Chapter 17

A few hours earlier…

Star Wolf's ships lifted off from Fortuna, the glow from their thrusters soon disappearing into the storm clouds. Slippy rested against a tree to catch his breath, his shoulders sagging. Whatever they were doing here, he'd missed it. Curse being out of shape compared to the rest of the Star Fox team. He pulled his distress beacon out of his pack and activated it. A red light pulsed on top of the cylinder, as he put it away again. He trudged along the river bank towards where the ships had come from, as there was no longer a need to hurry. Maybe Star Wolf had left behind some clues on what they were doing here, although he doubted he'd find much.

He looked around at the jungle to distract himself. The canyon's rock walls towered far overhead, natural bridges crossing from one side to the other. Tall trees provided some shelter from the rainfall. Where plants did not grow, moss covered large sections of the stone, thanks to the ambient moisture. The dampness was wonderful on his green amphibian skin. Shame he was too busy with this mission to enjoy himself. Due to living in space, he rarely got to experience weather like this anymore. The humidifier in his quarters on the Great Fox II helped, but it was a poor substitute for natural humidity.

Come to think of it, wasn't he on Fortuna less than a year ago? Yes. We came here to stop Andrew Oikonny's rebellion, right before the Aparoids invaded. Too bad we had to leave for Katina right afterwards. That canyon right before Andrew's base was beautiful, with the high rock walls, the land bridges, the moss… Wait.

Slippy halted in his tracks, looking around the valley. He'd been here before! And if memory served him correctly, Andrew's old base was around the next bend…where Star Wolf had landed. Why did they come here and leave again? Did it have something to do with the case they stole? Energized, the toad sprinted along the riverbank, soon going around the valley's next turn.

There it was…the old rebellion headquarters. Natural rock walls gave way to metallic edifices bristling with cannons, radar dishes, and docking ports for long-gone ships to launch from, although most of the defenses were destroyed from the battle last year. New trees and vines sprouted out between the cracks in the torn metal, the jungle fighting to reclaim what had been taken from it. There was new damage too, with fire and smoke drifting up from various locations around the base. Star Wolf had been fighting somebody here…but who?

Slippy kept following the raging river, the waterway cutting through the middle of the base. White caps marked the crests as the water surged along the rocky riverbed, the rain having swelled it to immense size. Objects rocked around in the flow, carried along by it. Leaves, logs, bits of metal plating, a body— Wait, what?! Slippy looked again, watching the debris closer this time. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the fast-moving flotsam and jetsam.

There!

A head bobbed around in the water. Grey fur, pointy ears, long muzzle. A canine. He was alive, but struggled to keep his head above the frothy water, mouth opening wide to catch a breath whenever he could. The head slipped around one of the river's curves and out of sight.

If I don't help, he's going to drown!

He cast aside his Star Fox jacket and backpack, diving in after the mystery individual. The current carried him closer, although the toad needed to paddle hard to close the gap. The canine's limp body twisted around in the current like a ragdoll, limbs flying in all directions. He rebounded off of a rock, Slippy imagining bones cracking as it happened. But at least it slowed him enough for the toad to catch up. Slippy pumped his arms and legs, pushing with all of his might to make it the last few feet. The toad wrapped his arm around the canine's stomach, yanking him to the surface and paddling hard for the shore. The stranger gasped with relief, drinking the oxygen in through his long muzzle.

While relieved, Slippy had a new problem now: the canine's extra weight. Fighting the current while unencumbered was one thing, but doing it while clinging to someone much larger and heavier was something else entirely. He found himself almost as helpless to the flow as the canine was now. Even so, Slippy dug deep within himself to pull them towards the shore. His chest was heaving, his limbs not listening to him like they were before.

If they didn't get out of the water soon, they would both be swept away. A large rock approached, jutting out into the water from the shore. If he could make it a little bit farther… Slippy winced, reaching out for it… He caught it, but then he screamed. His left hand was around the canine's arm, and the right was holding onto the rock, with Slippy himself being stretched between them.

Grunting with a final burst of strength, Slippy swung his left arm towards the shore, sending the canine towards another rock. Lucky for him, the canine seemed to have gotten some of his strength back, wrapping his hand around a crevice in the stone. Slippy leaped out of the water, hurrying to grab the canine's hand and pull him to shore. But the stranger's fingers slipped off the stone, as he was carried away by the current again. Slippy lunged out, grabbing the man's hand again, almost tumbling back into the water himself. He wrapped both hands around the canine's arm, dragging him onto the shore. Now with the stranger safely on land, Slippy kneeled over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

The grey canine let out several ragged and wheezy breaths, intermixed with several harsh coughs, each spattering water and blood from his muzzle. Is it my imagination...or is only one side of his chest rising up and down with every breath? He wore some sort of strange gray body suit, numerous gashes in the material where he'd been torn up by the rocks as he was swept downriver. The suit's top was partly unzipped, a crude series of wet bandages visible underneath. Blood stained the cloth in one particular spot, seeping out from under the white fabric. Slippy heard a sucking sound from there every time the canine tried to take a breath...on the side that wasn't rising. He's got a hole in his chest! Slippy put his hands to his face. What the hell happened to this guy?!

