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Chapter -18- Something New

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Six hours later, Autopilot path somewhere between Corneria and Sargasso ...

Panther drew her into a half-hug and frowned. "That sounds ... awful. Thank you for opening up to me; no one should keep that sort of thing to themselves. It's unhealthy."

Krystal ran her paw through the cerulean locks of her head-fur with a soft sigh. She let him put an arm around her because, well, she didn't know why. "That's really mature of you to feel that way. Um, well..."

Silence.

Krystal cleared her throat. "So, Marie, she said her name was ... she, uh, told me she's willing to see what her folks're like on a trial basis, so there's that."

Panther poured the last of the wine bottle into Krystal's glass. "Number two for you, number three for me."

"Should I get another bottle?" asked Krystal.

"No, I think it would be best to stop here. Enough to relax, but not so much that we are unable to pilot our ships."

"Fair," said Krystal with a nod.

"I hate to ask but ... what did you think of the girl's parents? I mean, this isn't a fairytale, so I half expect them to be broken and incapable of parenting, or the home is already broken and the two live apart, or they are financially immature, or..."

Krystal shook her head. "It was a beautiful, clean, posh suburban home about an hour outside of the Capital City. The driveway was large enough I was able to land Cloudrunner in front of the home."

"...Really? Did they seem like capable parents?"

Krystal replied with a firm nod. "They have a seven-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old daughter; both seem very well adjusted. Both children already knew the story of their missing sister, and they were eager to meet Marie. Both parents were over the moon, as the expression goes, and they agreed with my recommendation regarding sexual psychotherapy from a professional."

"How did the mother take it? Learning her daughter had been accosted, I mean."

Krystal frowned thoughtfully, and spoke in a respectful tone, regarding Marie's mom. "The mother was a child victim, herself. Not to the level of Marie, but she mentioned something called Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and how she came back from the brink, and ... she seems capable of being empathetic to Marie's abuse."

"It sounds as though this girl is actually really lucky."

"Agreed, Panther. I won't lie or try sounding like some sort of tough Star Wolf mercenary ... I cried."

"To see them reunited?"

Krystal nodded. "Yes, love. It was something I'll never forget. Just being part of that ... my heart feels lighter than it has in ages. I almost forgot what it feels like to let myself _feel_again..."

"Mm, maybe life has a few fairytales left to tell after all."

"Maybe so. Although I'm not ready to wear my own heart on my sleeve again. That's something I'll keep a tight leash on."

"I understand," said Panther. "Wait, Oppositional Defiance Disorder? That's a thing?"

"Yes," she said in a soft tone. She took a sip from her refreshed glass of wine, then a second sip. "It's where you don't trust positions of authority because the victim was typically abused by someone of authority." She paused, then, with a frown and a softer tone, she added, "Like if a babysitter victimizes a child, that child may grow up to distrust persons of authority, like, for example, teachers or even parents. Or, the child may distrust all babysitters going forward, and only feel safe with a small group of adults, like latching on to a single role model, especially if that role model is a bad influence."

"Like if a stepparent harms the child, and the child latches onto the parent, and tries to drive a wedge between the two adults..."

Krystal nodded. "This sort of behavior pattern will sometimes manifest when the child becomes older."

"Manifests how?"

Krystal shrugged her shoulders. "Depends on the victim. Sometimes, perhaps, as a distrust in governments, police officers, such and so forth."

Silence.

Krystal frowned. "I hope I am explaining this right. I'm not a professional therapist, after all."

Panther nodded and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. He took a sip from his own wine glass, in his other paw, and asked, "So, Krystal, you're telling me that Wolf O'Donnell would be labeled by society as ODD?"

"Well, I mean..."

Panther continued. "Funny when considering Wolf, because he's a self-labeled 'rebel,' but to label a child as ODD seems trite, if not outright disrespectful to the child."

Krystal smiled a bit, but it vanished as quickly as it was offered. "You know ... you're right. It is unfair to a victimized child to label them 'ODD' ... bloody churlish, really. I can only imagine how offensive and condescending it would seem to that child as they grow into their pre-teen and teenaged years."

"Exactly right. Someone like Wolf would chuckle and roll his eyes. A child, however, would feel further disrespected by the system that is supposed to be in place to protect said child."

For once, Krystal felt truly impressed by Panther. "I ... admit, I really like that you're taking this conversation so ... seriously. I appreciate that."

"It is a serious subject."

She nodded in agreement. "You know, Panther, you're ... not what I originally thought you'd be."

"Well ... I appreciate that. So, thank you."

Her smile broadened a bit. She looked around the Cloudrunner's interior. Her laundry was still in the corner ... well, some of it. Along with the basket on its side.

Awkward silence.

Krystal exhaled. "You want to fly this way all the way back to Sargasso, Panther? With your Wolfen cloaked and attached to the bottom of my ship?"

"The cloak will last so long as the engines are shut down. The generator can only power the cloak or the plasma engines."

"That's a bit of a cock-up, though, isn't it?"

"Not really, Krystal. It's designed for leaving my ship in the field during a ground-based mission. It's painted black for space fighting, after all."

"What about upgrading to a larger generator?"

"A higher-output generator would be larger, and the Wolfen is already too large, in my opinion. It doesn't need any more bulk."

"Says the man who installed a huge afterburner manifold and a plasma laser from a capital ship, with the barrel sawed off."

Panther chuckled. "Yes, the 'Zapper' is unnecessarily large, but I was a sniper when I performed assassinations. It's my preferred method of killing. But, to answer your previous question ... yes, if you don't mind, I would like to continue on to Sargasso in this fashion. Once we enter Bolse sector, I will use it to cloak the Cloudrunner, and I will take command of the Wolfen. It's the best way out of this part of the system. Do you ... mind?"

"No," she replied in a soft tone. "But I have patrol duty tomorrow. My shift starts at noon. I have to be back to Corneria before then. But I can take the nearest jump-gate to Corneria, since I won't have the Wolfen attached during my return trip, later tonight."

"You're going to be tired after doing two jobs. Then you'll have to fly all the way back to Corneria. You truly wish to do all of that tonight? You'll have been awake roughly twenty-three hours. Can I talk you into saying in a guest room this evening? Better safe than sorry, you don't want to fly that tired."

Krystal rubbed her chin in thought. "I mean ... how about I give it some thought?"

Panther nodded. "No rush; think it over all you like. If you feel you can handle it, I will respect your decision. But, please, fly safe, not tired."

"Oh, come off it, Panther." Krystal eyed him. "Are you just saying that to see if you can get me to stay the night with you?"

"Again, I would find you a guest room. Wolf keeps very nice guest rooms for when he's trying to impress a client. You've not seen them, but you would be impressed. I was, and I have high standards."

"Do you now?" She chuckled. "I sleep best in my own bed." She patted the mattress of her bed, where she sat on the edge of the frame with Panther at her side. "So, maybe I'll sleep in the flight hanger, in the Cloudrunner, in my own bed."

"Whatever you prefer."

"Thanks, Panther. After my patrol, I'll come back to Sargasso. If Wolf has no jobs lined up, we can ... 'hang out.' How's that?"

"That would be lovely."

"You've been a perfect gentleman, just like when we had lunch together that one time. Well, you did a little hard flirting last time, but this time you've been well behaved."

Panther chuckled. "Don't tell Wolf on me. He doesn't want 'well behaved' on his team."

"You know what I mean."

Panther replied with a toothy smile. "Yes, I know what you mean by that."

"It's refreshing," she admitted. "Not saying I'm un-used to it, just ... I mean, I expected things to be awkward with you, but they haven't been awkward at all."

"Except the traumatic moment with the girl. I'm sure that was quite awkward."

"Well, yeah. I just meant ... things haven't been awkward with you, and I appreciate that."

"I'm glad we can be friends." He put his arm around her shoulders.

She glanced at his arm on her shoulder. She expected it to be weird but ... it wasn't. "Even this whole ... being close ... thing ... doesn't feel as awkward as I thought."

Panther replied with a soft smile and gently eased his arm from her shoulders. He rested both paws on his lap. "I'm proud of you."

"Are you, now..."

He nodded firmly. "Yes, I am. That girl, Marie, is going to have a better life because of you. Don't tell Wolf I said that. He doesn't care about that sort of thing because his own childhood was apparently rough. He doesn't talk much about it, so details are vague. But this girl? She is not Wolf. It seems to me that Marie deserves a better life than what she's experienced of it thus far. Now, thanks to you, I have high hopes for her."

"Me, too," Krystal said, followed by a genuine smile. "That was really sweet of you, just now, Panther."

