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Chapter -22-

Love Birds and Explosions

Macbeth...

Shears grimaced at the sight of Falco Lombardi and Katt Monroe. He pursed his lips and glanced down at the lizards and apes on the deck, in front of his bars. His gaze lifted again. "You just missed your friends. Thank you for shooting them. I hate being mocked by my own crew, no matter which side I serve."

Falco scoffed. "Yeah. Sure. You want to return the favor? Which way did they go?"

"Up the elevator you just came from."

"You expect me to believe that crap?" Falco pointed his weapon at Shears through the bars.

"It's the only way out of this hallway. Use your brain, idiot."

"Hey!" Katt shouted. She approached the bars and shot through them, striking the bulkhead just behind Shears' head. "Only I can insult my man."

Shears swallowed discretely, hiding the action behind his fist, then he pretended to clear his throat as if demanding their attention. "Okay, now can we focus? Your friends let me live because we're working together. They will return to free me shortly. I'm going to help them capture Andrew, because I believe Dash is a better choice to lead Venom."

Falco pointed his own weapon at Shears. "Dash is a ranger of Venom, _not_an emperor."

"Yes, but he would make a glorious..."

Falco moved the blaster until the barrel was lined up with Shears' nose. "He's a good kid. You're not going to jack things up for him."

"He's capable of far more than..."

"Did you hear me, you goddamn traitor? You're not going to fill that kid's head full of garbage. Got it?"

"Why are you so protective of him, Lombardi?"

"Because I took that kid under my wing at one point during the war with the Anglars. I was hard on him, and I didn't take him serious at first, but he's earned my respect; he's a good goddamn kid. So, here's what's going to happen ... you're going to stay the hell away from him."

"What, are you going to ask him to join Star Fox when your friends take a break?"

Katt reached over and put a hand on Falco's forearm to keep him from shooting the hound. "What do you mean by that? Why would they take a break?"

"You didn't hear the news, yet? Krystal is pregnant." Shears smirked. "Star Fox is taking a break soon."

Falco blinked. "Wait, what? You're BS'ing us."

"No, I learned about it from our sensors when they first entered the very cell I'm currently using. I'm the one that informed them about her state. No one was more surprised than she."

"If you're helping them, why are you in jail?"

Shears thought about lying. He thought about telling them that the soldiers mutinied on him, but he decided against it. "Our new alliance is ... complicated, but I am here until such a time as we have established rapport."

Katt smirked. "You mean they don't trust you. They think you'll stab them in the back."

"Yes. Once they see my information is trustworthy, they will return to release me."

Falco lowered his weapon. "Whatever. But you leave Dash alone. Got it? Else you'll answer to me. Dash is going to fly for me soon."

"Oh,is he, Lombardi? Since when?"

Falco smirked. "As soon as I ask him. Trust me, he'll say yes."

"If you say so."

"Yeah, Shears. I do. Get used to these bars, pal. They're right up your alley."

"Not quite."

"Yeah, Shears. 'Quite.' This is your look. It's what happens when you betray your planet. You want to switch sides? There's a manner of honor and integrity involved. Like, you quit one post, announce your support for the other side, and then you join the other team. Real simple. You don't act as a mole and frickin' betray..." Falco suddenly drew quiet and held his winged arms up. "To hell with this."

Shears eyed him in a suspicious way.

Falco shook his head. "You know what? Nothing I say to you is going to mean a damn thing. Not gonna waste my breath; just sit there and rot. We'll be back to move you to a Cornerian jail soon enough."

Silence.

Shears tightened his jaw but said nothing. In a way, he kind of respected that Falco was a meat-and-potatoes kind of man. He stepped back and settled on the wall-mounted bed.

Falco gestured to the ice wall where a bar was missing. "This tells me they're not in danger. That's the important thing." He turned and gestured for Katt to follow. "Let's go look for our people. C'mon. If I look at his face much longer, I'm going to drop him right there."

Katt fell into step with Falco. "Right behind ya', hon."

The couple headed back for the lift. Falco stabbed the call button with the barrel of his blaster.

The elevator doors opened right away.

Falco stepped onto the platform, Katt followed. He pressed a button causing the doors to shut immediately, then he turned to face her. "I say we storm the base. We head for command first, we level it, and use the PA to let Fox and Krystal know we're in the base looking for them. We're going to need to use a direct assault on the command room, but no grenades, because I don't want to damage the PA controls or whatever. So, I'm thinking we..."

The elevator started moving.

Falco narrowed his gaze. "Someone called the damn elevator. Great. New plan. Get to the left and right, like we did earlier. We aim at the door, and use crossfire-sweeping to take out the enemy."

Katt put her back up against the left wall and pointed her weapon at the doors.

Falco put his back against the right wall and did the same, with his shoulder against the control panel of buttons.

"What if we just press a button and get off at a different floor?"

