Welcome back ladies and gentlemen. I know I've been slacking a lot lately and it's only because things have been shifting in my life. I am struggling with jobs, classes, basic stuff like that and also life itself. I still have the passion to write and will continue to do so. Now, let's get on with this story!

Also please read the ending authors note as I will be asking a question I need an answer to. It refers to future projects and hopefully you all will agree with what I am going to do.

Anyway let's get on with the story!

A Troubling Discovery

Krystal and I began to ponder what happened during the single ship ambush that Austin more than likely coordinated. She and I tried to piece together why the pilot was able to sense my own thoughts and counter anything I threw at him. At first we both had the suspicion that it was Austin piloting the ship, but I quickly dismissed it knowing that Austin would have killed Delta Fox before they even fired upon his ship. The two of us were at this for over an hour after I returned, back and forth with ideas, keeping the investigation away from Fox and the others for the sake of less confusion.

The day was troubling to say the least. I was exhausted and couldn't think straight, the power that I beheld from Krystal was not easy to use and it certainly wasn't energy efficient. Thankfully, Fox had informed me that Rose was able to successfully scan the ship and retrieve coded files, though they were so heavily protected that it would take time for us to get access to it. Of course, I wasn't a fan of the news, though I was happy that I was able to rest.

That night I had trouble sleeping. My mind was full of thoughts about the potential answers we could have from the files we retrieved and the potential intelligence we could use against Austin. At around 2:00 a.m. Cornerian time I was awake in bed, thinking and wondering. To my side was my wife Rose and to my right was my alarm clock, projecting the time a few inches above the base. My mind was restless and my eyes refused to close and get rest. I simply starred at the ceiling, thinking about everything that was happening; another war, Austin being alive, the intel we had, everything.

After another half hour passed I decided that I was to take manners into my own hands. I then got up and headed to the bridge. I scanned the level with my mind, seeing everyone still fast asleep, they were dreaming, and I was the sole being on the ship still awake. I jumped out of bed and opened my bedroom door. Poking my head through I looked up and down the hallway, it was beyond quiet with only the soft hum of the Great Fox's engines audible. The hall lights were shut off and the only light within were a few red lights that lit the hall with a dark but soothing ambience. I stepped out and headed for the elevator, keeping my attention on Krystal specifically; she was in deep sleep though I kept on her to make sure she wouldn't sense my activity. She was a strong woman both physically and mentally, so I knew she would be the only one to figure out that something was amiss.

The elevator doors slid open and I walked in, pressing the button to take it up to the bridge. As the room moved upward, I thought about what it was I was doing. My own patience was getting the best of me, and quite frankly I didn't care on bit; I was going to decode the intelligence and get the information I required to further our mission to eliminate Austin once and for all. Thankfully, Slippy taught me so much about hacking and practiced countless hours with me. I remember when I first joined I told him that computer technology was one of my strengths, so he wasn't hesitant to teach me about hacking and methods to gain access to locked files and such. But in all, it's the hacker that gets the job done, not the method or lesson.

The doors slid open once more and revealed the bridge. The only being inside was ROB 64, piloting Great Fox back towards Corneria. He looked over at me and greeted me with his monotonous voice.

"Greetings Kevin, what is it I can help you with?" He asked me.

I shook my head and headed to the front, just in front of Fox's commanding chair. I stopped and looked forwards towards the front of the bridge, gesturing my hands upwards to bring up a holographic control system. Typing in several commands I logged into the main systems and found the file with the intelligence stored. As soon as I tried to get in it kicked me out due to it being locked by an extremely complex code.

I smiled slightly, "Let's get to work" I said to myself quietly as I gestured my hand upwards once more to bring up another console.

I typed more commands and opened a prompt that connected to the file. As soon as it showed up, I was away, typing various commands and finding a way to get inside of the file. I wrote lines of code trying to get into the system and get the file to unlock. This took me well over an hour before I hit a stroke of luck, bypassing the security and gaining limited access to the file. It wasn't entirely what I wanted but it was enough to get what it was I needed.

Opening one more console to my left, I navigated to the now open file. Within it were more files with names that peaked my interest beyond anything. They had names such as "Prisoner 002", "Plan of Attack", and even a file that was simply named "W.". I entered the Prisoner file and was met with what I thought I would find; information on the status of Penny. According to the file, Penny was still alive, though execution plans were being created.

ROB was quite to speak, "Excellent work, Kevin. Shall I inform the others about the accomplishment?"