"You know, you are one of the only people to see the real ... the genuine me. The 'me' that I do not share with others. Not my teammates, not anyone. But why do I share with you in this way? I do not know. There is something disarming about you, Krystal."

"You probably figure that, well, because I'm a telepath, there's nothing to hide."

Panther shook his head. "No, that isn't it. I don't even try to put on airs with you. I just feel I can talk to you naturally. I do not have to be fake with you."

"Do you want your psychological profile from Cornerian intelligence? Because it's nothing like who you are in person."

"Well, that's good to know ... I've fooled their experts, have I?"

Krystal chuckled. "They'll never get to see this side of you."

"I want your psychological profile of me. How's that?"

Krystal chuckled, followed by a shrug and nod. "Okay, fine. You're one person in battle, sure, and anyone can write a paper on how your alter ego is battling your 'id' for control of your super-ego. But truth be told, I know it's an act. I've known since day one. The flirting, the Casanova act, the sexually dominant commentary? It's what you do to turn off everything else because you're focused on your work. It's kind of like deflection in a way."

"Now, which one is my alter ego?"

She glared at him with a wry grin. "Okay, I'll play this game, silly as ya' like."

"Good. Go on, then."

Krystal smirked. "Your alter ego is the one that speaks in the third person about how great you are. Y'know, you didn't use to do that back during the Aparoid Invasion. What changed?"

"I was taking on a character for a job recently. I really enjoyed it. It amused me. In no time at all, I started adopting it as my work persona. It annoys Wolf and Leon. That was an unexpected bonus, which cemented my preference to speak in the third person whenever we engage enemy fighters."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy to show me the real you."

Panther smiled softly. "What if my alter ego takes over my super-ego? Am I using these terms correctly? What I mean is, what if I become the man that speaks in the third person all the time?"

Krystal chuckled. "Then, eventually, I'll decide to slap you upside the head. No, seriously, I know it's an act. If you start acting like that all the time, I'll just tell you that you're being annoying."

Panther chortled softly in a guttural tone. "Good. Speak your mind with honesty. It's your integrity that I find attractive. You don't beat around the bush. I've had that from a past relationship. I dislike it."

"You cherish honesty, hm?"

"It's real. Now, I'm not talking about adopting a persona for work. I can be real and still speak of myself in the third person. I'm talking about you. You always speak your heart, and you always act with personal honor. I mean, you are flying for the Cornerian military, yet you are moonlighting for Star Wolf. Why? Because you believe in our new philosophy."

"What, get rich on the deserving, instead of just anyone?"

"Well, yes, actually." Panther chuckled with a shake of his head. "This Syndicate - they deserve to be dismantled. And instead of filling the power vacuum that they will undoubtedly leave, Wolf wants to destroy all drug production, personally sell off all the product until it is gone, liberate all the sex slaves, and, finally, break the trafficking infrastructure. He wants to expose all the rich perverts. And, sure, it will destroy a few lives, like the families that these perverts keep around as fronts for their operations, but I feel no compunction in that."

"Oh, you don't, do you?" She grinned at him just a little bit.

Panther took a sip from his wine glass. "Would you, as a woman, want to stay married to someone who is cheating on you with girls half your age?"

"No."

"Exactly. It is better to expose these men and ruin a few marriages than to let them operate as they have been. Wolf wants to pull apart their operations so fully and completely that there is no vacuum where any other power can form anytime soon."

"Does Wolf really believe that is a realistic expectation? Even Cerinia had its share of sexually broken people. It was harder to mask due to everyone being telepathic, but it was never impossible."

"Wolf's goal is to make profiting off such behavior nearly impossible. He wants to break criminal empires in such a way that only old fashion crimes would even be possible ... the sort of crimes that do not absolutely disgust him."

"Again, that sort of goal sounds too lofty."

Panther shrugged. "Perhaps it is impossible. But Wolf has a plan. All I know is that he believes his plan will lead to the complete eradication of sex trafficking and it will cripple the drug cartels operating around Lylat. His plan also involves making certain drugs impossible to recreate by destroying the suppliers' way of manufacturing synthetic chemical compounds, and then killing anyone that knows how to recreate them."

"So, by making certain drugs extinct, and by making it more difficult to traffic people, Wolf will ... do what?"

Panther replied with a smile. "Wolf will make it too difficult to rebuild empires based on that sort of depravity. When Star Wolf has finished its work, criminals will want to avoid everything about that nonsense. Mostly because it will be so fully exposed and broken. There will be no way to end the business of prostitution, assassinations, or enjoying a harmless high from harmless plants or chemicals used by recreational stoners, but the drugs that break people at the core? Those will be impossible to obtain because Wolf's plan also involves making a certain plant completely extinct in Lylat."

Krystal nodded in understanding. "I think I understand, now. Wolf wants to destroy the synthetic compounds used in violent drugs, and eliminate the plants used in causing sex victims to become placid, then he wants to make it so there is no longer a rich circle of scumbags buying youth for sex. They'll all be in prison and ruined."

"No, love ... Wolf wants to eat the rich, so to speak. Absorb them and their wealth, _and then_leave them dead or broken ... or both. You know the plant I mentioned? It's used to make two drugs. One makes people placid and accepting, sexually. The other drug made from that plant allows rich old perverts to perform, sexually, at an advanced age. The eradication of that plant is crucial to Wolf's grand plan."

Krystal brought a paw to the bottom of her muzzle. She rubbed her jawline in thought. "What about the man you captured?"

Panther snickered softly. "Wolf is acquiring all of that man's legal businesses as we speak. That man is being forced to tell all of his contacts, and those people are becoming targets for Star Wolf's next attack."

"What is Wolf's endgame," asked Krystal. She took another two sips from her wine glass.

"If you absorb all the other criminal empires, dismantle them, and operate these businesses legally, the criminals are beaten from the inside out. Wolf gets rich. The assassin guilds, sex traffickers, and cartels are ruined."

"That sounds like it will take a long time to achieve all of those goals."

"It would be easier if we still had all of those willing mercenaries."

Krystal thought back to Ruffian and the other simians that worked for Star Wolf once upon a time. "Do you miss having an army?"

Panther laughed. "An 'army,'" he replied, followed by a shake of his head. "You mean the monkeys that didn't want to side with Andrew?"

"Yes, the men and women that flew and fought for Wolf leading up to the events of the Aparoid Assault on Lylat."

Panther nodded with a soft sigh. "Yes, I suppose it was nice having our own private army of mercenaries. But that's gone, now. Wolf's plan was always to dismantle Andrew's forces by buying them out and breaking Venom's muscle."

"What changed?"

"Well, Venom's soldiers were afraid to fight for Wolf, to be honest. First, Star Fox killed dozens upon dozens of capable men. Then, while Star Wolf and Star Fox were working together outside of Lylat, nearly all of the surviving mercenaries were absorbed by the Aparoids that were still operating in Lylat before the queen was shut down."

"Wait, all those men that survived Star Fox's raid on Sargasso ... were turned into Aparoids?"

Panther nodded. "While we were working to save Star Fox, well, there was no one to protect Sargasso. Ruffian and a few others have survived. But, out of five hundred soldiers for hire, less than twenty-five men are still alive. The rest became Aparoids."

Krystal brought a paw to her muzzle.

"When the queen died, the commands stopped coming in, and the Aparoid drones failed to function. So, those men, recently transformed, had no instructions. They didn't eat; they didn't sleep. They just withered away until the 'apoptosis virus' command made its way to Lylat via subspace relay buoys. Then, all at once, those men just ... died. Right where they stood."

"Oh, my goddess."

"It was ... unforgettable. Lylat has changed dramatically because of the Aparoid Assault. The fact that sex rings and drug cartels are thriving is a testament to the fact that death and depression will breed depravity as a coping mechanism for even the best of men."

Krystal swallowed. She lowered her eyes.

Panther continued. "It takes true inner strength to wade through bodies, and even the most resilient of men will still find a piece of their soul dying. And, there in, lies the road to drinking, drugs, and the darker forms of entertainment that would have been otherwise avoided."

Krystal cut her gaze away from him. "This conversation is getting a bit heavy-handed." She finished the rest of her wine glass all in one gulp.

Panther nodded in agreement. "I would much rather talk about being allowed to kiss you."

Krystal bit her lower lip. For once, she wasn't offended by his suggestion. She decided to do it and see if regret nested in her heart. She leaned forward.

Panther met her the rest of the way. He slanted his muzzle across hers, kissing her firmly.

And she ... didn't hate it.

She sensed he was going to break the kiss prematurely, by standing up, so she reached up and grasped his flight suit by the handle beneath the rose-painted plate over his solar plexus.