"Don't know what to expect. Could wind up in front of a ton of bad guys. I'd rather just wait for the poor idiot who called the elevator. At least we know what to expect when those doors open."

"Could be a group, though."

"Yeah, but only enough people to get onto an elevator. I'm not trying to run the risk of getting off another stop and, bam, the hallway winds up being crowded with..."

The doors opened.

"Oi, wait, you lot!" cried a woman's voice from outside the lift.

Fox pointed his weapon inward.

Falco and Katt pointed their weapons outward.

Krystal reached over and guided Fox's gun down. "Oi! I said to wait! Friendlies," she added with urgency in her tone, speaking to Falco and Katt. "Friendly, friendly, friendly."

Falco exhaled sharply and lowered his gun. "Glad you're a telepath."

Katt pointed hers at the ceiling. "I am so glad to see you two."

Krystal and Katt shared a hug.

Falco furrowed his brows at how familiar the two seemed with one another.

The hug didn't relinquish right away.

Falco added, "Jeeze. What, you two suddenly besties now or something?"

Fox stepped back to let Falco off the lift. "Dude, Falco, they flew a job together with Lucy. They almost put a team together before Krystal left Lylat and wound up crossing paths with me on Kew."

"Oh. I mean, yeah. I knew they pulled a job; I just didn't know they were hug-buddies."

Fox thought about what Krystal told him earlier. He reached out and put a hand on Falco's shoulder. "They're girls. Girls will share a single-use bathroom together at house parties ... you know that."

Falco relaxed his shoulders. "Yeah, true. I forgot how weird chicks can be."

Krystal stepped back from Katt and smirked at Falco. "This is why women live seven-to-ten years longer than men on average. We're in touch with our emotions ... and we hug."

Falco blinked. He glanced at Fox. "Is that really a thing?"

"What, that women live longer on average?" Fox nodded. "Yeah."

"I thought women, like, on average or whatever, didn't live as long because some die in childbirth, and that lowered the number or whatever?"

Katt turned to Falco. "Maybe in ancient times. But science has broken all the speed barriers, has created a way to teleport across time and space between two star-systems. And now? Childbirth deaths are nearly nonexistent. So, yes, women outlive men by an order of magnitude of..." She tried to think of the math for seven-to-ten years in comparison to an average lifespan of ninety-five years.

Krystal shrugged, and answered for Katt. "...Of yonks!"

Falco deadpanned.

Krystal shrugged. "It's a Cerinian term. It means somewhere in the neighborhood of 'a long time.' Heh."

"Yeah, yeah." Falco licked his palm and pushed his hands up through his hair. Behind him, the elevator doors thumped shut. "So, yeah, we're here to save you two. Mission complete or whatever."

Krystal snickered softly.

McCloud scrunched his brows and his nose. "Did I miss a joke or something?"

"Pretty much," said Krystal.

"It's something you say, Fox."

"I do?"

"Yeah. I'll point it out next time you say it after a fight or something. So. _Now_what?"

Fox put his gun over his shoulder, shrugged a bit, and feigned a slight smile. "Krystal and I beat Shears by getting into his head. He's in the brig right now. He wants us to stab Andrew in the back. Krystal discovered he has an estranged kid, and we also found out that he believes Andross discovered some ... race of aliens that goes around wiping out star systems for their resources. They last came through Lylat thousands of years ago, and Andross believed they'll come back. Shears seems to think that Andross was the only one that could unify Lylat, through force of course, and then manage to stop the threat. But, unless he's planning to live longer than anyone else around, it wouldn't matter anyhow, since Shears_now thinks_ the Aparoids caused the ... alien insect race ... to take longer before they come back through Lylat."

Falco stared at Fox. "I hear you talking, Foxie, but all I hear is blah, blah, blah. Look, thousands of years? Really? Why would they even come back through? Not like Lylat would replenish all its resources in that short of time, though, right?"

Fox nodded and turned to Krystal.

Krystal saw her fiancé's gaze and nodded. She explained to the team, "They don't filch _everything_from a system. They take whatever they can grab using a quick-and-dirty mining operation. Then they come back through later, once the native population has mined more, usually deeper, resources. And then they come back through and take that, as well. Or, if they meet resistance, they kill everyone and melt down everything, use up every last resource until a system is dust, and that is what they intended to do to Lylat, but they were repelled by the Krazoa. This is what Shears learned from Andross' research. I'm not sure how the ancient Venomians or the Krazoa learned such details, but Andross apparently gleaned his information from both of them, and then he compiled and archived everything while faffing around with galactic domination."

"I call BS," said Falco. "Has anyone ... on any of the other Lylat planets ... recorded an alien attack from a few thousand years ago?"

Krystal shrugged. "Shears researched that for Andross while working as a mole. Apparently, Shears didn't find any proof to validate Andross' claims. But he drank the ... Kool-Aid? Is that the expression?"

