REFLECTIONS

OF

MARCUS McCLOUD

Sequel to Reflections of a New Generation

May 2008

For the sake of keeping the header clean, I've moved the Foreword to the END of this chapter.
However, I begin this story with a short recap of the entire last story in a nutshell.
If you're unfamiliar with Reflections of a New Generation, read the recap. If not, skip down to where this story begins!

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: The Star Fox and Star Wing franchise is a copyright and trademark IP belonging to Nintendo. This story is written without the franchise license and the characters, likenesses, places and objects are used without permission for entertainment purposes.
PLEASE feel free to post this story anywhere on the internet. You may do so without my permission but please, if it's not too much to ask, include the disclaimer and my name. You may remove the author's notes if you like. All original characters and plot lines are the creation of Ken Weaver – none of which are copyrighted. Feel free to use these characters or the original plot lines in your stories if you wish.
Jack Thunder's cameo is used with permission from his creator. Bliss and Crimson O'Donnell are used with permission from Marge "Nicky McCloud" Lambert. Fara Phoenix belongs to Ben Itoh in conjunction to Nintendo Power magazine and is used without permission for non-saleable entertainment purposes only.

A quick recap of what happened in the last story:

Six and a half years ago, Marcus 'Star' McCloud was a sixteen year old aspiring pilot on summer vacation before his senior year at the academy. He was visiting his parents' ship, the GreatFox Flying Fortress. During a routine ship separation, the team was on the Cruiser while Lucy Hare was on the Carrier. Andross Oikonny attacked without warning and the cruiser section was evacuated. Peppy and Marcus took an escape pod but watched in horror as a gravity bomb swallowed the carrier and the fighters belonging to Falco, Slippy, Fox and Krystal. All hands were assumed lost. Andross disappeared.

A few years later, Peppy Hare, the elderly roommate of Marcus McCloud, passed away in his sleep. At the funeral, Marcus met Bill Grey, a retired military tactician and fighter pilot – a childhood friend of his father. Marcus began running with a boy who ran away from home, named Crimson O'Donnell. They became inseparable and looked for ways to resurrect the legacy of their fathers… to become great mercenaries.

One day, Crimson talked Marcus into taking a bounty hunting mission on Sauria. Their target was Andrew Oikonny who lived out in the jungle, poisoning the rivers and killing the locals. The boys met a fennec vixen named Fara Phoenix who, unbeknownst to them, recently woke from suspended animation just a few years prior. Now a bit of a loner and only twenty-five years old, Fara was on Sauria attempting to solve the poison water problem on behalf of a science community who was afraid to travel that part of the jungle. The three met up and became fast friends only to stumble onto a bigger conspiracy involving Andrew.

They discover the wreckage of the GreatFox Cruiser; Fara and Crimson go dumpster diving - they use old parts from the Phoenix Transportation Shipyard on Sauria to replace necessary components on GreatFox. Ultimately, they get it flying with some slight help from local thugs.

Andrew flees the planet and heads to Venom, the three young pilots follow him. They lose his trail half-way across Lylat, but pull in at a seedy space port to get GreatFox in combat ready status. There, Marcus uses his telepathic powers to find information about Andrew. They meet with an exotic dancer named Sugar who tells them Andrew Oikonny was last spotted heading to Venom to kick off a Civil War between the lizards. The trio pursues him all the way to a reptilian metropolis just as the massive war is beginning. While there, Marcus runs across Dash Bowman who claims to be trying to assassinate Andrew Oikonny. Their mission dead-ends in retreat when Oikonny's forces crush the city. Fara and Marcus share some very slight romantic tension, something they initially did not intend to happen.

The new StarFox team regroups and heads back to friendlier skies, while looking for a means to make money so they can repair their ships and upgrade their gear. During this time, several high ranking Cornerian officials, including the General, wind up murdered in a bomb blast. Corneria is thrown into a state of panic and, having gone so many years at a state of peace, they seek a qualified military tactician. Bill Grey is called out of retirement and steps in as acting General. Once again, StarFox has close ties to a Cornerian wartime General. With Bill Grey as their meal ticket, they learn that one of his small headaches involves a disturbance on Fichina. The team offers to investigate for a paycheck and heads to the arctic planet right away.

What they find there changes Marcus' life forever. A shadowy evil parody of his own mother is terrorizing the masses, calling herself Kursed. Having arrived in this dimension by means of a Gravity Bomb in her own universe, she lashes out at the locals in anger. The trio of pilots work together in an attempt to subdue her and inadvertently run across Crimson's sister Bliss and Marcus' ex-girlfriend, Violet Lombardi. Kursed attempts to sway Marcus to join her as a Cerinian ally by telling him that Violet deceived him by hiding the fact that she bore a son for him. The situation deals irreparable damage to Marcus and Violet's relationship, which ends just as they were thinking of rekindling it. Violet says the baby is with her mother on Corneria. Despite being embarrassed and humiliated, she remains with the team in an attempt to work things out with Marcus. Meanwhile, Fara, Marcus and Crimson pull together and narrowly defeat Kursed.

Marcus, grief stricken by the fact that he killed his mother's doppelganger, is haunted with hope by her dying words. He learns that she was hurled across time and space to this dimension by a gravity bomb and wonders if that means his true parents were still alive somewhere. Overcome by grief, anguish, anxiety and physical exhaustion, he collapses into a coma.

The team takes him to Corneria and administers him to a hospital. When he awakens, he leaves the hospital without notifying the staff but not before having a hallucination. He meets a man who looks curiously like his maternal grandfather. The man tells him to leave the city immediately and disappears. Young McCloud heads in town to take care of legal affairs, change his first name from Star to Marcus and buy things for his infant son. He takes a cab out to the suburbs and walks the rest of the way to Violet's mother's house. Katt Monroe reacts with mixed emotions upon seeing him at her doorstep.

She begins to drive away with the baby but stops a block from her driveway. Marcus approaches her window and they talk for a moment but a local thug tries to start a fight with him for standing in the middle of the street. Katt, frustrated, leaves before Marcus can see his son for the first time. McCloud loses his temper and takes it out on the roughhouse rabble-rouser but half-way through their fight, a Venom stealth fighter flies overhead. Marcus senses the trouble and is alarmed.

Seconds later, a low-yield tactical nuclear warhead detonates over Corneria's capital city, wiping the downtown section off the map. Marcus flees the scene and heads down the road by foot. When he finally catches up to Katt's car, it's abandoned. Worried for their safety, he heads further into town just to make sure they weren't there.

A local pharmacist recognizes the young fox, now a local celebrity for his action son Fichina. The drugstore owner gives him potassium iodide to protect him from the effects of radioactive fallout. Marcus heads further downtown, finds a brilliant little girl named Jane Flowers and rescues her from a burning car. Together, they locate the bunker where Dash Bowman is meeting with newly appointed General Bill Grey.

Upon arrival at the bunker, Venom Forces are on the scene, trying to take out the remaining military command at gunpoint. On a commando rescue operation for her team leader, Fara Phoenix – wearing a bio-suit – levels the Venom attackers, surprising and exciting Marcus. Dash and Bill tell McCloud where he can find some pilots necessary to make a large enough team to take on Andrew's new Venom Imperial Alliance.

Violet and the O'Donnell twins help StarFox to rescue Theodore Beltino Toad, the son of Slippy Toad and a recent mission acquaintance of Bowman. Meanwhile, in the burned out remains of Fichina's capital dome, Vivian Hare, named after her maternal grandmother, leaves the bedside of retired commissioner Beltino Toad to take up arms. Soon after, she finds herself captured by Venom forces. Unbeknownst to her, they're searching for a power source that came from Kursed's ship. They round up all survivors, including Vivian, and put everyone into a holding pen, declaring a state of martial law.

A bellicose, bitter Panther Caruso, who is angry to hear of Kursed's death, goes to Fichina before StarFox can arrive. Thinking that they were responsible for the death of Krystal, his one-time ex-girlfriend, he rescues Vivian Hare to use as bait. When Marcus arrives to recruit her, Panther attacks Marcus one-on-one with the intent to kill him. However, Marcus is tired and surprisingly emotional during the confrontation and Panther takes pity, calling him a 'weak child'. He tells Marcus to grow up first, refusing to battle someone who currently has no fight in their heart. Panther temporarily disappears.

Vivian joins the team. Violet leaves StarFox when she fails her attempt at getting close to Marcus. She heads to Aquas and meets her mother and the baby. Shortly after that, Falco Lombardi returns to this dimension after being the first to successfully pilot his ship through a wormhole. His arrival gives Marcus incredible hope that he'll see his family again. Falco goes to see his wife, daughter and grandson on Aquas then returns to GreatFox, intent on helping Marcus defeat Venom's forces. He trains with the young team and quickly grows fond of them. Meanwhile, Fara Phoenix and Marcus McCloud continue to have increasing romantic tension grow between them.

It comes to light that Marcus has renewed legal documentation to assume ownership of the StarFox trademark franchise. He renews his personal bounty hunting license, renews his father's mercenary license under his own name then pays for the rights to use the team's name. Simultaneously, Fara talks to the board of directors that run her father's company. Using her sixty percent vote status, she persuades them to purchase Space Dynamics. The new business merger scores the whole team free ships and gear; the new conglomerate becomes StarFox's corporate sponsor. The two foxes begin to fall in love slowly but surely. Falco tells Marcus that he isn't upset about the falling out between the boy and his daughter. Lombardi reassures Marcus, reminding him that he is the falcon's godson and will do his best to help the team's situation. He even gives Marcus his blessing on getting close with Fara, much to everyone's surprise.

Fara and Marcus go on a mission to take Jane Flowers to Eladard. The little girl is on her deathbed from radiation sickness and Fara has the idea to put her into suspended animation to save her life. It becomes revealed that Fara Phoenix was actually a trained covert operations agent parading as a test pilot for Corneria in her youth. More romantic tension crops up between the two foxes.

Meanwhile, after a series of dangerous detours, the GreatFox CARRIER arrives in Lylat, having just come from the dimension ruined by Kursed. Everyone aboard is unconscious. StarFox is just finishing a mission to take down one of Venom's largest battleships and they discover that a bio-weapon was being built on Eladard. They rush back to the planet, now spread very thin and running low on resources. Fara and Marcus return the planet, intent on finding the bio weapon before the scientists there finish building it.

With the StarFox GreatFox Carrier (As seen in SF: Command and Reflections of Regret) adrift in Lylat, Venom retreats from Eladard, pulls back to defend their front line and fortify their position. Fara and Marcus begin an OFFICIAL relationship. StarFox rushes to the adrift GreatFox Carrier and they join the ships together, making the GreatFox Flying Fortress. They prepare to board the carrier and see their unconscious family when Crimson receives a distress call from his sister. He learns from her that Dash Bowman was behind EVERYTHING, including the massive attack on Corneria. The team recalls that Dash was friends with Theodore Toad, up to the point where he recommended the young amphibian to fly with StarFox. With that information, Corneria's government requests they surrender Slippy Toad's son as he is one of the few people capable of building a weapon like the one used against the capital city. They arrest him, leaving the thinly-spread team even further shorthanded.

Over the next few days, several members of the original StarFox team awaken. Fox and Krystal are shocked to learn they have a grandson and Fox struggles with the knowledge that his son is dating Fara Phoenix, who he thought to be dead all along. He even explains to Fara that the reason he was so skittish around women… and the reason he broke things off with Krystal at one point, was because he didn't want another lover to die under his command. Fara explains to him that she was mortally wounded doing a side-job for the Cornerian Government. Concerning their newfound love, the only person who rushes to Fara and Marcus' aid is Krystal McCloud. Her understanding and compassion helps to further deepen Marcus' relationship with Fara.

