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Kayuq rubbed her temples. A headache was brewing behind her eyes. Using Fay's eyes to see, keeping tabs on the shuttle passengers, and attempting long-distance communication with Fox and Hope; it all put a strain on her mind. She knew they were approaching the mothership, and a migraine was not what she needed right now.

A low growl startled her.

"I wish we could just shoot them down." Fay glared at the shuttle flying alongside them.

"We don't know how far SIRIUS's tentacles reach, and how the Cornerian Army would react. Having a squadron or two of star fighters descending on us would not be idea." Kayuq didn't voice her fear that if SIRIUS thought they couldn't get to Fox, they might go for the kill on Krystal instead.

"I know but… it would be so easy." Fay's finger hovered over the trigger. "Pew-pew! Done!"

Kayuq shook her head, reaching out to Fox again, and finally getting a strong connection.

Any word from Krystal? He seemed anxious, for good reason.

"No, I haven't had any contact with Krystal yet," she replied, relaying Fox's concern to Fay, and she assumed Krystal's communicator signal was still jammed. Still, she thought she had sensed Krystal's mind-voice a couple of times, but it was faint due the distance and the static radiating from the Climate Control Centre.

"I still can't believe we just left her behind." Fay huffed.

"Katt and Falco are ready to intervene. And Krystal can take care of herself."

"You keep saying that," Fay snapped.

"You know, our psionic powers run stronger in some bloodlines than others," Kayuq explained, ignoring Fay's temper. "Krystal is not your average Cerinian."

Probably stronger than myself, she thought. Fay was still agitated, but she kept quiet. Kayuq focussed on explaining the situation to Fox.

You're right, we don't know the consequences if you shoot them down in open space, he replied. We need to overpower them after they've boarded, but I can't afford a shootout and resulting damage to the ship either.

It hurts me to say it — Kayuq sighed — but your safety comes before the expedition.

Body doubles, you said? Fox was quiet for a moment. I have a crazy idea… What if we cause some confusion, make them second-guess which Fox is who?

"You insufferable imbecile." Kayuq couldn't help herself bursting out, startling Fay in the process. There's too much that can go wrong. We need to be in control. We need a solid plan.

You keep mental tabs on them, while I'll just wing it. It's what I do best. Fox wouldn't be deterred. It's not like you had a waterproof plan against Kamuy that time.

Kamuy sighed, picturing Krystal's prosthetics, which she'd never see with her own blind eyes anyway. And we both know how that went.

The cheerful chime of a comms call piqued Panther's interest. He peered through the cockpit door at Natalie, who pressed a button to receive the call.

"Glad to have you back," said the image of Fox on screen.

"And I'm glad to be back." The pomsky kept a straight face, knowing that voice and image processing would make her appear as Krystal on Fox's end. "How's my little boy?"

"He's playing in his room with Miyu, unless she's tired him out and he's having a nap." There was something both goofy and smug in Fox's smile. Panther felt relief that Marcus wouldn't have to watch what they were about to do to his father. "Did everything go smoothly?"

"Yeah, just loads of forms to fill out before they would let us leave." Natalie rolled her eyes, imitating Krystal's antics from the recordings they had of her. "My kin are well but exhausted. Can you meet me in the hangar to help push the wheelchairs, and bring ROB to run a medical scan, just in case?"

"Sure thing." Fox gave a thumbs up and finished the call with, "Love you."

Natalie rolled her eyes for real this time, before focussing on the approach. Panther followed her gaze out the windshield; the Cloud Runner flew just ahead of them as the Great Fox II came into view. A little further ahead was the Orbital Gate, surrounded by a number of ships in varying sizes.

He turned his attention back to his own communicator. SIRIUS were tapping the Star Fox team's communicators, and the triangulation confirmed that Miyu's device was onboard the Great Fox. Miguel and the three CDF soldiers checked their weapons and charges while watching a holographic recording of the Great Fox's interior, unwittingly provided by a news photographer from the tour earlier in the day; the media networks were easy to hack into.