Falco chuckled. "Shears believes Andross. Got it. Yeah, that was the expression, although the saying started with a nut job using grape Flavor-Aid."

"No doubt, though, the man is willing to go hard for his faith in Andross. He stepped away from his gormless family. I'd be absolutely gutted if I had to avoid my child."

Katt perked. "That reminds me! Did I also hear that you're expecting?"

Falco crowed overtop of Katt. "Yeah, Shears said you were knocked up! So! Belly full of baby, now. That's gotta be weird, right? I mean, you're gonna crap out a kid, huh? That's rich, considering our line of work, sister."

Katt covered her face with her palm, utterly embarrassed. She took a step away from Falco and exhaled softly, with a soft mutter. "I ... am so sorry, Krystal. He just opens that beak, sometimes, without thinking first."

Krystal shrugged. "I already get the unfiltered version, being a telepath and whatnot. We all know he's a daft nitwit. But we love'im just the same." She cut her gaze back to Falco. "Mate, this may come as a surprise. And, if it does, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you. But, well..."

"C'mon, spit it out, sister."

"Y'see, women don't ... crap ... out the babies. The babies aren't in their bellies. It's not like we're constipated for nine months, then take a laxative and out comes a baby."

"Jeeze, I'm not some mook. Still, kinda funny that laxatives can make chicks have the kid early. That's what happened with my mom. She drank someone's tea at work, because she got it mixed up with hers. Theirs had a laxative. Bam. She copped a squat and dropped me on the spot at her job."

Dead silence.

Falco shrugged. "What! I know, like, maybe five things about my mom. That's one of 'em." He cut his gaze back to Fox, adding, "We didn't all have a solid childhood with our moms before losing her. Some of us just never got to meet our moms. We just got a few of their belongings handed to us, a few cellphone videos, a pat on the back, and a 'good luck, kid!' Anyhow, back to Shears ... me and Katt talked to him."

"Katt and I," Monroe corrected. "God, why do I love you? Anyway, go on, Falco."

"Right, yeah, so ... Fox, I thought you said that guy was wildly nuts, screaming after being soft spoken, and bulgy eyes ... crap like that?"

Fox just stared at Falco as if the raptor had two heads.

Krystal shook her head with a sigh. She answered instead of Fox. "Oi, Falco, give Fox a tick, then, yeah? He's trying to wrap his nut around how you went from 'crapping out babies,' to comparing childhoods, and then back to Shears, like it's just how conversations should go."

Fox, glad for the extra moment to compose himself, said, "I also realized what's wrong with you, Falco."

"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm friggin' perfect. I'm a badass pilot, I got my shit together, and I got a great girl at my side."

Katt felt squishy inside. She cut her gaze to Krystal, her eyes beaming with delight.

Falco scrunched his face at Fox, adding, "Wait, what do you mean you 'realized what's wrong' with me? What's _that_supposed to mean, anyhow?"

Katt turned to Lombardi with a smirk. "He means your origin story, Falco."

"Exactly," said McCloud. "You said your mom 'copped a squat' and then she 'dropped you on the spot.' Babies come out headfirst, Falco. You were dropped on your head. It all makes sense now."

"Maaan, screw you." Falco tried to keep a straight face, but he knew he'd been roasted, and it amused him to no end. "She caught me in a talon, duh."

Fox scoffed at him. "Did she stand on one foot like a flamingo? You know, the concept of live-birth avians is weird to me. I'm being serious. Your feral relatives are these tiny little birds all over various Lylat planets, and they all lay eggs. Well most do, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah. And they're genetically related to dinosaurs. But you see how much different I am from King friggin' Tricky, right?" Falco shifted his gaze back to Krystal. "Anyway, what I meant, earlier, was that Shears seemed to keep it together for the most part when talkin' to Katt and I."

Monroe said, "Me and Katt."

"Friggin' whatever!"

Fox shook his head, amused. "Just think how the sentence would sound if you were speaking only of yourself. Like, 'when talking to me' and Katt. Or, earlier, when you said: Katt and 'I talked to him.' That is how you choose the right turn of phrase. It wouldn't sound right if you said, 'when talking to I,' or if you said 'me talked to him.' Got it now, Falco?"

Falco cut his gaze back to Krystal again. "So anyway! Shears seemed pretty sane to me ... and ... Katt. Did the guy do anything crazy around you two?"

Krystal shrugged. "The man has always been off his trolley. But the soft-speaking, followed by the shouting bit ... that was a persona he developed to intimidate people."

Katt grimaced. "I've seen him do it. My group used to torment his operation on Titania. It was the one time I crossed paths with Star Fox, when Falco and Fox had that shootout, and Fox shot down Falco. Oh, girl, you should have seen it! Falco was so mad about losing."

