Disclaimer: Bucky 'O Hare created by Larry Hama, Star Fox is copyrighted Nintendo.

Within his room on the Great Fox, Fox McCloud was waking from a much-needed rest. After having to come to terms with the mess of emotions running through him the other night, he had managed to enjoy a pleasant dream. It was filled with moments of his past, before tragedy had stricken him, and he had very much enjoyed it.

But now it was time to wake up, he had a mission to do and a team counting on him. Getting up from his bed, he got the red bandanna his dad had given him years ago and tied it around his neck as he looked at the crimson display on his clock: 10:16 a.m. He walked out of his room and proceeded up to the bridge.

He walked into the bridge, seeing the rest of the crew getting ready. Peppy was sitting down at his console sipping on some coffee and Falco was leisurely eating a bagel. Krystal seemed to be discussing things with Jenny while Deadeye seemed, to be choking down a liter of caffeine. Bucky was standing at attention by the side, though his gaze seemed to fall on young Willy, who seemed to be talking tech with Slippy.

Seeing that everyone was present, Fox walked in asking, "What's our ETA to Sargasso, Peppy?" getting right into business.

"Comin' up on 80 minutes and counting," Peppy said as he set his drink on top of the console.

"Fox, we're gonna need you, Slippy, and Deadeye to go inside the hideout and take control of it by any means." Pointing towards the duck in question he says, "I understand that you were once a pirate I'm hoping your expertise might be of use down there!" he explains to him.

"Ay, you can count on me, matey! Those whippersnappers won't even know what hit them!" Deadeye cries out enthusiastically.

With a nod, he continues, "Very well! Falco, Krystal, and Bucky will give you guys air cover outside the base, should any reinforcements arrive. Given your performance so far, I wager this won't be a problem for you Captain O'Hare." He asks him confidently.

Not a problem Peppy, I'll make sure to watch their back!" the green hare says from his corner, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Very good then…" "Actually, Peppy!" Krystal suddenly interrupts in a calm voice. "I believe First Mate Jenny should fly this mission!" she says wholeheartedly.

"What! Are you sure of this!" he asks baffled. "Yes, we have been discussing the matter for some time, and she has expressed a desire to help along with our missions. I believe this should be the one!" she tells him with confidence.

"Jenny, what do you think?" he asks apprehensively. "Your crew has been nothing but helpful to us, I believe it is my duty to help! Besides, two of my companions have risked their lives to aid in this fight, what kind of first officer would I be if I weren't willing to do the same!" she tells him confidently and unrelentingly.

"I understand that Jenny, but this is no ordinary mission, you might have to face unsurmountable odds! This isn't the type of mission for someone to just be trusted upon!" he tries to explain urgently, urging her to change her mind.

But it was not to be, confidently she said, "Given the situation, I believe that a trial by fire might be the only way to go forward! These are trying times, against an enemy you have stated to know little about! Against that, I believe this will be child's play!" she states, her resolve unshaken.

Impressed yet unsure, he turns towards Bucky and asks, "Captain O'Hare, what is your say on the matter?" Bucky just gives him a smirk and says, "Jenny is one of the most capable individuals I have ever met, if she says she can handle it, then I believe her!" he informs him confidently, his eyes looking right at her. Jenny gives him a small nod of gratitude before Peppy speaks again, "And you sure you can handle the Arwing, it's not exactly an easy task!" he asks in a serious tone, looking straight at her. Matching the look, she confidently states," I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as possible about the craft, I've even asked Krystal for some pointers, I am confident that I can fly her sir!"

Looking at her determination, Peppy's scowl changed into a smile before telling her, well you better get ready! We depart as soon as we're there!" he says with respect, confident that she can handle herself out there. With a smile, she salutes him before making her way towards the hanger bay. "Well, what are you all waiting for?! You are dismissed, get to your stations!" he orders with a lighthearted smile as the others leave the bridge.

In truth, he never truly questioned her capability, all the crew of the Indignation seemed to know what they were doing, and Jenny seemed more professional than most. But he was hesitant to let others out into danger, especially those who were unused to the harshness of the world. But he had to remember that these were soldiers, all of them haven chosen this risk the second they set foot on their ship! He had seen the toads; he had no thought they had been through action! So even though he hated having to send them, he would not deny them the freedom to do what they chose. They knew the risks and he would respect that!