Meanwhile, Dash Bowman is arranging his cards. He obtains a rare shipment of radioactive ore necessary for making more bombs. Next, Dash arranges an alliance with the surviving Anglars and has them build a battle fleet beneath the Venom Sea, so that no one knows of its existence. He also steals the body of Kursed and rebuilds her into a bionic nightmare intent on having her crush Lylat. He creates another alliance with Andrew Oikonny, planning to backstab Andross' nephew. In the end, Bowman goes beneath the radar, leaving StarFox and Corneria to think Venom was defeated again.

Finally, Marcus and Crimson head to the Academy so Marcus can finish his final year and Crimson can start as a freshman. Crimson finds out that his roommate is Sugar, the exotic dancer from the seedy rundown information outpost. She decided to join the military after both the outpost and Corneria were attacked, just as thousands of others also signed up to serve. Marcus and Fara grow even closer. Fox, Krystal, Amanda and Slippy all retire. Theodore is cleared of any wrong doing by a Cornerian court and goes to live on the GreatFox with Falco, Vivian Hare and retired astrophysicist, Lucy Hare.

With political tension and wartime efforts going on, Fara begins training the future agents of a new covert operations group. One of her best students happens to be Violet Lombardi's new boyfriend, who has a traditional male chauvinist attitude. At the end, Dash Bowman awakens Kursed and makes her the General of his military operation.

This is where REFLECTIONS OF A NEW GENERATION leaves off… …And the new story begins.

STAR FOX

Reflections of Marcus McCloud

By:

Ken Weaver

Aka

Kit-Karamak

PROLOGUE:

Less than two weeks later…

The palmetto leaves swayed about, mostly bowed from the intense jungle humidity. A gloved paw lifted, pushing them up and a pair of high definition digital binoculars found its way into the leafy gap. The bright high-noon sunlight reflected off the lenses, creating a glare. The flicker of light brought about the attention of a reptilian guard.

The Saurian Sharpclaw, armed with a venom pulse rifle, grumbled over the radio, tightly gripped in his other scaly hand. After reporting the disturbance, he approached the shimmer in the brush. He flanked to the left then used the barrel of his gun to nudge a branch aside. He kept his eyes on the binoculars still jutting through the bushes then thrust his weapon into the foliage and opened fire. The binoculars fell to the ground and he laughed in spite of himself. The lizard lifted his radio up and said, "Target has been dispatched."

"Confirmed," replied a voice on the other end. "Attempt to identify the body in your written report tonight. Command – out."

He hung his rifle over his shoulder and reached his hands into the bushes, pushing the gap wide. His eyes widened, seeing a broken branch with a burn mark on the mossy ground. "What in the world?" The low-ranking soldier turned back around only for his snout to meet something of excessive force. A silver-gloved fist met his right eye, rendering the guard unconscious. He slumped backwards as if in slow motion. Something grabbed his ankles and flipped his body head over heels, depositing his motionless form into the bushes. The lizard's right eye, too swollen to close, peered out through the gap in the foliage.

A silver-gloved paw reached for the binoculars on the ground besides his face. The intruder walked down the path – their metallic-looking boots crunched softly in the dirt. He saw a swaying blue tail flutter from left to right behind a pair of toned legs. Everything faded to black.

Fox McCloud, in his mid-fifties, stepped out of his hiding place and approached his wife. The orange-furred vulpine pilot patted her on the shoulder, where her vest clung to her shoulders. "Nice work, Krystal. That guy never saw it coming. How's your paw?"

The blue-furred vixen wiped the sweat from her brow with the backside of her wrist and huffed. "It stings. I'd forgotten how humid it is in this part of Sauria. Maybe if the tactical vest wasn't so heavy it wouldn't be so bad." She hooked the binoculars on her belt then gave a tug at the hem of her shorts. "It's like every inch of cloth sticks to your body."

"Last time you were here, you wore seashells and a piece of cloth wrapped around your waist. Be glad you've got a bulletproof vest this time around."

Krystal McCloud grinned at her husband and nudged him with her elbow. "You're still overprotective. But admit it! You're having fun aren't you?"

Fox offered her a dubious glare. "I only said no because I was trying to prove to you that I could keep my word regarding retirement."

"I couldn't pass up the thought of making our last mission a team effort on Sauria. You know this place holds a lot of memories for me." She reached into her hip pack and withdrew a moist towel, no larger than a napkin. She leaned towards him and cleaned his face with it.

"Aren't those things meant for changing babies?" Fox scrunched his nose at his spouse then cocked a brow.

"They serve more than one purpose. They stay moist in the package – I bet you feel better now, don't you?"

He brought his paw behind his head and scratched the nape of his neck. "Y-yeah, I guess so. It is pretty humid here, huh? Still, those things are meant for an infant's butt."

Krystal rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't be moist anymore if I used it on an infant's butt before wiping the sweat from your facial fur. Men can be so weird." She elbowed him again then stuffed the little towelette into his vest pocket. "And you can hold it until we find a trashcan."

Realizing his defeat in the matter, Fox sighed and nodded. "Thank you for babying me, sweetheart."

Krystal offered a stern look. "Wiping your face isn't babying you, Fox McCloud. Next time, you can wipe your own face." Their gaze locked and they glared at one another for a moment. She sensed an amusing thought on his mind and broke into giggles. "Not fair! You never let me win a stare down!" She gave her mate a playful shove then folded her arms. "Don't be a sore loser."

"I don't mind losing to you," said Fox. "Because I still feel like I win. After all, I made you fall in love with me, didn't I? Twice if I recall right…"

Krystal's jaw dropped with a broad grin. "Oh, you rascal. You think you're all that, huh? Need I remind you that I made you get down on your knees and beg my forgiveness? Don't forget – I'm the winner here."

Fox shook his head and waggled his eyebrows to her. "No, I'm the winner here. I did what I had to do to win you back. I won you over, you're mine, and that makes me the winner. I'd say I got the better end of the deal – a beautiful wife who is sexy and throws a mean right hook. I make Cornerian men jealous, the whole world over."

Krystal's grin evolved into a rather feminine smile. "You're being sweet to me again… So that's what it takes to get you to be sweet to me? I've just got to knock out a lizard while you're watching?"

"I can't help but admit… it's sexy as hell when you flatten a lizard in one punch. I'm not going to lie – I'm impressed and I'm turned on." Fox chuckled then hooked his finger in a belt loop and pulled her closer. "Remember when I used to be shy around you?"

Krystal nodded. "It was adorable, but I prefer how you are now that you're comfortable around me." She lifted her right paw and waved the gloved limb in front of him. "It still stings."

Fox laughed softly and brought his free paw to her forearm, guiding her glove-covered knuckles to his lips. "There, all better?"

"Maybe just a little," she replied with a coy smile. Suddenly her eyes widened and she thrust her right paw out across his chest and came to a stop. "Hold up – there are more enemies in the area. I think they're a surveillance team." She tilted her head to the left then pitched her head forward a bit. "Wait…" She closed her eyes. "They're converging on…" She lifted her chin somewhat then said, "This way, try to keep up." She broke off into a sprint, darting off the trail and into the thick jungle.

Fox, whose finger slipped from her belt loop, hurried after her. "When we get back to port, I want to enjoy a little time on the ocean-liner… if it's still docked at Cape Claw – heck we've probably been left behind by now!"

Krystal projected an unspoken telepathic message into his brain. "Shh, we're close now!"

Disoriented from the sensation of her voice being forced into his mind, McCloud blinked away the strange sensation then ducked beneath a branch, still hurrying through the thick jungle. He followed the trail of her scent, trying to catch up. He shoved another branch out of his way then suddenly collided with her backside. The two stumbled then quickly knelt to recover from the collision while attempting to remain out of sight. Fox lifted his head, peering over her hip at a stone fortress out in the clearing. After a moment of repose, he whispered, "Where are the bogies?"

"They're close – I can't tell if they're inside that thing or if they're on the other side. I don't sense anyone else in the area." She turned to him and cupped his face, sensing his disorientation. "Sorry, I'm still practicing that ability. I know it can seem overpowering to force my presence into your mind."

He shook his head a bit to clear his mind. "I'm just a little dazed. Just because that thing could do it, doesn't mean you need to learn or use it."

Krystal glared at him. "I just wanted to see if I was capable of the same things – it's mentally draining but it was better than raising my voice at you. Listen," she looked around furtively then continued in the hushed tone. "I think there's a teleportation pad in that building. I'm not entirely sure, but one of the lizards in command seems to think it's a gateway to the Force-point Temple."

Fox quirked a brow at her. "So? We both know dinosaurs can't teleport with those. It doesn't recognize cold blooded creatures."

A paw lifted. She withdrew the glove from her right then she took the left one and handed them over. "They have two marmosets on their team. They're prepared. But their thought patterns indicate that the teleportation pad is only a secondary objective. I think they're more interested in some other strange discovery – I don't know what else it could be."

"Let's see if we can find an alternative way into this old temple… maybe we can beat'em to the punch."

The vixen nodded in agreement.

The large stone structure was in ruin. A group of lizards and two apes stepped into the central chamber and crowded around a massive metal object on the floor. Sunlight filtered in through a large hole in the ceiling, illuminating the swirling dust that filled the air. One of the men placed some sort of handheld device against the large object's outer hull. Seconds later, a rectangular section popped open.

It took six lizards to force the section open. It appeared to be some sort of loading ramp but jutted straight up into the air once they pried it away from the hull. One of the lizards lifted a communicator and reported their successful discovery.

From a loft high above the main chamber, Fox whispered to Krystal. "What is that thing? It looks like part of a ship… too big to be an escape pod, but too small to be anything else."

Krystal shook her head and shrugged. "I think your first assessment was spot on – it's part of a ship. I thought they were here to steal the spell stones?"

Down on the floor, one of the marmosets shouted at the rest of the team in plain Cornerian. "Be careful, you idiots! It could still be providing power to the main reactor! Don't drop it!"

A moment later, one of the lizards who went inside the metallic remains returned to the doorway empty handed. "Everything is written in a language we've never seen before. We've located the first stone but it's going to take some time to figure out how to remove it from the reactor core. Set up a parameter and radio the Empress for help."

"She said she does not wish to be disturbed unless there is an emergency. She was kind enough to give us these coordinates – let's simply finish our job here and move on to the third piece – we have a team hunting for it now. I'm growing impatient."

"As you wish, Marshall Gustav!" The lizard disappeared back inside of the entrance, leaving the marmoset leader alone. He waved his hand to the remainder of the group then made a circular gesture. The entire team fanned out, creating a parameter.

"Can you get into that guy's head?" asked Fox.

The vixen sighed and shook her head. "It's strange, but it seems as though he's been somehow trained… or in some way conditioned to resist telepathic infiltration. Maybe their government anticipated our involvement? I can read the other soldiers, but none of them know what they're here to do – the Marshall is the only one with the answers."

"I'm getting to old for this," Fox replied, cracking his knuckles. "Okay, cover me – don't miss." He stretched his legs then flexed his arms and shoulders to ready himself. Once he felt ready, he pulled out a small detonator and whispered, "Eyes closed, paws on your ears." He hurled the small object out into the center of the room. It bounced off the metal hull and landed on the other side, where Fox couldn't see it. He leapt over the stone rail and landed on a cracked concrete surface. He clinched his eyes and covered his ears despite the fact he was now the center of attention.