Worry about that later! He's gonna die if you don't patch him up!

"Hang on!" Slippy leapt to his feet. He hurried upriver to retrieve his pack, returning with it as fast as he could. Once back with the canine, he threw it to the ground and ripped it open.

The canine's chest was still heaving, his hands pressed over his wounds. He opened his eyes for the first time, looking at Slippy. The toad froze. Those eyes… He felt like he was being stared right through, with how those gold eyes shone like topaz gems. The canine coughed again, wheezing as blood and water leaked out of his mouth.

The Great Fox II had a state of the art medical bay, since Star Fox needed to operate in remote places far away from any hospital, but Slippy had no idea how long they'd be waiting for the rest of the team to show up. Only storm clouds were visible in the sky above, dumping more rain on the two of them.

Slippy rifled through the first aid supplies in his pack, his hands clumsily dropping things as he pulled out whatever he could find. Okay, bandages, an electronic tourniquet, chest pads, healing gel… Soon the items littered the ground, along with several other devices he couldn't remember the name of. He couldn't think straight as he tried to recall their uses. Basic first aid was part of Star Fox's training regimen, but the last sim was months ago and this was the first time he had to use his training for real. His heart raced as he looked at the stranger, the canine's golden eyes fading in color. I'm used to fixing machines, not people! What do I do with all this stuff? He stared around at the mess he made, falling into despair.

Footsteps pounded through the wet mud behind him. He spun around, blaster already aimed and poised to fire.

"Don't shoot!" a female voice cried out.

His iron sights centered on a gray vixen, her hands already in the air. She wore a similar gray body suit to the canine, and she looked a lot more worried about the canine than Slippy's gun, her eyes constantly jumping between the two.

"Who are you?!" Slippy narrowed his eyes. "Are you two with Star Wolf?"

"What?! No!" The vixen growled. "They're savages! Look what they did to Nail!" Her hands lowered.

"Keep your hands up!"

She jerked them back in the air, her gray ponytail quivering as much as the rest of her body was.

The pistol shook in his hands. What to do? These two could be his enemy, but what if they weren't? It would be so easy to make a terrible mistake right now...

"Please! Let me help you with Nail!" She moved closer, inching towards the canine. Tears welled up in her eyes, not even focused on his blaster anymore as her full attention was on the stranger Slippy had fished out of the water. Slippy wanted to shout at her to stop, but why did it feel wrong to say that?

The canine—Nail, apparently—meant a lot to her. Slippy wasn't an expert on romance, but he could tell they were far closer than typical comrades. It reminded him of how Fox and Krystal looked at each other. Nail coughed and groaned, Slippy unsure if he was still conscious or not. I'm in over my head here. If I don't let her help, he's going to die. But how do I know she's not going to shoot me when I'm not looking? A gun was in a holster strapped to her side. Slippy opened his mouth, but she beat him to it.

"Take it if you don't trust me." Her hand inched towards her holster. Slippy's heart pounded, watching her every move. With a snick, she unbuckled the weapon, again raising her hand, every movement slow and calculated so as not to spook him. "Hurry! There's no time to argue!"

Though he didn't feel too great about getting close to her, she made a good point. Slippy inched closer, reaching out a hand to towards the weapon. She held stock still like a statue as he slipped the gun out of the holster. Once he backed away, she didn't even wait for his approval, diving right to Nail's side.

"I can't believe you're still alive…" Her voice trembled as she looked over his injuries, her hands shaking as she moved them over his body.

Nail extended one of his arms, nodding towards the armpit area. The suit had a small flap between the arm and the chest that extended out, like a small wing. The flap vanished back into the suit's material, melding with it. What kind of technology was this?

"Of course…" The vixen's eyes widened. "You used the flap to slow your fall!"

Slippy wanted to ask about the uniform, but she was already undoing the zipper on the top half of the canine's body suit, exposing his chest. The toad's jaw dropped, seeing the full extent of the cuts and bruises across his chest from the river ride. Extensive scar tissue was visible beneath the gray fur as well, hinting at many past battles.

The vixen ripped off the waterlogged bandages across his chest, quickly rubbing healing gel in the spot and applying a new chest pad, covering it with medical tape to hold it down. She set to work on the rest of his injuries, patching everything up with bandages at rapid speed. A fresh bandage was also placed around the bloody stump that barely resembled a tail. Slippy gasped. He hadn't even noticed that before. Half his tail was gone too?!

She examined a tourniquet on his left pant leg. "Good thing Star Wolf bound these injuries, or he'd be dead already. This is still tight enough. No blood coming out."

"What?" Slippy raised an eyebrow. "Why would they do that?"

