Well, it has been a while, February wasn't it? I know I said I was going to be working on ReArmed Conflict, but I've had more questions about this, and since I hit a dead end on what I was working on, I figured I might as well get this worked on instead. It late, so I won't go on for much longer, but I do have a question for all of you, as usual, it will be down below. Enjoy the chapter.

Edit 5/19/15 - Fixed a small Bold issue that wasn't there when I uploaded the chapter. Weird. Thanks Ql!

Star Fox: The Dead Planet Saga Act 2: The Dead Past Chapter 18: The Hunt Begins

Fox was the first one through the door when they got back to base, Krystal following after him, her hands tucked into her pockets as she listened to him fume with her mind. Falco had tried to follow them in, but a sharp tug on his arm from Katt had sent the couple wandering off towards the other end of the base.

Fox moved towards the stairs, pausing to glance over his shoulder at Krystal, who raised an eyebrow at the heated look.

"Shall we take this upstairs?"

Krystal's calm question seemed to anger Fox more and he moved up the stairs, his footsteps loud while Krystal followed slowly. When she reached the top and turned to the right to follow him, she found him already standing in front of the table, leaned over with his hands bracing him as his breathing slowed.

Krystal leaned up against the wall, watching him. The silence stretched on for a full five minutes before Fox spoke up.

"Are you even going to say anything in your defense?"

Krystal shook her head. "No, I shouldn't have to, eight years ago, you would have been the one that shot him."

Fox whirled around. "I never killed in cold blood!"

Krystal pushed off the wall, taking a step closer. "Like hell you never did! What about during the Aparoid conflict, do they not count because they were machines?" Fox opened his mouth, but Krystal continued, cutting him off. "Lets not even get started on the Lylat Wars, I may not have been here for them, but I saw enough in your memories and read through reports to know that you didn't hesitate to pull that trigger." She turned around and walked back to the wall, leaning back against it. "That's not even counting all the smaller missions we went on before I left, if somebody bad was on the other side of your gun, they were dead before we left."

Fox shook his head. "That was when we had proof, we knew who we were after and what they had done." Fox gestured out towards the window. "For all we know, that could have just been some punk who joined because he thought it was cool. It wasn't like he was out killing people when we showed up."

Krystal scoffed. "Oh, this is the one that tried to beat Falco down right? That's the one you were worried about? How about the guy who grabbed Katt and ended up getting stunned, what about him? What makes him any worse then the guy I killed first? Because he attacked Katt and shes female so his crime was worse then punching your best friend?"

Fox blinked. "Are you seriously trying to use a gender ploy like that? Do you realize how stupid that sounds?"

Krystal pushed off the wall again. "I was making sure that you could still tell what a stupid argument sounded like." She moved closer to him. "Sometimes, I'm not sure if you even still want me around anymore."

"I don't know!" He turned away from her. "You've just changed so much, I don't know who you are anymore."

Krystal rolled her eyes. "Yes, I changed, I changed to protect myself, but you know what, I didn't change that much, and I don't hide from what I've done." She moved closer. "You're the one whose changed, and you just don't want to accept it, or the fact that maybe you did some questionable things in the past." She poked him in the back and her voice took on a completely different tone. "I'm willing to wait to fix what has been broken between us. But you need to try from your end as well, and I wont wait forever."

Krystal backed off slowly and walked away from Fox, she paused at the top of the stairs. "Think about it. Even if you hate me for what I've done, at least take a moment to think." With that she was down the stairs and out the front door without a sound.

Fox stayed bent over the table for another minute before he sighed and straightened, turning around to face the screen against the wall. "How much did you hear?"

Peppy stared at him from the other side of the screen. "Enough. I'm sorry Fox, I just saw that your line of the call was already open so-"

Fox raised a hand. "It's not your fault Peppy, I was the one who opened the line first, but that's not whats important right now." Fox raised his gauntlet and took a moment to open a line to Peppy's office. "We found a warehouse today that the Iron Wolfs gang were guarding, they're were only a few guards so it wasn't hard to break into. What we found was troubling." Peppy said nothing, just waited for Fox to continue. "The warehouse was filled with cases of weapons, and not the usual stuff that you see in gangs, this was heavy gear, military grade heavy assault rifles and even what looked like a projected energy cannon."

