Dinosaur Planet has been saved by the heroic efforts of Fox McCloud. Hailed as a hero, his actions revealed the survival of the evil Andross, and ensured his final defeat.

In the process, Fox saved a mysterious blue vixen named Krystal, who has come aboard to express her thanks in person.

However, in the deep black of interstellar space, a new threat is rising, unbeknownst to Star Fox or Corneria, a threat that is a legacy of the man Fox destroyed for a second time, and that could spell doom for all of Lylat.

()()()

Chapter 1

A Vixen's Thanks

"I'm left with just one more thing to do..."

"...And that's to say thank you."

The door slid open just as a sweetly accented voice uttered those words. The owner of that voice, a strikingly beautiful vixen with deep, cerulean blue fur, sauntered onto the bridge of the Great Fox. Her name was Krystal.

"Well...Um...okay. I mean...sure no problem," answered Fox McCloud, the object of the vixen's thanks.

"Haha. You're not shy! Are you Fox?" came the high pitched voice of Slippy Toad.

Falco Lombardi, recently returned to the Star Fox team, elbowed Fox, a stupid grin on his face. Fox felt the tips of his ears and his cheeks start to heat up.

"My sensors indicate Fox's temperature is rising. Are you okay Fox?"

Oh gee thanks ROB, just what I needed you to say, thought Fox, his mental voice filled with bitter embarrassment. But rather than mouth off in response to the robot, who was simply being concerned in his tactless, artificial way, Fox looked at Krystal and said, "I'm gonna be just fine."

The two smiled at each other, and Fox felt a flutter in his stomach that he hadn't felt in ages. She was so beautiful. And strong. She'd yanked her staff away from him, and he'd known better than to try and take it back when he turned around. Her eyes though, those were what stopped him cold. Deep, ocean blue. They sparkled in the light of the stars outside the bridge of the Great Fox. He could stare into them forever, and not explore the barest fraction of their depths.

Silence descended on the bridge as the tod and the vixen gazed at each other. No one moved or said a word until Krystal finally asked, "Now that you've saved Dinosaur Planet, where are you off to next?"

Fox's awareness returned to him, and he cleared his throat. Had he really been doing that? Looking her in the eyes for that long? He must have. He remembered every instant. "We were going to head back to Corneria. Our home world. It's right here in the Lylat system."

Krystal frowned, and Fox could tell she was weighing something in her mind. He waited, giving her a moment to consider whatever she needed to consider. "It's a bit out of my way," she said, finally.

Fox's heart sank. He'd been hoping that she would want to come with him. Or that he could at least give her a ride to Corneria, and then find some way to convince her to stay while they traveled. But...looking at her, he recognized in her something from his own self. She was out here looking for answers. To what, he didn't know, but he knew the feeling well enough himself. He'd spent his own time wandering after his father died, trying to find answers of his own. The last thing he wanted was to keep her from it. "Oh. Then uh, I suppose this is goodbye?"

Fox couldn't see it, but behind him Falco put his beak in his palm, and even Slippy was shaking his head. "Oh. Well, could you take me back to my ship?" asked Krystal, her voice sounding more disappointed than he'd been expecting.

"Of course," he replied. "This way."

They hadn't taken two steps before Falco called out, "Yo! Fox, come here a sec. I got something you need to hear."

"Can it wait?" Fox turned to look at the avian. Falco didn't usually get this sort of urgent note in his voice for anything.

"Nope. Definitely not. Priority one. Absolutely must make sure you know this immediately." Falco shook his head an emphatic no.

Turning to Krystal, Fox looked apologetic. "Sorry. He doesn't usually use that many big words. Can I meet you in the hangar?"

"Of course." Krystal nodded, though her eyes were downcast again, and her tail drooped. "I won't leave without you." She walked off the bridge, and Fox's eyes tracked her. Dammit. He needed to do something. And he needed to do it fast. What was he thinking? Letting her go this easy?

He stepped back to Falco, and tried not to recoil when the avian wrapped an arm around his shoulders like a used car salesman. "What?"