Fox walked off the bridge down to the ship's armory, knowing he'd be needing a lot more than a standard-issue semi-auto blaster for this one. Gesturing over to his four-armed companion he said, "Hey Dead-Eye! You might want to see this!" he called out, knowing the trigger-happy ex-pirate would love this!

Once he got over to him, Fox placed his eye in the retinal scanner and as the doors opened, he smiled at Dead-Eye's reaction as he saw the shelves inside the armory filled with various assault rifles, sniper rifles, heavy machine guns, some rocket launchers, and pistols.

"Shiver me timbers! Now that's what I call an armory!" Dead-Eye exclaims as he bounces from wall to wall taking all the weaponry in. Fox walked in after him and avoided the pistols as he walked among the shelves, deciding which weapons he should carry.

Fox checked his gear pack, his blaster was still there, just in case. He picked up an assault rifle, jammed a fresh clip into the magazine well, and slung it over his back as he put a few magazines in one of the pouches. He picked up five large yellow grenades and placed them carefully into their own pouch, to not hit the 'arm' button by mistake. And finally, he picked up a sniper rifle, rammed in a 10-round magazine, and stuffed a couple more in another pouch, before waking out towards his Arwing.

Passing a still excitable Dead-Eye, that appeared to be debating which of the larger cannons to bring. Leaving him to his own matters, Fox grabbed a ladder and set it up beside his left wing. He climbed up and withdrew his assault rifle, laying it down on the wing. He opened a compartment located directly behind his cockpit and gently laid the sniper rifle inside as he flicked the safety to the 'on' position.

"Hey…" a voice from behind suddenly said, causing Fox to jump and hit his head on the opening compartment. The guilty party, revealed to be Krystal, burst out laughing so hard she nearly laughed herself to tears.

Giving her a sly smile, Fox replied, "Hey…" as he rubbed his head with an embarrassed blush. Returning his smile Krystal climbed up the ladder to where Fox was and picked up the assault rifle that was still lying on the wing. "Wow! What are you going to need this for?" she asked as she picked it up and looked at it, thinking it was a little too much.

"Well Krystal, whenever you're going inside a place that houses the most dangerous criminals in the system and don't want to get yourself killed, you'll need some heavy artillery to get the job done," Fox said smugly, obviously teasing her.

"If you say so? Smartass!" Krystal said, adding the last part with her mind. She gave him a smile, before slowly dropping it to a more serious expression. "Fox, be careful in there." She told him with worry. "Always," Fox replied as she handed him the rifle and he put it inside of the compartment and closed the hatch.

"At least you won't be joining us this time!" he told her with a smile. Krystal gasped in mock offense "Are you saying that I can't handle myself out there!" she said with a grin as she put her hands on her hips.

"No, it's just that I worry about you, that's all," Fox said as he raised his arms in mock surrender. Krystal laid her head on his shoulder and rolled her eyes up to look at his. Fox gazed into her eyes, trying to force himself to look away, but he couldn't.

He could feel his tail twitching and made sure to keep it on the side of his body farthest from Krystal so as not to hit her, but he felt Krystal's tail touch his and began to wrap his tail around hers, feeling himself blushing profusely under his fur.

"Aww…how sweet." He heard Dead-Ete's voice coming from behind them. Turning around to see the four-armed duck standing a few feet away, weapons and ammo strapped to his body and a smug grin on his face.

And he wasn't the only one, all around them Fox could see the others watching on. Falco looking at them with a smug grin of his own, Bucky leaning against a wall with a smile on his face, and Jenny looking on in anticipation, waiting to see how things would play out. He had put on quite a show it would seem, and he wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

"So, when's the wedding!" Falco cried out from his spot. Fox narrowed his eyes in frustration, causing Falco to start laughing. Saying nothing, Fox jumped from the wing to get Falco in a headlock, but not before helping Krystal down. He grabbed her by the waist and lowered her down, then smiled evilly at her. She knew what he was thinking, and she felt it was the appropriate response.

Giving him a nod, Fox smiled as he ran towards Falco, who was still howling with laughter. Managing to notice him, Falco paled before saying, "Oh shi…Oof." as Fox got him in a headlock and gave him a noogie.

