Sympathies

Undisclosed location on Corneria

Alone in a room sat two people staring at individual computer screens. Inside the room was a very spartan intel setup. Its design being very intentional as no one would suspect this as the front for a Venomian spy ring. The two inside monitored everything going in and out of the space port. Mainly focusing on the military side of things but sometimes they checked in on the freelancers as well.

An army of CCTV cameras owned by the Venomians monitored the checkpoints and surrounding areas. No one would even think twice about seeing them at traffic lights. Covertly though the crew who worked here knew everything about the space port. A covered trailer entering the mercenary side of the space port raised some suspicions.

"Hey Woltman come look at this." Said a badger to his orangutan counterpart. Woltman wheeled his chair over to see what his partner wanted.

"What 'cha got Johnson?" Woltman asked. Johnson moved his screen over to show Woltman. On the screen was a still shot of the canvas trailer. The two men looked at the image in front of them. "Yeah, that seems like something we should be interested in."

Johnson took note of four tires peeking out of the bottom of whatever sat atop that trailer. "See these?" Johnson pointed to those tires. Woltman leaned into the screen for a better look. He took control of the mouse for a moment to measure out how big the tires were. First, he measured the tire on the bed of the trailer and then the one on the ground for reference.

"They seem too big to be a regular transport truck." Johnson said. He then took note of how close the wheels were to each other. Johnson could see from the angle of the camera that a large pipe looking imprint along the top. "Whatever it is has a big gun." Woltman was working out how big those tires had been. He looked up from his work.

"Measure that for me. If I can get Its length, I'll be able to see what we're dealing with." Johnson complied. The tires on the covered vehicle came out to be far too big for any truck venom had on record. With the discovery of the gun meant they probably had an IFV instead of a truck. Soon they had a good picture of whatever lay underneath. "Here if you go back to the cams, I'll start building the packet to send up higher."

Woltman took a screenshot of the image and started adding markups on a copy. He added how long the vehicle supposedly was. The height of the tire and the length of the gun under the canvas made appearances on the new copy.

Next the orangutan played the clip out to see where it was heading. Following the truck a little bit further led to a large hangar. It belonged to a mercenary group named Star Fox. Woltman made note of this and wrote down to follow anyone who worked there. 'If I can find out where that tank is going, I can finally get promoted out of here.' Thought Woltman. He watched the truck disappear into the hangar.

Cerinian refuge

Krystal still sat on a bench inside the refuge. A few were still out walking around. Many had night shift at work they went too and some just liked the nighttime air. None of those people however, stopped to talk to the troubled vixen.

The actions of earlier today finally caught up with her mentally. Shooting a man, even if he wished harm, weighed on her hard. Then of course getting fired and taking a job with a mercenary she'd known all of four conversations. Today would be a day that she would never forget.

Sitting on the bench felt nice in the evening air. So nice she didn't hear a set of footsteps approaching her. "KRYSTAL!" A voice shouted. She turned her head just in time to see her brother running at full speed. Tane brought her into a painful hug. His embrace, while suffocating, comforted her. "We got a call from the police about what happened. Are you okay?"

Krystal returned the embrace. "I'm fine." She tightened her grip. "Thank you." The pair kept the hug going until Krystal loosened her arms from Tane's embrace. Both then sat back down on the bench with Tane staying close for her support. Krystal still felt like she needed some time before going back. Her phone vibrated to tell her she got a text but ignored it for the time being. Had she known it was a text from Fox, she probably would've picked it up right away.

"They…they gave you time off right?" Tane asked. "For like a grievance period or something right?" Krystal let out a deep sigh.

"In a way." Her brother looked at her inquisitively. Krystal thought of not telling him what had happened just minutes ago. Eventually he would figure it out so letting him know how her company handled it may help her. "They fired me." Tane suddenly went from sympathetic and understanding too furious. Not the reaction she wanted but the one she had expected.

"What do you mean they fired you? What the fuck do they mean they fired you?" His words became furious. People around looked at the siblings to see what the commotion was about. "How could they even think to do that?"