Peppy blinked. "How...How would they even get that? Did you find any clues?"

Fox shook his head. "No sir, but we did make a copy of their system there, its encrypted, which is what I'm sending you, but I'm hoping you can crack it on your end."

Peppy nodded. "I'll get this to Slippy tonight, if these guys have this much fire power in one warehouse, I don't want to think what they have in other places." he glanced down at his terminal. "I see the address for the current warehouse. I'm guessing you want us to go and clear it out."

Fox sighed. "That's what I want to say, but it might be better to watch it instead." Fox paused. "We left two dead there, somebody may come and move the weapons."

Peppy frowned. "I'm guessing those two dead were what you and Krystal were arguing about?" Fox was quiet. "I see. In that case, can I offer you some advice?"

Fox smiled slightly. "I'll always take advice from you."

Peppy gave him a grim smile. "You may not like what I have to say. Krystal had a point, you have changed, back when we all ran in Star Fox you wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger, and you need to apparently accept that fact again if you're truly going to get Star Fox back into the air." Peppy turned to glance over his shoulder. "I have to go Fox, the last thing I have to say is the same thing Krystal did. Think about it." With that Peppy cut his end of the communication, leaving Fox to stew in his own thoughts.

The next three months didn't do much to improve the mood around the base. When Peppy's team arrived at the warehouse, they found the bodies gone, and the entire stock pile missing. Worse off, when Slippy cracked the code, and found out just how many other places that the Iron Wolfs had been storing weapons. The number was well into the triple digits, and it wasn't just limited to Tillen, most of the surrounding cities had stash houses set up in them as well. Since Peppy had his forces spread thin as it was, Star Fox led the charge in raiding many of the storehouses.

Sadly, no matter how fast they moved, it seemed like the Iron Wolfs moved faster, there were only a few store houses that they raided that actually had weapons, or even more troubling, vehicles actually stored there. Even splitting up the team to each lead a different assault team never seemed to allow them to catch up to the Iron Wolfs.

"Damn it." Katt's fist hit the wall as she walked into the base, shrugging off her combat harness and hanging it by the door. "How the hell do they keep clearing all these places out before we get there?"

Falco leaned up against the wall next to her. "I have no idea, but I hope they Krystal and Fox have been having better luck."

"No such thing." Krystal crossed her arms as she walked down the stairs. "Only one of my raids were actually successful, the rest have been busting in on empty places."

Falco shook his head as Katt sighed in frustration. She ran a hand through her hair, dislodging her bandanna that she wore underneath her helmet. "Has Fox had any better luck?" She took a moment to fix her bandanna as she waited for Krystal to respond.

Krystal glanced up at the stairs, "Fox isn't back yet, and we've haven't been speaking much recently. So I don't know how his raids have been going."

Falco scoffed. "Please tell you guys aren't still fighting over what happened at the first warehouse."

Krystal frowned and shrugged. "I don't know, I thought it was over and done, but every time I try to talk to him, he brushes me off and heads out the door. I've even tried to listen to his thoughts a couple times, but they're always mulled and hard to hear, like there's static constantly running through his head."

Katt heard something outside and moved towards the door to open it. "I guess we're about to find out, here he comes now." Katt stood back from the door as Fox walked in, his blaster still hanging off his back. "Did you have any better luck Fox?"

Fox took his blaster and set it down against the wall. "You could call it that I guess." He raised his arm and set his gauntlet to project mode. "We found this in the last warehouse."

The other three leaned around the small floating window. Falco was the first to speak up. "Wait, are those...fighters?"

Katt nodded. "Venom ones by the look of it." She stood up and looked at Fox. "What the hell are those things doing here?"

Fox shook his head. "Whatever it is, it's not good, that's why I'm so late back, we had to inspect the fighters to make sure they weren't just junk and then send a report to peppy and guard the place while he came down."

Krystal voiced the next question. "We're they junk?"

Fox shut off the projection as he answered. "No, top of the line and looked like they had just rolled off a factory line." he sighed. "Peppy is getting in contact with Venom to find out what they know, I told him to try and talk to Dash if the main body of the government stalled on him. In the mean time, Peppy is pulling back most of his forces to help secure very route into the Inner Planets. Particularity any that lead directly to Corneria." he sighed. "I'm burned out right now though, I'm going to bed, Peppy told me to have everybody get some rest, he was going to keep his teams running the warehouse raids, but he wants us on standby just in case."