Falco interrupted. "I was distracted, so yeah, Fox won. I broke my cardinal rule ... don't get emotionally involved at work, because it becomes a distraction. I was distracted, and that is why Foxie won. See, Katt was dating this cat named Cool." His tone suggested that it still bothered him all these years later. He turned to Katt again, sighed, and asked, "Did he spell it with a K, like you do with your name? Did your friends call you cutesy dating names like 'Kool Katt' or something?"

Katt furrowed her brows at Falco. "What is eating you, bluebird?"

"What? Eating me? Nothing. I'm great. We're going to kick Andrew's ass, except that we're just standing around, here, just yammering on."

Fox shook his head. "You're definitely acting different."

Krystal didn't say a word.

The entire group turned to face Krystal.

She cut her gaze between the trio of friends, shrugged, and said, "He's keyed up from the flood of testosterone."

Falco tensed up. "Don't..."

Fox and Katt turned to face Falco.

Krystal said, "See, Katt, it is very simple."

"Teach me the ways of the mysterious manhood, oh telepathic vixen. I need The Man Whisperer to translate his manness."

Krystal chuckled dryly, and told Katt, "Men hate to be embarrassed while experiencing a testosterone surge, so he's throwing out macho shade, also known as machismo. It's a natural psychological reaction for a man, really. He's jealous of this suitor from your past, he's also feeling bashful about what you two did earlier..."

Fox furrowed his brows. "Someone wanna include the team leader on a status update for my team?"

"Oh, you want the 'scuttlebutt,' Fox?" Katt smirked at McCloud. "Your girl has already figured it out."

Krystal continued. "Too right I have." Her gaze bounced from Katt to Falco, and then back. "I know you two were full-on starkers together. I know you've even disagreed on who should replace my Murphy bed on the Cloudrunner, and I know that's why he's acting like a peacock, thumping his chest to show his attitude."

Katt grinned.

Falco rolled his eyes.

Fox crossed his arms. "This should be good..."

Krystal added, "See ... Falco, here, is high on endorphins and testosterone. It's making him act cocky." She changed her tone, directing her words to Falco. "Mate, you had a shite childhood. I will be the first to empathize with you, because you barely knew your mom, had issues with your dad, went through 'approved school,' not to mention gang life ... but, my point is ... _don't_be cross with Fox."

"Yeah?" Falco smirked. "Why not, sister?"

"Because you stopped being a cock-up the day you met Fox."

"Oh, is that right? How you figure that, sister?"

Krystal sighed softly. "Before you met'im, you couldn't be arsed to do _anything_the right-bloody-way. You hated legalities and red tape. Then you found a friend you respected. You applied for yer legal ID, got yer wings, and refined yer piloting. Let me ask you something, mate. What would've happened had you not met Fox? Could you just imagine that?"

Falco looked away. He didn't want to imagine what life would've become without Fox. He stole a glance at Katt then looked away from her. "I don't know. Truck driver, maybe? They pay by mile..."

"A bloody trucker!" Krystal exclaimed. "Can you see Falco at the wheel of an articulated lorry, trucker ballcap and dirty A-frame shirt? Covered in crumbs from eating to stay awake on long hauls, but the undershirt is filled with a feathery gut because he makes all his money sitting at a wheel for ten-to-twelve hours a day. You lot picturing it? You cannot even recognize him, can you?"

Falco grimaced in disgust. "Okay, c'mon. It's how my old man put food on the table, okay? Goddamn." He frowned at Krystal. He knew he'd pissed her off for being obnoxious; he decided to try and change the subject. "You've got some weird words. Cerinian again?"

"Yes. I'm trying to curb it, but it just ... came out the last few days ... with a vengeance, at that."

"What did your people call a ... uh ... ballpoint pen?"

"A biro. Look, mate, why are you avoiding Katt's gaze?"

Falco ground his beak the way mammals grind their teeth.

Katt arched her brows. "Falco?"

Krystal turned to her. "Earlier, in my bed, the two of ya's spoke on when he broke things off from you and the gang..."

"Yeah, I admit, he's been a little distant since we talked about it. Not extremely distant, just ... a little off. Is that what you're talking about?"

"That's what's got'im in a lather, yeah." Krystal nodded firmly. "You needed his help, and he told you to learn to fix your own issues, and that he can't always be around to help you. And that's bothered you for years, deep down."

"Yes. I remember it. A little too well."

Krystal nodded. "Katherine, love, he didn't really mean it. Don't let it bother you anymore."

Katt arched her brows. "Wait, what?"

The vixen continued. "This nob-head wannabe jock broke off from you and the Hot Rodders because, at the time, he left you for Fox."

Katt scrunched her nose. "What do you mean he left me for Fox? He's not exactly gay, hon."

"Romantically, no. But he had a bromance just the same, love. Falco, 'ere, left the Space Hot Rodders for Star Fox. He didn't know 'ow to tell you he was leaving, so when you asked him for help, he started an argument and stormed off as an easy way 'out.' Falco has been too embarrassed to tell you that for years. He wants to, love ... he really does, but he's afraid you'll be upset with him."