"They wanted to keep him alive long enough to be a useful hostage, until they got what they wanted." Her bangs covered her eyes, sniffling as she kept checking him over for any more injuries. "It… It worked…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain later." She rubbed a hand over her eyes as she glanced back at Slippy, trying to collect herself. "Where's the rest of Star Fox? Are they looking for you now, Slippy? Do you have a way to contact them?"

"Well, I turned on my distress beacon and—" Slippy froze, his mouth hanging open. What did she just say now? "Hang on, how do you know who I am? I've never met you! Who are you?"

The reply seemed to catch her off guard, although she recovered quickly. "Look, you know Star Fox is famous, right? It's not hard to figure out who you are, with that logo on your flight suit." She indicated towards the winged fox patch on his shoulder. "Anyway, that's not important right now. We need to get Nail out of here!"

Slippy gave her a blank stare, not knowing what to say. All of this stuff hitting him all at once was overwhelming. Damn it! He wasn't Fox! He wasn't used to taking charge of a situation like this! Where was the rest of the team?

A roar overhead broke the silence. Looking to the sky, Slippy's face lit up. "They found us!" He pointed towards the incoming ships, jumping up and down. Thank goodness! Rescue was here at last! Two Arwings descended to the ground, along with a transport shuttle painted in Star Fox colors. He rushed over, waving his hand.

Once the ships landed, Fox and Falco disembarked from their Arwings, Fara coming out of the transport shuttle. The three of them ran over, a smile on Fox's face as he approached. "Slippy!"

Slippy returned the grin, the two of them sharing a quick hug.

"Glad to see you again!" The vulpine's smile faded, as he turned to look at Nail and the vixen. "But…who are these guys?"

The gray vixen was already on her feet and approaching Fox. "I'm Canma, but let's save proper introductions for later." She gestured to Nail on the ground. "We need to get him to your medical bay."

Fox's eyes dropped to the canine on the ground, laid bare down on the rocks near the riverbank. Was it Slippy's imagination or did the vulpine seem to know something he wasn't saying? Nonetheless, he turned back to Fara and Falco. "Okay guys, grab the stretcher from the shuttle."

"Thank you!" Canma clasped her hands together, bowing towards Fox. While they waited for the stretcher to return, she rushed back to Nail's side, leaning over him. "It'll be okay Nail. We'll get you out of here!" While her words were optimistic, she seemed to be saying them more to reassure herself than anyone else. The smile faded from her face, her eyes never leaving him as Fara and Falco returned with the stretcher.

Fox smiled, but noticed something off in the distance. "Wait..." He pulled out his blaster. "Who's that?"

Slippy turned to look, spotting a lone figure walking towards the river bank some distance away. It was a green lizard with spikes running down his back, wearing Venomian military fatigues from the Lylat Wars... He had a machete in his hand. Despite the unsettling appearance, the strange soldier appeared unaware of anyone else's presence, approaching the water with a single-minded determination.

"Oh gods above… It's him again!" Canma turned to Fox, pointing at the lizard. "Shoot him! He's with Star Wolf! He tried to kill us!"

~X~

Tadao smiled as he moved towards the raging river, an odd peace permeating his mind. Kneeling on the rocky shore, he put his machete on the ground nearby and unbuttoned his shirt. Rain drops fell against his chest, water running down the smooth scales. The sensation pleased him. He wrapped the shirt around his hand, picking up the machete midway along the blade. A knife would have been preferable for what he was about to do, but the longer machete would suffice.

He stared at the weapon, permanently stained with blood from years of use, but still as sharp and reliable as when he first received it at Armory 529 back on Venom. It had been his most trusted and reliable friend ever since he first held it, never once failing when he needed it to kill. You're up for taking one more life, aren't you? He smiled at the blade.

Tadao pointed the machete's tip at his stomach.

He paused for a moment, eyes shut as he listened to the raging water in front of him, the raindrops pelting him on his head. These would be the last things he felt in the world of the living, so he wanted to savor them. Fortunately, everything he experienced now felt like it was happening to another person far away, like he was remote-controlling their body. That was good. The sense of detachment would help him through what came next.

He pulled the blade back, ready to stick it into his belly.

A noise caught his ear over the raging water. Running footsteps approached, splashing in puddles. Tadao's eyes whirled open, as someone wrenched the blade out of his hands. The machete was thrown to the side, clattering across the rocks.

Standing over him was the last person he ever expected to see. Tadao had been warned about this man, about how brutal he was. How Andross issued a massive reward for his capture or death but no one ever came close to claiming it. How he was more or less the reaper for anybody who aligned with Andross. Many Venomians prayed they never met him on the battlefield.

Yet Fox McCloud—the same individual discussed in such fearful tones—had stopped Tadao from taking his own life.

Tadao couldn't move, couldn't even think as they stared into each other's eyes. Why? Why would Fox of all people do this? It made no sense! Like someone telling him two plus two equaled five! Then it hit him. The realization was so simple: He spared me so he could do something even worse to me. He doesn't want me to die so easily!