With that Fox walked past them, heading for the stairs. The other thing watched him go, Krystal taking a moment to once again reach out to him with her mind and meeting that same barrier. As Katt and Falco headed for the tunnel that would take them to their ships Krystal whispered to her self. "What's bugging you now Fox?"

Singsore: In Transit to Lylat - ETA Two Weeks

Igan's room aboard the Singsore was dark, the only light coming from the trio of holographic screens that floated above his desk. Even when the room was bathed in light though, there wasn't much to it. A large simple metal desk for Igan to lay out various tools and information relevant to his current mission. A bed in tucked into the corner, and along the far wall away from the door, pegs and hooks each with a weapon or piece of equipment hanging off of it. Igan was nothing if not through in being prepared.

Which is why he was so frustrated with the Kursed situation. How had he never seen her double cross coming? That was one of Igan's main jobs, root out the weak before they could compromise the organization in Aldane. Not only had he failed to catch Kursed before she made her move, he had prevented her from escaping, and had failed to protect his boss.

Igan shuddered involuntary as he rubbed his hand across his leg. The wound no longer troubled him on mission, but the two days after Kursed escaped were not pleasant.

He leaned forward on his desk, a scowl on his face. "It's Krystal." His voice was rough with anger and he took a moment to inhale and gain control of himself. He forced himself to pick up the papers that his team had found in Dr. Irvings office. In the three weeks that the ship had been in transit to Lylat, Igan had been pouring over the files extensively. The fact that Irving kept actual physical files showed how smart he was. If it was digital, there was a way to get it without being in the same building, or even the same planet.

But old fashion paper? With only one copy? Those had value.

Igan reached into a folder and pulled out a picture, in it a blue furred shoulder with a white tattoo across it. Igan used his other hand to pull up his files on Kursed from their record on his left screen, on his middle screen he did a keyword search through Lylat system for Krystal. After a moment, several pictures appeared, in them, he saw several pictures of Krystal walking around in a tank-top, the tattoo clearly visible. He studied the picture of the happy girl from Lylat and tried to compare it to the sullen creature that worked with him for three and a half years.

"What happened to you Krystal? What turned you into the killer that made you one of our best?" Igan closed one of the photos in the middle screen and opened another one. In it, Krystal was leaning down to greet a kit while an orange colored vulpine stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder, both of the females had smiles and the fox was laughing. "Was it him? Did he do something to you I wonder?"

Another quick search brought up the vulpines name. "Fox McCloud, son of James McCloud and leader of the infamous Star Fox team." Igan look back at the picture of Kursed. "So, why did you go running back to the same man who turned you into what you are today? Was it by choice? Or were you forced?" Igan leaned back in his chair, on his far right monitor that was a news article from Lylat taking up the entire screen.

The headline at the top boldly declared 'Star Fox team reformed!' Below the headline a tag line 'Two of the Old Crew return with two new members, seen here landing at Corneria's main space port after just accepting a new mission."

Igan sighed. "At least she'll be easy to track."

A small light started flashing on his desk. Igan leaned forward and tapped the button underneath the light and a new window opened above his desk. Igan's boss stared out at him.

"Igan, how long until we reach Lylat?"

Igan took a moment to check a small counter he had on his desk. "We should arrive in just two more weeks sir."

The wolfhound nodded. "Good, and how goes finding a place to set up?"

Igan placed a hand over his right monitor, closing the new article and dragging the screen around so that his boss could see it. "I've located a planet on the edge of the system. It appears to be deserted, aside from a few military scouts and satellites. The cloaking system on the Singsore will prevent us from being detected while we conduct our business." his boss nodded again and Igan continued, "I have also found out much about the mercenary group that Kursed is running with. Back when the Star Fox squad was relevant, it looks like they had a rival of sorts. I've already put out feelers to get in contact with them to see if they would be willing to help.

"Would they be willing to go as far as we need?"

It was Igan's turn to nod. "I believe so sir, there are several documented cases of the group being quite ruthless in their dealings. A polar opposite of the group that Kursed has settled in with."

The wolfhound rubbed his chin. "Strange, you think she would have gone towards the more ruthless squad."