Leaning in close, so that Fox could smell the faint scent of spearmint gum on his breath, Falco said, "I swear Foxy, by everything I hold sacred. So, I swear by me, I am not letting you screw this up."

"Screw what up, Falco?" Fox responded, stepped out of the falcon's unwanted embrace. He had a fair idea he knew what his ace pilot meant.

"Screw what up? Screw...oh jeez." Falco ran a feathered appendage down his beak and sighed in frustration. Making eye contact with Fox, he went on, "Foxy, come on. You just rescued the most gorgeous vixen known to Lylatian kind. And she came aboard to thank you. In person. Not to mention she asked where we're going next. She wants you to ask her to come with us, not show her the door, ya nutbag!"

Arms crossed, Fox waited for his friend to finish his tirade. Once Falco had come to a sputtering stop, Fox just said, "I know."

It made sense. He'd needed Falco to put it into words, but he'd gotten the sense. That downcast look. The droop of her tail when she went to the hangar without him. And the way she'd promised not to leave before she saw him again. That had to be what she wanted.

"You know?" Falco gawked at him. "What do you mean you know?"

"I mean, I know. She wants to come with us. I'm going to ask her." Fox relished the look of shock on Falco's face. Oh, it felt good to see he could still run circles around the avian when he wanted to. Fox didn't count himself as particularly smart, but he could always rest assured he clocked in ahead of Falco on the IQ test.

"Oh." Falco nodded. "Right. Sure you did. Just wanted to uh...well will you get going and do it!"

Fox held back a fit of laughter at the outburst, and then turned on his heel and got on the lift. He heard Slippy snickering as the doors hissed shut. Now, all he needed to do was think of what to say.

()()()

Krystal stood next to her ship in the aft hangar bay of the Great Fox. She had really been hoping Fox would ask her to come with him to Corneria, but she hadn't exactly been lying when she had told him it was a bit out of her way. She had a place or two she was intending to go, and none of them had been in Lylat. Still, Krystal wouldn't have minded pausing in her search for answers about the destruction of her home world, and for other survivors of Cerinia, if it meant staying with Fox. Something about him drew her to him. She couldn't say what. Not yet. But she...liked him. And besides, she'd been searching for the reason behind her world's destruction for the last two years of her life, and she still hadn't found it.

When she'd gotten the distress call from Dinosaur Planet, she had been in deep space, traveling between stars. A bit of luck had meant she had been in range to receive the call. A telepathic one. It had been unfamiliar. Not Cerinian. But anything telepathic had seemed like a better bet than what she'd been doing, and the people did sound like they were in genuine danger. She'd investigated, making contact with the CloudRunners, and then staring down a crazed, evil dictator on a flying galleon. After nearly being killed at his hands, she'd escaped and headed for the Krazoa Palace. She'd rescued a Krazoa, then been thrown into a diamond prison by a malevolent force known as Andross. A presence she'd recognized in a moment of terror drive, telepathic clarity. There she had floated, slipping in and out of wakefulness, sustained by the energies of the Krazoa, though for how long they would last she had had no idea.

She had almost given up hope, convinced she would die in that thing. Then Fox had come running up onto that roof. He looked at her, and had found it in his heart to show mercy and compassion to a girl he didn't even know. He finished the task given to her by a dying EarthWalker, to retrieve the Krazoa, and return them to the Palace. He had had no way of knowing they would be used to revive Andross, or that Andross would use her body to channel the Spirit energy.

It hadn't mattered to her at that moment though. It had mattered more the fact that the diamond holding her had suddenly disappeared, and that she was going to fall to her death, hundreds of feet down to the bottom of Krazoa Palace. Then, as if by magic, or more likely by fate, Fox had swung out a staff, her staff, and she grabbed onto it. He had saved her life twice in as many minutes. When he pulled her up to safety their eyes had met, and Krystal had been enchanted. Fox's eyes were emerald, intense, and concerned, even fearful, for her life. And now we'll go our separate way. Just like it's always been for the few people I've found since I lost my home. Except...this time it's different. It hurts. "Kazo."

"Krystal? Are you alright?"