A wall of light traversed the shuttle, spilling in through each viewport in turn, indicating that they passed through one of the plasma gates to the Great Fox's hangars. Panther moved between two viewports, making sure he could not be seen from the outside. Natalie set down the craft with ease, only a slight thud giving away that the shuttle had touched down. She moved into the cabin and pointed towards the starboard door before opening the port one and disappearing out of view.

The starboard door opened with a muted hiss and Panther took a quick peek. Natalie had landed the shuttle sideways, and the side he was on faced back towards the gate and open space beyond it. There was no one there, only the glow from a few ship engines in the distance.

"Welcome back, love," said a familiar vulpine voice as Panther crept down the ramp, as silently as barely no one but a feline could. "Hang on… you're not Krystal!"

Panther sprinted around the front of the shuttle, while Miguel took the rear, weapons ready. It was unnecessary; Natalie already had a blaster in each hand, one trained on Fox, and the other on Fay standing in front of the Cloud Runner.

"Discharging an energy weapon inside a spaceship is highly inadvisable." ROB's visor blinked red as the robot spoke and raised his metal hands over his head. "A hull breach would cause catastrophic decompression."

Fox seemed keen on taking a gamble though, a hand on his holstered blaster and a snarl on his muzzle as he glared at Panther. "You…"

"Alpha, Bravo, lock up Fay and secure Miyu," said Panther using the codewords for Natalie and one of the soldiers. They cuffed Fay and set off for the nearest entry to the living quarters with guns pointed at the spaniel's back. Panther turned back to Fox. "I'm the least of your problems. This is about keeping Lylat safe."

"Don't give me that bullshit." Fox's fingers twitched, dangerously close to his blaster. "You only worry about what's in it for you."

"Then I wouldn't be here!" Panther roared, drawing looks from his crew. "I've met Kursed too, you know, and I think we can both appreciate how dangerous an unhinged mind reader can be. It'd be easier for everyone, except your family, if she was just eliminated. But here I am, trying to organise a compromise."

Fox seemed lost for words, his maw hanging open. Of course Panther cared about what was in it for himself — he was worth it after all — but not this time. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea to nestle into the inner circles for Cornerian intelligence, more for Star Wolf's benefit than his own, but since then things had gotten… complicated.

"Anyway, we have Krystal," Panther bluffed. "It's your choice whether you come voluntarily or not."

Fox frowned and looked at the tranquilliser gun in Miguel's hand. "What's with the copycats?"

"They're just here to smile at the comms and wave at the camera drones until the ship is ready to pass through the gate lens." Panther shrugged.

"Just to make it look like we've left the system, huh." Fox growled. "And I thought stealing the device during the Anglar Blitz was a low-water mark for you."

"I don't like it any more than you do, but the research program must be completed and the psionic antidote weaponised." Panther began to feel annoyed with all the talking. They needed to wrap it up. "Once Krystal has helped us make sure of that, we'll escort you to Cerinia. Now, drop your weapon."

Fox hesitated a second before he moved his hand to his belt, pressed a button on the buckle, and his blaster fell to the floor.

"Your headset too and don't attempt any calls." Panther nodded towards his own wrist comm. "We will know."

Slowly, Fox removed the headset and crouched down to place it on the floor. "ROB. Lights."

The hangar turned ink black.

One of the soldiers ignored ROB's advice and fired a shot towards where Fox had been. The plasma bolt lit up the room in an eerie green for a split second, showing Fox launching towards Miguel who braced for impact. There was a thud and a groan as the two plunged onto the floor. Someone yelped when there was a crash in the darkness, and the sound of metal sliding on metal.