"You would think, but I have also found out that this mercenary squad, is her old one. I also found out her real name, Dr. Irving wrote it down precisely once. Perhaps he meant to erase it and forgot to. For us, it just means that Kursed's real name is Krystal McCloud."

The wolfhound smiled. "Then her days are numbered?"

Igan nodded once more. "I've already been practicing the technique to hide myself from her sixth sense, although I have no way of testing it until we actually meet." Igan paused. "Even if she does detect me though, that new tool I picked up a few months ago will come in handy."

Igan glanced over at his left screen as an incoming call alert appeared. "Sir, if you excuse me, it looks like the Star Wolf Mercenary group, the rival to Star Fox have gotten back to me."

"Very well, make sure they know price is not an issue."

Igan nodded one last time before his boss closed the window on his end and Igan leaned forward to accept the call.

Before he could even open his mouth to issue a greeting, a crass female voice barked out at him.

"You have some balls contacting us this way, whoever the hell you are. Start talking quickly, if it was up to me we wouldn't even be doing this call."

Igan blinked twice "Very well, my name is Igan Arteia, I represent a group from the Aldane system, and I have an offer that we feel might interest you."

The red furred wolfess on the other side raised an eyebrow. "You can take your offer and shove it, you mysterious group types are never up to any good."

Igan chuckled. "That's very true, but you don't have a clean record yourself do you Sarah O'Donnell?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Igan. "Am I supposed to be impressed you know my name? It's not exactly a secret. I'm still less then impressed by you and your offer, and you sitting there chuckling at me isn't going to help your case."

Igan frowned and thought for a moment. "Alright then, straight to the heart of the matter, have you ever heard of Solemn Arctica?"

Sarah opened her mouth, but before she could answer, another hand came down below the screen and a hold icon appeared. Igan raised an eyebrow for a moment before he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. A minute passed before the screen clicked back to life and Sarah stared back at Igan. Igan's eyes moved to the wolf who was leaning against the wall behind Sarah, his head was down and he feigned ignorance, but Igan knew that he was listening raptly.

"That was very rude way to treat a possible employer Mrs. O'Donnell."

Sarah shrugged. "If you really cared, you would have cut the call by now. Besides, I had to have a quick talk with somebody." Sarah leaned forward and was quiet for a moment before she continued. "That name you mentioned, that wouldn't happen to be the same Solemn Architect?"

Igan felt a small smile play at his lips. "The one and the same."

Sarah leaned back sighing. "Wow, this is big then, everybody has heard of him." She leaned back, dropping her head over the back of the chair to look upside down at the wolf against the wall. "What do you say? Should we bite?"

Wolf O'Donnell looked up, looking at Igan for a moment before he glanced back down at his wife. "Let's hear them out, this could be fun, and god knows that we've been needing a good dose of fun."

Igan straightened in his seat. "Good to hear, I assume you know that Star Fox is back in the air?"

Sarah sat up in her seat. "What? When?" Behind her Wolf nodded.

Igan continued. "We have some pressing business with one of their members, but we don't want to attract the local officials towards our presence. Your job would simply be to raise some chaos on the planet that Star Fox is on and help us deliver a package once we're ready to leave."

Sarah glanced to her left, her fingers flying over a keyboard. "Star Fox is currently on Corneria, on a job for the military." She glanced back at Wolf for a moment before she turned back to Igan. "You're in luck, as it happens, we happen to have some business that we're taking care of on Corneria. I actually just returned from a business trip there not to long ago. It wouldn't be to far out of our way to help you out. All we need from you is a contact frequency to be on the lookout for, and of course, credits."

Igan leaned forward. "How much do you want?"

Behind Sarah, Igan saw Wolf grin.

-Tillen City- Two Weeks Later-

Krystal was shocked out her sleep by an alarm ringing next to her ear. She rolled out of the bed, landing in a crouch, then her brain caught up with her and she reached for the gauntlet on her bed stand, sitting down on the bed before answering the call.

Peppy's face appeared in front of her. "Sorry to wake you Krystal, but Fox already left the base this morning, and I need you to get Falco and Katt and meet up with Fox for a mission. The Iron Wolfs has surfaced."

Krystal stood up, heading to her closet to grab some clothes, she made sure the camera in her gauntlet faced the wall before she started changing. As she pulled her night shirt off she spoke up. "What do you want us to do? Take them out?" she reached into her closet and pulled out a blue t-shirt that matched nicely with her fur.