"I don't know Falco, when are you and Kat gonna settle down!" Fox replied to his earlier comment as he tightened his grip. "All right! All right! I give up!" Falco said as he struggled to break free from Fox. He let Falco go and straightened the head feathers that he had messed up. Fox laughed as the feathers continued to stick back up after Falco rubbed them down with his hands.

"You're real smart elec, you know that Falco," Fox said grinning. "Hey, it's my job Fox," Falco replied smugly, Deadeye laughing at his remark.

But the brief moment of levity came to an end as Peppy's voice came over the comms, "OK, guys. It's do or die time, Get to the Arwings!"

"Well, I guess we're here," Falco said and walked to his Arwing, swiftly climbing into the cockpit. Krystal walked over to Fox as he neared the ladder to get inside the cockpit. "Be careful," she said lovingly. Fox hugged her tight and gave her a kiss on her forehead, "I will promise!" he said.

Krystal smiled and walked over to help Jenny with her arwing. Fox took a deep breath as he buckled himself in and closed the canopy. "Slippy, you got your weapons?" he asked his head back in the game.

"Yep. I got 'em." Slippy said reassuringly. "Good. Wouldn't want to leave without them!" Fox said through the comms. "Bucky, Jenny! How are things on your end!" he followed up with. "Armed and ready to go!" "Ready when you are!" they replied simultaneously as they prepared for launch.

"All right! Let's get this over with." Fox said as he released the locks on his Arwing. A chorus of "copy's" came from the group as Fox hit the gas, pushing his head back against the seat once again, as everyone else followed behind him.

Watching take off, Krystal decided to turn around and make her way towards the bridge, figuring she would be of better help there. Entering the bridge, she was surprised to see the lone form of Peppy at the helm. It had become common to see him accompanied by either Willy or Bruiser whenever they weren't occupied with something else.

"Hello Peppy! Handling this one on your own?" she asked as she made her way towards one of the consoles. "Huh, oh Krystal! Didn't hear you coming.", he said startled. "Yes! Young Willy and Bruiser are working on their ship. They seemed anxious to get it working, though Willy seemed troubled.

Krystal took note of this, telling herself to check on them as soon as possible. Turning her attention back on Peppy, she continued listening, "It's probably for the best! This isn't the type of mission I would want their presence for. Well, Willy at least, Bruiser would probably get a kick out of it, I'm almost surprised he didn't volunteer for the ground mission himself!" Peppy told her, his attention back towards the screens.

"He was probably worried for Willy, the two of them seem close, almost like brothers!" she told her as she took her seat. Peppy nodded at her, agreeing with her sentiment, before returning to his work. "I sense that THAT isn't everything that's bothering you," she told him from her seat, causing the old hare to stare right at her. She returned the stare, her eyes caring yet demanding, refusing to back down until her friend opened up to her. Relenting with a sigh, Peppy replies, "You're right, it's that this whole situation has gotten me a little on edge. We have an interdimensional empire rearing up for conquest and a presumed Aparoid invasion on our way! Now, to top it all off, we're searching for my traitorous ex-partner on the most scum-filled place on the sector!" he vented, hitting the console with his fist. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Curse you, Pigma! Why'd you run to such a vile place?" as he tried to center himself.

Looking at him with utter concern, Krystal tells him, "It's alright, we'll figure this out. This team has done some incredible things in the past and I am confident that they will do it again. As I am certain our new friends can do nothing but help us on this endeavor." she told him, offering him a kind smile.

Returning that smile, Peppy relaxed as he spoke, "I know, guess I'm just a little overwhelmed. I just hope they're doing alright!" he says as he gazes out the window into the vastness of space.

On route to the coordinates they had received, the away team was near their target, careful to remain out of sight. "Keep your eyes open team, we don't know what's hiding out here!" Fox says, making sure to keep an eye out as they traverse towards their target.

"This colony's supposed to be a hideout for all sorts of criminals," Slippy explains before something catches his eye. "Oh, Fox! Someone from the hideout sent us a transmission!" he alerts him, cautiously. "Put it through!" Fox tells him, all sensors on high alert as a precaution.

"Don't you idiots know this is part of Lord O'Donnell's territory?" the voice of a ruffian says over the radio, giving the teams some pause. "Who is this, Lord O'Donnell? Should we be worried?" Bucky asks Fox, debating on the right course of action.