The magnesium grenade exploded, blinding and deafening everyone in the room. Fox's eyes snapped open and he drew an assault rifle up from its harness strap. He shouldered one lizard to the ground then fired his gun on another across the room. The second lizard dropped in place. Fox pivoted on his heel, finished off the stunned reptile at his feet then opened fire on the first of two apes. Despite the flash suppresser at the end of the barrel, the weapon still bucked wildly in his grip.

The acridly sweet smell of gun powder filled the room. McCloud tapped the trigger twice, delivering back-to-back three round bursts into the flak jacket worn by one of the mammals. The leader fell back, clutching his chest in pain. Fox darted to the left and broke into a sprint then lifted his weapon and fired. Three high power rounds struck the remaining ape's skull above the nape of his neck. The man's body jerked forward, slamming against a section of the metal hull then he flopped to the ground. His body shuttered hard then seized.

Fox glanced from left to right. A bright blaster discharge lanced through the air. He whirled around, face to face with a wide-eyed lizard with a misshaped forehead. The attacker slumped to his knees. Fox backed away from the soldier who fell forward onto his face. Smoke billowed above a charred section of missing skull. The retired pilot looked up at Krystal on the balcony and offered her a 'thumbs up' gesture.

He moved around to the other end of the large metal object at the center of the room. He lowered his weapon and placed his boot on the back of the Marshall's neck to keep him from crawling away. "Going somewhere Marshall… Gustav was it?"

"M- my r-ribs … are b-broken."

Fox gripped the man by his shoulder and forced him over onto his back. The marmoset gasped, suddenly able to breathe. McCloud smirked and said, "No, they're heavily bruised. You couldn't take a breath because you were lying on your chest. Yeah, I imagine taking six rounds to the torso would hurt like hell. Be glad you're wearing that jacket, buddy." He placed the hot silencer against the man's right forearm. "Don't even think about going for your service pistol, pal."

The marmoset's eyes widened from the pain of the hot barrel but he remained otherwise calm. "You… you're Fox McCloud. So, the rumor is true – you're back from the dead."

"You're a little behind on current events… So, what's the prize find?"

The Venom field commander narrowed his eyes. "Nothing that concerns you."

Fox moved the barrel to the ape's stomach and tapped the trigger. Three rounds slammed into the armored vest at point blank range. The ape howled in pain. Fox cleared his throat and in a firm voice, said, "Wrong answer. If I have to, I'll go in there myself and find out – but I'd rather spare your life and ask what you guys have found."

"We've not even technically found it yet!"

McCloud flipped a switch on the gun then fired a single round against the vest. Again, the Marshall shouted in intense agony. McCloud put the barrel against the padded left shoulder and said, "You called it a stone. What kind of stone? I mean, you guys aren't up in the Forcepoint Temple stealing those stones, so it must be a different kind of stone. Enlighten me, will ya?"

"I'm not even sure if the rumors are true, besides…!"

The gun bucked in McCloud's paws, sending another round into the armored section over the man's left shoulder. The enemy bellowed in reply, shouting, "You've broken my collarbone!"

"Aw, gee man… I thought it would have just bruised your shoulder. Well, maybe I'll have more luck over here …what do you think?" Fox moved the gun barrel to the man's right shoulder. "Look, I'm not one of those masochist domination types. I'm not here to make you hurt all over – I'm just doing a job… I'm here to find out why you're not talking to me. So make this easy on yourself. If I wanted you dead, I'd have shot you then gassed the interior of that thing over there. But I am asking you… so talk to me, man."

"It's… it's a spell stone used to power Kursed's ship from when she arrived in this dimension. The gravity bomb used on her ship caused the spell stones to absorb some of the raw energy. When she arrived on this side…" He trailed off, breathed deeply for a moment then continued. "…the stones released that stored energy and pushed the ship apart because their polarities were reversed. Instead of holding it together, they responded by pushing away from one another. One section of her ship landed here. Another landed on Fichina… that was the part that held her command center… that's why she crash landed there. The other two parts are scattered throughout Lylat. Intelligence suggests they may have been drawn into the gravitational pull by whatever planets they were near… and landed there. We're still searching for those two parts. They could be anywhere."

"I thought you guys were here to steal the spell stones from Sauria," said Fox.

The lightly furred ape sighed, drew a deep breath through his nose then rushed into one long run-on sentence. "That was the original plan but Bowman's new General felt this was a better idea because a reverse polarity spell stone displaces tenfold the power output of a normal spell stone." At the end, he gulped for a difficult breath of air and added, "That is based off of a computer calculation… a guess. Now what? A Cornerian prison?"

Fox canted his head a bit. "Do I look like a Cornerian soldier to you? I'm a mercenary, you moron." He withdrew a handheld blaster from his belt and pointed it at the man.

"I thought you said you wouldn't kill me!" he shouted in alarm. Fox pulled the trigger and his body went limp. His head rolled to the left and his right hand dropped from where he favored his torso injuries.

"Don't accuse me of lying," retorted McCloud. He flipped the pistol's setting selector from 'stun' back to 'lethal' and put it into his holster. "You're going to wake up with one hell of a migraine, Gustav." He waved to Krystal and said, "You've got the stun grenades in your pack. C'mon down here and we'll use'em to clear out this thing." He nodded to the remains of Kursed's ship. "There's some strange language carved into the hull adjacent to the entrance… have you ever seen anything like this?"

Krystal vaulted the stone rail, dropped from the ledge and landed in a crouched position not far from her husband. She stood up, adjusted the engagement ring and wedding band on her left paw then withdrew her staff. She brought the tip near the etchings in the metal hull and clinched the shaft. The end incandesced, casting a soft blue glow over the carvings. Her eyes widened. "It's …I've not seen this in…" She paused to gawk at the lettering laser-scribed into the metal. "About thirty years – it's been over thirty years since I've seen this."

Fox ticked off three fingers then tilted his head. "That long? So you're looking at Cerinian writing?"

"Yes, precisely!" She glanced back at her husband and frowned. "No doubt about it, Kursed was from Cerinia. I still have a difficult time believing that she is… was me."

"In a parallel dimension," reminded Fox. "You could have turned into her, but you didn't. Stop mixing apples with oranges, just because they're both fruit." He offered her a comforting smile. "You're my wife, remember?"

"Thank you, Fox." Krystal sighed anxiously with a nod. "It's a shame the body was stolen during all the commotion following the destruction of Corneria's capital… I would volunteer to do a DNA matching test. It's rather frustrating." She turned back to her husband. "What about the fur sample Beltino had… he was testing to see if he could find a DNA commonality to prove she came from a different universe, right?"

"We'll have to contact him," said McCloud. "Let's clear out this chunk of ship and take the spell stone back to Corneria… then we'll go and find the other. I don't want these things falling into the wrong hands."

Krystal glanced at the man on the ground. "I was able to look into his mind briefly. Remember what he said about the one on Fichina? That stone was already recovered by his team. I couldn't sense anything from him until he had that gun against his other shoulder… then I saw where his thoughts turned to the memory of his last mission – that means Bowman already has one stone as of twenty-four hours ago. However, he was honest in telling you that they've not yet located the other two parts."

"How in the heck will we find them first?" McCloud withdrew his pistol and shouldered his rifle, readying himself for close-quarters combat inside the engineering section of the broken ship.

"Simple," replied Krystal with a smile. She pulled a stun grenade and tilted her head at her mate. "Krazoa technology – the long story short, Fox: before Andross captured me, prior to your involvement on Sauria… he found a Krazoa device designed to locate the stones. See, that's how he found the Force-point Temple to begin with. I'd already tangled with Andross shortly after landing – I was trying to find him before it was too late but I failed. The planet began ripping apart and a powerful storm moved through the immediate area. I went out in that storm with the help of a Cloud Runner named Kite and bumped into his henchman, Scales.

"Then, Fox, a few months ago when I was on Aquas with our son, King Tricky mentioned the city where it's located – the Valley of the Krazoa. We'll find the ancient transponder and use it to locate everything – so, yes we'll finish the cruise and our 'vacation' on Sauria first. Worst comes to worst, we'll have Slippy tweak it, should it not work on the reverse-polarity stones. At best, it'll tell us where all eight are – we'll ignore the four on Sauria and the one in our current possession. Then we'll locate the two missing ones and go after the one on Venom. If Kursed could power a ship with those stones, I'm sure they'll have a very similar idea… Just imagine – unlimited power means their shields would never wear down. It's no wonder Corneria struggled against her in that dimension."

Fox nodded to the entrance to the ruined ship. "Toss in the grenade, my dear. Does this mean we get to go gallivanting around Lylat together? Just us? Team McCloud?" He attached a silencer to the end of the pistol so as not to deafen himself should he need to use it inside the ship's remains.

She offered a sly grin then furrowed a single eyebrow. "You're still retiring after we find these things – I won't bother our son from his senior year at the academy. I want him to finish. So, yes my dear… it's up to Team McCloud – just us. But like I said, when the dust settles, your tail is retired."

Fox paused but then inspiration dawned on him. He grinned and told her, "No, that's fine – one last mission by your side is a good way to finish my career. I appreciate it."

"I love when you're sweet to me." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed the side of his muzzle then flung the stun grenade through the inverted entrance of the crash remains. She reached her paws up and cupped the side of his ears. The staff constricted in her palm, telescoping down to its compact form.

Fox reached his paws up to either side of her head and covered her ears, with the pistol against her hair. He thumbed the safety out of habit. They both closed their eyes and counted in silence, holding one another's ears. A muffled thud vibrated through the flooring then they both headed into the entrance. He flipped the safety off and toggled the laser sight to its 'on' position. "…Besides, I'm growing too old to blow things up and still get away unscathed. All right, let's find this thing – here we go."

Fara Marie Phoenix, a twenty-five year old fennec vixen, ran her fingers through shoulder length sandy locks. She stood before a mirror in full camouflage gear then brought her paw to her bangs, pushing her headfur back. She tied it off into a ponytail then tucked the length of her hair up and used a hair tie to secure it. She pondered cutting it short like when she was nineteen, back in her military days… After a moment, she shrugged the thought away. Phoenix glanced at her wristwatch, walked out of the locker room and into a large hanger.

Seven men stood at attention, each with a fifty-yard gaze. She approached the line of men – they looked straight through her, completely stoic. The fennec inspected each man's appearance, gear and stance. At the end of the line she put her back to them, walked away then pivoted on her heel. She lifted her paw in salute but none of them replied. A grin tugged at the corner of her muzzle.

"Good. It seems you remembered I'm a civilian this time. And look at that – none of you failed my inspection on this go around. You boys are learning. But how will you guys act in the future when more females sign up for this project? That was the issue during our last meeting, wasn't it?" No one responded. She folded her arms behind her back. "Can any of you tell me why females might be important to our line of work?" She paused then nodded to a collie, second from the left end of the line.

"Sir, a male would not be able to pass as a female if an operation required an agent to assume the identity of an enemy female target, sir!"

"That's true," said Phoenix. "To a degree, that's true, if we're talking about you seven – you're awfully muscular and tall in stature. I don't know, though… I've heard of some pretty wild guys out there who dress up as women every night… and guess what? They pass as females on their driver's license. So, young man, your answer doesn't exactly fly with me. Anyone else?" She looked from left to right. Her gaze stopped on a hybrid reptile. "Asper – why might a female be important to our line of work?"

"Sir," he shouted in a stern voice. He knew the answer she wanted to hear. "There is no difference between a male and a female in this line of work. There are only agents. Just as some women are not cut out for this line of work, easily as many men are also not cut out for this program, either. Gender has no bearing on anything, nor will it ever… Sir!" He repeated her lecture from last time almost verbatim.