Tadao scrambled across the ground, lunging towards his machete. Fox jumped on his back, holding him down.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" the vulpine shouted into his ear. "I don't want to hurt you! I just want to talk!"

Lies! Tadao fought with every ounce of his strength to reach the machete. Even with Fox holding him down, he moved an inch or two closer with each lunge. Soon it would be back in his grasp again. At last, he wrapped his hand around the handle, trying to bring it up— A boot stomped on the blade, keeping it planted to the ground. A blue avian stood over him, Tadao recognizing him as Fox's infamous wingman Falco Lombardi.

"Buddy!" Falco leaned down. "Stop it already!"

"Never!" Tadao wrapped both his hands around the machete's grip, but he couldn't lift it up with the bird standing on it.

Grumbling, Falco piled on top of Tadao next to Fox, pressing the lizard's into the dirt. He hissed, his tail thrashing around as he tried to get free, but it was no use.

"Hey hey! Don't sit on him Falco!" Fox cried out. "He can't breathe!"

"Oh, all right!" Falco muttered, repositioning himself so Tadao could hold his head up a bit.

Fox moved around to Tadao's front, looking into his face. "Hey, sorry about that."

He's sorry? Tadao stopped struggling, looking up at Fox. Why would Fox apologize for doing this?

"What's your name? Are you with Star Wolf? What happened here?"

Fury overtook Tadao on the mention of that man's name…the one he thought was his hero. "Wolf!" Tadao cried. "He abandoned me here!"

"Abandoned you?" Fox raised an eyebrow. "Why would he do that?"

"He's a liar!" All of Tadao's hatred for his former idol poured fourth, the iguana snarling out most of his words. "A damned liar! He used me to get some case!"

"Whoa, hang on!" Fox held up a hand to stop him. "Did you say a case?"

Tadao hesitated. Even if Fox was being friendly, he still didn't know what the vulpine's motivations were. Fox might be as bad as the Venomian propaganda said he was. But Tadao had been stranded in the jungle for ten years, with nothing but outdated propaganda posters, music, books, and slogans to keep him informed on the state of Lylat. The past few hours had shown he was very ignorant of the state of Lylat now. Was he wrong about Fox as well?

"Look, let me ask you again…" Fox shook his silvery jacket, trying to get the water out of it. His fur was already slick with the rain pouring down on their heads. "What's your name?"

"…Tadao."

"Okay, Tadao." Fox nodded. "It sounds like Wolf took advantage of you, and he got rid of you once he didn't need you anymore. Am I right?"

It was more or less exactly what happened, as hard as it was for Tadao to acknowledge. He shut his eyes, nodding back.

"Not the first time it's happened." Fox's face took on a dark look. "Look Tadao, we've got a common enemy, and we can help each other out. Why don't you come back with me to my ship and we can talk this over?" The vulpine smirked as he brushed more water out of his hair. "I mean, I'm getting kinda sick of this rain already and I've only been here a few minutes. Can't imagine how long you've been here."

In spite of the humorous irony of that statement, Tadao trembled at the idea of going with Fox What if this was a trick to gain his confidence until he was locked in a cell and sent to a Cornerian prison?

But what will you do if you don't go with him? Do you want to stay here for another ten years, or however long it will be until someone else comes by?

Tadao stared around at the lifeless, deserted base. The tall metal edifices over him resembled tombstones now. Deep within his bones, Tadao knew if he remained here, this was where he would die. Was this how he wanted it to end? Alone and forgotten in a place equally as alone and forgotten as himself? Tadao wept. How strange that question bothered him now. Until now, he was prepared to die on Fortuna alone. Andross would have expected that of him, and he was only too happy to oblige his dear leader. But if Andross was gone, what purpose would it serve now?

Fox held out his hand. This felt familiar somehow. It took him a little bit to figure out why, but then it hit him.

George… Ten years ago, I extended a hand to help him too, even though I'd never met him before and knew little about him. Tadao stared at Fox's hand, the vulpine still waiting for a response. I wonder if this is what George felt like back then. Is this the universe's way of paying back that kindness?

"Well?" Fox asked.

Tadao stared in silence into the vulpine's face. It took a tremendous effort, and it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life, but he did it anyway: he put his hand in Fox's.

~X~

Accepting the lizard's hand, he nodding for Falco to get off Tadao's back

"Are you sure about this, Fox?" Falco asked. "What about the things Canma said? I could see this guy being one of Wolf's loyal underlings."

The vulpine didn't disagree, between Tadao's Venomian clothing and his species. A lot of former Venomians joined Wolf's gang after the war, since they didn't have anywhere else to go. Tadao probably had done the same as them. Nonetheless, why did the lizard react with such hatred upon hearing Wolf's name? There was something more to this beyond what could be seen on the surface.

"Yes, let him up."

Falco still seemed unsure, but stood up regardless. Fox pulled Tadao to his feet, handing back his shirt in the process. The iguana smiled gratefully as he slipped the shirt back on again, and reached down to pick up his machete. A surge of adrenaline spiked down Fox's back, the vulpine leaping between him and the blade.