She stood with him, so that the kiss was not broken.

She draped her other arm over the back of his neck, and, just because, she lifted her right foot until the heel of her shoe touched the base of her tail.

Admittedly, the kiss wasn't quite as good as kissing Fox the very first time, but, after what she'd been through with Fox, the kiss felt oddly emotional and pleasing.

She couldn't be sure why she liked it as much as she did, but kissing a bad guy felt more like kissing a bad boy than a bad man. And that? ...wasn't so bad.

She still had two hours before they would arrive at their destination. Plenty of time. Krystal broke the kiss and lifted her gaze to Panther's own.

His big brown eyes were conflicted with both confidence and insecurity.

She cut her gaze to the empty mattress, then she met his eyes again. She nodded at him in silence, and then sat back down on the edge of the bed.

Panther returned the nod, pleased to receive her permission. He placed his large paws on either side of her ribcage, beneath her arms, and lifted her from the edge of the mattress. He set her down, diagonally, across the center of the bed, moving over her, and pressed his lips to hers again.

She reached around him with one paw, clinging to him, but kept herself somewhat propped on one elbow.

Panther leaned forward until her back met the sheets.

She reached for the release switch on his hip, causing the armored cuirass to unclasp along his right side, then she reached for the switch on his other hip, causing the breast plating to unclasp along his left side.

Panther placed his paws on either side of her body, so that he hovered just above her on the bed.

Krystal pulled the front of his cuirass out from beneath their bodies. She glanced at the rose painted on the front, then she tossed it aside. It thudded softly on the floor. She reached around him, guided the backside of the armor, and tossed it aside with its other half.

Beneath his fancy armor was a simple A-frame shirt.

She reached down and found the clasp release for his armored leggings, then kicked them away. Both pieces, front and back, thudded on the floor.

Panther kept his arms locked, so that he was still above her, wearing only the A-frame and a ... thong?

Krystal looked down between their bodies, eyebrows arched in surprise. "I did not see _that_coming."

"Really? I thought it would be obvious. I have a reputation to uphold, not that I have shown it to any other women."

"But ... a thong?"

"They're called micro-briefs." Panther chuckled, adding, "Boxers bunch up when walking or running in my flight suit."

"Yeah, uh, I think it's time to get boxer-briefs."

"Are you not amused, though?"

Krystal chuckled. "Okay, I admit ... I'm definitely amused. But, here, let me help you with those." She reached down, between their bodies, and took the fabric over the front in both of her paws, and carefully ripped it until it no longer clung to his body. She tossed it back, between the nightstand and bed, so that it was lost. "There. Much better. Those were simply horrid and..." she trailed off. Her eyes stopped on his manhood.

"And...?" He tilted his head, watching her eyes.

"And ... that's ... thicker than I expected it to be."

"Ah." He placed his paws on her hips and rolled her onto her tummy with ease. Then, he unzipped her flight suit from the base of her tail, up her spine, to her collar. "How do you put this on by yourself?"

Krystal pointed at a hook on the wall. "Easy, you hook the zipper on that, then you squat to take it off, and stand up to put it on. Then, I reach back, lift my hair, and unhook the zipper from the wall hook."

"What if you have to use the bathroom in the field?"

"There's a removable crotch for adjusting my tail and using the bathroom."

"Noted."

"Why're you making a note of that? You thinking naughty thoughts?"

Panther grinned at her. "You're the telepath. You tell me."

"Because you like the idea of a strategically placed hole?"

With a grin, Panther opened the fabric liner of her armored suit, exposing the branding on her lower back. He guided it from her shoulders, down to her elbows, then rolled her over, onto her back once more.

Their eyes met.

Krystal offered him an alluring smile.

Panther pulled the fabric sleeves from her arms, then guided it down from her chest, exposing her bra. He eased his feet onto the floor, reached down, and pulled her flight suit from her legs and ankles, then he balled up the fabric and tossed it atop of his armored flight suit.

She looked up at him in silence, studying his eyes.

Panther raked his gaze over her lithe-yet-endowed figure.

She wore a thong.

He chortled softly. "So, we matched."

"If I have to pee, that's easy to push to the side."

Panther's grin broadened. "Is it, now..." He reached down with both paws, pretending he was going to rip the fabric the way she did to his undergarment, moments ago.

Krystal didn't flinch. She just stared at him with a wry grin.

Instead, Panther reached beneath her hips, undid the Velcro around the base of her tail, and then, with a smile of delight, he pulled her thong down her legs, carefully. He drew it over each of her ankles, then tossed them over his shoulder, so that they landed in her laundry pile in the far corner.

Krystal cut her gaze over to the pile, then lifted her eyes back to his. "Nice."

Panther looked over her body with a sparkle of mirth and delight. "Yes. Very nice." He slid his paws up her sides, through her blue pelt, until his fingers slid beneath her bra, then he guided the cloth cups up and over her bust. He lifted the undergarment up over her arms and head, then tossed it over his shoulder, so that the bra landed atop of her thong.

"Much better," she replied.

"Yes, much better." He placed his paws on the sheets adjacent to her elbows, then he leaned down until his lips slanted across her own.

Krystal reached her arms up, draping them over his back. She sifted her fingers through his head-fur, kissing him firmly. Her left paw went down his spine until she palmed his athletically toned rump. She squeezed firmly, pulling him close.

Panther ran his own paws up her sides, between them, and he firmly cupped her breast in a possessive manner, but not too hard. His other paw went to her throat, teasingly, then back down, over her taut tummy, where it became buried between her thighs.

She opened her legs a bit. She could feel probing fingers dance along the silken slit of her sex. A slight shiver of anticipation ran up her spine. She broke the kiss and, in a husky whisper, said, "I confess ... I'm more turned on by this than I thought I'd be."

Panther trailed kisses down her jawline, over her neck, down her collarbone, and over her exposed breast, opposite of his paw.

She arched her back in response to the stimulus. "Just so we're clear, this is only going to be a one-off. That's it. And if you're on about it to your mates, it'll definitely never happen again."

Panther's lips moved over her flat stomach, and down to meet his other paw. He grasped her hip firmly, covering her spiral branding, a marking that had lost all meaning since her arrival in Lylat.

She was no longer Krystal of the Cardinal Sun. She was simply Krystal of Cerinia, vixen with no home. "I mean it. This stays between us."

"I heard," Panther whispered against the slightly-thinning fur between her thighs, "...that your DNA was virtually a perfect mix of vulpine and feline."

"You heard right."

"So, you have some cat-like qualities?"

"Some," she whispered in a breathy tone.

"I've never been with a vixen before."

"I've never been with a feline before." She licked her lips.

He kept his paw on her hip; she was so small in his grasp.

The dainty vixen felt small under his large paws.

Even with his palm on her hip, Panther managed to slide his thumb between her thighs, so that he could guide the silky moist lips of her pussy apart. His tongue brushed against her sensitive flower, licking upward like tasting an ice cream cone dessert.

Krystal drew in a deep breath through clenched teeth and held it as long as she could, before panting heavily. "Skilled tongue."

Panther didn't reply. Instead, he flicked his tongue against the pert cherry nub of her clitoris. He lapped at her sensitive button like a kitten lapping at the last bit of milk on a saucer.

Krystal writhed on the bed sheets. She placed both of her paws on the backside of Panther's head, pulling his face close to her body. She groaned unexpectedly in delight.

Panther's tongue moved over delicate folds, lapping aggressively, but also in a way that wasn't too firm.

She panted softly, then she reached for his arms and pulled at him. "C'mere, you," she whispered.

Panther went with her guiding touch and moved over her body.

Krystal lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, until her ankles crisscrossed at the small of his back. She pushed her right heel against his rump, guiding his body close.

Panther lowered himself, flush, against her body.

Krystal reached a paw down, guiding him to the dew-drenched folds of her flower. She used her fingers to guide those petals apart and her thumb to guide him into herself.

His cock sank into her body, stretching her lush lips until they accepted his girth.

She gasped against his throat, clinging to him with a need to belong ... a need to feel loved ... a need to not feel alone anymore.

Panther felt himself sink into her from tip to hilt, and he chorused her groan. His paws sank beneath her, wedging between her rump and the mattress. He grasped her ass firmly and pulled her hips upward while thrusting downward, until he was fully buried inside of her body.

Krystal spoke against his neck in a muffled tone. "Be ... gentle ... at first."

"Of course," he whispered against her forehead, followed by a tender kiss. He arched his hips, starting to find a rhythm. In-and-out, nice and slow.

Krystal felt his thickness buried deeply inside of her body. She couldn't believe this was happening. It was something she swore would never take place, but, now, she was excited for it. Her body was humming with need, anticipation, hormones ... it was an experience.