The two soldiers switched on the flashlights fitted to their rifles, shining light on two orange-furred bodies fighting on the floor, the tranquilliser gun laying just out of reach. Panther aimed his blaster, but could not tell one from the other, their arms swinging, legs kicking, and jaws snapping as the two foxes wrestled on the ground. One broke free, snatched the gun off the floor, but was attacked before he had a chance to fire. Each with a hand around the other's wrist, they spun around in a deadly dance, fighting for control over the weapon. One wrestled an arm behind the other's back and the gun went off with a muted 'poof'.

The struggle continued until one fox wrenched himself free from the other's grip. He stumbled, went for a wild haymaker, but missed. He staggered, lurched forwards, and tried to grab his opponent, who easily sidestep. The first fox fell face first on the floor, barely able to brace himself. With a last groan, he fell silent with a tranquilliser dart stuck in one butt cheek.

Panther approached carefully with his blaster at the ready, and bent down to check the fallen's pulse. The fast-acting sedative had worked perfectly; the fox was fast asleep.

"The bastard could fight," croaked the other 'Fox' and rubbed his neck. "Hit my throat."

Of course, how could they be sure they got the right Fox? It was impossible to tell by the hoarse voice. Panther raised his blaster. They had prepared for such situations, just in case. "Passphrase."

'Fox' frowned for a second, and Panther felt his pulse beat faster as he waited for the words Dog Star rising. Had the wrong Fox been sedated?

"Dog Star rising," wheezed 'Fox' and spat a glob of saliva laced with red on the floor. Panther signed with relief and holstered his blaster. The swap had been completed. 'Fox' picked up the headset and put it on. "How do I look?"

"You look just like him, Miguel." Panther grinned, but just for a moment; there was business to take care of. He tapped his communicator, pulled up a holographic document and turned to ROB. "As per contracts with Space Dynamics, when relieved of your captain, you and the ship fall under Cornerian command."

"You obey me now," the fox barked with his voice still not back to normal.

"Yes, captain." ROB answered without hesitation.

Kayuq blamed her slow thinking on her onsetting headache as well as dealing with the stubborn ox named Fox. She could only read one mind at a time after all. The loose plan she had conjured up in a haste had been derailed before it even got started. She had told Fay to let the shuttle onboard first, and then land in the other hangar bay to give them a chance to sneak out and join up with Miyu, but the entrance had been blocked by cargo and Miyu's Light Arwing.

Now, Fay was captured and she was stuck in the Cloud Runner herself, hiding in the storage compartment behind the cockpit that doubled as a bunk. She had rummaged through Krystal's emergency supplies, as quietly as she could, until her fingers had found a metallic yet flexible package. Upon unfolding it had turned out to be a mylar blanket, which would hide her from view and hopefully contain her scent as well. Still, it only required someone to take a closer look.

Thankfully, the commotion in the hangar had settled down, and she hoped they'd head to the bridge soon. Sneaking out was not an option with no one to help her see. She didn't fancy feeling her way across the hangar floor, unless she slid off the ship's sloping wing first, a sure way to give herself away, or worse, get hurt. Her attempts at communicating with Miyu had failed, the feline oblivious to Kayuq's psionic signals. Other than fellow Cerinian foxes, she had only ever managed to talk telepathically to a handful of canine persons. She'd have to stay put and hope. Speaking of Hope, the snow fox was her remaining wildcard.

There was a clang of a boot on metal, and the ship shook ever so slightly. She cursed herself; she had dropped the ball again, not paying attention. Panther climbed up the ladder and dropped himself into the pilot's seat with a content sigh.

It's been years since I saw the inside of this ship. He surveyed the cockpit, affectionately running his fingers over the controls. I still can't believe Krystal went all the way to Kew in it.

Kayuq held her breath. Don't turn around, she thought, hoping that the feeling would somehow resonate with him. She could not control people against their will, only act as a little voice whispering in their mind's ear.

Panther sniffed loudly, first once then twice. Is that another fox I'm smelling?

Kayuq panicked, trying to come up with a distraction. It's not me, she thought, it's not me. Perhaps she could plant an imagined noise in his mind, something dropping on the hangar floor?

Of course. He snapped his fingers. It's got to be Marcus's scent.