Krystal let out a deep sigh. "I don't know but it doesn't really matter anymore." Her tone was more than a little apathetic. Truly she didn't' care or at least tried not to. Maybe it wasn't healthy, but her new job would take her mind off it.

Tane explored his mind for anything to help his sister's predicament. "Hey, the dealership needs a new receptionist and I know you'd be great at it. You'd get better hours, and you could probably stop working two jobs." Her brother began rattling off everything he could offer to help her. "Or hey I'd bet that dads company could use someone like you."

"Tane it's fine. I've already taken an offer for a temp job." He calmed down somewhat by hearing this.

"That's great. What is it?" Suddenly a pang of fear went through her. Accepting Fox's offer almost instantly without talking to either of her family may become a flashpoint with her family. Perhaps she acted too quickly but the money was worth it for her.

Now she had to explain that she'd be driving something big instead of being a cashier. Being a barber could also wait. Hundreds of jobs for her skillset were posted every day. This was something exciting or at least different.

"I signed up with a mercenary group." Krystal said dryly. Her brother smiled and laughed. When she didn't laugh too his smile dropped.

"Wait you're serious? How did you even get a job like that?" His mind ran wild for a moment. Krystal debated how to tell him why she had taken this job. Soon she figured the best way to show him was to just show him as well as showing him what she went through today.

Cerinians were masters of the mind. If one wanted to share an experience with another, all they had to do was think of it while the other person read their mind. Krystal held out her hand near her leg and invited Tane to hold it.

The younger sibling grabbed ahold of her hand. Immediately the pair saw the events through Krystals eyes. It began with seeing Fox which led to her fear of getting robbed. Anxiety built up in both as they witnessed the vulpine fight the attacker while she fumbled with the handgun. Then it happened. She shot him. Her memory was hindered by the adrenaline surge at the time. It was the first time she had watched it back over in her mind fully since it happened. She watched the man collapse to the ground lifelessly. Unknowingly tears had built up around her eyes. After that she began tending to Fox. He made his offer which Krystal accepted. Tane had heard every word and felt everything she had the entire time.

Krystal let go of her brother. It had been an intense experience for both of them, but now at least she shared her trauma with another. "Can you trust him?" Tane asked. "Because no offense to him but, Fox, is the fakest name I could think of." His sister smiled a bit and stifled a laugh.

"It's not like that. He seems genuine." She answered. "I'm surprised you're not trying to talk me out of being a mercenary."

True the first thought Tane had was of worry. In the past several years, he'd come to trust his older sibling's judgment. Unbeknown to her, she was a beacon of confidence for the canine growing up. Both in this world and the previous. "Trust me I don't like the idea of you going to war. But if anyone can do it, you can."

Those words cheered her up. "Thank you Tane." He brought her in for another deep hug. "Hey…if you could drive me to his hangar tomorrow, I'd really appreciate it."

Tane thought about it for a moment. Funnily enough, he had started thinking about selling his car for a new one. One as modified as his would be hard to sell however to someone who didn't know what they were looking at. If he could get Krystal to buy it off him however, it could stay in the lot and he could probably rip some parts off under the guise of upgrading her car.

If he could convince her to buy his car, it would be a win win for them both. "Actually, if you want, I'm maybe looking to get rid of my car." For her part, Krystal looked at Tane and spoke with just a bit of disbelief.

"You'd get rid of your pride and joy?" He laughed.

"I'm looking at the same model but newer with less miles. I will be liberating some of my parts of my old car though." The deal seemed alright to Krystal but wanted to hear the price first.

"Alright maybe I'm interested. How much?"

He brought out his phone and began typing into it. Four grand was what he decided he could part with it for. Obviously, she couldn't pay that right now but had graciously been offered a payment plan. Figuring it was better to deal with family rather than a bank, she accepted. For only a little over three hundred a month, she would have her own car. Which in the end was a bit of freedom from the metro or a rideshare.

Now that her brother was on board with the mercenary job, now she just had to convince her father. It took some courage to walk back up to her family room. Eventually Krystal returned. Other Itsumi members came up to give sympathy. Soon as Randorn heard his daughter's name uttered by another member, he came rushing out of his room.