Katt squinted at Falco, studying his facial expression.

Falco opened and closed his hand several times, wanting nothing more than to cover Krystal's muzzle, but he remembered that she was pregnant and kept his composure.

Krystal continued. "He's never known quite 'ow to tell you that, Katherine, love, because his only regret in life was ditching you. He tried to find you again, later, and you were nowhere to be found. He thought you died, and he mourned you privately. So, when he saw you over Zoness, during the Lylat Wars, he was shocked."

Katt's eyes softened a bit.

Krystal continued her explanation. "But the first words out of his mouth were to push you away because he was worried you were there to muck things up for his new life. Then he questioned if he was just an arse or if he was over you."

Katt rolled her eyes.

"The more you flirted with Fox in hopes it would make Falco become territorial over you, the more Falco became distant, but ... it did influence him. He bottled it, of course. Proper jock move, yeah?"

"Yeah," said Falco, "I internalized it or ... whatever. So what?"

Krystal continued her explanation to Katt. "But you can only bury feelings for so long if they're true feelings. His were. Are. After Andross was defeated, he bumbled about, living off the bunce ... thee, uh, big check paid out by Pepper and Corneria. Falco, here, had a few boring years with small jobs, and that afforded him time to mature, and, more importantly, it gave him time to think about 'is actions. And then? You reached out to him. Just like that, love, Falco stormed out."

"Stormed out...?" Katt tilted her head. "How so?"

"Right there on the spot, Katherine. He left Star Fox to help your team, but when he got to Titania, he saw you had a new man. He was jealous of Cool."

"You were?" Katt asked Falco.

Falco shrugged.

Krystal added, "However, he loved you enough to want you happy. He thought you were honestly happy, so after Shears' defeat, Falco decided to step away from both the old gang and his old team. He reflected on it, and realized he'd spent his life with one group or another, but he never knew what it was like to be an independent adult on his own. He wanted to know if he could survive without the help of others."

"Yeah, yeah, so what," Falco muttered. "I decided it was time to try and learn how to live without relying on others for a while. Happy? I just admitted it out-friggin'-loud. So what?"

Krystal continued speaking to Katt, woman-to-woman. "The next several years were spent alone, learning how to be a man, learning how to be self-reliant. Learning how to live on his own. The only reason he came back is because he became fed up with watching the news, depicting Sauria apart."

Fox grinned a bit. "That's just loyalty, right there. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, as the saying goes."

Krystal nodded in agreement to her fiancé's explanation. "Yes, Fox. He was more than halfway to Sauria by the time you were at the final Force Point Temple to bring the planet back together. He arrived just in time to see you fighting Andross. He felt bad he didn't arrive sooner to help. He felt like he ruined his relationship with Katt and you, Fox." She cut her gaze back to Katt and continued her explanation. "But Fox was just glad to have him back. After helping with Andross, Falco could have left again, but, instead, he stayed. And now? He's wiser. He's matured. Well, somewhat." She offered Falco a wry grin, then turned her gaze back to Fox and Katt. "He wants to balance his relationship with the both of you."

"God," Falco muttered. "Girls overcomplicate everything."

Krystal rolled her eyes at Falco. "No, boys like you over-simplify things, and it leads to rubbish drama."

"Oh,guys are drama, are we? Hah! Yeah right! Star Fox didn't have drama until you joined! How'd'ya like that, sister? Just calling you out the way you called me out."

Both Katt and Fox's eyes widened. They turned to Krystal.

She laughed in a good-natured way. "You're so full of shite. I can't be arsed to react to that."

"Yeah? How you figure I'm full of shit?"

"Because, mate, you were the drama until I came along. I stole your thunder and ruined your bromance."

"No, I came back to help Fox before he met you. I just didn't get there in time. That doesn't make me dramatic. It just means I had to work out my shit until it was time to come home to the team."

"Oh, Falco, you've been almost as jealous of me as you were of Cool."

"Oh, that's crap and you know it. Prove it."

Krystal laughed softly, followed by a drawn-out sigh of amusement. She held her hands outward and said, "You prolly sensed Fox saw a pretty girl in a giant crystalline structure, hopped off your bar stool, and hurried to pull your Arwing out of storage. You called your sobriety sponsor, told him you were going home, and said you didn't need him anymore. Then you called Yaru de Pon, and you asked him to let you get your fighter out of storage, and he told you to take a newer model, loaded with three free months' worth of supplies. Don't even tell me I'm wrong. I can read it from you like I was there. I'm living that memory vicariously through you."

Falco scoffed. "Pfft. Meaning what, exactly?"