She held in a sign of relief, but she wasn't out of the danger zone quite yet.

Panther looked up to see Natalie entering the hangar, and climbed out of the cockpit to meet her. "Has the crew been taken care of?"

"Fay is cuffed to the bed in her cabin. She won't go anywhere." Natalie smirked smugly. "Miyu had gone AWOL, but Bravo tracked her down in the other hangar. He's got a nose out of this world, that basset."

"And what about Marcus?"

"He was playing hide-and-seek and is still at large."

Panther frowned. That could come back to bite them. He couldn't get Natalie and Miguel to call for him, because the child wouldn't recognise their voices as his parents'. "Can't Bravo find him?"

"He's trying with involuntary assistance from Miyu, but he's complaining that the kit's been everywhere." The pomsky held up two wrist comms before tossing them aside. "Meanwhile, I disabled Fay's and Miyu's communicators."

"Good idea. They must not get any chance to contact the outside world." Panther nodded, at least satisfied with that piece of good news. "Let's head to the bridge and get this show on the road."

He could only take a few steps before his own communicator buzzed. A light flashed maroon to indicate a secure call. He answered and the face of a spotted dog appeared on screen.

"Krystal has managed to escape the Fichina base in a shuttle."

"Well?" Panther frowned. "Apprehend them!"

"She's being protected by Falco Lombardi, Sir."

"Let them come here," said Miguel in a whisper and rubbed his neck.

"How come?" Panther raised an eyebrow.

"A dogfight in commercial space might go public, whereas no one would question another shuttle arriving with last minute supplies."

"We have her husband and soon her offspring." Natalie put her hands to her hips with a smug smile plastered on her muzzle. "She'll hand herself over."

"Understood." Panther smiled too, feeling fortunate that he was surrounded by a smart crew. "Fichina base. Do not engage. We'll deal with them."

Hope pressed her back against the metal wall. Where she was hiding behind a locker, she was not visible from the door, but it only required someone to poke their nose in a little bit to spot her. The armoury's emergency lighting cast an eerie red light across the cramped space, making the weapons in their racks look even more dangerous than they already were.

Okay, the coast is clear, said Kayuq's mind-voice.

Shivering, Hope kicked off her shoes, left them behind the locker, and crept towards the exit.

You need another gun. Kayuq was firm, giving an order.

Do I really need to? Hope's ears drooped as she looked at her waist, where a blaster already was holstered to a belt. She had never liked guns, even more so because she'd often been surrounded by them, and had seen the carnage they caused.

Yes, you do!

Hope's hands shook as she first grabbed a couple of spare cartridges and clipped them to the belt, then lifted one more weapon off its hook. It was a standard issue Cornerian blaster of the type that Fox could sling like it was child's play, but it was more than big enough to her. It felt even heavier when she had to hold it in one hand as she opened the door with the other, and peered out into the corridor. There seemed to be no one there.

Of course not, Hope. I told you the coast was clear.

She closed the door silently behind her and took a second to just listen. The faint voices of Miyu and a male had a slight echo to them, giving away that they were out in one of the hangars.

I could see that the cuffs they used on Fay needed a key, Kayuq continued. Can you swipe it off the soldier?

Growing up in a rough part of Kew as the only child of a drug addicted tramp had taught Hope many skills. Still, picking the pockets of a hapless tourist was one thing, attempting the same on an armed soldier was quite another, and she didn't fancy it. I have a better idea. Living amongst the criminal underworld had also taught her to be observant; your life could depend on it. She had noticed some tool chests behind a container with spare parts, and had committed the location to memory. The trouble was that she needed to get to the rear of the port hangar — without being spotted. She left the centre corridor, down the short passage to the hangar, and carefully peered around the corner.

"Marcus, where are you?" Miyu's tufted ears stuck up behind a stack of crates.

"Why's he not coming out?" a male voice hissed from the same direction, the basset dog being even shorter than the lynx.