Phoenix brought her paws together and applauded softly. "Explain to me how I was able to render you into a state of unconsciousness last month?"

Asper drew in a deep breath so as not to visibly flinch. In the same firm tone, he told her, "Sir, you caught me off guard, sir! Your superior training and military experience gave you an edge, making you a superior soldier, sir!"

"And, in this training program, what is your mission?" Fara placed her paws behind her back again, visually displeased with his reply regarding superiority. She turned away from him.

"To outperform my training instructor, sir!"

She whirled about coming face to face, folded her arms across the front of her chest then narrowed her eyes. "The real reason I rendered you unconscious last month is because you refused to defend yourself against me. Why? Because I'm a FEMALE! That is NOT an acceptable reason. If I was an enemy agent, I would have slain you in the battlefield. It's not because I'm a superior soldier, regardless of my experience and training. I'm here to make all of you better than me but as of right now none of you seem capable of doing what it is that we do in this program. You'll learn how to defend yourself and survive a suicide mission. You'll learn how to compensate for a disadvantage. You'll also learn how to make better judgment calls! Finally, you'll learn how to overcome your own weakness."

She took a deep breath then turned away from him, walked a few feet from the group then turned to face them all. "Listen up! We have a practice mission coming up and it's not going to be easy. Six hours ago Intelligence learned of a stone object that landed on Titania. Just two hours ago, we got the green light to retrieve it.

"This is a hot, dry landscape. We'll go there and retrieve this stone for Corneria – the desert will be our next training ground. I'll teach you how to survive in the harsh environment. We begin at sunup. If we work together as a team, nothing will go wrong. However, there is a sixty-one percent chance that we will have competition. We're not the only ones who want this stone."

Fara withdrew a clipboard wedged in her belt at the small of her back. She glanced at the text notes she made earlier in the week then tossed the clipboard on the floor. "Next week, we'll learn how to pass as ordinary citizens. If you find yourself among civilians and all of you are rounded up by enemy terrorists… guess what? Standing like a soldier will cause them to pick you out as a threat. If an enemy isn't aware of your presence, you've already completed half of your job. You'll learn spookery, you'll learn how to adapt, how to blend in and how to disappear. You're not just military fodder anymore. You simply belong to the government without a branch to speak of – you're a covert operations agent and if you screw up, I guarantee any information of your involvement will be disavowed …does anyone know why?"

"Because," shouted another canine at the far end of the line. "We do not exist and what we're training to do does not exist!"

"Exactly," replied Phoenix. "Your JOB is to blend in – you do NOT exist. So if you're caught, why would Corneria's Planetary Defense Council admit to your existence? You don't and we won't! You never have and you never will. As far as the enemy is concerned, should they capture you… you're ordinary people caught in the middle, at the very least. We want you to crack in less than fifteen seconds of torture and load the enemy with disinformation. If they torture you more …then guess what? They'll get the same damn story from you. You'll never tell them who you truly are because no special status exists in your file. Now… I have a warm up exercise today. Before we get ready for tomorrow morning's trip to the desert, I want to assess hand-to-hand combat abilities for each one of you.

"I can learn where you stand from a simple spar." Fara walked the line, paws at her sides with her chin held high. "By having individualized combat, I'll learn your defensive weaknesses, your offensive strengths and devise a way to help you become better. We'll start by having all seven of you attempt to subdue me as a team. If you can't work together as one group or adapt to one another's style, you're not going to blend in as a crowd either – trust me. Once I've put each of you down… or …once I've been subdued, we'll begin again with the individual spars.

"However! The rules are different today! Any man who holds back while trying to spar against me… I'll send you home with a very poor recommendation to your superior officer. Let's face it, if you seven boys can take me down then I'll have learned something today, right? But! If you boys don't try your hardest against me, I'm not going to learn my personal limitations… and then I'll make poor judgment calls against an enemy when in the field… and that may cost me my life. So by you going easy on me, you'd really be doing me a disservice. Do you understand?"

All seven men responded in unison with a loud shout. "HUAA!" The noise sounded more like, 'hoo-ah!' Fara stopped at the end of the line, turned about and began pacing before them with her paws once more behind her back.

"So, 'Huaa,' is it? 'Heard, Understood And Acknowledged,' means that all seven of you are telling me that we're on the same page. I expect you boys to fight until one of us either taps out or is unconscious. I mean it. If I feel any of you aren't fighting up to your true potential, my recommendation will all but ruin your military career." She narrowed her eyes at them. "I'm hard on you boys for a reason – I'm doing you and your career a favor. I'm making you better than you were before and if you can't achieve an objective, even one as simple as "subdue the female target" then I don't want you in my program. Is that understood?"

Again, all seven of them responded in unison. "Sir, yes sir!"

"Your objective is the non-lethal takedown of your instructor." She held a stopwatch in the air, clicked the button with her thumb and attached it to her belt. "You have only five minutes on the clock or a dummy bomb on my belt goes off – click the stopwatch – deactivate the timer to win. ….And the clock is ticking!"

All seven men rushed towards Fara. Her eyes swept across the group from left to right. Two collies, two setters, a Doberman, a bobcat and the hybrid avian-reptile mix known as Asper. She watched as the group fanned out around her then shouted, "Remember, the bomb is on my belt – attacks to the waistline, hips, groin or tailbone may set off the dummy bomb so be smart! Four minutes, forty-five seconds remain!" Her voice echoed off the empty hanger bulkheads.

The first collie and the Doberman came at her on the right while one of the setters came from the left. She thrust her palm out, closing her fingers overtop the Doberman's fist then kicked her left leg against a setter's knee. She ducked the first collie's attempt at a jab then extended her right leg into the second collie's muzzle. She performed a back flip but never released the Doberman's fist. With him now off balance, she forced his paw up then brought her free fist into his armpit. She followed through with a kick to his ankles. Fara closed her free fist around his bicep from beneath his extended arm then swung him into the two collies. All three of them collapsed to the floor. "One of you has to grab this stopwatch and click the button before it reaches zero!"

Something struck the side of her svelte head from behind and a large feline paw closed around her shoulder. Meanwhile, the first setter approached her head on with his fists raised. The vixen threw her arms upwards and knelt, slipping out of her jacket just as the canine threw a punch. His jab struck the large feline in the eye. She closed her fists over the hem then stood up and forced it around the neck of the bobcat. Asper came at her from the left.

She snatched the end of an empty sleeve and looped it around the nearby second setter's neck then kicked her leg out again. Her heel connected with the large winged reptile then she boosted herself off of his chest and somersaulted over the setter and bobcat. Still holding the jacket wrapped around their necks, she used the other sleeve to loop the knot. Asper drew back, staying on the defensive side. The feline and canine struggled to get apart, prone and defenseless. She performed a roundhouse, catching both men in the face. They fell to the floor, still tied together at the neck. Five down.

Two opponents left. She performed a jump kick at the side of the reptile's head but he caught her off guard with a surprise wing attack. His powerful featherless limb extended, throwing her to the floor on her stomach. The remaining setter tackled her by jumping headlong onto her back. He placed his palms against the back of her ankles to try and keep her down. She worked her head and shoulders beneath his knees then pushed away from the floor, straining her arms. With all the strength of her back muscles, she forced herself up. The last canine thrashed in an attempt to break free of her grip. His paws slipped from her ankles; she stood up, lifting him with her lower back and powerful legs.

On her feet again, Fara leaned backwards falling into a suplex. The setter, beneath her, groaned from having the wind knocked from his lungs. She saw Asper approaching and rolled away then bounded to her feet and launched herself at him with a flying knee. He ducked back, giving her a moment to regain her balance. She spun around, building up momentum for a roundhouse kick but her heel met Asper's wing, which he used like a shield. He turned about and shoved her to the floor with all his weight.

Fara toppled to the ground then performed a quick kip-up, returning to her feet. The vixen put her balance on her left heel, ready for another attack. She brought her arms up, crossing her wrists to catch a high kick from the reptile. She jerked her head back, evading a jab then grabbed his right fist with her left paw and shoved her other palm into his sternum. His eyes widened from pain but he was a practiced fighter and seemed otherwise unfazed.

Asper glanced at the others then his eyes flitted to the stopwatch on her belt buckle. He made another swing at her, trying to run down the clock. "Forty-five seconds to go," shouted the reptile in a clear voice. "Everyone clear out before the 'bomb' goes off!" He threw a three-hit combination punch, which Fara absorbed by crossing her forearms to protect her face. The group scrambled away to the sidelines.

Faking to the right, Fara countered with a swift punch but he was ready for her. The hybrid's featherless wings, mounted from his shoulder blades, spread wide in an intimidating fashion. He walked into her punch then threw his arms and wings around her body. The two toppled to the floor with thirty seconds to go.

"You've not subdued my arms," she shouted, using her fists to attack his abs and a pressure point beneath his left arm. He shouted in pain but kept his wings tight around her body to keep her from getting away. She continued in a loud, clear voice, providing instruction for the entire group. "I could easily go for a sidearm right now; yours or mine! You'd be dead in seconds," she added.

Asper's concern remained for the team. "Ten seconds," he called out in reply. He jerked his body hard, smothering her with his weight. He wrestled for control and it took seven seconds to move over top of her. No sooner did he pin her, she kicked her leg out and literally threw him from her body. He soared across the room, head over heels and landed on his back adjacent to the other six. The digital timepiece beeped. Its high pitched screech echoed off the walls. Phoenix removed it from her belt buckle and thumbed the button.

She stood up, threw the cheap stopwatch on the floor in disgust, balled her paws into fists and placed them on her hips. "And what was that Gunny? Did you learn that in the Marines? I sure hope not – I wouldn't want one in my program if they teach their people to blow themselves up! If you couldn't subdue me, how could you disarm the bomb? All you had to do was stop the watch with your thumb!" She approached the group near the wall, kicking the clipboard on the floor from out of her way. It skittered across the deck, spewing several pieces of paper in every direction. "Are we back at square one, Asper? Have we devolved since last week? Is it because I'm a female and you don't want to fight me? Dammit, you ran down your last half minute just trying to grapple with me and I know you're better than that!"

"No," said Asper as he moved to his feet. "There were too many of us – unfortunately we're not a tight enough team to have worked together against you effectively. There was no way to win. We were stepping on one another's toes… However, with only a minute left, I changed the plan. Had you not thrown me, I would have used my body to absorb the detonation. Smothering the blast would save my team. You're dead, Instructor Phoenix! And there are still, at the very least, six survivors."

Fara reached her paws back to adjust her ponytail then she glared at him. "While it's noble to give your life in return for the safety of your team… that's not the objective here. My program and training is provided to make you men survive a suicide mission. You have just died in an attempt to smother the bomber… so you did not survive. However, I'm glad you actually made somewhat of an effort to fight me this time."

"I take my military career seriously – I won't have a poor recommendation ruin what I've worked hard to achieve, Miss Phoenix."

She hated shouting at these men but recalled her instructor's methods, remembering how hard her training was, years ago. "What? Did you say Miss?" She gave a downward tug at her camouflage top to free it from wrinkles then placed her paws on her hips. "Rule number four, in this hanger gender doesn't exist while you're on the clock – I'm not Miss anything; I'm Instructor Phoenix. I'll also accept sir, sensei or something similar. When you people have earned my respect then we'll be, at the very most, on a first name basis. Are we clear, Gunny?"

Asper closed his left hand into a fist. "Sir, I take my military career seriously, sir. I won't allow your recommendation to ruin my hard work, sir!" He narrowed his eyes in reply to her glowering expression.

