Cornerian Defense Force Base #74

The comms room of the airbase was abuzz with the hum of computers, the pinging of radars, and the chatter of technicians. One in particular, a daschund, furrowed her brow as five signatures appeared on her screen.

Scans of the craft entering Katina's atmosphere showed that four of them were of a familiar design while the fifth didn't match any ship in Lylat.

Nonetheless, the woman had orders to immediately report any sightings of this particular spaceship, which she promptly did.

Great Fox II

The beeping of the bridge communicator grabbed the attention of both Fox and Peppy, who were currently at their stations.

"Incoming transmission from CDF Katinese Command," ROB droned.

"Put it through," Fox ordered.

The duo were greeted by the hologram of a brown-furred bulldog in the green uniform and white jacket of the Cornerian Defense Force. A green helmet with a wide yellow stripe running vertically in the center marked him as a lieutenant.

"How's it going, boys?"

"Oh, living the dream, Bill," Fox replied.

The bulldog flashed a cocky grin.

"We've got a lead on Star Wolf and their new pal."

Fox nodded as flight paths were uploaded to his command chair's console. After taking a minute to study them, the vulpine turned his attention back to Bill.

"Hold off on intercepting them until we get there. If I know Wolf, he'll probably split if you show up in force."

"Copy that, Fox. We'll see you when you get here. Bill out."

Once the bulldog's hologram faded, Fox glanced over at ROB.

"Get everyone up here."

"Affirmative."

Blaine Valley, Katina

The four Wolfens and the Justifier touched down in one of the more fertile areas of the mostly-arid planet. Algy's gaze briefly darted towards a nearby boulder before he did a double take upon landing.

"Son of a bitch."

Once the Star Wolf team had opened their canopies and Bane had lowered the Justifier's loading ramp and driven out one of the team's newly-acquired ATVs, the sportive lemur walked up to his leader.

"Wolf, why the hell did we land on Kayce Declan's turf?"

Bane followed the primate's outstretched arm and index finger towards a rock that had what appeared to be a face with an evil grin carved into it.

"Simple, Algy," Wolf explained, "Odds are, both the Planetary Guard and the CDF picked us up when we arrived. If we land near Uncle Mike's, it won't take them long to figure it out."

"Well, be that the case, who's watching the ships?" Panther put in.

"That would be me," Bane replied.

"Might we get going please?" Leon called from the driver's seat of the ATV.

Sticking a toothpick into his mouth, Bane watched as the rest of Star Wolf boarded the ATV and drove off. Leaning against the hull of the Justifier, the Duros thought about his current situation.

He had finally been able to put his Lylatian credits to use in order to buy a new cloaking device for the Xanadu Blood from the denizens of Sargasso. Getting it integrated into the starfighter's existing circuitry had been a chore, but Bane and Todo had made it work.

At that very moment, the techno-service droid was piloting the cloaked fighter above the planet, producing yet another map for the Empire. Bane had decided that this was how they were going to proceed from here on out, owing to the increased security across Lylat.

The Duros' mind turned to his current associates and their seemingly trusting nature.

"They went off to talk in private," he mused, "They're onto me. Probably have been for a while."

Bane swished the toothpick around and continued to think.

"Looks like this partnership will be coming untied."

Elsewhere

From the passenger's seat of the ATV, Wolf stared at a small home in the distance. As the off-roader got closer, he could make out a lupine figure sitting on the porch.

Once Leon had finally slowed to a stop, Wolf undid his safety harness and dismounted before leading his team towards the home.

Getting closer showed that the lupine on the porch was black-furred, though patches of his coat had turned white from old age. Clothing-wise, he was wearing a plaid red shirt and jeans, while a shotgun was leaning against the wall within easy reach.

The elderly lupine took a sip from a coffee mug before casting his gaze on the outlaws, showing that his eyes were a similar shade of violet to Wolf's.

Setting his mug down on a nearby table, the older canid remarked, "The Planetary Police were here yesterday."