"Duh, that's the whole point with hide-and-seek."

"Damn, his scent is everywhere."

"Well, he's an energetic kit, checking everything out."

Keep your head down, Kayuq warned.

The snow fox crouched low and sprinted silently on bare feet. While the plain, steel blue flight suit Krystal had gotten her had a somewhat awkward fit, being a little too tight over Hope's chest and buttocks, at least the fabric was quiet. She reached the makeshift workshop without mishaps. Three wheeled tool drawers were pushed up against the hangar wall, and anchored to loops in the floor with straps, so they wouldn't move if the ship changed direction suddenly. Lurking out of view behind the container, she slowly opened the top drawer of one chest, terrified of making a sound. She tried to work quickly yet silently, wasting precious time opening drawer after drawer.

Just what I need!

She held up a large bolt cutter with fibreglass handles and inspected it, while letting the drawer slide shut — and nearly jumped out of her skin when the locking mechanism closed with an audible clank.

"What was that?" The male voice was followed by a moment of silence.

"I dunno," said Miyu. "I didn't hear anything."

Hope pressed her back against the container. She was trapped. There was only one way out of the workshop.

"I sure did. It came from the back of the hangar. It must've been Marcus," the soldier continued. "Although I'm sure I can smell another fox in here."

Hope held her breath. The suit should mask some of her scent, and she'd sprayed herself down with odour-neutraliser, since she had to hide from General O'Hare and his entourage earlier in the day, except… she looked down at her feet. They felt sweaty. Were they smelly?

There was a muted sneeze from another direction.

"A-ha, he's in the ventilation ducts again," said Miyu.

"How did he get in there?"

"Oh, he goes wherever he fits in. He's very inquisitive."

"But you're not allowed to move when you play hide-and-seek."

"Where did you grow up?" Miyu snorted. "Of course you are!"

Hope stole a gander around the corner of the container, seeing the pair slowly walking the other way, Miyu's hands cuffed in front of her, while the basset held her at gunpoint.

Was that your doing?

Of course not, Kayuq replied. No Cerinian can control a child. They're way too strong-willed and self-absorbed.

Hope ran as fast as she could with a blaster in one hand and a bolt cutter in the other, reaching Fay's cabin in moments. She punched in a code on the keypad, cringing at the faint beeping of the door unlocking which seemed to echo through the corridor, and slowly pushed the door open. Clothes and other items had been strewn on the floor, where someone had emptied the cupboard in search of communication devices and weapons, Hope assumed. Drawers were open as well and cables hung out of a square space above the desk where a screen had been ripped out.

Fay sat on the floor with her hands behind her back, the cuffs looped around a bunk leg bolted to the floor. Her scrunched up bow lay on the floor next to her.

"They tied up my muzzle with it," she wheezed, looking furious at the offence. How Fay had gotten out of it seemed a mystery, until a little blue head poked out from under the bed.

He's been hiding there all along. Kayuq seemed amused. Clever kid.

Hope set to work with the bolt cutters, severing the cuff link with a satisfying snap, before she happily handed over the blaster. Fay quickly inserted a cartridge and checked the charge. Her eyes narrowed and a wicked little smirk spread across her muzzle, showing a fang. Hope was shocked by the rapid transformation, the usually bubbly spaniel turning into the hunting dog her ancestors had been.

Keep moving, Kayuq commanded. There is not a second to waste.

"You know what to do, soldier," Fay whispered to Marcus and saluted. "This is not a drill!"

He nodded and returned the salute. The serious face seemed out of place on the toddler, but it didn't surprise Hope that Krystal and Fox had prepared Marcus for situations with intruders on the ship. His parents were former mercenaries, after all, surely with many enemies.

"Shit's gonna go down," Fay continued. Marcus grinned and stifled a giggle at the cuss. "ROB will let you know when it's safe to come out."