"Then, next time, stop holding back! Yes, I'm glad you actually made an effort this time, but you did not fight up to your honest potential. If it happens again, I'm writing you up and it goes in your permanent file."

The Doberman cleared his throat and said, "Depending on the power of this fake bomb, Asper would have survived. You threw him with several seconds left on the clock."

Phoenix glanced from the canine to the hybrid reptile. "Depending on the power of the faux bomb, yes, you're right. If was anything more than a simple exercise, I'd say we would take that call to arbitration. But his intent was to sacrifice himself – he stated that. I don't want you boys dying a glorious death. Leave that to the enemy – your job is to sneak away unseen and unscathed."

The reptile's beady eyes dropped to the floor. "I came here to learn how not to die. You're right, I was incorrect and it won't happen again." Simple and concise, his apology even sounded sincere.

"I'm relieved," she said. "I like seeing a man who is humble, especially one with your potential. You'd better use it. Now, you've ALL failed this exercise. Not because I manhandled you seven like a group of little school girls," she paused for effect, wanting to see them squirm from her insult. "…You failed because you didn't follow orders. Someone tell me the order I gave you."

The bobcat sat up with the jacket still wrapped around his neck. However, he was no longer tied to one of the setters. "You ordered the non-lethal takedown of the target."

Fara approached him, yanked the jacket away from his neck and bellowed, "NON-LETHAL!" She turned to glare at Asper. "What if the target had information? What if the target's survival was the mission? Can you live with failure? Can you live with defeat? You wanted to sacrifice yourself to save others – fantastic, how are you going to save them a second time? Or a third time? What if they get into trouble in the field after you're dead? You can't save'em now, can ya?" She lifted her paw to keep him from responding. "Okay – you've learned your lesson. How are you going to resolve that issue?"

Asper closed his hands into scaly fists and sighed. The Doberman helped him to his feet. He turned about and straightened his clothes. "Learn from you, Instructor Phoenix, then apply it in the field and do my best, Sir."

"Good! I don't want this issue turning into a whole subscription. Leave your concerns about gender at the door and this won't happen again."

"Sir, yes sir." Asper folded his wings behind his back and his arms across his chest.

She nodded firmly then pointed to a video camera on the other side of the large empty hanger. "You seven have a lot of work ahead of you. You have to learn how to work together as a team. Body language can tell a lot about a person. And yet none of you looked at one another so there was no way you guys could know what the rest of your team was thinking. If you guys can't work together as a group, how can I expect any of you to make a good teammate to me if we were together in the field?" She cleared her throat to ensure she had their attention then calmly said, "I taped this session so I can go back and see what you guys were doing wrong. I expect everyone to learn from their mistakes. However…"

She pushed her paws together and cracked her knuckles. "I want everyone to know that I do think we're ready for something as simple as a search-and-retrieve mission in the desert." Fara ran her fingers back into her headfur then told them, "We're all a little tender right now but I expect you guys to walk it off. Pain is a mental stimulus and acts as the body's reaction to minor injury. Just remember: anything major and you'd probably be in shock at first. You wouldn't feel it until later, when your adrenaline thins out – that can be far more serious, so be glad you ache right now. Remember this pain – it is your friend!

"I plan to spar each one of you guys later and give you direct feedback on what you're doing wrong. For now, though, I want everyone to hit the showers. Transport to Titania will be provided courtesy of Phoenix Transit Dynamics Inc. where we'll all enjoy a nice nap before the drop. The mission begins at sunup and we won't leave that planet until we find the artifact."

CHAPTER -1-
"Welcome Home Fara"

Two months later…

The Academy cafeteria, a loud and boisterous hall, was bustling with the midday crowd. Crimson O'Donnell, a hybrid mixture between a timber wolf and a red fox, sat down besides his best friend. He reached over and took an unused fork adjacent to Marcus McCloud's tray. The red-headed gray-furred boy offered a grin then pushed the utensil into a lumpy helping of gravy-smothered mashed potatoes. "So Sugar's real name is Clover Shughar, but she legally changed her last name to 'Sugar' when she tried to break into acting. Shortly after, she used it as her stage name to dance."

Marcus toyed with a spoon, stirring some kind of soup. "Crimson and Clover, huh? For some reason that sounds familiar; maybe it's just me." He transferred the spoon to his other paw then the bluish-gray furred fox set it down on a napkin. "I've not heard from my parents for two months. They went to Sauria on some kind of vacation and they've not even so much as called me."

Crimson ran his fingers back through the stark garnet tuft of headfur between his ears. "That's odd. Have you talked to Falco or Slippy?"

"They're starting to grow concerned, too." Marcus rolled his shoulders forward into a shrug. "Falco said mom and dad kinda' dropped off the radar around the time Fara left for her training seminar on Titania. I'm starting to put puzzle pieces together if you know what I mean."

"Not in the least, man."

Marcus turned towards his friend, facing the son of Wolf O'Donnell head on. "Remember when I told you that Fara went to Titania for a training mission? She had Asper with her, remember?"

Crimson snapped his fingers. "Right! The one where it took several days to do what she thought would only take a single afternoon… Yeah, I remember that you were pretty worried about her… but that was two months ago – why?"

"Red, think back… she found some sort of special stone; she said it resembled the ones that dad used to repair Sauria before I was born. She had to pull out history books to cross reference it. She couldn't tell me anything more than that – the whole mission was under classified status for a long-damn-time. She found out that Venom apparently scored one identical to hers but they found it on Fichina. Pretty weird, right? Well here's what I'm getting at… I talked to Bill again today."

Crimson turned back to his food with a casual expression. His right ear perked up, keeping it towards the fox. He stabbed at the potatoes again. He could tell by the tone that Marcus must have been on to something.

"…And, for the first time in two weeks, I sensed Bill was not worried about mom'n dad. So, I think he spoke with them… but when I probed his mind, I saw a mental image of a stone like the ones kept at the Force Point Temple on Sauria. I think Venom, Fara and my father are all somehow involved in finding a group of these things… but no one is talking so I can't be sure. Not a telepathic lead, just a gut feeling."

O'Donnell offered McCloud a sidelong gaze. "Okay, so Venom is involved in looking for these – they apparently want it… then Fara mentions Venom's presence on Titania but all the fine print is confidential, secret… whatever. But what about your parents; you think they ran into Venom while on Sauria, too?"

"I'm not sure of all the details," replied Marcus. His summer coat of fur was thicker and closer to gray than normal, just the way he liked it. He leaned back a bit, glaring at the cold soup. "She's coming by tonight. …First time in a long time, that's for sure. After the mission, she had to go back to Titania with an Internal Affairs team – something happened to several of her trainees. She called me last night to say she was in town and told me the mission is no longer 'top secret' status, but some of the details are still somewhat classified. …Just a low level of security, so… I'm sure we'll talk about it soon. I've been pretty curious to see how she handled Violet's new boyfriend… but now I really want to find out more about that stone thing. I have this feeling that it might help tie things together."

"Out of curiosity, when's the last time you had any nightmares?"

Marcus' ears lowered. "Last night – Kursed came after my family. She was hunting us. Sometimes, I feel like she's still…" he trailed off, hearing an admonishing thought from his friend. The vulpine pilot offered a shrug in reply and said, "Don't mind me, I'm being stupid."

"Yeah, just a bit," said Crimson with a nod of acknowledgement.

The fox's ears lifted again and he canted his head. "How about we talk about something I have control over, since dreams are a waste of my time, Red?"

"How about…" The half lupine trailed off then grinned. "The fact that your girlfriend is in town – are you guys getting together tonight?"

McCloud offered an ardent nod then shrugged. "You're going to hang out with your roommate tonight …you want to turn it into a double date? We've not planned anything but if you guys wanna' go see a movie or something, we're flexible."

The red-headed wolf toyed with his borrowed fork. "It's not like we're officially dating." His ears flattened and his whiskers drew back along his muzzle. "You pokin' around in my brain?" He pushed his elbow against McCloud then grinned. "Every time we drink we wind up making out. It never goes further than that because I when I'm drunk, I can't get my…"

Marcus placed his paw over Crimson's mouth and glared. "I don't need to know."

Crimson tried to finish his sentence but McCloud's paw remained firmly over his maw. '…Is that a normal problem? I thought people were supposed to get freaky when they're smashed,' he thought, knowing that Marcus would hear him telepathically.

Frustrated, McCloud offered a simple nod. "Crimson… Damn it – yeah it's common for guys to have that problem when they're inebriate. I've heard the thoughts of plenty of women throughout the local campus bars when I walk by one at night. Some chicks actually monitor how much their boyfriend drinks, so they know they'll get action that night. Believe me, sometimes I wish I could turn off my abilities. I don't care to know every intimate detail when I just want to take a walk."

O'Donnell jerked his head back from his friend's palm and lifted his paws defensively. "Okay, okay man. Geeze, alright, already." He cleared his throat then said, "She wants to drink tonight – what should I do?"

McCloud rolled his half narrowed eyes. "Don't drink as much… and for goodness sake, don't be dumb like me, man. Learn from my mistakes and use a contraceptive."

"Nothing's going to go that far," replied the freshman with a chuckle. "Seriously though, I'll buy something just in case. Okay?" He held his paw out, knuckles forward and paused.

Cutting his gaze to the offered fist, Marcus smirked at his friend for a moment then reached his paw up and brushed his knuckles against Crimson's. "Okay, Red… Heck, I'm surprised you and her have gone this long without doing anything. I thought you said you got a lap dance from her during your first week."

"I did!" Crimson coughed into his paw and, under his breath, added, "But I was fully clothed – it was a one time thing." He looked about furtively then leaned towards Marcus and, in a hushed tone, told the fox, "It took some alcohol and some pleading eyes… but I was too drunk to take it any further. Let me tell ya… I woke up horny as hell the next morning and had to…"

"Shh!" Marcus put his paw on his friend's nose and pushed the other boy's face away. "We didn't share a womb; let's not share blue ball stories."

Crimson erupted into laughter. "But you already know because you're telepathic. At least if I tell you, it's consensual knowledge, right? Besides, I might have finished the story with, '…swallow a pound of salt pewter.' You never know!"

"But I don't want to know one way or the other!" He ran his fingers back through his white and light blue bangs. "Seriously, Red, you weren't actively thinking about messing around with her, so I wouldn't have known either way. You didn't have to bring it up and tell me the whole story. I don't always go probing people's thoughts – I'm not that curious to know about Sugar Rabbit."

"Clover Sugar," corrected the wolf. "And speaking of curiosity the first day we met, she was curious about me. She asked if all red heads were 'fire crotches' then asked if the curtains," he touched his forehead then lowered his paw to a thigh, "…matched the drapes. So I showed her."

Marcus waved both of his paws at his friend as if warding off an evil spirit or a small swarm of insects. "You're doing this on purpose. Why don't you just hump her and get it over with. For Pete's sake, Red. Anyhow, Fara and I will probably stay in tonight. We have a lot of catching up to do… besides, I'm off for the rest of the day and you still have astrometry class."

O'Donnell winced. "I have a test on Stellar Dynamics. I had to call Lucy Hare last night and have her explain it to me. I don't see why astrophysics is important to a fighter pilot."

A shrug. "Red, first of all try and remember that not every student here is going to become a fighter pilot. Second of all, learning the physics of the universe is kinda' important. Not necessarily cosmology but if you learn what an asteroid is made of, you can learn how to degauss a fighter. Then, if you're clever, you shoot an energy weapon into the field that makes the iron-rich chunks turn temporarily magnetic… While being pursued, use the field to defend yourself against hostile invaders."