"No!" Fox threw out his hands. Realizing how sudden that was, he relaxed his voice. "Sorry, I can't let you have that."

The smile vanished from Tadao's face instantly, tears looking like they were about to return. Dear me. It's like I'm taking away his kid or something. Fox was worried the lizard might try something drastic to get his weapon back, but Tadao took a step back, folding his arms together. He'd changed his look to an angry glare now.

Fox picked the weapon off the ground, holding it out to Falco. "Take that back to your Arwing."

Falco's eyes widened as he looked at the blade. Fox wondered why, but then he noticed all the dried blood on it. How many lives had been claimed by it? He was worried he might be haunted by their lost souls or something just from holding it, the weapon feeling corrosive to his touch. It was a relief when the bird took away the machete, carrying it back to his fighter.

Fox turned around, seeing the lizard looking at him and waiting for further instructions. After getting a better look at that weapon, the vulpine wasn't sure if he felt good about taking this guy back to the Great Fox II. But all the same, Tadao knew about the case. Fox couldn't pass up the chance to interrogate him.

With a heavy sense of caution, Fox nodded to the iguana. "Okay, let's go back to the shuttle. Would you mind walking ahead of me?"

Tadao gave him a funny look, but he complied, staying in front as they walked. Through the open rear hatch, he could see Nail secure on a stretcher in the center of the cargo bay, with Canma, Fara, and Slippy looking over him. A ventilator was around Nail's muzzle, feeding him oxygen. It'd help keep him stable until they could get him back to the Great Fox II's medical bay.

As Tadao entered the shuttle, Canma looked up. "What the—?!" She snarled upon spotting the lizard, screaming at Fox. "Are you serious?! He's coming with us?!"

Fox growled at the vixen, not appreciating her attitude. "It is my team saving your friend's life." He nodded towards Nail on the stretcher. "So you could say it's like you're in my house right now. My house, my rules."

"I refuse to let that monster anywhere near me or Nail!" She jerked a finger at Tadao.

Tadao looked at the ground, averting his eyes from everybody else. Fox looked at all of them in turn, shaking his head. What happened between these three? More questions they'd need to go over in interrogation, he supposed. But that needed to wait for now.

"We don't have time for this. Nail's in bad shape and we need to get him to my medical bay ASAP. He'd tell you the same thing if he could speak right now."

"Nail would tell me to shoot that lizard right now, if I still had my gun." Canma's ears curled back. "If you let him in this shuttle, he's going to try to finish what he started! He'll kill us all in our sleep!"

Fox's ears folded back, tail twitching behind him. He considered telling her to get out of the shuttle so Tadao could ride instead, if she wanted to be apart from the lizard that badly. But Fox knew that would never work and the end result would be more delays, something Nail didn't have time for right now. But they couldn't leave behind Tadao either, considering the iguana sounded like he had valuable intel on the whereabouts of the case. How would he resolve this?

Come on, Fox. You're the leader here. Think of something!

Fox turned back to Tadao, the lizard still staring off into the distance, as though he couldn't hear anything being said about him.

"Hey, Tadao." Fox stuffed his hands into one of his jacket pockets, moving closer so they could speak privately.

The iguana turned around, giving his attention but saying nothing.

"Listen. You'll need to wear these on the way back." Metal clinked together as Fox took something out of his pockets, revealing them as a pair of handcuffs. "I'll need to keep you in the ship's brig too."

"First you take away my most prized possession, and now you want to imprison me?" The dew lap under Tadao's muzzle quivered in fear.

Fox didn't blame Tadao for reacting that way, but every second they wasted here took away more time to save Nail's life. "It's only to smooth things over with Canma. I'm sorry but we don't have time to argue. Are you going to do it or not?"

Tadao glared at Canma inside the ship, the vixen still looking like she wanted to shoot him on the spot.

"Did you try to kill them?" Fox asked.

The iguana was quiet, his lips curling into a grimace. He nodded. Fox's eyes widened. So Nail and Canma were telling the truth. Fox opened his mouth to ask why, but Tadao spoke first.

"I did. But…I know it was a mistake now." His words came sputtering out, flying out of his mouth like water from a spout. It carried the tone of tearful regret. "I was doing it under Wolf's orders, because I thought he was still the same Wolf O'Donnell from the Lylat Wars. But if I knew from the start the Lylat Wars were over, and Wolf was a lying, cheating criminal now, I would have left him to die where I found him!"

The lizard raised his hand in the air, clenching his fist as though he were still holding onto his machete. Fox needed to take a step back, almost getting hit by the fist in the process.

What the hell is this guy? I've got no clue what he's gonna do next!

Tadao calmed down again, lowering his hand. He spared one last look at Canma and Nail, and then he held up his up-turned wrists. "Put those on me." He indicated towards the handcuffs in Fox's hands.

"Huh?" Fox's eyes widened.

"Come on!" Tadao hissed. "We don't have time!"