Marcus nodded vigorously and held up his wrist comm for her to see. While it was a toy, it was also networked to the Great Fox II. He grabbed his Aurora Lightning and Stellar Lynx plushies and crawled under the bed. Fay tucked his tail away after him and pulled on the bed covers so they hung down to the floor.

"Do I have to do this?" Hope whimpered as she cautiously took the second blaster off her hip.

Yes, you do! Kayuq's thoughts were stern. If you can't, you'll have to let me. Remember our training.

Hope tried to blank out her mind, thinking only of taking deep breaths, surrendering her mind to the old vixen. Her vision blurred, and she felt a brief sensation of vertigo before her eyes focussed again. That tingling feeling that she had learnt was the sign of a telepath at work spread from her head, down her spine and radiated throughout her body. She felt like a spectator when her hands turned the blaster over, setting it to stun and flicking safety off. "It's a crude weapon, but it will do."

Fay's maw hung open. "Is… she… in control now?"

"I am." Hope's eyes met the spaniel's gaze. Then her body moved as if by itself as it opened the door,and gave Fay directions with swift hand gestures. "Wait for my signal. You will know."

She set off, feeling like she was running on air.

Slippy's eyes nearly fell out of the hologram. "Wait, what? A plasma coil blew on engine startup? That's serious!"

"Eh, it was due for replacement soon."

Panther smirked where he stood off to the side on the Great Fox's bridge, well out of view from any cameras. Miguel had done his homework well, because he did a very good impression of Fox.

"Falco must've worked it hard," the red fox continued. "ROB's replacing it as we speak and there was no collateral damage."

"But do you have any spares left?"

"Not enough, but we're onto it. Space Dynamics have already dispatched a shuttle. It should be here soon." He waved dismissively. "Sorry about the delay though."

"Don't mention it." Slippy seemed relieved, cracking up in a smile. "I can't wait to try out the new gate lens. The harvested Krazonium and Cerinian tech has boosted its capacity and range by magnitudes."

"Looking forward to it, bud!"

Panther sighed, pleased that the Orbital Gate crew seemed to have bought the explanation for the last-minute delay. A screen next to him showed the flight path of the shuttle. "Krystal and company will be here in a minute. Natalie, stay here with ROB to keep up appearances and take care of any incoming calls. Let's go, Miguel."

The fox nodded and checked his blaster. On the way, Panther fitted an earpiece and directed his unit. He left the soldier codenamed Charlie at the aft hangar entry, sent Echo to the stern, and ordered Bravo to lock Miyu up in the crew quarters. Marcus was till unaccounted for, which was a concern.

While one 'Fox' stood and waited in the middle of the hangar, Panther grabbed the other, still sleeping fox by the arms and pulled him out of view behind the shuttle. The psionic anti-dote might've worn off by now, but it was worth a shot. Before long, the hangar filled with the sound of thrusters as a shuttle traversed the plasma barrier shielding them from the vacuum outside.

"Alpha, where's Falco?" he whispered.

"Circling outside for now," Natalie answered in his earpiece.

The shuttle's engines spooled down, and with a hiss and a whirr a door opened. A pair of heels clicked on the floor, but it was not the heavy stomping of army boots.

"Panther!" Krystal's voice was a growl.

Yep, the anti-dote had definitely worn off, he thought. There was no point hiding, so he pulled the sedated fox up, holding the limp body in one arm. With his other hand he put his blaster to the fox's head, using him as a living shield as he walked into view. Krystal had her staff in her hands, the gemstone glowing with a pulsating light, ready to wreak havoc. With narrow eyes, she glared at Panther.

"You wouldn't listen to reason, so you gave me no choice." Panther flicked the blaster's safety off. "Do as you're told and your husband will be unharmed. Hand your staff to Miguel and let him cuff you."

She didn't move, staff still at the ready. Miguel walked up to her, close, too close, within striking distance. To Panther's surprise, he touched her face with his fingertips.

"Ah. The lovely Krystal. Words do you no justice." He planted a light kiss on her cheek. "Here's to us."