Crimson blinked at Marcus for a moment, just glaring at his friend.

"Seriously, I did a project on it when I was fifteen. Slippy helped me word my proposal, my thesis and showed me how I can conduct a model for classroom explanation. In case you didn't know this, you'll have to do some sort of project in your sophomore year for that class."

"…Great." Crimson stood up and grinned. "I just saw my roommate across the way – she's sitting by herself. I think I'll go and yak at her for a minute. See you after the weekend."

"Good luck with that whole 'boy-girl' thing you two have going on," replied Marcus.

"You too; what with Fara coming home and all. Rawr!" O'Donnell picked up his tray and moved through the mobbed cafeteria then disappeared into the crowd.

Meanwhile, Marcus stood up, grabbed his backpack and tossed his trash into a nearby canister. He made his way out of the cafeteria then quickened his pace sensing Fara Phoenix was in the area. He made a beeline for the hallway labeled 'Dormitories'.

His paw came flush against a sensor adjacent to the door. Marcus' padded palm activated a scanner. The door opened and Fara stood at the far end of the room wearing McCloud's bathrobe. He stepped in, closed the door behind himself and approached her. Halfway across the room, he tossed his book bag on the floor then opened his arms to her. The two embraced. He placed his paws on her back, able to feel a lack of clothing beneath the robe. She smelled clean and her slightly damp neck fur was matted down.

"Feel better?"

Fara grinned. "I always feel better when I'm clean. How was your day?"

"Same old day, different lesson learned." He brought his paws up to her face then kissed her in a way he felt was a proper greeting. "It's good to see you."

She melted into his short kiss then told him, "You're so much more affectionate than anyone else I've ever dated. A girl could certainly get used to this." She cut her gaze to the backpack on the floor next to her duffle bag. "I suppose I can worry about getting dressed later on. Tell me about …anything. What've I missed in the last few weeks?"

"Crimson being lazy."

Fara grinned, buried her paws beneath the flaps of the robe and nestled into his chest. "Another classic example of entropy increasing. Tell me about what you've been up to, love."

"Have a rough trip? It lasted longer than a week, that's for sure. Tell you what… I'll tell you all about how boring school is, but you tell me your story first."

"But, I…" Fara shrugged.

"I insist – ladies first, sweetheart." Marcus lowered his paws again. He slid his right arm around her shoulders then dipped his left beneath her knees and lifted her into his arms. He carried the petite vixen over to a sofa next to the bed and sat down on the cushy couch. He put his legs up and drew her into an embrace so that she was in a semi-fetal position atop of his chest. Fara pushed her head beneath his chin, burying her face into his neck for a moment.

"I just got back from the military tribunal. The deaths of those men weren't my fault, thank goodness. The weird thing is, I actually kinda' predicted it to them right before it happened." She sighed, snuggling her face against his warm body. Her eyes closed followed by a second sigh. "The mission was a disaster. Four of the men were mortally wounded. The space port was destroyed – I'm surprised you didn't hear about it, but it seems as though someone has somehow managed to keep that out of the media. The three survivors helped me to finish the objective – they learned a lot from this mission."

"Fara, just tell me what happened. Tell me everything – it might help in the future if StarFox somehow becomes involved."

She nodded and pushed her face back into the crook of his neck a second time. "Okay… as much as I'd rather hear what you have been up to, I guess I'll go first. A few weeks ago, the team headed out to Titania because Intel thought an artifact crash landed on the surface at the center of the Upper Hemisphere on the Theremin Continent…"

Several weeks ago…

The Phoenix Enterprises star-liner sank into the atmosphere above Titania. The space port, far below, was a tiny dot in the red-tinted window bubble. Fara Phoenix turned to her group of trainees and said, "Listen up, gents. You've all been in the military for a while now. You've all decided to make a career out of your service. Yet the military's inability to provide you with everything you want out of serving your planet has led you here. You all want to make a difference and that's not something you could do before. Today, you'll make that difference if you follow my instruction. This is an official military operation. Official means… if you die, you'll be acknowledged and get a nice funeral with a flag on your casket. Some random officer will shake your parents' hand or paw, tell them how their son was a fine and dedicated serviceman and a check will arrive in their mailbox. But guess what?"

She lifted her chin a bit and emoted a sort of shoulderless-shrug by furrowing her brows and tipping her head. "On covert missions," she continued, turning to glance out the window then added, "…it won't be that way." After a moment, Fara turned back to the seven males. "If any of you die then I'll have failed my mission. My objective is to turn you boys into agents capable of surviving a suicide mission. If you die then I've screwed up. So I want everyone to follow my orders. Now, this is a training operation. It's not a suicide mission – obviously, since you've not been fully trained to complete one. But I promise you guys will return from this job with a few cuts and bruises. When we land, we're going to resume training. I'm turning this into a double objective mission. We find this artifact and I teach you guys how to survive in a harsh climate."

"Instructor," said the panther. "Aren't fennec foxes originally from Titania?"

Fara nodded. "I can handle myself pretty darn good on this oversized sandbox. My ancestors fought in a revolutionary war so Titania could gain independence from Macbeth. I also did my survival training on this planet. After a week in the heat, they put us on Fichina for another full week. Last but not least, they put us in a raft for six days with only three days worth of supplies and left us adrift on Zoness. Compared to something calm, like Aquas, the ocean was choppy, too salty and the sun was hot out in the open. It teaches you to carefully maintain your supplies and adapt to your surroundings." She walked back to the window. "I usually don't talk this much." The vixen placed her paws on the bubble shield, watching the planet enlarge beneath them. They were within the atmosphere now, breaking through the slight cloud cover. "Be honest – have I earned your respect yet, boys?"

Asper replied before anyone else could speak up. "How can any of us respect someone we don't know? I've not fought alongside of you yet. I've not accomplished a mission with you. I don't even know you." He folded his arms and, continuing in his stern tone, said, "And why should our respect matter to you? You're here to do a job, not make friends. I get on the internet and learn you're a rich girl with a strange death-defying history. I can watch you fight six of my fellow soldiers in a large hanger and see how quickly it takes you to kick their tails. But how can I respect someone I don't know… like I said before, why should my respect matter to you?"

The svelte vixen turned from the window and locked her gaze with his. "I care because I'm here to ensure you become eternal. I'm here to make you immortal. IF I do my job correctly, we'll both die of old age because I'm here to teach you how to stay healthy and avoid death for the remainder of your career. That means you're going to know me for a very, very long time. A teacher who doesn't respect their students will not be as effective… I respect you boys. I'm asking for your respect in return." She tilted her head, watching his stoic gaze. A grin tugged at the corner of her muzzle. "You want to know me? I'm not very complicated. I have a boyfriend and I like to watch movies. I giggle and fawn over babies and now that I've grown my hair out, I like to style it. I'm fond of fashion accessories and I even carry a purse when I'm out on the town."

"Part of me doesn't even believe that," said Asper. He glanced over his shoulders at the other six men. They sat on cushy chairs in the large living room and watched the altercation in silence.

"I'm glad you don't," she replied. "It means I can be anyone I want to be – the military can send me in to pretend I'm a Cornerian turncoat to gain the trust of the Venom government… and they'd never believe I'd be any other way. If I was captured and rounded up en masse, with my purse and my hair styled… do you think the enemy would know I was a tactical counter-intelligence operative? How many commandos do you know that act like a 'girly-girl'? Probably none, right? So, now you know me. I offer you my professional respect."

The hybrid reptile turned back to Fara. "I never cared if people respected me. Most don't because I don't have fur. Even the amphibians leer at me with contempt. But I earned respect… But I've earned it the hard way - only after working with people. That's how it should be. Furthermore, as far as respect does go, I never cared if I had it or not; if they offer it, fine. I could care less. Over time, if I felt they were worth a damn, I eventually gave them my respect in return. I, too, have a girlfriend. She's a beautiful girl – single mother with a family that loves her. They can't always be there for her, but they try. I'm a normal guy with normal parents who live on Katina. I'm nothing special, but I think of myself as driven to succeed. I was raised to believe that women are dainty, feminine and very tender-hearted. That makes them just as beautiful inside as they are on the outside.

"Males are aggressive in nature for a reason – they're the ones who are supposed to fight for things in order to protect their homeland, their children and their women. So what do you want from me?" He lifted his hands up and walked away from her as if pacing. "What should I respect about you? Should I respect you as a woman or should I respect you as a soldier? Should I respect you as a leader or as someone who can teach me how to survive the impossible? There are different degrees of respect… and you're asking for me to respect someone I don't even know. I don't give that freely. Finally, everything you've just told me only proves that I was initially right to treat you like a lady. You wear a purse, style your hair, preen and fawn over children. So that tells me I should respect you as a lady, not as a soldier. I called you miss and ma'am out of respect, in that sense. I refused to swing at you out of respect. But then you come down on us yesterday like a machine… So what is it that you respect about me, Instructor?"

Fara turned back to the window and shrugged. "And here I thought I was being longwinded. Well now… feel better that you got it off your chest?" She put her paws up on the window and dropped her head, closing her eyes. "I respect that you don't let heritage or your peers come between you and your sense of self. I respect that you're the best fighter and marksman of everyone here. I respect that you do your homework about me and everyone else. I respect that you take care of that girl and her baby, despite how over-the-top her family can get. I respect what you did on Aquas. I respect that you survived the attack and waged a one man war against an army while protecting a citizen and a helpless infant. Yes, I know about that."

"Guess you do your homework, too," said Asper. "Let's go find this artifact. If I ace your program then we'll swap life stories. For now, you're just another superior officer whose job I plan to take when I earn my promotion, got it?"

Fara whirled about and thrust her paws in the air. "Good! That's the attitude I want you to have! I want you to do your job first then eye my position. If you're good enough to survive my program then, afterwards, you think you're qualified to turn around and teach it to others… by all means – do it! But sometimes you're going to have a female in your group and she's going to want to be the best. If you treat her differently from the rest then you're doing her a disservice. In the end, she won't be properly trained. That's like signing over a death sentence. Do you understand?"

Asper shrugged, walking amongst his peers. He turned around to face Fara and said, "She shouldn't be there in the first place."

Phoenix snatched his collar and slammed him up against the bulkhead. "Is there something about a vagina that makes me incapable, Gunnery Sergeant Asper Sarnoff? Look at my face, don't you even recognize it?"

He narrowed his gaze but didn't resist against Fara's hostile action. "I respect women enough to give my life to protect one because she can do something I could never do… birth a new life and rear them. That's far more impressive than fighting, killing and surviving. A man is just as capable as a woman on every level except the ability to give birth, which means women should be protected. Why throw them onto a bloody battlefield?"

Fara canted her head a bit and leered at him. "Believe it or not, some women would rather take lives than make them. It's their choice. They might decide to join your program one day if you ever take over my position… and if they do, you'd better respect their wish to fight. Just because they're capable doesn't mean they necessarily care about having kids. Now, tell me… is there anything you think a man can do that a woman can't do?"

"No." He glowered in return then said, "But I wouldn't wish the gore of war on any woman's eyes. That's not civilized."

"Just because we have the technology to go faster than light it doesn't mean we're a socially civil people. Stop treating me like I should be pregnant and barefoot. I don't need your protection – you, however, need mine. I'm going to teach you how to teach future women to be better than you – that's the job of a teacher… to make the student succeed them. Get those preconceived notions out of your head – chivalry has its place in society. But you and I differ from those people. We're warriors, not socialites. You need to learn how to separate things better than by just race and gender. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Fara pulled on his collar than slammed him against the bulkhead again. "Some men are lovers, not fighters. Some women are ladies, some are drama queens, some are enlisted and some are officers. Get that through your thick skull." She narrowed her gaze and said, "And you need to learn your surroundings better. You met me for a split second on the hanger of GreatFox on Aquas. You were in the cargo hold beneath Marcus McCloud's Arwing. I was on the deck, holding your girlfriend's baby – remember now?"