Having a pretty good idea of what they might have wanted, Wolf replied, "What'd you tell them?"

The black lupine finished off the last of his coffee before answering, "A half truth. I said that I haven't seen you in years and that we lost touch a long time ago."

The older man stood up and took his empty mug in one hand and his shotgun in the other.

"Why don't you boys come inside?"

The Star Wolf team followed the older man through the front door. As they headed towards the kitchen, Panther caught sight of a framed photo on the wall. It showed the same black wolf, only looking significantly younger, along with two other lupines, a white-furred male who also had violet eyes, and a grey-furred woman.

Upon spotting the infant in the she-wolf's arms, the jungle cat quickly connected the dots in his head.

"Holy crap! This guy is Wolf's uncle."

Ever since Panther had joined the Star Wolf team, there had been something that he had never been able to puzzle out.

Once a week, sometimes more than once, Wolf would lock himself in his office and make a call. To whom, nobody knew, and the only answer Leon had ever offered was 'Don't ask.'

Algy had been much the same when he had returned to the team after the Aparoid Invasion, simply telling the wildcat, 'It's not my place to say.'

But now, Panther understood what was going on. All that time, Wolf had been talking with his uncle here on Katina.

Once the quintet entered the kitchen, the elder O'Donnell refilled his mug and then glanced over his shoulder.

"You boys want any?"

After a series of 'Yes pleases' from his guests, the old lupine poured an additional four mugs before taking a seat at the round dining table, soon joined by the Star Wolf team.

"So it's true," the black lupine intoned, "You boys made first contact with an alien."

"It's not like we planned it, Uncle Mike," Wolf replied, "We had an ambush set on Sauria and he just happened to show up."

"Yeah," Algy put in, "Dude wasn't in Lylat for a day and he committed a triple homicide."

The sportive lemur took out a cigarette and promptly received a glare from Wolf's uncle.

"May I?" asked the primate.

"Sure. You can light up in here," Michael O'Donnell snarked, "And then I'll light my foot off in your ass."

Furrowing his brow, Algy stood up from the table and walked towards the front door. Michael then turned to his nephew.

"I don't understand why you don't just turn the alien over to the CDF, Wolf. Pepper would probably give you your own moon for that."

The younger lupine took a long sip from his mug.

"It's not that simple. Besides, he's been a big help dealing with the pup and his pals."

"You're gonna have to let that go sooner or later, kid," the elder O'Donnell thought before saying, "It's your life, Wolf."

After Algy returned, he explained how Bane was mapping the planets of Lylat.

"Well if he's only storing part of the data on his robot, where's the rest?" wondered the elder O'Donnell.

"Don't know," replied the lemur, "But I'm willing to bet it's probably in his spaceship. Guy won't let anyone near it."

From there, the outlaws finished their coffee and were getting ready to take their leave when Michael shot a glance at his nephew.

"Wolf. Mind hanging back a minute?"

After gesturing for his teammates to wait outside, Wolf turned and faced his uncle.

"What's up?"

Standing up from the table, Michael locked eyes with his nephew.

"Wolf, I've told you this before, and I'll say it again. There are two paths you can take in this life."

The younger lupine crossed his arms and bit back a retort, opting instead to let his uncle continue.

"Kid, you can either be like me and walk away from it all. Or you can be like your dad…."

"Yeah," Wolf cut in, "Get into one gun battle or dogfight too many."

The younger O'Donnell's expression softened as he added, "No offense, Uncle Mike, but I've heard this speech so many times, I can say it in my sleep."

Muzzle turning upward in a wry grin, Michael walked towards Wolf.

"Regardless, you're my nephew, and I love you," he said before pulling the younger lupine into a hug.

Returning the embrace, Wolf whispered, "I love you too, Uncle Mike."

Elsewhere

Bane was seated on a supply crate in the shadow of the Justifier, his back leaning against the hull and his hat pulled down over his eyes.