"No, they are just out and making a ruckus in Tillen's main square, I want you guys to trail them in civilian clothes and find out where they've been hiding all these months. Fox is already in route, I told him I would get you three to join him as backup."

Krystal nodded to herself as she finished pulling on some jeans and reached for her boots. "Alright, I'll get Falco up and we'll head out as soon as he's ready." She picked up the gauntlet and attached it to her arm, holding it up so Peppy could see her again.

"Katt is already up?"

Krystal took a moment to reach out with her mind again. "Yeah, shes downstairs reading, I've already nudged Falco with my mind to get him awake." She focused on Peppy. "How come you didn't call them as well?"

Peppy frowned. "I tried, Katt never answered, and Falco's is shut off."

Krystal shook her head. "Well, all that matters is we'll be heading out soon. Is Fox already in position?"

Peppy nodded. "He was the one who let me know what was going on. I told him to keep out of sight."

Krystal stood up and headed for the door. "Then you called us. Alright, I'll touch base with Fox when we get there." Krystal cut her connection to Peppy and moved down the hallway, Falco opening his door and glaring at her as she walked past.

"What was with the rude awakening?"

Krystal grinned over her shoulder at him. "We've got a mission, come on, get dressed, Fox is waiting."

Falco grinned before turning back into the room and coming out a moment later with his gauntlet on and Katt's in his hand. "Alright, finally some action."

Krystal chuckled as she went down the stairs. "Something like that."

Twenty-five minutes later found Krystal getting out a cab in Tillens Center Square. Krystal glanced around at the brightly decorated square, various business had ads plastered in their windows, and people milled around. Krystal reached out with her mind, locating Katt and Falco who had gotten off at earlier stops to come in from other sides.

After a moment, she found the peculiar wall of sound that made of Fox's mind recently. She called out to him with her mind and when she received no response and tapped a button on her gauntlet, taking a small ear piece off the side and sticking it into her ear. "Fox? Katt, Falco, and I are in position in the square. Where are you?"

Fox's voice echoed out of her ear piece, sitting on the fountain in the center of the square watching an Iron Wolf painting a gang mark on some window." Fox paused before he continued. "I think he made me, he just dropped the can and bolted into a side alley."

Krystal took a moment to locate the panicked mind. "I've got him, he's coming my way. I'll stop him."

"Kry-" Krystal took out her ear piece and tucked it back into her gauntlet. She focused on the mind she had found and moved to her right, darting down an alleyway that was headed in the right direction. A few hours later found her leaned up against the wall of an alley, watching as a lupine in black and red leather backed into the alley, watching to make sure he wasn't followed.

Krystal waited until he got close before she pushed off the wall. "Heya handsome, want some company?"

The wolf spun around with a growl, he took a moment to study Krystal before he sneered and moved past her. "Outta my way bitch, you ain't my type."

Krystal let him shove past her before she turned around and grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around and then grabbing his head and slamming him against the wall. "Aw, you hurt my feelings...maybe if you answer some questions, I'll feel better."

The wolf spit in her face and Krystal flinched back. "I ain't telling you shit."

Krystal used her free hand to wipe her face. "I tried asking nicely. Just remember that." She increased the pressure on his head and opened her eyes wide, focusing her power on the gang members mind.

When Fox caught up to her in a few minutes later, the gang member was sitting down against the wall and Krystal was standing next to him. She glanced over her shoulder. "Hey, this guy was a decoy, somebody high up in the group told him to come raise a ruckus here. Then run when he realized there was somebody who was following him. It looks like he bolted earlier then he was supposed to."

Fox leaned down next to the gang member and held his finger against his neck, feeling for a pulse. He felt a slow pulse that beat irregularly. "What did you do to him?"

Krystal glanced down at the gang member. "He didn't want to talk, so I got the answers another way." She looked up at Fox. "He'll be fine in an hour or so." she pushed off the wall. "As for what happened, having the answer taken out of his head left him a little worse off then normal."

Katt and Falco chose that moment to come around a turn in the alley. "Oh hell." Falco walked over to the wolf and kicked his leg gently. "This guy seems pretty messed up. Should we take him to a hospital?"