Panther was consumed with delight. It was actually happening. He was having sex with the woman he'd fantasized about for ... since he met her.

She sensed it. She sensed his excitement. She sensed that he'd had a long-time crush on her. She sensed that he was thrilled and that this was more than just some ... romp. She sensed the respect and reverence he felt for her body and for their actions.

But ... she didn't want his love. At least ... not right now. No, she wanted something different. Or, at the very least, she wanted something different than what she had with the man to whom she gave her virginity.

Panther was gentle and loving.

Krystal, however, wanted nothing more than to fuck.

But he was so thick. Perhaps not as long as McCloud, but certainly thicker than any toy she'd ever used in her life. Caroso had girth to spare, easily.

Panther spit onto his fingertips and reached down between their bodies.

Suddenly, she felt herself beginning to loosen up. It became much easier to take him with the added saliva. She lifted her nose and spoke against the side of his face in a coquettish voice. "Surely you can be more possessive than that."

"Hmm?"

"I said ... fuck me, lover."

Panther tensed up. The passion in her tone was a huge turn on. He reached his right paw down and grasped her thigh. He couldn't get over how petite and small she felt in his grasp.

Krystal licked her lips, nearly panting, while she gazed up at the bulky, muscular man atop of her body.

Panther lifted her left leg up, so that her ankle was on his right shoulder, then he did the same with her right leg, so that it was resting on his left shoulder. He grasped her hips firmly, then plowed into her, from tip to hilt, in one deep thrust.

Krystal gasped so deeply that she felt almost winded. Her tongue flailed out of her muzzle and hung from her lower lip. She whined deep and long. At this angle, he felt deep. She could feel that throbbing tip against her cervix, if that was even possible. It almost felt like he was rearranging her organs, but he wasn't long enough to be painful. Instead, he was wide, and it made her feel filled and satisfied.

Panther drew his hips back, then slammed down again, driving that pulsing prick into her pussy petals from tip to base. He adopted a firm rhythm, rutting her slick little slit possessively.

Krystal, with her legs lifted up, over his shoulders, gazed down at the bump in her belly, moving with the rhythm of his deep rutting. She felt breathless. "You gonna ... fill me?" she panted. "You gonna ... make my body yours?"

"Is that what you want? You want me to own you?"

"Mm, yes. I want you to fuck me so good and so hard that I will never forget it."

"More importantly, I want to fuck you so good and hard you'll never remember anyone else. I want to be the only man you think about when you are in need."

"Shut up, Panther," she panted, adding, "there is nobody else ... in my heart ... anymore. Now, make me cum, goddammit."

"With pleasure," he purred, hovering above her. He kept her legs pinned up, the bottoms of her thighs to his chest, and her knees against either side of his neck. With rhythmic grunting, Panther crammed that cock into her body, stretching her folds to accept every round inch of his impressive bulk.

His balls slapped her tightly puckered tail-star so firmly that her ears flickered, and she could feel them against the base of her tail.

She whined long and loud, and covered her chest with her paws, firmly fondling her own bust. "God, I needed this so badly." She was close. Not close enough to anticipate it, but she knew she was close. She just needed to get there. She tried clearing her mind. She tried relaxing into it. Was it possible to cum while meditating? She wasn't sure.

Panther did his job as a man. He drove that rod into her body like a piston, exactly the way she begged and pleaded for it.

Krystal reached her left paw beneath her knees to help keep her legs pinned up, while her right remained on her breast. She rolled the pert nubs between her fingers, manipulating them with a commanding touch, as if somehow trying to mimic his paws.

Her eyes lifted from the moving bump beneath her abdomen. She gazed between her thighs, watching his abs tense up, bunching together nicely beneath his pelt. While it wasn't Fox, she had to admit that he knew what he was doing.

But the emotional aspect wasn't there. At least not yet. She hadn't built up some sort of romantic rapport with Panther. She hadn't spent years with him. She hadn't survived near death in the trenches of battle at his side. She didn't feel like a partner. At least not yet. Instead, she felt like a taboo lover.

She wondered if Panther could give her a child. She remembered that a Cornerian geneticist explained the results of her genome, saying that she had vulpine and feline markers in her DNA.

What if Panther could knock her up, though? She wanted her race to survive. Her body needed this. Not the sex, necessarily ... that was nice and all, but no ... her body craved to fulfill her biological clock's demand of reproducing. Could Panther give her that? Was it even possible?

She wondered what it would be like to finally have the babies her body desired. She wanted to be pregnant. In this moment, in this instant, she wanted it more than anything. She yearned for it. No, she craved it.

Krystal felt intoxicated on her new addiction of wanting to be seeded. She eased up on her elbows, just a few inches closer to Panther, and said, "Stop holding back. If you're such a lady's man, you can go more than once, can't you? Fill me. Fill me up deep as you like. Flood me real good, then." She didn't care about her poor grammar - she was delirious with need in this moment. "I'm ovulating," she whimpered. "Please, Panther."

What a treat, the large feline thought to himself. He grasped her hips firmly, pulling her lithe little body against his, and tensed up with a guttural sounding growl. "Cumming," he muttered under his breath. "God, I am cumming so hard."

That was music to her ears. It was the ultimate jab of a jilted lover against her ex. She could feel Panther's spunk gushing into her. It was ... a lot. He was a big, hydrated, healthy man, and he was very in-shape ... and, apparently, he was quite the cummer.

She felt it geyser into her body; the hot pearl cream coated her insides. She telepathically focused on his pleasure, so that she could use his release to guide her to a climax of her own.

It wasn't earth-shattering, it wasn't magical or romantic, and it certainly wasn't mind-blowingly amazing.

It was just ... a climax. The release her body needed, but nothing that would make her instantly fall in love with Panther.

Just the same, it was one she craved. It was one she struggled to achieve, and, so, it felt damn good to get over the peak of the mountain, so to speak.

It also felt good to know she could cum for someone other than her ex. Part of her, deep down, had worried that Fox might've ruined her for other men, but, now that she reached a release, her worries melted away for now.

The only thing that her romance novels had right, so far, was that being in love made the orgasm far more intense, and achieving a small orgasm was more tolerable. She idly wondered if she could ever fall in love with Panther, or if this was purely sex? She didn't want to lower herself to that sort of relationship ... or did she?

She couldn't decide right now. She enjoyed the monogamous romance she had in the past. She decided that if she was going to continue having sex with Panther, she would have to make their dating status official.

She tensed up, making her washboard stomach tight. She clenched her eyes shut and gasped softly. A second small wave of pleasure rushed up the length of her spine then back down. It wasn't what she was seeking, earlier, but she wasn't expecting that one. And that? That was kind of nice.

Panther groaned in delight. "So tight," he said in a complimentary tone of voice.

Krystal dropped her arms to the bed, panting softly.

Panther gave one last firm thrust, then released her legs, and lowered himself atop of her. His lips met hers for a kiss.

She relented to the kiss, briefly, then broke it and panted softly. "Sorry, need to breathe. That was ... intense, big guy." She gave his hip a tender pat as if to accentuate her compliment.

"For me as well. I've never fallen in love after making love ... until now."

"All right, whoa, whoa, hit the retro-reverse rockets, Panther. Come off it, you."

"I am quite serious. Panther has never felt such a way for such a woman until today."

She frowned at the way he transitioned into the third person, followed by a sigh of frustration. "I'm not ready for that. I tried love before sex already, and it ended painfully. Let's just ... enjoy this for what it is: having some fun, maybe even a one-off. If you don't make things weird, then cheers, we'll go from there. If things progress, it'll happen when the time is right. For now, this is just ... sex."

Silence.

Krystal licked her lips. Did she just say that? She'd already decided that she was going to start dating him, but why did she say their relationship was only sex for the time being? Why?

Panther nodded firmly. "As you wish. It won't change how I feel about you, but I respect what we have so far."

And, with that, he'd just made things awkward.

She actually sensed that he really was catching feelings for her, and, worse, she sensed that it took a lot for him to admit it.

She probed his feelings to see if there was any damage because of her lack of emotional reciprocation.

She sensed that he was, in fact, conflicted. The fact she didn't feel the same was extremely disappointing to him, but...

She tilted her head a bit, listening to his heart and mind.

Krystal had to admit, Panther hid his hurt well.

Furthermore, he was willing to give her the space and time she wanted. He was willing to wait for her to feel the same. He was willing to put time and effort into this ... this ... whatever it was they now shared.

Panther licked his lips, cleared his throat, and said, "Krystal? I'm sorry if I made things complicated."