He blinked and shoved Fara away. He looked her over then frowned. "I don't remember you."

"You need to work on your memory skills," said Fara. "I'll get you some flashcards so you can practice. You need to be able to recall faces; you never know when simple image recognition will help you in a mission."

The reptile grinded his teeth together, aggravated with her. "I'm doing everything I can to test your patience," said Asper. "Why haven't you threatened to discharge me yet?"

Fara moved closer until they were face to face. "…Because you're an impressive soldier who has outstanding potential." She shoved him up against the wall a third time. "But I'm frustrated because you're such a typical little soldier boy. You stand up straight, you walk tall and you're just another voice of the great military hive mind. You subscribe to chauvinistic ideals and your inability to adapt and blend would hinder your ability to survive a suicide mission. What if your government sent you to Venom to infiltrate them? What if they told you to act like a scientist? Guess what, scientists can spot a jock a mile away. Your job becomes harder and your chance of success drops. It's all in the math. Your personality is a huge variable and your stupid gender outlook is a huge variable and your childish refusal to treat me as an equal is a variable. Add all that up, and you have a formula for disaster. Do you want to be here, Sergeant Sarnoff? Then act like it and stop putting vagina on a damn pedestal. Treat a lady like a lady and treat a soldier like a soldier, regardless of their gender."

The ship shuttered hard. A sign on the wall illuminated, directing everyone to remain seated during runway touchdown. Fara jerked her paws from his collar then said, "Everyone, despite my better judgment, Asper Sarnoff is still going to be joining us in the field for this mission. If any of you share his views on a traditionalist society, let me know so I can throw you out the airlock and onto the runway. Now that we're here, I want everyone to grab their gear. We have a stone to find then we're going to hand deliver this thing to Corneria in record time."

Everyone went for their gear. The ship shifted again then listed hard to port. Everyone spilled to the deck, sliding along the plush carpet. Several of the men scrambled to the windows to see what was going on. A distant noise caused Fara to perk up. "That was an explosion. Sounds like it happened out on the tarmac."

"Instructor Phoenix, the space port is under attack! I see Imperial fighters strafing the runway!" The Doberman turned to her followed by a flash in the window.

"Get back from…!" A particle cannon round struck the other side of the window, throwing all eight across the suite. The Doberman's body slammed against the ceiling. Both setters were thrown in opposite directions. Both collies were crushed beneath part of the collapsing ceiling.

The large-pawed panther shoved Fara and Asper towards an oak table. The Doberman's body dropped to the floor adjacent to the panther, who grabbed the canine by his belt. With Asper's help, they pulled the man beneath the large table. The ship shook again, sliding along the runway on its belly at a high rate of speed.

It collided with the side of the space port and everything slid up against the side wall. The cushy chairs flipped over and the sofa slid halfway across the suite. The power flickered twice then everything went dark.

Presently…

Phoenix lifted her head, gazing into his mismatched eyes. "Just like that, four out of seven were taken from me. Both setters, both collies – the Doberman was lucky as hell. The blast threw him away from where the hull collapsed. He, somehow, came out of the whole thing nearly unscathed. When the panther's adrenaline thinned out… he realized that he'd been cut by debris. There was blood everywhere." She ran her fingers back through her hair and sat up a bit more.

"I found a medical field kit in storage. The sickbay closet was chock full of stuff. I had to stitch him up – felines don't sit still when they're injured. Anyhow, I spent another week with that room alongside the Military's internal investigation unit. But that's another story for another day. We still had a job to do and I deliver regardless of what happens to my team – that's my training. So, the panther – his name is Franklin Louis the Third, the Doberman – Lector Bosworth, the guys call him Lex, and… Asper. The four of us head into the desert, sneaking out during a massive attack.

"Venom forces were everywhere and, of course, the guys wanted to stay and fight but… I had to teach them that the primary objective is always first. Needless to say, they either followed us or they were coincidentally taking the same route to find this artifact. Either way, it was pretty important to them and I wasn't about to let anyone else get it. So, back to the story… We were out at the edge of the space port. The nearest town was a mile east but the intelligence I had suggested for us to head west. We were trying to find hover bikes so we could cover more ground in a shorter amount of time…"

A soft rumble filled the room. Fara paused then turned back to Marcus as if expecting an answer from him. He glanced off into the distance, trying to focus on his clairvoyance. "That doesn't augur well – I sense panic and outright distress but don't know what's going on." Another rumble, loud like thunder and sharp like trouble – the two foxes glanced at one another. "Okay, no one would be dumb enough to attack an academy. I hope… geeze, what if a trainee crash landed?"

"I suppose it's possible," replied Phoenix. "But we heard two explosions. A training fighter doesn't detonate twice. It's probable, though, if it struck a building then exploded." The door at the other end of the room swung open and Fara lifted her head. Her eyes widened and her training kicked in.

She pushed her left foot against the floor and leaned hard to the right. The sofa toppled backwards, spilling both foxes to the floor near the wall. Rapid fire blaster rounds struck the bottom of the sofa, setting the insulated bottom ablaze. "Imperials!"

Marcus blinked, sitting up between the overturned couch and the wall. "Imperial Venom shouldn't exist!"

"Go!" she shouted, pointing towards the bed. "Bathroom window," she added straight into his ear, so that he could hear over the noisy weapons' discharge. A blaster volley struck the wall above their heads, leaving a line of scorch marks. The paint bubbled up around the freshly burned holes.

Marcus followed her instructions and headed along the wall until he was behind his bed. Fara moved around, staying behind the sofa. She put her feet against the cushions and her back against the wall, watching flames rise up above the furniture. One of the lizards approached the fiery sofa and craned his neck in an attempt to see over it.

She cut her gaze to the left, meeting Marcus' eyes. He nodded twice then lifted a paw, gesturing to her that one lizard stood on the other side from her. She braced her body against the wall and extended her legs with all the muscle in her back and thighs. The sofa bowled over the lizard, engulfing him in flames. They overtook the couch from the bottom side, beginning to engulf the rest of the upholstery. It pinned the soldier down, his screaming filled the room.

Fara scrambled across the room and grabbed her duffle bag. Several blaster shots narrowly missed her, one of which singed the edge of the bathrobe. She swung the bag by its shoulder strap so that the end struck another of three lizards. He fell back into his partner who shoved him forward.

While they were distracted, she withdrew a service pistol from one of the outside pockets then charged the two remaining soldiers. The first one brought his gun up in an attempt to hit her in the face with it. She ducked then jerked her head up between the lizard and his gun. With a head-butt to the face, she stunned the reptile. Her paws moved forward, shoving him away from her. Her shoulders met his rifle, knocking it to the floor.

The other man opened fire, passing through the robe a few inches beneath Fara's arm. Another close call, the vixen bared her pistol and fired twice. The first shot pierced the lizard's neck with her second one passing through his nose and erupting from the backside of his head. His body seized, pulling the trigger on his automatic pulse blaster. It sent a barrage of gunfire into the floor, facing wall and ceiling.

A light fixture dropped from above, hitting the floor less than a meter behind the fennec. She looked up to check for any other lights then glanced back down at the injured lizard. She brought a knee up into his face, rendering him completely unconscious.

"Dammit!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "All I wanted was to have a nice quiet afternoon with my boyfriend." She turned towards the smoldering sofa, just three feet away on her right. The horrendous smell of flame-retardant chemicals caused her to wrinkle her nose. Beneath, an injured lizard lifted his right arm, pointing a Venom-issue handgun at her.

She placed her left heel behind his wrist then twisted her hips. With her ankles crossed, the pivot caused her heels to force his wrist in two directions. He shouted in pain then fired the gun in a random direction. The shot struck the unconscious lizard, killing him instantly. Fara glanced back towards the man she had intended to interrogate then growled at the turn of misfortune.

Aggravated beyond belief, she shifted her body again, breaking his wrist at two angles by means of using her ankles. The sound of snapping caused Marcus to wince. The lizard's shout turned into a groan, winded and unable to catch his breath. Fara kicked the gun from his hand then flipped the pistol in her paw so that she held it by the barrel. She lifted it like a hammer then struck him behind the right ear. He keeled over in silence.

She used her lean left leg to push the charred, smoking sofa off of his torso. With her left foot elevated, the robe slid back, revealing a toned, silky thigh. The sandy fur coloration went all the way to her hip. With her foot still propped, she leaned forward and balanced on her right heel. She gave the sofa a final shove until it rolled off his legs.

Marcus tore his eyes away from her leg and sat down on the bed. "Part of me wishes I was that lizard right now."

Fara glanced down then quickly put her leg back on the floor and pushed the fabric of her holey robe down to cover herself. "He was unconscious – he didn't see anything."

"Still, he's a lucky guy." McCloud ran his fingers over his face then rubbed his eyes. "How did they find us here? And why?"

Phoenix snorted disdainfully. "I don't know – it's not like I have the damn stone on me right now. I left it with General Grey. These guys must think I still have it. I assume the double detonation must have been a diversion to keep campus security away."

He blinked and shook his head. "No, I sense you weren't the target." He moved from the bed and approached a panel on the wall. The fox pressed a square red button at the center then turned back to his vixen. "They were coming for me, I just can't sense why. I suppose they're upset with me for giving Venom forces a tough time a few months ago but… I doubt they'd wait this long before trying to come after me."

Fara licked her lips in apprehension and turned away. "It might have something to do with your parents."

Marcus' eyes widened. "What about them? Did Bill tell you something?"

"It's classified," said Fara, adding, "So don't tell him I told you. They're fine – they tracked down a stone on Sauria then learned that Venom found one on Fichina. They got bold… and tracked down the stone that came from Fichina. They took that one… and went into hiding to lay low for a few days. It's possible that Venom came to take you hostage in order to negotiate a trade. You for the artifacts."

"What are they?" demanded the fox. "What the hell does Venom want with them?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said the fennec. "For a minute there, I thought I was losing my touch… They shouldn't have been able to track me." She face-faulted and said, "I'm sorry they ruined your bathrobe. I'll get you another."

"Why? I mean, that robe was worn by Fara Phoenix in the buff… I could never throw it away." He offered a slight grin. She returned the expression.

Two campus police officers rushed through the open door with weapons drawn. They froze, taking in the scenery then blinked. "Drop your weapon, miss!"

Fara flipped the safety, disengaged the power pack and tossed the gun at the officer. The metallic power supply hit the floor and the pistol landed in the first cop's palm. They both lowered their weapons and inspected the two bodies near the door. "Dead," said one cop.

"Same," returned the other, checking the other lizard.

Fara pointed to the third lizard by the smoldering sofa. "Other than first and second degree burns, a broken wrist and a bruise behind his ear… that one is alive. Turn him over to the city police so they can see what he knows."

The first campus security officer knelt down besides the unconscious lizard and placed restraints on his ankles then another set on his wrists. The reptile visually flinched after the cop clicked the cuffs on his broken forearm. It caused the lizard to stir, groaning from pain.

The second officer radioed for backup to come and deal with the dead bodies. He then turned his attention to Marcus. "It looks like you're going to get another room, sir. Pack up your belongings."

He turned to Fara and sighed. "At least they didn't hit the holo-vision. I really like that thing, you know?"