Krystal shook her head. "No, he'll be fine." Krystal moved for the exit to the alley. "Since he was just a distraction, I'm heading back to the base." Falco glanced at Fox who nodded before the three of them turned and followed Krystal out of the alleyway.

When they reached the base Falco and Katt turned towards the lounge while Krystal moved to her room. Fox waited for a moment before he followed Krystal, when she went into her room, he moved in behind her, closing the door.

"We need to talk."

Krystal set her staff down on its charger. "About what?"

Fox frowned. "The way you've been acting lately."

Krystal sat down on her bed. "What's wrong with it?"

Fox moved over to the desk. "Well, for starters, there's whatever you did to the gang member. I imagine it was pretty close to torture."

Krystal sighed "Not this again, I got the answers we need didn't I?"

Fox shook his head. "Its the way your going about it that's wrong. What you did to that gang member, it makes us as bad as Star Wolf if you keep it up." Krystal was silent and Fox growled in his throat. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

Krystal stood up shaking her head. "I don't." She brushed past Fox. "You're always going on about how I changed, yet you refuse to accept the fact that your the one who changed the most." She turned to face him. "What happened today is the same thing as a few months ago. I made the hard choice, and you're mad because I made the call before you."

Fox blinked. "Well, if your so good at making the hard choices, how come you couldn't make the choice to talk to me eight years ago?" Fox pointed at her. "You took the easy way out and ran away instead."

Now it was Krystal's turn to blink. "Wait, that's what your focusing on? I thought you were angry about how I acted?"

Fox grunted. "I am mad, about today, and you running off, I've been mad about it ever since I found out what you did. I blamed myself for so long about your 'death' when you had just ran away from talking to me. All you would have to have done was told me that you didn't like what ever you drove away."

"I didn't like that you were trying to make me into your little housewife!" Krystal walked over to the window, she slid it open, letting in the cool night air.

Fox spluttered. "Housewife? I never wanted anything like that!"

Krystal leaned up against the window. "You can't lie to me Fox, I know what I saw, you may not think it, but I know what you really wanted." Krystal glanced over her shoulder. "I suggest you think on that next time before you come in here accusing me of changing!"

With that Krystal slipped through the window and slid down the fire escape, Fox climbing after her. "Krystal!"

Krystal ignored him, and continued marching across the base.

Fox watched Krystal go from the fire escape, a frown still evident on his face before he scoffed and turned back from the window. He stalked out of her room and back down the hall towards the lounge room where both Falco and Katt were watched him from the couch. Fox threw himself down in one of the chairs and crossed his arms before closing his eyes.

Falco was the first to speak. "Hey, uh, Fox-"

Fox shook his head without opening his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it Falco." His breathing was still coming out in rapid puffs and it took a full minute before it returned to normal. Shortly after Fox opened his eyes to see Falco and Katt still staring at him with worry. He sighed. "Sorry. We're we that loud?"

Falco nodded. "I'm pretty sure the whole base heard you bud." Katt chimed in. "It sounded pretty bad."

Fox rubbed his face with his hands. "It was, I don't know if Krystal will come back after that one." he leaned forward, his face hidden in his hands.

Falco pulled Katt closer to him. "Hey, every couple is bound to have fights. You know that, heck you've patched me up after a few of fights I've had with Katt."

Fox looked up at them. "Yeah, but you guys have always done your own thing, and with me and Krystal...how are you supposed to argue with a telepathic? Krystal will always be able to sense my arguments before I say them."

Katt shook her head before she spoke up. "That's not what it sounded like in there. Besides that, Krystal hasn't been able to tell what you've been thinking for a while now."

Fox blinked. "What?"

Falco waved his hand as he talked. "She mentioned something about a wall of noise. Look, just give her a little while to calm down, then try talking again. I know our last mission set you off, and I can't really blame you. But if you want to try and patch things up with Krystal, you're going to have to try and get used to the new one that came back to us instead of the old one who ran away from you."

Fox sighed and looked down at the ground. "Your both right." he stood up suddenly and moved towards the stairs. "I'm going out for a little bit, give me a call if Peppy needs us, or is Krystal comes back."

Falco disengaged from Katt and got up to follow him. "Hold up, I'll come with you."

Fox turned around to stare at Falco. "That worried for me Falco?"

Falco waved a hand through the air as he approached. "Nah man, I just want to get out for a bit as well."