A pair of tired and sad eyes stared at Krystal. Immediately they perked up by seeing her. Randorn dashed at his daughter and brought her into a tight embrace just as her brother did. "You're okay. You're fine." He said with a bit of exhaustion.

With arms pinned behind her, Krystal tried to reciprocate the hug. Just within her sight were the Queen and Hone. Patiently they waited their turn to express their happiness that she was alright. Truthfully it was overwhelming for the young vixen.

Eventually Randorn let his daughter breathe. Krystal asked if they could continue the conversation inside their own room. Randorn obliged as the three went into the small living room. Randorn went into parent mode once they made it into privacy. "You are fine right?"

Krystal smiled at her father. "Yes, dad I'm fine." He couldn't contain his worry for her. Something that was probably about to become a point of contention with her new job. Subtlety Randorn picked up on his daughter's worry.

"Something's up." He said simply. Cerinian's always had a knack for figuring out when someone was holding back. It was harder to sneak something by the people who you knew personally. "You're worried. Don't be. You're safe again."

Tactfully she tried to piece together how to tell him about her new career. Now seemed a better time than any to switch gears. "Dad. I've taken a new job." Randorn, still stuck in concerned parent mode, seemed at least intrigued at this.

"That's good to hear." He said while not quite sure how to react. A traumatic event like this demanded some time off. In his mind she should take all the time off she needed. "What's your new job?"

Just as Krystal suspected, words became somewhat hard to come out. Eventually she got her thoughts in line enough to tell him. "I was offered a position at a company by the man who helped me fight off the assailant. He's a mercenary but he said he just needs a driver."

It could have come out better, but it was all out. Randorn's face dropped a bit. "Driving what?" She hadn't thought of that. Probably something she should have found out before accepting.

Lying to her father was out of the equation. Not because he was a telepath, but out of principle. "I'm not sure actually." Randorn visibly became displeased. "I know it was sudden, but he offered me the job and then I got fired and then I took the job." She began spewing out words. Tane decided to step in.

"It's just a temp job anyway. Not even that long." He said, trying to reason with their father. Randorn had spent many years in the navy back home on Cerinia. One tour could kill any rookie who had never fought at sea. Modern conflict would only kill quicker he determined. Tane meant well by defending his sister but so far it was in vain.

Had this been on Cerinia, Randorn would have been less worried. Although he could have put her in a junior officer position on Cerinia. The thought of his daughter going into combat was off putting to say the least. He had yet to go on a voyage where at least one sailor would not pass on from any variable of events.

Yet a part of him was proud. It was a part he despised right now but one he couldn't deny. Cerinia, and the Itsumi clan in particular, had been a culture of warriors. Krystal wanting to go out and continue that legacy was admirable.

Currently no Cerinian had enlisted in any military branch for fear of their powers being found out. Most intense job any had was security. Maybe mercenary work was a better way to continue a warrior culture on Corneria. Plus the job only called for a driver. Of what, he wasn't sure. Randorn decided to trust his daughter but still wanted more information.

"What's the company name even?" Randorn asked. For a moment her mind drew a blank. Quickly however, she remembered the contact info from Fox would have his company name in it. As she pulled out her phone, she saw that at some point Fox had sent her another text.

From a brief skimming of the message, it seemed to be about what to expect from the job. "Here." Krystal exclaimed. "Fox sent me more about the job." Both family members were intrigued at that. Before her father could interject, she read off the message.

"Hey Krystal," her cadence picked up, "Just thought I should give you a heads up of what to expect tomorrow and fill in some blanks about what you'll be doing. First off, we'll need to get you a security clearance. Bring a driver's license and like a citizenship card. So long as you don't have any felonies, you'll be fine. You're driving something that's still classified but don't worry, you'll be armored and safe inside it."

Most of it had come out a little too quickly. Meanwhile her father sat and listened. "Randorn." An ataractic voice said from the doorway. The queen stood in the doorway. "May I speak with you for a moment?" The older fox obliged. Tane let out a juvenile 'ooooh' as he passed which earned a glare from his father.