"Meaning I know that you took longer to get dressed than you did to tear out of Space Dynamics with a refurbished Arwing. You came straight to Sauria because you were afraid you were being somehow replaced. You just didn't know the fine details yet, until you saw me strut onto the bridge and make eyes with Fox. It confirmed yer worst fears. Then, when I left the team, after my fight with Fox, and after Slippy left due to taking a new job doing research and development for the Cornerian military, you left again, because you couldn't be outshined by anyone."

"You are so freakin' dramatic. Must be the pregnancy hormones, sister."

Krystal smirked. "No, Falco, you are the dramatic one on the team. That's my entire bloody point."

Everyone cut their gaze back to Falco, expecting him to get rude.

Falco broke into a laugh. He reached out and gave Krystal's shoulder a squeeze. "Thanks for the trip down memory lane, sister. I don't know why you had to make me sound all gay in your version of things, but it's mostly right. I didn't take that_long to get dressed. Also, I only left again because I _hate seeing Fox mope. But it's funny as hell when you tell it."

"Mm, yes. I'm such a comedian." Krystal smirked.

Katt punched Falco in his shoulder. "You could've told me you had, oh, I don't know ... feelings."

Krystal smiled at Katt. "He doesn't know how to handle his emotions. He's an orphan. He was in a gang. He was a fighter jock at a stag party. He never learned how to handle his emotions from a mother or father - he never 'figured it out' like a woman."

"Okay, okay. Can we just get this show on the road already? Jeeze Laweeze."

Fox exhaled. "My whole team. It's my entire team that's dramatic. We're still teenagers in many ways. I know I'm at fault for being an idiot quite a few times. Slippy was the least dramatic, emotionally speaking. The only time he caused drama was in a dogfight."

Krystal grinned. "That's because he was raised by both of his parents and chose_to join team Star Fox. In other words, Slippy didn't join this team simply because he had nothing else, like the three of us, but because he put his friends and his beliefs ahead of everything else in his life. Slippy Toad is the real hero, in a way. He _gave up all the things the three of us pined for. Why? To give the team his all. He volunteered to do it. Imagine being an eighteen year old amphibian, living on the driest part of Papetoon, with all your loved ones back on Corneria worrying about you ... to live with a group of guys who were better than you, teased you, and had nothing to offer you intellectually? He did it because he loves you lot. You know that?"

Silence.

Fox and Falco exchanged glances.

Krystal frowned. "I learned those things because he told Amanda how he feels in complete honesty. I learned it from her, because he bottled it so deeply in the past. But that just makes me respect him more for knowing how to share his emotions with his fiancée. Awful isn't it? Really made me respect him. He put up with all your tosh just to give everything he could offer. Weapons, vehicles, repairing everything that broke ... he put his life in danger for you lot, and he has never even expected a single thanks. Which is just sad, because you lot never gave him your thanks to begin with."

Fox and Falco looked like scolded children. Again, they stole glances at one another, then returned their gazes to their own feet.

Silence.

Krystal frowned at the sight of two pitiful men. "All right, boys. I'm sorry. I've been wondering why I've been having ups and downs, and why I've been strongly opinionated on matters of treating one another humanely instead of flyting insults with one another all the time. And now I know Shears was telling the truth - I'm pregnant and I'm scolding you on having a chemistry that has worked for decades. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so intensely protective over Slippy - that's Amanda's job. I've never been pregnant before - I know every woman has different reactions to each individual pregnancy. I'm ... I'm sorry, boys."

Again, Fox and Falco exchanged glances.

Krystal cut her gaze to Katt. "And, while I'm handing out apologies for stepping out of line, I'm sorry I avoided you before."

Katt felt her face tighten from bashfulness. "Oh. Uh. Right. Look, you had a job on Kew, and it took longer than expected. It's all right."

"No, love. I avoided you on purpose. I ... was quite taken with the idea of teaming up, you, myself, Lucy, and Amanda. Girl power and all that. But then ... I just needed to think about..." Krystal trailed off, sensing that Katt had _not_told Falco what happened between the two girls, very briefly.

Katt looked a little nervous. She stole a glance at Falco, but he was looking at Krystal to pay attention to the conversation.

Krystal shrugged. "I just needed to think about my shite decisions. I bounced from a relationship with Fox, to Panther, back to Fox, back to Panther ... I was confused and decided to get away from Lylat until I could clear my head. I went to Kew looking for Octoman, because he had a bounty on him ... and I'm sorry I led you on ... to ... believe we would be teaming up, then suddenly bailed on you. You know?"

Katt relaxed her shoulders, glad Krystal didn't say anything. She stepped forward and hugged Krystal. "Listen, Tiger, I'm just excited for you having a baby. It's going to be wonderful. You and Fox deserve to be happy. Falco and I can keep the torch lit, so to speak, until you two decide to get back into the field. Falco was tough on Dash Bowman during the Anglar War, but only because he really likes the kid. We'll reach out to him, tell him he could have something better than trying to be the Ranger of Venom. Something more ... rewarding."

