security protocols. Piece of cake. Of course, I want something extra."

I let out a string of curses that would have made my mother proud. "Fine. I'll talk to Fara about the schematics."

"Awww, thanks."

Wolf is laughing even harder. "Fox. You never cease to crack me up. Why I keep you alive."

"Oh yeah, Wolf?" I cut in reverse thrust just as he swings in behind me. His laughter morphs into cursing as I cut through his shields. My hyper lasers melt his G-diffusers. His engine sputters and goes out, and he's careening in a straight line towards the Meteo asteroid belt.

"Fox! You said you were..." Wolf is panicking now.

"Shooting to disable? I did. Not my fault if you get hit by a rock and die."

"Son of a bitch! Panther! Leon!"

To their credit his toadies break off their engagements and swing in to save him. "Let 'em go."

"This isn't over," Wolf cries. "I've got one more ace up my sleeve."

That must have been his cue. Three more carriers blink into existence. They must have been hiding just out of scanner range. Missiles streak from their batteries. "Star Fox, evasive!"

There's no way. Target locks start flashing across my cockpit boards.

"See you in hell Fox."

"Fox..." Krystal's voice.

"I'm sorry Krystal."

White light blinds me. I yell. I must be dead. Then it clears. I look up and I nearly choke at the sight that greets me. A Cornerian battlecruiser. The newest model, first deployed against Oikonny at Fortuna. More than a match for Wolf's pirate fleet. My comms come to life and a cultured accent similar to Krystal's says, "This is Captain Boniface Whitefur of the CFS Corneria's Pride. Stand down your weapons and prepare to be boarded."

Another voice comes through. "Fox. Did you let Katt hack my bomb?"

"I did Fara."

"Hi Big Ears!" Katt breaks in. "We need to talk."

Silence. Then, "Five million."

"Oh we can negotiate later. With martinis and cute pool boys or something."

I close them out and contact Bonny on a secure channel. "I take it you guys got the message. Wasn't expecting you, though."

"I was in the neighborhood." The arctic fox's image appears on my screen. "What do you want me to do with Wolf?"

"I'm sure he's got a warrant out for his arrest. Bring him in. Beyond that is up to Corneria."

"You sure?"

I chuckle. "He likes to think I give a damn. I don't."

Boniface grins. "Roger that. His carriers are standing down and...Panther is hitting on Fara."

"Shame your military," I say. "Otherwise you could vape him."

"Yes. Corneria's rules of engagement can be a bit strict at times. The hangar is open, feel free to come in. Fara would like to thank you in person. Isn't that right, my little piranha fish?" Boniface looks over his shoulder. All I see is a fennec laughing her ass off at Panther's continued attempts at...flattery. He's persistent. I'll give him that.

"Can I vaporize him?" Krystal asks.

"Jealous he's got a new target?" I tease.

"I'm thinking it'll be merciful compared to what Fara will arrange to have him kept in," Krystal replies.

"Yeah. Well, let him suffer."

Krystal considers. "Gladly."

"Love you, babe." I smile, my tail wagging. Bomb secure. CID turncoat down for the count. Evil corporation in big trouble, and Star Wolf on ice. Not a bad day's work. I turn for the hangar bay on the Corneria's Pride. "Star Fox. Let's go home."

THE END

A/N: All safe and sound. Poor Wolf. He and Star Wolf are blasting off again! They really are the team rocket of Star Fox. Gotta love 'em. I hope you all enjoyed, and as always if you did, leave a fav or a review. See you all starside!

-furfurfurghueugertyhuergbjenb