"Things were already complicated," she replied in a soft tone, while looking up at him in the dim recessed illumination of her little vessel's tiny makeshift bedroom.

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Don't get me wrong, I liked it. I'm impressed, Panther. You got me off and we didn't even have an emotional connection. And, uh ... you didn't make things complicated. This thing, whatever it is ... it's mutual. We made it complicated together."

"Complicated is better than nothing. I'll take it. I'll appreciate it for what it is. If-and-when you're ready to uncomplicate things, simply say the word. Until then, this was wonderful, and I'll respect your boundaries." He leaned down to kiss her again, paused, then kissed her neck instead.

She sensed that he actually understood how personal kissing could be. She sensed that he chose to kiss her neck, instead, so to make things more about sex and less about making love.

She rested her chin upon the top of his head and smiled a bit. Her worries began to melt away. Maybe he wasn't going to be difficult after all. Maybe this ... thing they now had ... wouldn't be so bad.

Maybe, just maybe, he deserved a shot ... a chance to prove himself. Who knew? Maybe they were even compatible. Time would tell. She just needed to feel things out with him and see where the cards landed, figuratively.

Panther continued to gently nibble on her neckline.

It felt nice. She looked up at the ceiling. "So, we ... uh ... just had sex. I mean ... that actually just happened." She licked her lips and stared up at the recessed light track in the grooves where the ceiling met the bulkhead. "Now what?"

"We don't have to go to Sargasso right now. I can go there, myself, later."

"You have something in mind for right now?"

"A shower. Then we could grab a bite somewhere quiet ... Fichina, Fortuna, Titania has a few small colonies ... Katina, Papetoon ... they're all within..."

"Not Papetoon," she said. "Fox was born there."

"Ah."

"Look, sorry." Krystal reached up and ran her fingers through the fur on her forehead. "I'm not trying to be controlling. You choose."

"Fortuna," Panther said, his tone slightly muffled against the fur of her neckline. "It doesn't have to be a wine-and-dine sort of place. Just somewhere that nobody knows us. Somewhere we can have a bite to eat and have some light chit-chat about whatever. Nothing complicated."

"Nothing that feels like dating," she said with a nod.

"We're not dating," he said. "Don't worry, I understand that."

She smiled again. "Just sex?"

"Just sex," he replied. "With a quick shower and a shared meal. Not a date. Nothing romantic. Just two friends hanging out."

"That actually sounds nice. I'd like that. A friendship with, uh, physical moments."

"On occasion, without expectation."

"Exactly," said Krystal. "And, uh ... look, Panther, I don't mind sharing the shower. Let's just keep it between the two of us. Wolf and Leon would act like we're dating, and the more friends know, the more it feels like a relationship. And I'm just not ready for one of those yet."

"I get it. Casual sex. I'm not going to introduce you to my folks, I'm not going to parade you around or tell anyone that you're mine. But, when we have a bit of time alone, I'll dim the lights and we can pretend you're mine for a few hours. Pillow talk only. No deep feelings, nothing complicated."

"You're making it sound even simpler than it should be."

"How would you like it to sound?"

Krystal shook her head. "No, no, I mean ... you're saying all the right things. I was worried you would freak out and act possessive."

"Only in bed, and only in dirty talk. I promise I won't start believing it. Until you say otherwise. I'm okay with that."

"You're sure?"

"I will possess your imagination and your bedroom eyes. Later, if the wind blows the right way, I'll possess your heart and your body."

"I'm being serious for a moment. Are you sure you're okay with this arrangement?"

Panther chortled again with a wry grin. He made eye contact with her and said, "I'm a big boy. I was a little disappointed, but I understand your side of things. You didn't hurt my feelings, Krystal. I can handle waiting. You're worth the wait. And if you never catch feelings? Well, then I'm not the one for you. And if that's the case? Well, I'll appreciate what we had together while it lasts. If we were not meant to be, in the end, then that means there is another out there for each of us. You will find him, and I will find her."

Krystal nodded. "That's actually ... nice to hear. Very mature, I mean."

Panther nodded in return. "We're just two friends ... who are adults, and who are mature enough to manage an occasional physical thing."

"Friends ... with ... um..."

"Benefits," said Panther.

"Yes, that's the term." She reached up and placed her palms on either side of his face. "One more thing."

"Yes?"

"If you decide to have other lovers, please talk to me first, okay?"

"There won't be other lovers. That would be complicating things. I only need one lover in my life at a time. You're that lover."

"Just the same, promise me."

"I promise. And, for the sake of being responsible, please do me the respect of talking to me if you wish to have any other suiters."

She nodded. "Agreed."

"Agreed."

She feigned a smile. "You really won't take a second lover on the side?"

"As I said, that would complicate things. I don't like complications. You understand, yes? Complications lead to drama."

"Music to my ears," she said with a genuine smile.

"Panther no longer produces dramas. Panther now focuses on action romances."

"Okay, too much. It's becoming a comedy musical."

"Then, let's agree what we now have should be a sci-fi adventure, with the rare-but-enjoyable 'secret office romance' that, somehow, doesn't affect our daily lives."

Krystal chuckled with a soft smile of amusement. Things were going easier than she'd hoped. At least so far. "So, what's for dinner?"

Panther eased himself from her body, slow and smooth. "Set a course for Fortuna. I know a few bars that are a little ... classier than the kind of establishments that my teammates would frequent."

"I thought you only go to 'fancy' establishments?"

"The mood occasionally strikes me to have simple beer and steak. And, on occasion, I wish to partake with my team. There are venues for that. Just as there are venues for eating alone in quiet, and for eating with a friend who will not draw attention. On that note, I know just the place. I'll figure out the shower controls. Meet me there."

Krystal watched him walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind himself.

She rolled onto her side, eased off the bed, and stood up.

And then she felt warm liquid trickle down the inside of her left thigh. It matted down the fur and tingled on her skin. She picked up yesterday's pair of panties from the laundry in the corner, balled it up, and pressed it firmly between her thighs with a sigh of mild annoyance.

The deafening silence was far more awkward than the fact they'd just done something that could never be taken back.

"Thee, uh ... towels are, uh..."

"Found them, already," came his muffled reply through the door.

"All right, good." She headed for the cockpit, peered up, through the archway, to make sure there was no one flying by the canopy at that moment.

Lylat was empty and peaceful in all directions. She relaxed her posture.

Krystal changed the autopilot destination coordinates, and had the computer calculate an arrival time...

Roughly one hour before reaching Fortuna's airspace.

She rubbed her face, took a deep breath, and exhaled sharply. "What the hell am I doing with my life? Panther Caroso? Seriously? I sure as hell can't take that back ... ever. God, this is going to wind up being the stupidest mistake of my life."

She looked back through the archway, into her bedroom. She heard the sound of water hiss.

She lifted the armrest on the side of her chair and dropped side-saddle into the pilot's seat.

She thought about the things he said after they had sex. She reflected on the fact that he was willing to put his emotions aside out of respect for her. And what strong emotions they were. But he did as he promised, and he put his feelings into a bottle with a tight lid for the time being.

She briefly chewed her bottom lip. "Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe it won't be a mistake. Maybe the oracle was wrong about Fox. Or ... maybe it just isn't the right time, yet."

The inky void of Lylat was silence and dark. Only the track lights beneath her instrument panels offered any light. Only her engines offered a hum of reply.

Krystal ran her fingers through her hair, tugging gently on the beads in her bangs. "Maybe Panther is a steppingstone in the direction of my ultimate fate. Maybe I just have a lot to learn about love. Maybe I'm talking to myself because I'm going crazy without all the voices of my race constantly in my mind. Maybe I'm just acting out because I feel so damn alone."

Krystal glanced at the HUD instrument readouts around her cockpit canopy. She eased off the seat, squatting beside it.

She pulled a cleaning wipe from a dispenser mounted beneath her emergency pistol lockbox, beneath the instrument cluster to the left of the cockpit seat.

With a soft sigh, she wiped her chair, where she'd sat, and then she made her way into the hold. She deposited the floral-scented wet-wipe into a waste chute in the bulkhead, approached her bed, and stared at it.

The sheets were rumpled and held the shape of a body at the center.

She took a moment to pull them taut, tuck the excess material into the corners, and pull the blankets up. She fluffed the pillows and put them neatly at the top, then tucked the comforter at the sides, so that the bed was sharp and showed no signs of sullying the bedsheets.

She crossed the bedroom and stopped in front of the bathroom door. "Maybe ... I just need to be more openminded to freewill and forget about 'fate' for a little while."

The bathroom door didn't reply.