"No!" I said quickly, "Uh, no, I'll tell them in the morning. Let them get their rest." I said again in a more calm voice.

The file read "Prisoner 002 has been most cooperative. She has provided us with the info we need to strike Star Fox and rid this universe of that damn Michelson and avenge my own master, Lord O'Donnell. I feel as though she should be kept alive due to her good behavior, however we would never be able to get a striking chance against Star Fox if they were discover that she would be kept alive regardless. Nonetheless, the execution plans are underway, this should prove to lure Star Fox out for us to attack them and finish them off."

I shook my head. I knew that Penny was alive thought I didn't think she would be for much longer, judging by the file we would have a slight extension to our time. Not only this but one of my questions was answered, Austin was targeting the entire team, not only I; oddly enough this somewhat comforted me knowing I wasn't the only target this time around.

Exiting the file and relocating it out of the tampered intel file, I entered another file named "Project Z". This one contained word files and images of blueprints and such. On each blueprint appeared to be the ship that had attacked us on Aquas. It was quite interesting reading the information about this incredibly designed ship. According to the files accompanying the blueprint, the G-Diffuser had no limiter in place, allowing it to reach incredible strengths that no other G-Diffuser could safely handle. Not only this, the ship also had experimental propulsion systems that allowed to reach incredible speeds faster than what our Arwings could handle in atmosphere. It didn't make much sense to me since the Arwings were capable of circling Corneria's radius at the fastest time of a few hours, so it didn't make sense why someone would want to go faster and actually use such speed in combat.

After exiting that file, I relocated it and entered the file named "W.". This file had most of my interest because of its simple name. From what I have experienced and seen, anything with a simple name that was hidden is truly hiding something important that is not meant to be shared. I opened the file and was met with a plethora of images and word files. In front of the images were the words files, showing what appears to be logs from a mission briefing.

The first document read "Your first mission under my control is to travel to Aquas and ambush the Star Fox team, your main target is that wretched Kevin Michelson. Knowing him he will lead the force that will most likely patrol the island that I had lured them to. When you have a reading of Michelson you are to exterminate him with extreme prejudice. I understand that the both of you had served together before, but you serve me now. I am your savior and you owe your life to me. Do not fail me, or consequences will be dire."

I felt my heart drop at the last sentence. The pilot that attacked us served with me? How is it even possible that the pilot was an ally of me specifically? I was worried now, whoever this pilot was he knew my skill and that was why he was able to avoid my moves and attacks, not because he was telepathic or because Austin helped him, but because he knows me.

Hiding behind the file appeared to be an image. The top of what appeared to be ahead was poking out. The head, however, didn't look like that of a canine, feline, or anything else. My curiosity was beyond high and I needed to know who it was that piloted the ship. My mind was on high alert, thinking about who the pilot could be, all the while I felt my heart drop further and further as I felt the emotion inside of me build up.

I tapped my finger on the word file and slowly dragged it out of the way of the image. As more of the head was exposed, I realized what it was I was up against. Bracing myself for the truth, I quickly swiped my finger, moving the word file completely out of the way and revealing the image of the pilot responsible for attacking us on Aquas.

My heart sank even further, "That's not… possible…" I said in a shaky and soft voice as I looked at the image with fear, anger, and confusion. My legs shook as I collapsed to them looking at the picture. Just as I did so, I heard the elevator doors behind me hiss open, though my mind was concentrated on the large image of who used to be an old friend. My mouth was open and my mind was confused, unable to think anything and simply stare.

From behind me I heard a gasp, it was deep and sounded like Fox, though I didn't care to look back at all. I was focused on the large image shown on the main forward holoscreen.

"This…" I said shakenly once more, "… this can't be true…"

The pilots face was clear, he had a full head of hair, and his eyes resembled mine. He had normal ears and his nose was the same shape as me. All of my fear were confirmed; a former ally who assisted the team greatly during the fight against Wolf and was shot down during the final battle.

The pilot was one Lieutenant Woods.

To be Continued…

Oh would ya look at that? It's a twist in the story! I bet you didn't see this coming huh? Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I took my time with this one and made sure it was perfect to be posted. In fact, I had it finished last week, but I felt it to be too repetitive and completely deleted the chapter and re wrote it from the ground up!

So… please leave me a review and tell me how I'm doing. I love hearing from you guys and love hearing what you guys think.

As for chapter 9? I expect it to be finished in about 2 weeks. I'm sorry for the longer writing periods, but it is so that I can provide the perfect story with the perfect amount of detail. Thank you all for understanding… and as always…

Until next time…