Krystal beamed, returning the hug. "That would be perfect. And, thank you. That was really kind, especially after I feel like I ghosted you, love. Thank you for understanding, Kath--..."

An explosion came from somewhere in the base.

Everyone become quiet.

Katt asked Krystal, "What was that?" She stepped back from Krystal's embrace and sniffed at the air.

"Trouble," Krystal replied with a tone of dismay. "I ... can't be entirely sure, but I have a feeling that daft arse, Andrew, realized Shears buggered up his job, or possibly that we have Shears in the brig. I cannot read much more than feelings from Andrew, and he's at the edge of my range, but I have the distinct impression he's ready to personally oversee his operation to determine whether he can sort this job himself."

Fox checked his blaster.

Falco did the same, followed by a firm nod.

Katt thumbed the safety on hers. "All right, boys. Everyone got their feelings out. I feel like I threw out all the baggage that didn't spark joy, today. Time to clock back in."

Falco said, "The only thing that 'sparks joy' is kicking Oikonny's ass. Let's handle this."

Krystal pointed her staff forward, then, at arm's length, she twirled it backward to stretch out the muscles in her paw. "I'm going to give Oikonny a real bollocking, whilst pregnant. All right, you lot! Let's get that josser sorted! Star Fox, move out!"

Fox grinned, hearing his fiancée take charge in such a way. "Y'all heard the lady."

X

X

Twenty minutes later...

Falco leaned back behind a boulder and waited. Two disrupter blasts went by. He leaned around the corner of the large boulder and fired three more times. He glanced back at Katt.

Behind her, pinned down at the back of another large stone boulder, Fox and Krystal fired at the encroaching army that advanced on the four mercenaries. The group of roughly a hundred infantrymen used blaster shields and moved up at a rate of five paces between each pause to open fire.

Falco looked back at his friends again. "I hate to say it, but this crap doesn't look too good right now." He exhaled through his nostrils and frowned. "Hey! Krystal! What do you sense from Andrew? You got anything, sister?!"

Krystal shouted back over the ambient noise of an encroaching march. "Elation! He feels like he's going to finally take down his most hated enemies. I hate to say it, but his chances are starting to look pretty good!"

Falco grimaced. "I knew I should've stayed in a goddamn fighter." He took a deep breath then shouted, "You think we could make a break for the Cloudrunner?!"

Fox replied, "Not a chance! We'd be gunned down by that marching firing squad. Gotta hand it to him, it was pretty clever of Andrew to use a comms jammer! I doubt Slippy and Amanda even know we're pinned down!"

Falco groaned. "He's going to inherit the team. Can you guys imagine Slippy as the leader of Star Fox? See, Fox? I told you we should have regrouped at Great Fox and..."

Fox fired two more times and interrupted Falco. "We were! Stop antagonizing me. We were headed back to take him on in a space battle! Maybe if you guys stayed put, you could have helped us out!"

Katt replied before Falco could. "We didn't know you guys escaped! We came to rescue you! Now it's too late and we're all trapped together! Let's just make the most of it! I'm not trying to have my last minute alive spent fighting each other. We need to fight the enemy."

"Katherine is right," Krystal replied in a stern tone. "You boys can fight later on. I have a baby to protect, all right?! Right now, focus that energy into taking down as many..." She trailed off.

Falco looked back at Krystal to make sure she hadn't been shot.

Fox furrowed his brows. "What? What is it?"

Krystal looked up.

Katt saw the vixen lift her gaze; Monroe also looked up.

Fox and Falco both looked up.

Two Landmaster tanks came from high above. The glow of their belly-mounted boosters gleamed against the late morning sky of the second sun's glow.

Falco broke out into a full-on belly-laugh. "The friggin' frogs! They're _actually_coming to save us! What the heck! I can't believe it!"

Fox smirked. "Careful there, Falco, you're starting to sound like Wolf O'Donnell."

"Ah shaddaup ... friggin ... Star Fox." Falco smirked, knowing Fox usually hated it when people called him by his team's name.

Fox smirked. He ducked back from the edge of the boulder where two blaster strikes hit, one above the other. "Still better than being called 'Star Falco,' which, I hear, is what you wanna use."

"Well,I think it sounds awesome."

"You'd be wrong."

"Agreed," said Krystal.

"No comment," said Katt. She leaned up and fired two shots around the boulder. "Guys, they're getting really close."

A roar came from above.

The team looked up again.

Slippy and Amanda's tanks opened fire on the advancing infantry from high above. A series of explosions blasted the ground apart, throwing reptile soldiers in all directions. The ranks broke and the lizards dashed in the opposite direction of the boulders, trying to get away from the openness of the battlefield.

Falco clenched his hand into a fist and quietly hissed, "Yes!"

Fox smirked. "You."

"Me_what_?"