"I wonder what's keeping those four?"

A distant rumble emanating from a different direction than Star Wolf had gone brought the Duros out of his thoughts. Standing up from his seat, the bounty hunter glanced towards the noise and saw a dust cloud and several fast approaching vehicles.

"Must be Declan," Bane thought as he flipped a switch on his wristcom.

The Duros watched as the machines, mainly off-roaders and dirt bikes, drew closer and was reminded of the numerous speedbike gangs on Tatooine. Some had been clients, some had been bounties. One had even gone from client to bounty and then back to client within the same day.

Bane stood his ground as the vehicles pulled to a stop and their occupants dismounted, all of them armed and seemingly being ordered around by a caracal.

Locking gazes with Bane, the felid grinned wickedly and said, "So, the rumors are true. Star Wolf's got an alien in their ranks."
Removing the toothpick from his mouth, Bane replied, "You must be Declan. I've met my fair share of arrogant little karkers who think they can demand respect and give none in return. You're no different."

Narrowing his eyes, Declan growled, "I don't know what a karker is, but I'm sure the CDF will gladly pay for your corpse!"

Bane remained nonplussed as the wildcat undid the safety strap on his holster.

"You think you're faster than me, boy? Tell you what, I'll give you a headstart."

The Duros then crossed his hands behind his back, though unseen by the bandits, his index finger was hovering over a button on his wrist gauntlets. Declan meanwhile, glanced around at his gang.

"Guys, I daresay this cowboy is dumber than a sack of hammers!" the caracal gloated, drawing laughter from his cohorts.

Bane merely smirked and pressed the button behind his back.

The wing-mounted turrets of the Justifier suddenly depressed towards the group of bandits and opened fire, sending a few of their off-roaders and dirt bikes up in fireballs and anyone near them was sent flying.

As his ship continued firing at the now-surprised bandits, Bane drew his blasters and fired a pair of shots into Declan's knees. He then took aim at the bandit lord's remaining henchmen, quickly gunning all of them down. He then walked over to Declan, removing the wildcat's blaster and combat knife before slapping a pair of binders onto the bandit's wrists.

"You bastard! I'll….. Yahhhhh!"
Declan was cut off by an electrical shock from the binders, provoking a wicked smile from Bane.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the Duros gloated while grabbing the caracal by the back of his green vest and dragging him towards the Justifier, "Those binders are made for Jedi. The more you struggle, the tighter they get."

Elsewhere

Michael O'Donnell had resumed his vigil on the porch and had taken another sip of coffee when the sounds of fighter engines reached his ears.

"More visitors? This might be a new record," the old wolf remarked as he set his mug down and picked up a pair of old binoculars.

The black lupine frowned when he spotted an Arwing flying towards his homestead.

"Just who I need to see, Star Fox."

The lupine set his binoculars down and picked up his shotgun, setting it across his lap. His violet eyes narrowed as the starfighter landed in front of his home and its occupants, a cobalt vixen and a black jackal, dismounted and began walking towards the house.

Michael took another sip of coffee as the two canines walked onto the porch.

"Star Fox. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The jackal crossed her arms and replied, "You can start by telling us where your nephew is."

Since he already knew that the vixen was Fox McCloud's girlfriend, Michael eyed up the other woman. Her casual clothes told him that she likely wasn't a member of the team.

"We know Wolf and his team were here," Krystal spoke up.

Grinning, Michael replied, "You read my mind."

Moving his gaze between the two women, the lupine added, "I know you're after him. I won't hinder you, but I won't help you either."

Krystal opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by her wristcom blaring.

"Krystal! Come in!"

Recognizing her boyfriend's voice, the vixen brought up her comm and responded with, "Go ahead, Fox."

"Bane and Star Wolf are in the air. We're moving to intercept."

"We'll get there as soon as we can. Krystal out."

Turning to Louise, Krystal said, "Let's go."

