Only one thought got Slippy out of bed in the morning: coffee. Last night – his first night back on the base since what seemed like forever – he went to bed early. He slept in a little, too. He felt like he had earned it.

He yawned as he shuffled out of his sleeping quarters. The rest of the corridor was silent. Either his crewmates were still asleep, or they were already busy about the base.

The kitchen, spacious and invitingly warm, had lighting designed to emulate a natural day/night cycle. Currently, cheerful sunlight poured in from the fake view-screens.

There it was.

The metal cabinet.

The metal cabinet where the coffee was stored.

Slippy's mouth watered. Oh, he had dreamed about this moment, waited so long for this, craved the beautiful aroma, the delicious nectar of the gods, the –

The cabinet was empty. So was the look in Slippy's eyes.

"I felt the same way."

Slippy spun around to see Leon hovering in the doorway.

"We really should have picked up more on our way back," Leon continued awkwardly, "but we didn't."

"Oh." Slippy rummaged through the fridge. "That's okay. I'll just have some…uh. Man, we really should have stocked up while we were on Corneria."

"Why didn't you?"

"We sorta panicked, I guess."

"Oh."

Slippy figured that Leon was probably done talking (Leon seldom said more than ten words at a time), so he smiled and turned to go.

"Wait."

"What?" Slippy asked, mildly amused.

"Yesterday, you asked Wolf about the Venomian equipment. We did dispose of all of it, one way or another, but I took notes. If you would like to look over them, I would appreciate the help." Leon looked down. "And the company."

"Oh my goodness, yes! That would be extremely awesome! The tech coming off of Venom recently is SO different that the old Andross era stuff, which I know you already know and all, but it is SO cool!"

"I gathered information on the scattergun."

Slippy nearly choked. "You're kidding me. Oh. My. Goodness. No way. Holy moly. Please don't say you're kidding me."

"I'm not."

"I want bodyguards."

The corpulent dog on the viewscreen was a smuggler from Sector Y, a neutral nebula that had been the location of several recent battles. While it was usually a safe haven for illegal trade, the War had ravaged the area, leaving behind only the most stubborn of criminals.

"How many, Agrius?" Peppy asked.

Agrius smiled. "Three, maybe four. Just for a few hours. I'm doing business with some new clients. Better safe than sorry, as they say."

"What happened to that old bull working for you?"

"He's gone. Look, I'll pay fairly. Generously."

Peppy sent a quick message to his crew. "I'll see if my team is up to it."

"Actually, I would prefer if you didn't send any furless freaks."

Peppy frowned. "Fox and Falco would be happy to take the job. Without Slippy."

"Well yes, but…" Agrius paused. "I want Wolf, too. And Andrew."

"What?" Peppy asked calmly, unwilling to let Agrius see that he was shocked.

"Don't play stupid with me. Either you send them, or I tell everybody I do business with that you have been scamming them."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Take the job or leave it. Let me know in an hour."

"Racist fuck. I don't have fur either. Idiot. Asshole. I won't do it. Especially if he won't let the rest of our crew in on the job." Falco spat.

"Slippy and Leon wouldn't go anyway." Fox reasoned. "They're busy in the workshop."

"Still?! It's been three days!"

Fox smiled. "Does that surprise you, Andrew? You know how they are when they get their hands on new technology."

"It doesn't matter," said Peppy. "We're screwed either way."

Wolf chewed his lip, thoughtful. "Would it really hurt if we took the job? Working separately hasn't exactly been panning out very well. It might be a good thing."

"Yes, except if General Pepper found out about it, he would shit a brick." Fox bit at his claw.

"I'd like to see that." Falco muttered darkly. Peppy cuffed Falco up the side of the head.

"So we create a sob story." Andrew announced dramatically. "Something about Star Wolf getting a conscience, begging for forgiveness. Star Fox gives them a second chance out of the kindness of their hearts! The two teams unite! General Pepper loves that kind of thing."

"There would be no going back, if we do this. To how things were before." Peppy said with a grave look.

Fox patted Peppy's back. "Not like we have a choice. It doesn't matter how he found out - Agrius will sell what he knows. Half the system will know about us by tomorrow."

"I won't do it. I refuse to work for racists."

Peppy sighed. "The rest of you – will you do it?"

Andrew, Wolf, and Fox looked at each other.