Fox in the meantime was deep in thought, "O'Donnell! It can't be him, can it? It would certainly explain some things, but what is he up to in a place like this! Whatever the case, things just got interesting!" he thinks before responding to Bucky's question. "Maybe! Slippy, put me through!" he says as he prepares to announce themselves.

"This is the Star Fox team! We're here for a hog named Pigma! We don't want trouble!" he informs the outpost, hoping that they might be able to reason with them before things escalate!

However, this was not to be, as the Ruffian rudely responded, "We don't know about no Pigma or any other fool. And now we know you're Star Fox, you ain't going nowhere. C'mon your lazy scum! Let's skin this fox and his whole crew! Get more guys up here! Come on!" he says through the radio, presumably forgetting to turn it off before calling for assistance.

"Well, that went well," said Fox to the others in a deadpan tone before turning to the others. "Falco! I need scans, what do you see out there!" he ordered as he prepared for the worst.

"Asteroids. A bunch of 'em." Falco said as they neared the coordinates that Peppy had transmitted to them. "They're using them to conceal the hideout," Fox said. "Keep your guard up, guys. Don't hit any of 'em. They're huge." Fox said as he banked hard to the left, dodging one of them.

Managing to narrowly dodge the flurry of asteroids around them, the team manages to clear the field into open space. "Phew… that was a close one!" Fox called out through the radio, "Jenny, how are you holding up?" he asks his new wingmate. "Holding in there, Fox! Is going to take more than a couple of space rocks to shake me down!" she responded confidently. "Good to hear!" he responds before being cut off by an urgent message from Slippy.

"Hey! I got a message from my dad! It's about the Core Memory that Pigma nabbed! He says it might contain the location of the aparoid homeworld! We gotta get it back, no matter what!" he lets them know, voice full of urgency. "Well, you heard him, we gotta find that hideout immediately!" Fox orders as they pick up speed.

"Crap, I don't even see it yet," Falco said frustrated. "Wait… is that…yeah, it is! To the left." Fox said as he threw his arwing into a kick spin, pointing his nose directly at the hideout.

"Well, at least it doesn't look all that big from here," Slippy said hopefully. "Don't get your hopes up, Slip-up. We're still pretty far away." Falco reminds him as they get ever closer. Nearing the hideout, Dead-Eye is the first to comment, "Holy molly…" he says in astonishment. The place was huge, with four stabilizers at the bottom-most part of the hideout, and seemed to stretch up about what looked like ten stories. The docking bays on either side of it could dock a Cornerian battleship.

"Gateway initiation detected. Enemy force increasing." Warned ROB's voice from their comm systems, drawing attention to the growing number of ships in the distance. Fox debated their options, "Even if we pound 'em, this is gonna become a war of attrition. Gotta do something about those transfer gateways...", Fox was uncertain, worried that it might be too much for their newest member. He had not yet seen what the First Mate was capable of, not knowing how effective she would be on the battlefield. But her companions assured him that she was just as much a fighter, and pilot, as he was, and he would trust their judgment.

"She said she wanted to prove herself on the mission, no better time than now I suppose. Besides, she'll be fine. Falco can take that darn thing head-on if they need to. She'll be in good hands!" Fox assured himself and trusted in his companions' capabilities, this was going to be a trial by fire if he ever saw one.

"OK! Slippy and I will wipe out the transfer gateways at the hideout. I need you guys to take care of that battleship. Can you handle the outside alright?" he asked through the comm. "All right! Leave space for us! You worry about your own hide, ok?" Falco radioed back wittily. "Got it. Jenny, make sure the hot head doesn't get cooked out there!" he said jokingly as he prepared to head towards the station.

Fox carefully piloted his arwing into the docking bay of the Sargasso hideout and pulled out his weapons from behind his seat as the autopilot kicked in, bringing him to a halt inside the landing bay. Fox strapped the sniper rifle to his back and flipped off the safety on his assault rifle as he opened the canopy.

"This is Fox... I've made it inside. How're things on your end, Slippy?" Fox asked. "I made it too!" Slippy answered in a hushed voice. "Good, how about you Dead-Eye?" he asked the final member on the ground. "I'm in. Things aren't looking so bad over here," he says confidently. "OK. Let's get this operation started!" Fox said to himself as he radioed in with the others.