Krystal stared at her phone and the details from Fox. Tane then brought out his phone. Without telling his sister, he began to search for Fox's social media. It wasn't to be suspicious towards Fox or anything. More just to hold something over his sister's head.

Quickly, Fox McCloud's Instagram page was found. His most recent post was a shirtless gym picture. Immediately he saw an opportunity to annoy Krystal.

"Damn Krystal. I'm not gay but I see why you'd go for him." Krystal turned to her brother confused. He held up his phone to her and reveled Fox. She looked at his phone and saw her future boss shirtless in front of a punching bag. He wore a short pair of black fighters' shorts. She found herself staring a little too much at a certain outline in those shorts. "I mean look at that fucking moose knuckle." Tane said loudly.

With cheeks blushing red enough to show through her fur she retaliated. "Oh Gods Tane, how immature can you be." Tane laughed. He got what he wanted out of it. Krystal wouldn't deny that Fox was attractive. It had been one of the first things she thought of him. 'Maybe I should take a peek at his insta too.' She shot that down instantly.

Soon Randorn returned from outside the room. He signaled that Krystal should go outside next. A sudden anxiety formed within her. Why would the queen want to talk with her personally? What did she and Randorn speak about? Whatever it was, she couldn't blow off the queen. With a peep in her steep, she left to the last known royal member.

Queen Lagi stood right outside the door with Hone. She was dressed as elegantly as always. A smooth black suit without a hint of a crease or wrinkle. A red gemmed tiara sat perfectly centerline atop her head. The only fault she had was her size, but no other person could make four foot eleven seem intimidating.

Krystal bowed to show her respect to the imperial woman. Lagi returned it to signify she recognized her. "Krystal, we were worried today that we lost a member of our family today. So thrilled we became when you returned safely." Her words came across as elegant and grand. "Now our surprise when you decide to join up with a mercenary outfit."

The queen bringing up the sudden career change made her second guess the decision to do so. Her family being worried was expected. The royalty getting involved meant she probably stirred up trouble up higher. Still, she would stick by her decision. "I would like a request from this endeavor." Came the next words from the queen.

Not the response she expected. "Excuse me your majesty?" What could the queen want from a mercenary. Krystal's anxiety came back in full swing.

"When it comes time to return to our home. It is quite likely that the forces which captured us are still in power. We can assume as well that Corneria, nor any government around would help us retake the planet." It had been a thought Krystal hadn't had before. One could guess a resistance effort arose. Like a lion in a cage however, the force surrounding it could always contain the presence within. If they were to retake the home world, then they would need friends who knew how to fight a modern conflict. Hone spoke next.

"We aren't asking you to recruit an army but start making a list of individuals and organizations who could help us. Even if its just a few." Spoke the aged man. It gave Krystal a lot to think about. All of a sudden, the girl who cut hair and sold chips now had to vet who could fight a war.

Even with the bombshell of that responsibility she knew her answer. "I'm only there for a limited time but... I'll do it." The two in front of her smiled widely and thanked her. After another moment they were on their way back to the royal chambers.

Krystal returned to her family room. Tane and Randorn sat on the couch. Randorn stood up upon seeing her reenter the room. She was about to speak before Randorn cut her off. "I know what they talked to you about. I… I want you to know that I support you doing this. Just promise me something."

She didn't expect that. Parents never liked seeing a child go off to fight. The next few words out of his mouth were ones she had asked him a few times.

"Promise to come home." Exactly what she asked him to do many times before as a kit. Whatever happens out there, Krystal didn't plan on dying. She took his hand gently.

"I promise." A single tear welled in her father's eye. He pulled her into a hug which he had difficulty letting up. Eventually they separated and Krystal went off to her bed. With a new car and a new job, she was ready to embrace whatever tomorrow had to bring.

A/N: This had much more dialogue than I initially thought it would. It was also going to be longer, but I felt that ending it here was good enough. Gonna try and keep up the momentum off this one so tell me what you all think of this so far and follow for more.