Fara offered her mate a smile. "I'm glad you do. It'll take an hour or two before they can assign you a new room. We have time." She ducked her head down and buried her nose beneath the flaps of the robe then sniffed. "Yuck – the chemicals from under that sofa… they absolutely reek. We're both going to smell like burnt …whatever that stuff is."

"We should be glad for it," said Marcus, watching the cops lift the groggy lizard from the floor. They escorted the reptile through the door while other officers moved into the room. One of them photographed the bodies while the other began documenting. McCloud turned his attention back to Fara and said, "Put your bag in the bathroom and turn on the ceiling fan. We'll clean up so we don't smell like that stuff, just be glad those chemicals are used on the bottom of things like couches. I didn't want to jump out the bathroom window… we're two stories up."

Fara glanced back at more men coming in through the door. They brought stretchers and lifted the dead reptiles from the floor. She smirked then pointed towards the bathroom door. "Grab a spare set of clothes and get your tail in the shower." She picked up her duffle bag.

"And what about you?" he asked. The fox moved across the room and took some clean clothes from his dresser.

She pointed to the bathroom without another word. He nodded and moved into the bathroom. The vixen turned back towards the campus guards. "That sofa is giving me a headache." She tilted her head and batted her lashes. "Could you boys carry that thing outside for me, please?"

To Marcus' amazement, the two remaining canines put away their clipboard and camera then moved to either side of the sofa. They lifted it up and carried it out into the hallway. With the room now empty, Fara sauntered over to the door, closed it and locked it. She turned back to Marcus and pointed in his direction. "Shower, now. Those chemicals probably cause all sorts of problems. We're going to wash it off our fur right now."

"Together…? I mean, I…"

Fara carried the duffle bag across the room and guided him the rest of the way into the bathroom. She pulled the door shut, locked it then opened the frosted glass door to the shower stall, turning on the hot water. She set her bag atop of the toilet seat lid and, to McCloud's surprise, shrugged out of the robe. It pooled around her ankles. She stepped into the stall and asked, "Are you coming or what?" She offered him a grin then reached for the soap.

Marcus replied with a nervous chuckle in spite of himself. He kicked his shoes into the corner and fumbled with his belt in a hurry. "Y-yeah, I sure am."

A/N: Okay! The first chapter is done! YES I plan on updating Reflections of Fox McCloud. YES I plan on working on all my other StarFox stories. YES, I plan on FINISHING Spy Cooper. But I've been on a huge StarFox kick lately… I promise to finish Spy Cooper soon, but like I said, I'm having a blast with this storyline right now… give me a little time to play with it. That's all I ask of my Sly Cooper fans.

Don't worry, Fara will finish her story about what happened on Titania. We'll also learn more about what Fox and Krystal are up to. Last but not least, we'll find out how all the characters from the last story play into this… starting with Falco, Lucy Hare and her daughter. They're still living on GreatFox with Slippy's son.

I already know a little bit of what I wish to write about here. I want to finish Marcus' senior year in the academy. This is just all the wild stuff that happens during that time. Unlike New Generation, which spanned about a season, THIS story will span about a year and a half by the time I finish. Thanks for reading! Chapter two is already several pages long. See ya soon! I hope everyone liked the new direction so far!

-Kit

And now… THE FOREWORD, for those who WANT to read it!

Foreword:

Wow, this is the sixth REFLECTIONS story. I never intended to write all these pieces or to turn it into a saga. I never intended to go beyond Reflections of Krystal. In fact, I never intended to go beyond the first or second chapter of that story because I was trying to prove a point to my friend. See, no one was reading my other stories, so I said, "If I make a quick short story about Krystal and put her name in the title, it'll do better than my other work." So I began a story about her that started immediately after "SF:Adventures" and so it began. Guess what happened?

Well, of course we know the outcome – the first chapter got more reviews and hits than all my other work. So, to amuse those who were now giving me their attention, I added a second chapter to placate them. The reviews asked for me to continue. The story outgrew the name, "Reflections" by the third or fourth chapter of that title. It was no longer a story about her reflecting on what happened… but now a story about Star Fox.

I continued the storyline with "Reflections of the FUTURE" because I had a few ideas of how I wanted to do the same storyline but make it happen after "SF:Assault" and so that story began. But I felt as though I'd already gotten away from what I'd intended for the first story and got to work on "Reflections of Peppy." I'm slow on updating that one because I really want each chapter to have meaning… but I've made sure that every single chapter is true to its title… each chapter is a short story, told with Peppy as the reflecting narrator.

Invariably, people asked for a story about Fox's life. I never could figure that out – see, other than "FUTURE", which was about the team as a whole, after SF:Assault, all the stories have been about Fox McCloud through the eyes of the other characters. First Krystal then Peppy and Marcus. At first, to do a Reflections of Fox McCloud seemed kinda' silly. I could have just-as-easily done a story about Slippy and started the day he and Fox became friends… then went to the academy together… but so many people asked that I decided to make sure I did what most big budget movie makers and huge house-name authors rarely ever do… I wanted to put the reader first. In the end, yeah I kinda' do whatever I want with the story but I always keep myself grounded by remembering that I'm doing this for people who read my work. They're the reason I write, because I'm not the kind of person who does things for myself – I always have to share. I'm an entertainer at heart and I want to entertain YOU, the reader.

I took what the readers wanted and added my own twists. Some people rejected my original ideas, but some grew to like them. For example, Fara Phoenix was a mostly forgotten character. In the attempt to keep my stories somewhat laced with canon, I had to come up with an explanation for WHY Fara Phoenix disappeared from Fox McCloud's life. Well, throw-away characters are often referred to as 'dead characters'… so I killed Fara Phoenix. But I'm old school. I was a Star Fox fan before the Game Cube was on the market, and I was a Star Fox fan before the N64 was on the market. So, of course, I decided to bring her back in the distant future then explain away her absence. That's where I got creative… and to my absolute surprise (and delight), readers fell in love with her. Not all readers, but all the ones who talked to me, at the very least. I'm glad you guys share your thoughts, opinions and your time with me. I'm grateful. I appreciate the contact.

When Marcus ('Star' McCloud) had a tense flirty moment between himself and Fara, fans actually liked it. From the first time Fara fell into his arms and slid down into his embrace, face to face… the first time their eyes met, the first time they were close and felt nervous towards one another… fans ate it up. I threw his ex-girlfriend into the mix and described her as hotter than the average chick and a few people felt he should be with Violet instead, but the majority of my readers wanted to see him with Fara Phoenix.

At this point, I'd finally achieved what I intended to do the day I began writing… I made someone – several someones at that – care about my plots and my characters. THEN… "SF: Command" came out for the Nintendo DS. One of the endings revealed the fact that Fox and Krystal name their first born son MARCUS McCLOUD. Many franchise fans thought Fox's son would be 'James', but no one saw Marcus coming. Fair enough, I decided to adapt. I couldn't go back and change his name through the entire story; too much of it was built around his name.

So, I came up with the idea that 'Marcus' was the name of Krystal's father. The senator died when Cerinia was 'doomed', as SF:Adventures so eloquently worded it. Okay, it wasn't really eloquent, so much as concise. Straight and to the point, Cerinia was 'doomed'. Anyhow, the most surprising thing happened: My original character was now, technically speaking – thanks to a loophole – a bona fide canon character. The reader had the ability to pop in the Star Fox game for the Nintendo DS and, with a little time and effort, see the name "Marcus McCloud" billed as the "son" of "Fox and Krystal" as a result of their "marriage". That means it's directly related to the franchise – it's a Nintendo Intellectual Property – a real deal, genuine, factual Nintendo Star Fox character. Suddenly, 'New Generation' had a larger following.

Had I known, I would have named the character "Marcus" from day one, but there's nothing I can do now… except have my version of Marcus pretend to deny his past to better make it blend with whatever Nintendo decides for him. Of course, it won't match. They won't have Fara as his girlfriend, they won't have Peppy's granddaughter named Vivian, after his wife, they won't have Slippy's son named "Theodore Beltino Toad", after Slippy's father. …But I can hope.

Does anyone KNOW where Beltino got his name from? I'll tell you: Fan Fiction.

Back in the old days, there were two guys who ran the largest Star Fox fansite on the internet. It was called the CORNERIAN MISSION BASE webpage. One of the guys who ran it, Dr. Foxbert, was one of the nicest people I'd ever met in 1996. He posted fan fictions from people like Theodore Perotti (spelling?) and Julie "Vixendreams" G. (Whose last name I won't post here, because she once told me, in 2002, that she no longer likes using her real name because it's not always safe these days.) Needless to say, Theodore was an amazing writer. I was 16 and he was about 28. He, along with several other writers on that website, were using the name "Beltino" as Slippy's father. Occasionally, the name was used by other writers… I began using it. In 1997, 'BELTINO' showed up in the Nintendo Players Guide for StarFox 64, but was never used in the game. Beltino somehow stuck around and when Namco brought him into the storyline for 'SF:Assault', they used BELTINO. So yes, anything is possible. If enough of the fanbase agrees on something, the video game might just adapt it into their canon storylines. I consider that a personal victory for fans because BELTINO was never really mentioned as a name in anything else before being widely used by the fan fiction writers. Some may argue that the 1997 Players Guide was its origin, but I still have the stories I printed out before StarFox 64 was out on the market… I know better.

It's possible those guys knew something I didn't… or they had a Japanese connection to some unknown Japanese comic never released here, where the name was translated from kanji to read as BELTINO… but I'm sure I'd have heard about that sort of thing on the Arwing Landing website… for those of you who don't know, now that the CORNERIAN MISSION BASE page is long gone (Although DrFoxbert is still available in AIM and usually has a lot of the old archive stuff on a diskette somewhere), we now have OUTSTANDING fan pages for background reference.

The two largest pages are very popular with fans. One is the Arwing Landing Net page. (Some remember it as ArwingLanding DOT 'tk', but it's straight up DOT NET now)… and the other one is KrystalArchive DOT com. Dwight House, now known as MrKrystal, is practically a Star Fox fan household name. Why? I guess because he's more public than StealthFox, who runs the ArwingLanding site. I dunno'. But I'll tell you this, ten-to-one, Star Fox fans know the name "Dwight House" and/or 'MrKrystal' over "Kit-Karamak" or even "Ken Weaver". Believe me. And, surprisingly, I'd wager to bet that ArwingLanding is even more popular, because it's such a wealth of Star Fox history and general STUFF. Anyone who googles stuff on Star Fox will eventually find something that links them back to one of those two sites. If, by some strange chance, you've come here to read this story but NEVER heard of those two websites… I encourage you to CHECK THEM OUT. That's KrystalArchive DOT com, and ArwingLanding DOT net. I'm pretty sure both sites have been up since before I wrote Reflections Of Krystal in 2005 – so they're very established.

Okay, I've yammered on enough… several pages – almost two thousand words – reflecting on the Reflections Series. THANK YOU for reading my work, gang. At some point, I'll push my original stories because I do want to shop for publishers. But right now, I'm content to finish what I started in the pursuit of bettering myself. Seriously, I wish to become published. I know not everyone will care for my stories, but …on the other hand… a lot of you have already told me you'd read something original if I ever published it.

Well, you can start by going to FICTIONPRESS dot COM, Fan Fiction Net's sister-site. Search for 'Kit-Karamak', same way, same hyphen. I've only posted one story, which I wrote in 2003. It's called "The Price of Freedom". It's a short story.

Again, thank you for reading – I appreciate that you're all taking your personal time and spending it on my material. That's very humbling to know you're reading this stuff right now. You have my gratitude. Feel free to drop a line at any time! My email address has remained the same for about two years now. RockstarTravesty AT aol DOT com.