While still surprised, Fox supposed he shouldn't question it. He slapped the cuffs on, dragging the lizard into the cargo bay.

"You're still letting him in here?!" Canma shouted at Fox again.

"It's the best I can do now, all right?" Fox's tail twitched. Meanwhile, he used a chain to secure Tadao's handcuffs to one of the cargo brackets mounted in the floor, sitting him down on a nearby bench. Once he was done, he turned back to her, eyes narrowed. "We're going to put Tadao in the brig once we make it back too. Will that make you happy? We've wasted enough time as it is!" He indicated to Nail on the stretcher, the sounds of the ventilator the only noise coming from him.

Canma scowled at Tadao again, eyes meeting between the two. While hers was a face of vengeful anger, the lizard sighed, still deep in apparent regret over his choices earlier today. He settled into an awkward slump on the bench, getting as comfortable as he could in spite of the handcuffs.

"You know…" Tadao looked at Nail. "You might want to apply a little more medical tape here." He indicated towards a corner of the chest pad sticking up. "It's not secure and might come undone."

Canma blinked, stunned by the casual suggestion.

"What?" The lizard shrugged, looking at the wall. "I'm trained as a medic."

Fox could see Tadao was right, looking at Nail. Canma was astonished, not sure what to make of his spontaneous bit of advice. Curling her ears back, she reached for a roll of medical tape, taping over the section that was coming undone.

Fox glanced over at Slippy and Fara by the cockpit's door, both of them looking like they didn't know what to make of anything they were seeing. The vulpine wasn't sure himself either, but at least everything seemed to have calmed down at last. There'd been enough delays already, and he hoped they hadn't bled away what little time Nail had left.

"Keep an eye on them." Fox said to Slippy and Fara. "Meet you back at the Great Fox II."

He stepped out of the shuttle, heading back to his Arwing and leaping inside. Within minutes, he was in the air, trailing behind the transport shuttle Fara was piloting. Fox rubbed the space between his two eyes, sighing. Good grief, today was a long day. It was a small miracle Nail, Canma, and Tadao hadn't sent him over the edge after everything else he'd been through. Also, he felt like he was forgetting something…

Fox patched himself into the transport shuttle. "Hey Fara? Can you put Slippy on the line?"

There was some fumbling around with the radio on the shuttle's end. "Hey Fox!" Slippy replied. "What is it?"

"I forgot to ask. Where's your Arwing?"

"Oh…" Slippy sounded like he was hoping Fox wouldn't have asked. "Several miles down the river, halfway underwater…"

"Great…" Fox sighed. Just another thing to throw on the pile of screw ups today. It'd cost a small fortune to get that ship dry and operational again. "We'll come back for it later."

He cut off the connection. There was another call he needed to make now, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Still, maybe it'd be best to just get it out of the way now. As the Arwing ascended back up into space, Fox patched into R.O.B. back on the bridge.

"Hey, R.O.B.?" Fox asked.

"What is your request, Fox?" the robot droned.

"Get me General Peppy, would you?"

"Acknowledged," R.O.B. replied, going silent as he made the call.

Fox sighed, looking at an old photograph next to the console in front of him. It showed a picture of his fifteen-year-old self at the Hare household, having moved in there after the death of his father James McCloud. His younger self and Peppy sat on a couch in the living room, Fox wearing junky clothing typical of a teenager while Peppy wore a red button down shirt. The two of them leaned together, grinning for the camera.

Even though Fox was still getting over his father's death at the time, he remembered putting on a smile for Peppy's sake. Back then, he understood how much Peppy had sacrificed to take him under his wing and help him still live a somewhat normal life. The least he could do was look happy so he didn't ruin the picture.

But now…Fox was about to let him down.

With a crackle of static, Peppy's face appeared on the console, still dressed in his red general's uniform. His office looked out on Corneria City, the cityscape behind him where he sat at his desk.

"Hey Fox! How's things going on finding the case?" He gave a warm smile. "You got it back now?"

Fox ran a hand over his face, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. "Sorry Peppy, no."

Peppy's smile vanished, concern darkening his face. "What?"

"Star Wolf got away with it. We don't know where they or the case are now."

The hare's ears lowered forward, his eyes narrowing. "They got away?!" Fox had never known Peppy to take on such an angry tone. "How did that happen?" The loud voice caused the speakers to crackle and sputter.

Fox winced at the noise, but kept talking. "When we caught up with the Retribution, it was going well at first. At least until Slippy decided to get some payback."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how Wolf shot his dad?"

"Oh…" Peppy's face fell, understanding what happened next without Fox needing to fill in the details. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. We've just picked him up off of Fortuna."

"Well, that's good at least." Peppy nodded. He wasn't angry anymore, but his voice had settled into something that sounded like disappointment. Fox wasn't sure if he preferred this to the yelling from before.

"I'm glad he's okay too," Fox said, "but he was the one who had all the heavy weapons attached to his Arwing, for disabling the Retribution. We couldn't finish the mission without him, so we ended up having to retreat. Star Wolf's gone now, and the case too."