"How's things up there so far?" Fox asked quietly into the comms so others inside wouldn't pick up on his voice. "Don't worry about us, Fox. It's all good from up here." Falco said just as Jenny's voice chimed in. "Falco! Look! There! A battleship!" she announces, pointing towards a large Venomian battleship on the horizon. "Well spotted Jenny! Falcon on your lead!" says Bucky, closing in behind them as he decides to take the rear and follow Falco's orders. With a slight smirk and a confident voice, Falco exclaimed, "And here we go!" as the two rushed towards the incoming dogfight.

Back in the hideout, Fox is carefully listening to Peppy's instructions, "Ok, Fox. Here's the game plan. You're going to need to take out as many of the transfer devices around here as you can. My scanners are picking up ten of them. You've got to take out as many as you can find, preferably all of them. After that, we'll be able to gain control of the hideout but don't try to play the hero. You're going to have a lot of resistance from here, and you're going to definitely be outnumbered here." Peppy said. Fox withdrew the AR, racked back the bolt, and crouched behind a wall while he studied his radar to find out where the transfer devices were placed.

"Well the numbers are about even, then," he said to himself as he looked around the huge facility that towered before him. It was gigantic, at least five more levels above him, all about the size of a football field. He couldn't begin to imagine what would happen should this place become fully operational against the Cornerian Fleet.

This place couldn't be allowed to remain under criminal control, regardless of whether Pigma Dengar was here or not, and Fox knew he was the right guy for the job. Unfortunately, the radar didn't have anything that could differentiate what levels the transfer devices were on. All they showed was if they were in front of him, beside him, or behind him, and the distance away from him.

"Ok, Slippy. I'm going to need your help big time with this one! There's ten of these things, and we're outnumbered in this place." Fox said quietly into his wrist comm.

On another level of the hideout, Dead-Eye Duck was carefully sneaking around the place. Using the skills he picked up in his long career as a pirate, he expertly roamed around the halls of the building, guns at the ready should he ever need them. So far, he hadn't seen any enemy activity here, just a couple of machines moving crates, probably containing some ammo or explosives, about the facility on his level. He walked out from behind the wall, still crouched with guns in his four arms, as he looked around the room. Following his gut, he rushed over to the next room, only to stop at the sight before him.

"Woah! There's a machine shooting out baddies!" Dead-Eye cried over the comms. Keeping tabs on all communications, Peppy was quick to respond, "That's a transfer device! Hurry up and destroy it!" he said urgently. Not one to pass on such an opportunity, Dead-Eye responded with a quick, "Got it!" as he set out to work with a smile on his face.

Hearing the commotion, Fox looked up to see a grand explosion a few levels above him, on a large catwalk. He grinned, glad to have brought an expert on this mission before it quickly faded as the alarms came on, and the hideout flashed red around him as a voice sounded over the intercom, alerting the base of intruders.

"Shoot!" Fox exclaimed as he ran to the nearest crate for cover. Fox looked at his radar, and it showed another transfer device about twenty feet from him. He looked in that direction and saw nothing but crates, stacked two and three high.

Fox took out a grenade, pressed the 'arm' button, and tossed it behind the boxes. It exploded, and Fox looked to see an objective mark disappear from his radar.

"Transfer device, down!" he said with a confident tone. "Yep! As good as ever, Fox!" Peppy confirmed through the comms. Fox grinned and raised his AR to pick off the infantry that had come out from behind the boxes.

"Slippy, watch out! They're all over the place!" Fox yelled into the comm. Fox ran up the nearest stairway to an open area one level above him, not a good idea.

Laser blasts surrounded him as he ducked and lay flat on the ground, shouldering his AR. Fox took careful aim for each of the troops he saw and put a laser through each one's armor. Spotting another device on the far end of the room, he took aim and fired. A massive explosion overtook the room, while Fox ducked for cover behind the entrance walls.

"Destruction of transfer device confirmed." Came the monotone voice of ROB through the comms, confirming the device's destruction. "Great, Fox! Only three transfer devices left!" Peppy announced, causing Fox to nod and smile to himself as he carried onwards, hoping the others were having just as much luck as him.

Author's Notes:

Hey there! Sorry for the delay, I've been preoccupied with a new job, so I won't be able to update as frequently anymore. That being said, I will still try to write this at any chance I get, I don't plan on stopping until I reach at least chapter 21! I would like to thank all of you for reading and hope that this newest installment is to your liking, like always don't forget to leave a comment and enjoy!

Thanks!