Krystal jumped at the sound of his voice. Deep and strong and masculine. But safe. Caring. Considerate. She turned around, laying eyes on him. He was built for speed, not brute strength, that much she could see. He had muscles though. For a moment she let a fantasy of him wrapping those strong arms around her take hold of her mind. It would have been heaven. "Fox. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." Or sense you, she realized with brief alarm. I must have been quite caught up in myself.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright," she answered, softly. She felt herself blush, that errant fantasy embarrassing her, even if she knew he couldn't have known.

"Krystal..." Fox started, then stopped and looked down at the floor. Krystal noticed that the tips of his ears were darker than they had been a moment before. He was blushing too!

"What is it Fox?" A bit of hopefulness entered her voice, hesitant but there. She took half a step toward him, closing a little bit of the distance between them.

Fox took a deep breath, rallying himself before he went on, "I wanted to say that, well, if you wanted to come with us to Corneria, that'd be okay. I want you to. I mean, as long as you want to. If you want to." The words all came out in a rush, after which he scratched at the nape of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. He looked quite cute all flustered.

As soon as the words had left his mouth Krystal's face lit up and her eyes began to glow. He wanted her to stay with him! Her grief turned to joy and she felt a slight flutter in her bosom as she looked into his eyes and replied, "I would love to Fox."

"Fantastic! I mean...that's great. Uh...really, really, great." He was blushing so hard it was visible through his fur.

She didn't mean to, but she reached out to his mind on instinct, and she felt him berating himself for being so shy. She held back a smile. He's so bashful. "Thank you Fox," she told him, meaning every word. "I'm really pleased you asked."

Fox smiled back. "It's no problem. Why don't we find you a room onboard? The trip back might take a day or two, depending on how much Slippy wants to push the engines. Do you uh, need anything from your ship?"

A room onboard? For some reason it came as a surprise to her. It shouldn't have. It was basic hospitality. And yet, coming from Fox, the offer seemed so genuine, so true. It wasn't an empty courtesy, it was an invitation to stay here. With him. "Yes," she answered. "Just a few things."

"Do you need any help?" he offered.

"No. I can handle it." She wanted him to stay, but at the same time, she needed a moment alone.

"Okay. Um, I'll find you a room. And then uh, well, see the panel over there?" He pointed to a control panel on the wall of the hangar. She nodded. "Just press the white button and ask for ROB. He'll tell you where to find me."

"I'll do that," she wagged his tail and nodded, then left the hangar, a spring in his step that made her grin. She'd made him happy. She didn't know him. Not well. Making him happy though? It made her happy. And she didn't bother worrying about explaining it.

When the door hissed shut behind him Krystal turned and entered her ship. She waited an extra second to make certain he didn't come back with something he'd forgotten to say, then let out the squeal of girlish delight she'd been holding in the past minute. She stamped her feet and jumped for joy, her tail wagging at the speed of light. Fox had asked her to stay. He wanted her to stay. Looking around, she started packing up the few things she had with her, feeling happier than she'd felt in years.

A/N: BOOOOOM! NEW FIC!

So, this is going to be my new regular fic, now that Star Fox: The First Generation, which just finished on Friday (go check it out if you want some James/Vixy stuff), is over. This is a much more personal story in terms of what the characters go through. There are big sci-fi themes for sure, but by and large I've tried to keep this focused on being a good old fashioned Fox/Krystal story.

I'll be keeping it T through out. There might be a scene or two that push the boundaries, but there won't be anything super explicit. No lewds. Sorry.

Briefly, a point of interest, this is actually based on a very old fic that I never finished. It is HEAVILY modified, but if you've been reading my stuff for 4+ and you have a ridiculously long memory, some small bits of the early chapters might feel a little familiar.

As always a thank you to my co-author, Groundis, who was invaluable in helping me stay true to the characters all throughout, and to putting my own spin on his take on Katt, which you'll see play out later on.

I'll be updating every Thursday from here on out (forgive me tho if I miss, sometimes life happens yada yada yada), and if you're looking for a good Fox and Krystal fic to dive into, I hope you'll enjoy! Until next time...

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