A shiver ran up Panther's spine, it was the exact words that he had used the first time he had flirted with Krystal in front of Fox. Her gaze was still locked onto Panther, but a wicked grin spread across her muzzle.

"It seems you got the wrong fox, Panther."

Panther's mouth fell open. But how did he know the passphrase? Fox turned towards Panther, grinning, and tapped his temple with a finger. Was he psionic as well? But that was impossible. Or was it?

"I have a clear shot," said Charlie's voice in Panther's earpiece.

"Take it!"

He had barely uttered the words before a forcefield extended from Krystal's staff, deflecting the incoming blast towards the plasma gate. Two more blaster shots rang out, the second closer than the first, and Panther turned just in time to see the shooter fall to the ground, sparks from the stun blast flicking across his body armour. Behind him stood Fay with her own weapon raised.

A battle cry echoed throughout the hangar. Bravo emerged from the centre corridor, under attack from a hissing lynx, fighting furiously despite her cuffed hands. He fended himself frantically from Miyu's flying fist and foot-paws, until a roundhouse kick knocked him to the floor.

Panther looked around at the sudden mayhem. Where was the third soldier?

"Echo, come in," he called out to his earpiece, but the only answer was silence. The first shot had missed Krystal, the second was Fay stunning Charlie, so the third one Panther had heard must've taken Echo out, but who had fired it?

"Drop your weapon," said a suave voice. Katt Monroe appeared in the shuttle door, aiming a blaster at Panther. He let go of his living shield, who slumped to the floor, and slowly raised his hands.

Fox tapped his communicator. "How's our imposter, ROB?"

"She was coming for assistance," the Android replied over the PA system. "But unfortunately, she was trapped in the elevator."

"I think Slippy's given you a sense of humour." Fox chuckled. "I like it."

"I aim to tease."

"I've recorded everything." Fox turned to Panther and pointed to his headset. "I'm sending everything to the General over a secure line even Sirius can't tap. No more tricks!"

"How did you know?" Panther felt completely deflated, but still, curiosity and cats and all that.

"There are a few things I'd like to talk about." Krystal frowned and put her hands to her sides. "However, we have an Orbital Gate transmission to catch."

Ryuga, Kabura and Mitsuru filed out of the shuttle, cautiously followed by Sienna. Krystal had a brief conversation with her fellow Cerinians in their native tongue, while the large dog just looked lost. The three blue foxes scurried out of the hangar, while Fay and Miyu took care of the two soldiers they'd downed. Within minutes, Panther's team had been rounded up, disarmed and cuffed, while Miguel was sound asleep on the floor.

"How long will he be out?" Krystal gave his limp body a prod with her boot.

"Probably another hour-and-a-half, maybe two," said Panther. He guessed there was no point lying?

"No there isn't," Krystal deadpanned.

The SIRIUS unit were escorted onto the shuttle and fettered to their seats. Fox dumped Miguel next to Natalie. Snoring, his head rested on her bosom, which she didn't look all too pleased about. The Star Fox team exited the shuttle while Katt moved into the cockpit, leaving Krystal in the cabin to check Panther's cuffs.

"We should stop making a habit of this," she said.

Panther's memory from a night on Kew years ago was still as clear as day, but at least there was no blaster to his head this time. It struck him that he'd never had the chance to ask her why she simply hadn't killed him that time.

"It wasn't for the lack of wanting," she hissed. Her eyes narrowed, radiating hatred, and her pupils turned oval. Her snarl with fangs showing was exactly as he'd seen it on Kursed's face. His throat choked up and fear washed over him. Was it his own panic, or was she doing it to him with her powers?

The snarl vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and the fire in her eyes was replaced with sadness. It was as if she could turn Kursed on and off at will. She nodded.

"I meant what I said back then. There was no reward, nothing in it for me, except petty vengeance for a broken heart." She patted him lightly on the cheek. "Farewell, beloved Panther."

She turned and walked out of the shuttle without looking back.