"How could you let this happen, Fox?" Peppy frowned.

"It wasn't my fault." Fox's eyes narrowed. "It was Slippy's."

"You're still the leader of the team, Fox. Whether it's deserved or not, it's the leader who gets blamed when his team screws up. I've taught you that, haven't I?"

Fox grimaced, but said, "Yes sir."

The formality was not because Peppy was a general now, but because Peppy made Fox say that when he was still living in the Hare household, whenever he did something wrong and needed to apologize for it. This conversation reminded him of the stern rants and lectures Peppy would deliver when teenage Fox broke a house rule, like borrowing the car without permission or staying out late past curfew. It was a bittersweet memory though, both nostalgic and yet unpleasant at the same time.

"Goodness knows I've got plenty of experience with that now ever since I put this on." The hare indicated towards his crimson red uniform. His voice was noticeably softer, like he appreciated the words 'yes sir', but Fox still felt ashamed regardless. "I don't know how Pepper put up with the general public and those damn politicians for so long. Impossible to please, the lot of them. You're lucky you know. You only need to worry about pleasing me." That slight tinge of anger returned, Peppy shifting out of dad mode and back into boss mode. "Anyway, you better have some new leads on where that case could be now, because I sure don't have any."

"We do have some new leads." Or that's what Fox hoped anyway. "We picked up some other people on Fortuna along with Slippy."

"Others? What do you mean? Who are they?"

"Not entirely sure yet. I'm going to interrogate them as soon as I can, and I'll let you listen in."

Peppy's face was hard to read. An uncomfortable pause settled between the two of them, before he replied, "All right. But know this Fox. There's a lot more at stake for you here than this one paycheck." His tone had settled somewhere calm, but also with a concerned undercurrent. "I get scrutinized a lot for hiring out my adoptive son to do the military's job, you know. Get criticized for nepotism and sweetheart deals and all that. The only reason it's tolerated is because of your reputation, how you always deliver results. If suddenly, you're not delivering…" The hare shrugged. "Well, I might not be able to swing my influence as much, and you might be saying goodbye to future paychecks too. You understand what I mean?"

Fox grimaced. The team's budget was already on thin ice as it was. Missing out on a couple more future jobs could end Star Fox for good, given Peppy was one of his few reliable clients left. He knew well what the stakes were.

Fox sighed. "Yes sir."

"Good. So let's hope these new leads you've got pan out, hmm?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay." Peppy moved his hand to shut off the monitor. "Call me back once you're ready for those interrogations. Bye for now Fox."

"Bye Peppy."

Peppy's face winked out, leaving Fox in the silence of his Arwing cockpit. Funny, usually he was happy to take calls from the hare, since they rarely got a chance to speak anymore. Not this time though.

If only I noticed how Slippy was acting sooner. The toad sounded pretty angry about something while they were discussing how to attack the Retribution, not to mention the way he spoke during the dogfight. Why hadn't Fox picked up on those clues earlier? Peppy was right. He should have been paying more attention. It was his responsibility to detect problems within the team before they became bigger ones.

The Great Fox II loomed up ahead of him, with the shuttle containing Nail, Canma, and Tadao docking ahead of him. He didn't know who any of them were or how they tied into this whole business, but it was not an exaggeration to say the future of Star Fox hinged on what they could tell him about where the case was now.

Fox sighed, not looking forward to the next few hours of interrogating them. After that huge battle and the search for Slippy, he just wanted a chance to relax and unwind. However, his team's fate was at stake. He supposed he'd just have to dig in and get it done, like how he did it back during the Lylat Wars.

Damn it Slippy. I'm glad you're alive, but you might have killed our team. We would have had that case by now if you hadn't been such an idiot. Where could it be now?

~X~

Sable smiled, lying on a couch within her personal quarters inside the Onyx, but she could have been floating on clouds for all she knew. Soon, she would return home victorious, and once again know the sensation of the warm winds blowing against her fur and the hot sands between her toes.

Not like the room she was in right now. There wasn't much to it, only having a small sitting area, a bed, a wardrobe, a door to the bathroom, and a desk. Most everything here was black or white in color, giving the place a clean but sterile look, as if it was meant to be a showpiece rather than actually used. It reminded her of the coldness of space, lurking outside the hull of the Onyx. No matter what you did, the icy cold was nigh inescapable, permeating everything around you while you were in a star ship. Thus, she did whatever she could to avoid long journeys away from home like this.

At least with the lights dimmed and the dark walls, this place had a cave-like atmosphere to it, like shelter you would use to take cover from a harsh storm. Maybe light a fire too, and curl up next to it for warmth while you slept.

Speaking of warmth…

Sable smiled again, a tongue running along the fur on the back of her neck and behind her ears. She purred with content, the tongue's barbs scratching the skin beneath her fur. Panther laid on the couch behind her, stripped down to his pants. His arms cradled around her lower torso, holding her tight as he continued to lick her. It was still a long way back to the warmth of Thaljista, although she suspected with him around it wouldn't bother her as much as the trip to Lylat. She turned her head, rubbing it against the neck underneath his muzzle. He responded with his own purrs, bumping her head back in return.