Elsewhere

A beeping from the Justifier's radar brought Bane's attention to the console. The Duros grunted upon spotting the approaching hostile signatures and keyed his comm.

"Looks like we're headed for another scrap with Star Fox."

"Don't look now, Bane," Wolf replied, "But we've got a lot more than the pup headed our way."

Bane brought his eyes back to the radar and saw even more hostiles approaching from a different direction.

"That'll be the CDF. Betcha Grey's leading those squadrons. Him and McCloud are tight," Algy explained.

Two minutes passed before Wolf's voice was heard again.

"Alright boys, here's the plan. Bane, there's a bondsman on Fortuna who'll take Declan without any questions. I'm sending his info over."

"What about the rest of you?" Bane asked as he spied the data transfer on his console.

"We'll head for Fichina and lie low. Contact us when you're done with your bounty."

"Very well," replied the Duros.
Soon, the quintet spotted several formations of Cornerian Bottlenose fighters fast approaching while their scanners showed that Star Fox and the Firebirds were catching up, confirmed when McCloud hailed them.

"You've got nowhere to run, Star Wolf. Make this easy on yourselves."

"Easy?" Wolf retorted, "I don't even know what that word means, pup."

As the four Wolfens peeled off to engage their rivals, Bane kept his attention focused on the incoming CDF fighters. The Justifier wasn't built for dogfighting, but it would be able to shrug off more hits than the Xanadu Blood.

The Duros narrowed his red eyes as the enemy aircraft entered target range and thumbed the firing button on top of the control yokes, grinning as a couple of the Bottlenoses took hits and went spiraling towards the ground.

But like a hoard of insects, many of the remaining Cornerian fighters swarmed the Justifier while the others went to aid Star Fox.

Realizing that his situation was now untenable, Bane dove towards the surface, both to throw off the enemy fighters' scanners and to evade them. A textbook maneuver that was quickly noted by Bill Grey.

"Bowman, on my wing. Everyone else, go give Fox a hand."

"Not that he needs it," the bulldog mentally tacked on as he and his wingman dove after the alien ship.

"How do we play this, Sir?" asked Bill's wingman, a primate with white fur and cyan eyes.

"High Command's orders are clear, Dash," Bill replied, "Capture this guy if we can, but eliminate him if we must."

"Hell of a way to make first contact."

The two Bottlenose fighters opened fire on the Justifier, causing Bane to grit his teeth. Spying a large escarpment, the Duros maneuvered towards it and dove down, quickly hitting the brakes.

His gambit paid off as the two fighters overshot the Justifier and ended up in his sights.

"I have you now," the Duros growled before opening fire and nailing one of the Bottlenoses.

As oily black smoke spewed from his CO's fighter, Dash Bowman frantically keyed his comm.

"Lieutenant Grey!"

"I'm alright, kid. Just gotta make an emergency landing."

Bill then fixed his wingman with a serious stare.

"Keep on him, Dash. We can't let this guy get a map of Lylat to his client."

"Sir, Yes Sir!" Dash said with a nod before focusing his attention on the alien ship.

"You're mine, asshole!"

Bane growled as the lone Bottlenose continued to pour fire into his ship, the shields edging from green to yellow.

"Todo, where are you?"

"Closer than you think, Mr. Bane."

The Duros grinned as another signature appeared on his radar, right behind his pursuer.

Likewise, Dash noticed that a bogey had appeared on his six seemingly out of nowhere and quickly pulled a loop, much to the astonishment of the droid pilot.

"This is not how I calculated things to go," Todo bemoaned.

"Relax, metal boy," Algy said over the comms, "I've got your back."

True to the lemur's word, his Wolfen dove out of the sun from above the Bottlenose and opened fire, sending it spiraling down into the valley.
"You're clear. See you on Fichina."
"Same to you, Shorty," Bane replied.
From the parachute that was slowly descending towards the surface of Katina, Dash Bowman could only watch as the Star Wolf team and their alien ally boosted out of Katina's atmosphere.

"Damn it!"