Katt stretched and walked past them heading for the rooms. "In that case, think I'll take a little nap." She opened the door to her room and glanced out the window. "Well, maybe not, it is already getting dark." Katt turned to head towards the lounge area again, but stopped and glanced into her room with a frown. "I could have sworn I closed that window." She blinked and alarm spread across her face as she stepped back, her head drifting for her holster where her pistol still sat.

She wasn't fast enough however to out pace the fit looked dog who rushed through the open door and delivered a strong punch to her chest, causing Katt to wheeze and double over, before she could even recover from that, the doberman then stabbed her in the side with a small needle. Katt flinched and pushed away from the doberman as the strength in her legs failed her and she fell back against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position.

"Katt!" Fox and Falco cried out at the same time while Falco drew his own weapon and Fox moved forward a step as Katt collapsed.

The doberman had a weird looking red eye piece that focused on the two of them, and from his pants hung what looked like quivers of... "Fox, are those arrows?"

Fox nodded. "I don't see anyway to fire them though."

The doberman grinned. "I left that outside, I'm not here to kill you Mr. McCloud, or you Mr. Lombardi." he glanced over at his shoulder where Katt had just passed out against the wall. "The same goes for Ms. Monroe, who is simply drugged." he turned back to them. "My name is Igan, and I have some pressing business with one of your team mates, and I can't have you interfering. So, I'm here to take you guys out of the picture until Krystal returns." Igan grinned, and Fox felt chills run down his spin. "Unless of course you guys would be willing to just hand her over to me?"

Falco snarled. "Like hell!" He pulled the trigger on his gun as Igan dodged into the room. The round from his gun sailed into the wall at the end of the hall and Fox watched the doorway to make sure Igan wouldn't come back out. "Think you can hit him with that Falco?" When the avian didn't respond, Fox glanced over his shoulder to see Falco leaned against the wall with a needle sticking out of his shoulder.

His arm shook as he struggled to hold onto his weapon. "Fox..." His voice was starting to slur." Whatever they has in thse, its, stng." With that Falco dropped his gun, and fell against the wall, slowly sliding down, fighting to stay awake.

"Well, that just leaves the two of us."

Fox turned to face Igan as he walked out of Katt's room, he took his eye piece off as he waited for Fox to respond.

"What do you want with Krystal?"

Igan flexed his hands, "I want to know what you did to her." Igan paced back and forth in the hallway. "In all my research preparing for this, she seemed so sweet and kind." He stopped and pointed a finger at Fox. "Until she met you."

"Shut up!" Fox charged forward with a fist raised, momentarily wishing he hadn't left his blaster in Krystal's room. He saw Igan glance at his right arm and Fox reversed his stance bring his left fist up in a savage uppercut that Igan avoided with a simple twist. Fox gasped as Igan slammed a flat palm against his chest, sending him stumbling backwards.

"What could you have possible done to her in such a short time. What could be so bad that you turned her into the heartless shell I met so long ago." Igan grabbed the back of Fox's neck and slammed a knee up into his chest. Causing Fox to bend over in half. "You couldn't have just broken her heart." This time his elbow slammed into the side of Fox's head. "You must have destroyed her very faith." Another elbow, on the back of his head, driving him down to the ground. "Yet she still came back to you, why kinda of hopeless creature does that?"

Igan leaned down next to Fox as he struggled to stay conscious. "Do you know why?" That was the last words the echoed around Fox's mind as he lost conscious, that and Igan staring at him.

Well, hopefully you guys enjoyed, its a little off in some places I think, but I got done what I wanted to, next chapter, things start getting really heated up. I know the time jump was a little sudden, but I realized last month that I didn't have enough planned to cover all of it. Sorry about that.

Anyway, this story has now broken 18k hits and over 200 reviews, you guys are so super awesome.

Which leads me into that question.

I've been writing a lot these past few months, but it wasn't Star Fox stuff, it was just little blurbs of original stuff that I made up on the go and put onto facebook. A couple of my friends have been egging me on since about the second little short I put up. All of them saying the same thing. "You should get published." I brushed it all off, I honestly don't think I'm good enough to get published in a book, but they did get me thinking. If I was to say publish a collection of my original short stories in e-book format, how many of you would be willing to pick it up to read?

Anyway, let me know, and again, thanks for all the reviews.

Peace,

- Emile