FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Outfoxed"

Shanoi Station; one of those out-of-the-way outposts on the far reaches of the Cornerean army's influence. It was a trading post, an outlet for some of the scummiest creatures to fly the galaxy, and Fox McCloud felt out of place for even stepping into it. Landing the Arwing in the docks could have been considered a questionable act, while the reason he found himself here could have been considered by many an actual act of treason.

"Fox, I'm not sure why the beacon on your ship suddenly stopped responding, but if you make your way back here I can get Slippy to fix it for ya."

Fox rolled his eyes at Peppy's voice on his intercom and he brought the screen displaying his face to full. "Pepe, I turned it off on purpose. I'll turn it back on when I'm done here."

"Ohhh..." The hare's eyes widened. "Are you on some secret mission from the general?"

"No, I just needed some time to unwind. I'm sure you understand."

"Why is it you need to be so secretive then? Why can't you unwind here with us?"

"AHHHH! Pepe! Help me! Falco's gonna kill meeee!" The screeching voice of Slippy in the background almost made Fox's eye twitch.

"You're gonna regret smashing that plate, it was a collector's edition you little toad! Get back here!"

"Peeeeepe!"

Pepe's face was somewhat contorted into a mid-eyeroll and a deadpan expression before another loud crash and screaming could be heard. "I...see your point." He said. "When can we expect you back?"

"I'll check in in a few days." Fox said.

The hare's expression turned back into its cheery smile, the crashing and banging in the background having faded as Falco and Slippy moved on. "Alright. I'll try to keep the place in order until you get back then." He said. "You just be careful, your father wouldn't forgive me if--"

"Yeah, yeah." Fox said dismissively nodding his head. "You don't have to tell me twice. Fox out."

As Pepe's face vanished from the console, Fox gave a groan and ran his hands down his face. "What the fuck am I even doing here?" He asked himself before popping the hatch and climbing out of the ship.

Fox's feet clanked the ground loudly, giving off a metal echo that was only overridden suddenly by the engines of other ships getting ready to take off. He slid his hands into his pockets and strutted his way across the bay until reaching the corridor to the hall beyond. This place was like a maze inside and for once the pilot was unfamiliar was unfamiliar with its layout. He approached a small black screen on the edge wall and placed his hand on it. "Where's a fella gotta go to get a drink around here?" He said.

The computer panel flickered to life, displaying several establishment names. The "Downward Dog" was the bar he had been looking for, and pressed in its logo. Immediately the wall flashed to what looked like a map, following a trail of dots from his location, he found the route and released the panel, causing it to go dark. "Thanks." He uttered as he continued down the corridor. Following the familiar signs leading along each corridor, it didn't take him more than five minutes before he was staring directly at the logo. He took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway, causing it to automatically slide up into the upper canal of the frame before stepping inside.

The bar smelled heavily of booze as one would have expected, but none of the patrons really paid Fox any mind as the door came slamming back down into its place. He wasn't exactly an unrecognized figure; hero of Corneria, defeater of Andross...son of James McCloud, but perhaps his light change in outfit was enough to sort of set him apart from the legacy. Fox slid into one of the remaining empty stools at the bar and caught the eye of the bartender; a female leopard with an eyepatch over her right eye. As she slapped a dirty towel over her shoulder, she made her way over to Fox. As she approached, Fox put on his best smile. "Good afternoon, I'm looking to meet with someone and--"

"You gonna order something... 'hero'?" The tone of her voice indicated she was not impressed that Fox McCloud had come to this place.

Fox's eyes wandered a bit, spotting a rather strangely glowing drink with black globes floating in it. "How about one of those?"

"One Blackhole coming up." She said as she moved away abruptly.

He watched her work for a moment, slipping a few unknown strains of black liquid into a glass, then mixing in several drinks that caused them to come to life almost in the crystal-clear fluid. Returning to the fox, she added a small handful of what looked like dust and it caused the glass to illuminate and shine brightly. As he took the glass, he could feel it vibrating under his fingers. "As I said before, I'm looking for someone."

"Look, we don't want no trouble from team Star Fox here. We got our own codes--"

"I'm not here as part of Star Fox." Fox said raising his glass. "I'm off duty, now all I need to do is meet someone." He took a slug of his drink, and the sudden induction of sour and sweet made his eye twitch and his head start spinning. He gagged and exhaled loudly before returning his gaze to the bartender. "So you g-gonna help me or not?"

The female smirked, amused at Fox's reaction. "You know, I haven't seen anyone take a belt of the Blackhole in a while. You're alright, Fox." She said as she slipped her fingers into the top of her blouse and extracted what looked like a card key. "He was here about an hour ago, said some pompous dick would show up acting all tough and wanting to meet with him. I guess you're that dick." She said as she slipped the card to him.

"I guess I am." Fox answered, taking the card and climbing down from his stool. He wobbled for a moment as he touched the floor and started to walk away.

"It's a pity." She said as she caught Cloud's attention again. "If you weren't so much his type, I'd take you home myself." She said before leaning away from the counter and returning to her work.

Fox left the bar, feeling the slightest haze from that strong drink as he made his way across the station's open courtyard toward the elevators. The elevators were activated by keycards, which indicated what room they were assigned to. As the doors opened he stepped into the lift and swiped the card, causing the lights on it to go green. The car shunted and began to move toward its destination, brief glimpses through the windows allowed Fox to see the space surrounding the station and just as soon as he began to feel comfortable with it, the elevator stopped and the door opened into the darkened hallway that was like an airlock before a door just beyond. Fox slipped the key back into his pocket and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, the door clicked and it slid upward similar to the bar's opening entrance and Wolf O'Donnell stood on the other side. He was dressed in a black tanktop that showed off more of his gray fur than even Fox was used to seeing. On his legs were a pair of dark flight pants, which seemed somewhat out of place in such a casual environment. He raised a martini glass to the fox in greeting. "Oh, there you are Fox." He said with a somewhat facetious tone to his voice. "I'm glad you could finally make it."