Lylat was the last place she expected to find a Caruso of all people. Did Panther know the significance of his name? He probably didn't, considering the unwashed company he kept. Oh Thaal-Ja, when the shuttle's door opened to let her into the Retribution's hangar bay, a wall of stench slammed into her…all those longnoses horrifying to her nostrils. But ah well, it was nothing but a small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

She flipped over, the two of them face to face before she licked his neck, tugging him in close. Their tails swung back and forth, batting each other in the legs. His heart thumped through his chest against her own, as the heat of his body washed over her.

His ignorance is sad, but cute too. Like a young cub who's blissfully unaware of the universe's cruel nature. And it will be most useful for my purposes too.

She gave him one last smile, before abruptly jumping off of the couch and standing up. His hand trailed along her back as she moved away, stringing along her tail before it slipped out of his grasp, his fist clenching nothing but air.

"Wh-wha—?" Panther stammered, lowering his hand. "What are you doing?"

Sable picked up a white gown draped over a nearby chair, slipping it over herself. As she closed up the gown, she cast a grin at him.

"I'm ready for bed."

Panther moved his legs over the side of the couch to sit, still not fully comprehending what just happened.

"Maybe we could sleep tog—?"

"No."

Panther's entire body deflated, his handsome muzzle drooping as he frowned. Sable chuckled within herself, finding that look adorable. He was like putty within her hands. Time to cheer him up a bit, show him a morsel on a string to motivate him again.

"But…" She let a pregnant pause hang in the air, Panther on the edge of his seat as he waited for her to speak again. "We can talk about that later, if you're up for the tasks I'm about to give you."

Panther jumped off the couch, standing rigid, his thin but muscular form outlined by the room's dim lighting. "I'll do anything you want!"

Good boy! Sable chuckled, grabbing his shirt that he'd also draped over the nearby chair. "First of all, I would suggest you get a good night's rest too. There will be much for you to do, once we make it to Thaljista." She tossed him the shirt.

He caught it, slipping it on as Sable pushed the button on a nearby panel. Without so much as a sound, a hole appeared in the nearby wall, opening up into the hallway.

"Have a good night." She gestured for him to leave.

He sighed, his disappointment palpable as he headed through the doorway. "You too…"

Without answering back, she pushed the button, leaving her alone in her room once more. The smile left her face, as she slumped against the wall. To be honest, she too was upset they weren't going to be sleeping together tonight, but there were good reasons for delaying such a pleasure. He was at his weakest and most vulnerable as long as she withheld the one thing he clearly sought most. To give him a taste too early would be to take away his incentive to work, like paying someone before they did their job.

Oh well. Good things came to those who waited.

Besides, in this room, there was something else to admire in the meantime. She grinned as she looked at the cabinet beneath the desk. Opening it up revealed the case, Sable pulling it out to put it on the desk.

Even though she had already looked inside, she wanted to see the item one more time before handing it over to her boss. It had felt like a dream the first time she laid eyes upon it. Thump, thump, went the case's clamps again, Sable putting her hands on the case's lid. She pushed it up slowly, so as to savor the moment. It was like opening the case for the first time all over again, she was so thrilled by this. The item was soon revealed by the room's dim light. Orange metal reflected the light back her, the item narrow and fitted diagonally inside a foam cutout in the case.

She extracted the shaft, holding a small baton-like weapon in her hands. With the flick of a button and the sliding of metal on metal, the shiny orange baton extended into a full-size staff, snapping into place. She twirled it around in her hands a few times. It only looked like a simple combat staff, but there was far more to it than that.

This was Thaal-Ja's Calling, stolen from the Thaljistani people two centuries ago. It took generations to find the location of this staff, and still more years to plan how to retrieve it from those blasted longnoses.

But all of their effort, money, and waiting had paid off at last. Thaal-Ja's Calling was returning home, and soon Queen Kula would use it to summon Thaal-Ja himself. He would sweep all of the refuse and rubbish off the planet with one stroke, with as much ease as wiping dust off of a shelf. Thaljista would become clean once more, and the Azerian Kingdom would ascend and secure a place within Thaal-Ja's celestial court amongst the stars.

Queen Kula's prophecies would soon come true, and Sable would be there to witness the genesis of their new era…alongside her new mate.

END OF ACT I

~X~

A\N: Yay, I'm a third of the way done with this story! And it only took me like three years to make it here…or maybe even more like six if you count when I first conceived this story in 2012. On the bright side, I feel like I'm making much faster progress now, don't you think?

Just a heads up… I've still got some more planning and outlining to do for Act 2, so it may be some time before you see an update on this story. In the meantime, I'll see if I can work towards finishing off Love is Blind and get myself down to just one big story to update. Maybe I'll do some smaller projects once Love is Blind is off my plate too. We'll see.