"Maybe I need to stop talking to myself out loud as a way of coping with the lack of other telepathic voices in my mind."

She decided that having a steak and a beer at a small bar in the middle of nowhere actually sounded kind of fun. Different. Just ... friends without expectations.

She reached for a small black square on the door, right where a knob would be on a normal door.

The gesture of turning a knob caused the bathroom door to slide open on its tracks.

She expected to see Panther posing with a rose in his teeth, even though she didn't sense that sort of behavior on the other side of the door.

Instead, he was already in the shower, minding his own business, while trying to keep a clear mind.

She stepped in, closed the door behind herself, to keep the humidity contained to the bathroom, and then she opened the shower's acrylic glass door. "Hey."

"Hey, back," he said with a casual tone. "Decided to use the clear bottle in the right corner instead of the pink bottle in the left corner. If I smell like a lady, the gang will start connecting dots."

She chuckled, imagining Panther smelling feminine. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea to use the unscented stuff. I kept that for missions where I wouldn't want to smell pretty."

"Smart. Can't give away your position that way."

"Exactly," she replied with a light chuckle. "You know, I half-expected you to be posing in here with a rose in your teeth or something."

"That'd be a neat trick, considering I didn't bring any aboard your ship."

She chuckled again. "Yeah, I guess so. I just meant that I wouldn't put it past you."

"I wouldn't do that anyhow."

"No?" She finally stepped into the shower and pulled the plastic-glass door shut. "I thought that was your thing...?"

"Initially, roses were meant for targets I am paid to kill. It's my calling card, but any lawyer could prove that it doesn't necessarily tie a kill to me. I'm not sure if I'm going to take those kinds of jobs anymore. Something changed after the Aparoids assaulted Lylat. I feel like I have a clearer picture of my life, now."

"How so?"

"For a brief moment, I had clarity and meaning in my life. That sounds better than aimlessly taking assassination jobs. I was killing without any sort of meaning. Not to sound too deep, but the meaninglessness was turning to mediocrity. I want more than that out of life."

"You want to do something with your life that you can be proud of?"

He turned away from the water and smiled brightly. "Yes. Exactly that."

"And you think you'll find that with Star Wolf?"

"I think ... it is possible. I'm working with two other men that experienced the same thing. They're not going to be goodie-two-shoes about it, but they both want something more than what they had during the Lylat Wars. Wolf is slowly evolving his business model, and Leon has already killed everyone he could without finding anything meaningful in it. So, even he wants to try something else."

"So, you boys feel empty about the pirating?"

"If we did, we didn't notice. No, it's the other way around, actually. We all felt ... well, pretty good about what we did during the Aparoid assault on Lylat. When the next threat comes, we want to play a different role than we did in the old days."

"That's ... not a bad thing."

"No, not at all." He put his paws on her hips. "What is your ultimate goal in life?"

She shrugged. Her eyes dropped to the black-furred paws on her hips. "Try not to become extinct."

"You know, genetic engineering is making leaps and bounds, Krystal. Even if I'm not compatible with you, a few changes in your genome, or in the genome of a sperm sample ... could lead to more Cerinians. I am not trying to suggest anything inappropriate - just that your race does not have to bed. You could be the mother of one, the mother of a litter, or the mother of new Cerinia. Your fate is your own. It's even possible that some have survived."

She smiled a bit. "You think?"

"Krystal, your race was space-faring. I highly doubt you were the only one to escape your system alive. If the others of your race are as resilient and motivated as yourself, then I would bet all the roses in Lylat that there are other Cerinians out there."

Krystal glanced at the temperature control panel mounted into the bulkhead. "What if all the survivors are women? What if the only Cerinian males are the alpha-douche-bag kind? Or the only survivors are a handful of gay and lesbian people? Breeding would be out of the question. What if the survivors were tracked down and hunted by the Kew?"

Panther frowned.

She grimaced, feeling stupid and childish. "I know, I'm being ridiculous but ... when I left my star system, I sent out a distress message on repeat for three days. Then, I set a course for the system from where Dr. Andross originated, because I wanted answers. I was going to track him home, approach him face-to-face, and demand answers."

Panther touched beneath her chin and guided her muzzle until they were facing one another. "And if he'd killed you?"

Her eyes remained off to the side, staring at the wall. "I'd have joined my people."

Panther moved around her in the shower, until he was standing in front of her eyes. He bent at the waist a little and met her gaze. He exhaled slowly through his nose, impressed by the passion in her tone. "Let's take it one day at a time. If we find someone from your race, we'll go from there."

"You must think I'm neurotic."

Panther shook his head. "You're the telepath. Do I think that?"

A pause, then Krystal shook her head. "No, you don't." She offered a smile. "You ... actually think highly of me. I was worried you'd think I was an easy tramp. Some little totty for you to pump for fifteen minutes or so."

"Anything but that. I think you're an attractive woman..."

"Yeah, I uh ... I sense you like what you see. Big surprise there."

"I also think you have a large heart and a will that can move metaphorical mountains. Again, you'll know I am not lying when I say these things."

"Yes, you're being honest, but you also think I have 'a really great bust for a woman who is so athletically tone, otherwise.'"

Panther chuckled. "Guilty as charged. I do think that. Most women with your frame are B-cup or smaller. You're ... what? Upper-C-cup? Lower D cup?"

Krystal rolled her eyes. "Guilty as charged," she repeated. "I wear a sports bra in the field. Can't seem to get rid of them. Glad they amuse you."

He gave her hip a gentle pat. "Krystal, I've never been the sort of man to hide my feelings. That's why I told you how I felt when I first saw you."

Krystal chuckled inwardly. "Yeah, but it was an awkward way to go about it, though."

"I didn't know you were a telepath. Not until later during the Aparoid mission. But, did I ever once deceive you?"

"No."

"Exactly. Beautiful and a courageous heart. I have never met a woman like you."

"I don't see myself as courageous. A little foolish, sure. Emotional, yup. Thick-headed? Yes, that is definitely me, mate."

"Emotional? You really see yourself as emotional?"

"Like I said, earlier, I was ready to die with my people because I felt lonely. How trite. There are millions of lonely people in this galaxy, but they don't resort to running head-long into battle with no hope of winning. Not like I did when face-to-face with Andross at the palace. That was foolish."

"Would you really have preferred to die with your people? I'm sorry if it's a personal question, but I'm curious - would you really have preferred to die and join your people in the afterlife?"

"You mean ... as opposed to living alone in Lylat, heartbroken and angry?" Krystal scoffed. "At the time, it was an easy choice, Panther."

"Since making Lylat your new home, have you ever ... considered joining them? I'm not condoning the idea of suicide, Krystal, but..."

"No, not since making Lylat my new home. My survivor's guilt is something I've handled because I put so much stock in the Oracle's prophecy. I thought it was all part of my fate. Furthermore, I do not believe in suicide..."

"Could have fooled me, going up against an ape with no weapons and no armor."

"Yes, he ... was quite a large man. I couldn't help but wonder how he ever expected a relationship to be possible with Fox's mother."

Panther replied with a sour expression. "Andross was in love with Fox's mother?"

"To the point that he made an attempt on James, but then he killed her by accident."

"Dios mio."

"Wait, that's not the language you spoke earlier."

"It is one of the Romantic languages of old Fichina."

"Romantic, huh?" Krystal rolled her eyes.

"Named for the ancient city from which all the ancient Fichina languages derived."

"Oh."

"Part of my family is from Nice, as I mentioned earlier. The rest came from another city, with a slightly different variant of the Romantic language." Without any sort of natural segue, Panther reverted to the previous topic. "So, the rumors are true - Andross was a Cornerian scientist who butted heads with John Pepper?"

Krystal nodded.

Panther frowned. "Killing the love of his life must have been ... difficult."

Krystal nodded yet again. She lowered her gaze to the floor, staring at how close their feet were together. "'Difficult' is an understatement, Panther. It drove him insane. It made him the man he was."

"A fascist dictator?"

"Eventually, yes. Andross wanted Corneria to pay for his research so he could bring Vixy McCloud back to life in some manner. When his research into genetics was rejected, he threw himself into making weapons for Corneria's research and development team. He continued to learn how to build effective weapons of war, with the intent of preparing to take Corneria for himself. He wanted to rule Corneria so that he could use the GPD to fund his genetics research. Ultimately, General Pepper banished Andross to Venom."

"I am told he was a very ... intense man."

Again, Krystal nodded. "He was."

"Yet you approached him on Sauria, without weapons or armor, and you demanded answers on the fate of Cerinia?"

Krystal chuckled. "I tried. I didn't get very far."

"How so?"

With a shrug, she said, "I think I shouted, 'You...!' and that was all I could manage."

"What happened next?"

Krystal rubbed her face, wetting the fur of her face. "I'm embarrassed."

"I won't judge you, little Space Flower."

"Well, uh, Andross picked me up with one hand and threw me into a reverse-polarity tractor beam trap. I was drawn into a crystalline prison."

Panther shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Even in his advanced age, and I in my prime, I would never have been able to defeat Andross face-to-face. Your courage is beyond compare."

Krystal shrugged her shoulders. "Courage, huh?" She scoffed, shook her head, and said, "I was pretty hot-headed after the death of Cerinia. I wouldn't call it courage. I would call it stupidity."

"So, is it true that the contraption was designed to drain the life force of one being in order to restore his health?"

"Yes."

"Were you afraid?"

"It was difficult to stay awake in that chamber." She shrugged again, looking past Panther to the shower head that was hissing water. She turned to the control panel and activated a second shower head at the opposite side of the shower stall. Hot water gushed from behind her, which helped her to relax.

"But were you afraid of dying in that chamber?"

"No, Panther. I really wasn't." Krystal shook her head and stepped back, submerging herself fully under the hot water.

Panther's paw fell away from her hip.

"I didn't think I was going to die. I believed I had a fate lying ahead of me, laid out by an oracle that had predicted my future. But that doesn't excuse my behavior."

"How do you mean?" he asked in a reverent tone.

She rolled her eyes as if annoyed with herself. "I had no business going toe-to-toe with that man when he was dying. It was foolish. But was I afraid? No."

"You are a brave woman, Krystal."

She shrugged. "Or hot-headed to the point of idiocy. Not sure which. Look, if Andross' plan to drain my life had somehow succeeded in healing him...? Well, I had no regrets at the time."

"Why the direct approach, though?"

Krystal shrugged. She reached up and worked the beads from her bangs. She set them in a little empty basket intended for soap. "I was in a different mindset at the time. I had to try cornering him. I was obsessed with getting answers at the time. I was young and foolish."

"Perhaps you didn't expect a dying man to still have so much strength?"

Krystal finished taking the last of her hair beads from her braids. She set them in the empty soap tray. "Maybe I would have stood a chance had I not dropped my staff in the storm over Thorntail Hollow, while flying on the back of Kite. But ... when I came toe-to-toe with that man, I wasn't armed, I wasn't prepared, and I wasn't afraid. In fact, I was angry. I lost all reason."

"Ah. You charged into battle."

"I did."

"See? Brave."

"Stupid," she corrected him. "I should've done a bit of recce," she said, pronouncing the word 'recky,' "but I didn't. I threw myself at him, armed with two tiny blue fists, like a prat."

"The man wronged you in ways no Lylatian will ever understand. But you've learned since then, right? You know to prepare, and how to fight, am I right?"

"Yes. I knew better, but I just witnessed the end of my entire race, so ... I was being emotional. I've since learned how to manage my emotions. Rather, if I'm being truly honest with myself, I ... suppose I've grown up a great deal over the last few years."

"I bet you would have beaten him on your own if he'd faced the woman standing before me today."

She thought back to her recent experience where she lost time at the Krazoa Palace on Sauria. She cupped water in her palms and rubbed her face. "Who knows."

"I believe in you. You're quite the capable woman."

"I ... I've learned a lot about survival and war since arriving in Lylat. I would have been more prepared to beat him at what he knows. Maybe I'll have a chance to fight him one day."

Panther furrowed his brows. His ears laid back atop of his head. "You think Andross is still alive?"

She thought about the awkward experience on Krazoa Palace the day after she and Fox broke up. She remembered what felt like a fever-dream. In the end, she couldn't remember much, but she did remember going to Sauria and hallucinating about Andross.

The more she thought about it, the more she recalled a few vague details. Something about ... working on a way to fix Venom's acidic waters.

Was it all a dream? Was she remembering something from ... maybe ... a Krazoa spirit that possessed her briefly when she arrived on Sauria after her breakup with Fox?

Panther cleared his throat. "Krystal?"

She frowned. "Sorry, uh ... I was just thinking back to a field lab I found at the Krazoa Palace after Fox and I broke up."

"You think it belonged to Andross? You really think he's still alive?"

"I think, if he's as smart as everyone claims he was, let alone half as smart as he thinks he is, then ... it's at least possible he's still alive. And, if he is, he will also be smart enough to not_engage me face-to-face a second time ... again, _if he's still alive."

"All right, so what makes you think he's alive?"

She couldn't be sure the loss of time and strange hallucinations was or was not just a fever dream. She couldn't be sure she was remembering correctly, because she was pretty sure she was drugged after the encounter, making everything blurry at best. Or, maybe it was the Krazoa spirit she consulted with after landing on Sauria.

Did the Krazoa spirit possess Andross at one point, and thus give her memories of Andross? She was pretty sure Krazoa spirits only possessed pure-hearted people.

So, that left one possibility: did she actually help Andross to create the cure for Venom's acidic seas? Was the cure even real?

If she did meet Andross, then did she get the answers about Cerinia's fate? Did she strike him down, but let him escape? There was no body, there was no blood, and she woke up drugged but unharmed.

She couldn't remember anything clearly. It was something she'd have to meditate on, later.

"Krystal?"

"Andross was motivated by hatred when I came face-to-face with him that first time, on Sauria."

"Hatred doesn't necessary make someone a worthy opponent."

"No, but he found a great depth of motivation in his hatred. It is what motivated him to live through everything else he'd survived in the past."

"Hatred, hmm?"

"Yes. That's what I remember most about him the first time I came face-to-face with him, since arriving in Lylat. Hatred."

"Enough hatred to mutate his body? That's what the rumors suggest, at least. Wolf said his hatred of Corneria and General Pepper led to the man performing experience on his own body."

"Yes, definitely. He was motivated by hate I'd never experienced before meeting him. He was consumed. Let's just say that ... if ... if I felt the same way, only the gods and goddesses know what I'd be capable of."

Silence.

Krystal sighed softly. "Andross' hatred kept him alive, but he wasn't living. I mean ... not really. It's a lonely existence to be fueled by such hatred. That's not living."

"Very true." Panther nodded in agreement.

"But it's been years since then. He's been humiliated and humbled so many times in his life. So, think of it this way ... he's a scientist, right?"

"Yes, so I've heard."

"Scientists always revert to their quest for facts ... answers. If he's still alive, the only thing left of him is his desire to cement his legacy."

"His ... legacy?"

"His desire to leave his mark in the universe. He's the kind of man that wanted to be respected for his science. Like a songwriter wanting to be respected for his songs. The desire to fix the universe and earn admiration and respect is also a strong motivator. Also, he has children and grandchildren. He also might want to leave Venom a better place for his descendants."

"Krystal, with all due respect, how did he beat you? You're a telepath."

Krystal nodded. "Yes, that's true. But he knows how to block my ability. I couldn't sense his actions."

"So, that also means you couldn't sense his motivations."

"True."

Panther tilted his head a bit. "If you didn't sense his hatred, how did you know it's what motivated him?"

"Because, Panther, I'm not a bloody plebeian. I didn't need a sixth sense to plainly see the fire in his eyes. When we came face-to-face on Sauria, in the Krazoa Temple, I was literally taken aback by the intensity I saw in his gaze. I shouted, 'You...!' and then I saw his eyes and I paused. It likely gave Andross the critical seconds he needed to make a decision on whether or not to throw me into the crystal chamber he'd designed to kill Fox McCloud."

"So ... that was Andross' actual plan? To kill Fox, not you?"

"He didn't know me; he barely knew about me from Scales, and Scales didn't know I was from Cerinia ... just that I was a pernickety woman who was creating problems for their plans."

"A fastidious female who..."

Krystal interrupted Panther. "In the end, I wasn't part of the equation. Andross fractured the planet knowing that Corneria would send Fox. Andross' original plan was to trap Fox and steal Fox's life force."

"Restoration from the death of his enemy. Poetic in a way."

"I guess," she said with a soft sigh. "But ... I showed up first, so Andross decided to change his plan at the last minute. It led to his death, because Fox showed up fashionably late, and there was no trap waiting for him."

Panther studied her face for a moment.

"What? You're being difficult to read right now."

He took a step closer to her, closing the gap between their bodies in the shower. "Just think, Krystal, if you didn't come to Lylat, Andross would have succeeded in restoring himself, leading to the death of McCloud. Then? Andross would have conquered everyone in this system. He would have likely subjugated the populations, brought dominance and dominion of the reptiles over the mammals..."

She fidgeted.

Panther added, "Think about it. You saved Lylat."

She smirked. "Oh, did I now..."

Panther nodded firmly. "Yes, Krystal. You saved Lylat simply by coming here."

Her voice lowered. "I'd ... not thought of it that way." She fidgeted in the hot water pelting her pelt from behind.

"You should start," said Panther.

"I thought I'd ruined things; that they'd gone all to pot."

"Not sure what that last bit means, but ... why would you think you ruined anything?"

Krystal shrugged and bit her lower lip. "Because, well, ever since arriving in Lylat, I've struggled with my loneliness and I ... still don't know if I'm happy with the answers I thought I wanted from Andross. I mean, you know, provided I'm not as mad as a hatter, hallucinating about confronting the man I followed across the galaxy. And then ... now what? I'm here, and I'm alone again, and I don't know what to do with my life, but to tarry about in Lylat doing bugger-all."

"You finally have a moment to grieve for home - is that it?"

Krystal nodded. "Yes, I think you might be on to something, there. I miss home, now more than ever. I thought I was finally ready to truly move on, and then the plan I had for my life changed. And, I mean, I have seen so much since arriving in Lylat. I'm still trying to process it all..."

Panther remained quiet, listening to her speak. He remained still under the shower head, focusing completely on her reply.

"...And everything I thought I knew is potentially wrong. Not just the prophecies, but ... everything."

"Like what? You can tell me. I won't judge you, Krystal."

She ran her paws back through her hair to make sure she got all the beads out. "Maybe Andross was evil, maybe he was just angry and misunderstood. Maybe he's alive, or maybe I'm wrong about seeing him. Maybe he had something to do with Titania suddenly healing itself back around the time Fox and I broke up. Speaking of Fox, maybe he was right - I should just sit on Corneria, be a good girl, and stop trying to fight for things in Lylat. It's just ... I want to, because I tell myself I'm hard; I tell myself that Lylat is where I am currently hanging my hat, so to speak. But I'm starting to think Fox might've been right ... it's not my home, and fighting for it is his job, not mine."

"You don't really believe that."

Krystal scoffed at him. "How do you know what I really believe?"

"Because you've fought tooth and nail to save Lylat from Sauria exploding, to save Lylat from the Aparoids, and I'm sure you'd fight to save Lylat from whatever else happens in the future."

"You think Lylat will be attacked again?"

Panther shrugged. "It's a populated system full of resources ... it's only a matter of time before it needs saving again. Now that we know there is sentient life in other galaxies, it's only a matter of time before our doorstep is darkened, once again, by someone or something that desires our resources. And, Krystal, it seems to me that you believe in fighting the good fight, no matter where you find battle."

"Fine. Maybe I ... maybe I do believe in doing what feels right. But that doesn't mean _I'm_always right. I broke up with Fox because I thought he was wrong. But I might have been the one who was wrong."

Panther shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "McCloud was not right to demand you sit on the sidelines of life."

"How do you figure, Panther?"

"Because, Krystal, you are a woman who fights for what you believe in, no matter the cost. It is one of your defining traits. Fox is blind not to see it. Fox has no right to ask you to sit idly by and watch him fight a battle without you."

"But Lylat isn't my home. I already lost Cerinia."

"That was not your fault," Panther replied with an adamant tone. "You have every right to fight for your new home, if you wish to do so. You cannot change who you are to placate another person. That is tantamount to slavery."

She scoffed. "Hardly."

Panther placed a paw on her forearm, just beneath the elbow. "It is. It may not have physical chains involved, but just as I cannot be a slave to the institution of government, you cannot be a slave to Fox's whims. That is a soul-sucking existence, and I would not wish it on anyone, not the pilots of Star Fox, not my family that disowned me ... no one deserves to experience repression of the heart and soul, unless they are paying penance that is deserved."

She took a deep breath, followed by a ragged sigh through semi-clenched teeth. "I just ... I miss home. I miss it so much. And my family. I put so much stock into the oracle's prophecy that I hyper focused on my relationship with Fox. I was a fool. I pushed him away, thinking he would man up and try to appease me, but the bloody gormless nitwit has gone and left me gutted. It's sod's law, really. And now I'm bloody starkers with this smarmy ponce, y'see, who saunters about with flowers in his teeth. Oi, look at me! Former royalty! The daughter of two senators, trying to crack on to Panther-bloody-Caroso; just some totty little jezebel, split apart out of boredom, not even for a bit of dosh." She sighed through clenched teeth. "Bollocks."

Panther frowned thoughtfully.

She lifted a paw abruptly and shook her head. "I'm ... I am so sorry, Panther."

"For what?"

"I'm being a disrespectful child. You didn't deserve a word of that."

A slight smile tugged at the corners of his muzzle. "No worries, Krystal. I barely understood a word of it. Something about why you wear that tierra, and how I have flowers in my teeth."

"Fox used to joke that you look like a pansy wearing a pansy. Y'know, your obsession with flowers. He was just being mean. And ... I'm still deprograming myself from thinking that way. I'm just frustrated, and I shouldn't be taking it out on you."

"You're forgiven."

"Ta, but then I'm punishing you by waffling on like an emotional child."

"You're processing everything. Krystal, I'm honored that you've chosen my shoulder to vent."

"You ... are?"

"Yes, absolutely. And you're wrong - you had to explore all of your possibilities. So, you tried to have a romance with Fox. Now, that avenue is closed, and you can move forward."

She shook her head sharply. "No, I was being a selfish bloody bint. Here I am, bodging up this life I've made for myself in Lylat, and living in a car park, out of my bloody ship, like a ... a slob. And not even a proper caravan park, either. I'm literally living out of the employee lot at work."

"Fine, Krystal, then what would you have done differently?"

"I should have searched for survivors. What if there were people that survived Cerinia's demise, but had no way to reply to my hails? They would have headed to Kew. I knew that much, but I didn't go there. I chased Andross, instead."

"And, by doing so, you've saved an entire star-system full of populated planets. Your people may still be waiting on Kew, or have wound up somewhere around the galaxy, but Lylat needed you. Fox needed you. I needed you. You deserve a statue, fifty stories tall, at the heart of Corneria's Capital City. Will it happen? No. But you have my respect and my_gratitude. You have _my appreciation for the sacrifices you've made. So ... let me be the first to thank you, Krystal."

She didn't know how to respond to his flattery. She cleared her throat and decided to change the subject to something ... easier to handle right now. "Oh, sod it all. You think you could manage to go again?"

A sly smile spread across Panther's muzzle. "I do."

She feigned a wicked little smile. He wasn't all over her because of some strange alien pheromones, like on Miracle ... he was just ... genuinely attracted to her. She glanced at a clock on the wall panel for the shower controls. "We have a bit of time."

"Perfect," he replied with a purr and pulled her close. "Now I can give my hero a proper'thank you.'"

"No, love, I changed the subject on purpose. I can't think about all of that right now. I just want to think about something ... simpler."

"I understand." He pulled her close, under the dual water streams. He didn't kiss her - instead, he began nibbling along her neck.

That's what she needed right now. Not to be adored or put on a pedestal. Just ... to be touched. To have another release, to reset her hormones and weird mood. She needed something that felt good. She wanted to feel grounded.

His masculine touch was firm and commanding.

She reached around his body and grasped his athletic rump, then pulled him toward her. She backed up until her shoulders and rump met the wall.

Panther lifted her up, pinning her to the shower tiles.

Krystal wrapped her legs around his waist and draped her arms around his neck. "Much better," she murmured into his ear.

"Agreed," he replied in a muffled tone against her neck.

"Maybe you were right..."

"About?"

"Maybe I'm a chancer of sorts. Maybe a life with you is another opportunity to make something of my life." She cupped either side of his face firmly in her palms.

"I'm here when you're ready to make the most of it, Krystal."

She nodded and then she rested her head back against the wall. "One day soon, I want to be pregnant. I want to look like I swallowed Meredith." She leaned a little closer and added, "That was the moon over Cerinia. It's an expression ... it means I want to be full of kits. But, for right now, I want to live. I want to enjoy life, explore all the wonders it has to offer, and appreciate the finer details of my adult life. I want to leave the counterpane a mess on the bed, but not because I slept in on a Saturday. I want to live life to its fullest."

"These are the things I love about you, Krystal." His lips moved to her collarbone, along her shoulder, and then back to her throat, once more.

"Hey ... Panther?"

"Mm?" His reply, buried into her lower neckline, was barely audible over the water.

"Thanks ... for being here with me." She rested her chin upon his head, between his ears. She heard him reply, but it didn't matter what he said - she just didn't want to be alone right now. It was nice to have someone around.