"_You_just got saved by Slippy. How does it feel?"

"Ah shaddaup!" Falco erupted. "Don't you tell him!"

Fox reached a paw to his solar plexus and tapped his chest. "I don't have to. I recorded the entire thing on my bodycam."

"God dammit!" Falco roared. "You suck, McCloud."

"My team is the best because I reenforce each member's actions with positive feedback."

"Just give it a rest, McClou--"

The explosions happened again, followed by more impacts against the ground, out in the field.

The remaining lizards hurried away.

The two Landmaster tanks touched down. One moved into a position to keep Fox and company safe. The hatch opened and Amanda stood up from it. "Hey, guys! Slippy and I came to rescue you!"

Katt called up, "Wait, Slippy is the one chasing down a bunch of soldiers?"

Amanda laughed. "Of course! He's showing off for me. He is such a peacock, I swear. That man is going to be the death of me, because I want to give him a tadpole every time he does something manly for me ... which is basically ten times a day, at least."

Fox stole a grin at Falco and Krystal. "Okay," he said in a soft but modest tone. "I'm proud of him."

Krystal beamed in return.

Falco brought a feathery hand to his beak and groaned. "He'll never let me live this down. I just know it."

Katt placed a paw on the small of his back. "At least you'll live to hear him gloat. Then again, Slippy doesn't seem the gloating kind. Maybe you should get out in front of this and buy him a beer and gloat for him. Tell everyone you are proud of him for 'stepping up as team badass' while you were in the trenches against a battalion."

Falco smirked. "So ... get out front and own it, huh?"

"I believe the phrase is, 'hang a lantern on it,' Falco. You weren't saved by a Cornerian merchant or by a coward civilian. You were saved by a teammate who you've helped to mold over the last several wars. Right?"

Falco rubbed his beak. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right about that. The kid finally stepped up, just like I knew he could. Late bloomer, but still a fellow Star Fox pilot."

Katt's grin broadened. "Exactly, honey. See? Pretty swell, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah." As an afterthought, Falco added, "Let's just get back to the Great Fox and put Andrew away for good. I'm getting sick of his crap, already."

Fox looked back at Falco. "Hey! According to my smart-cuff, Slippy just broke your Landmaster kill record."

Falco huffed with indignation. "So? You broke my Landmaster kill record years ago. You always said he was better in a tank than anyone you know."

Fox kept his eyes on his wrist-mounted PDA gauntlet. "And now he just broke mine."

Krystal smirked. "Now that is impressive. He didn't just save us, he saved my unborn child, so I owe him a drink, too." She placed a paw protectively over her tummy, practically high on life for the moment. "Anyone want to have a flutter for how many he'll kill before we wrap up on Macbeth? I've got fifty credits on him breaking five hundred kills!"

The four mercenaries, and Amanda from her Landmaster, watched the other tank, in the distance, as it waged a war, hovering above the battalion of enemy soldiers.

Fox approached Amanda's tank. A few random flashes glanced off her shields, which were expanded to surround the group. He looked up at her and gave her a thumbs up. "So, uh, where did all these soldiers come from? I mean, There has to be over seven hundred guys in that group. At least several companies."

"Yeah. Andrew's reinforcements showed up. He had a battalion use a prototype version of the 'instant transmission' technology ... one that Andross apparently built from studying the Krazoa's teleporters, which ... unlike our tech, works well on individual persons and groups quite well. There's an Imperial troop transport cluster, four ships, in orbit on the other side of Macbeth. They have a small fighter escort, but nothing worth bragging about. Great Fox is safe, though. Slippy finished updating a new defense system for the carrier. ROB is at the controls for the turret system."

Fox laughed. "God, I love this team. All right, so, a few things ... Krystal has some news. But it's hers to tell, because she's excited about it. Also, uh, _how_exactly did you know we were in trouble?"

"You know how Corneria uses satellite technology to monitor everything from weather to crime?"

"Oh. You were watching."

"We jumped in two tanks, drove them to the edge of the hanger. Dropped the forcefield, let our tanks get blown out of the hanger, and landed right in the thick of it. Figured it was the fastest way to get here."

"I'm impressed by your timing. We really appreciate it. Falco appreciates getting rescued, and needed coaching on how to cope with being saved by Slippy ... and Krystal really appreciated it."

Krystal approached. "Amanda, you gorgeous thing! You have my eternal gratitude."

"Oh, Krystal, it was nothing! You'd have done the same for us!"

"Yes, I would have rushed down as quickly as I could, just the same, but ... I _really_appreciate it. Shears' scanner suggested that I'm pregnant, so first I'm just gobsmacked, but also ... being at the receiving end of nearly a thousand blaster rifles ... I was terrified for the possibility that Shears' bio-scanners were accurate, you know? If I die, then I die, but I just ... can't stomach the thought of losing an unborn child."

Amanda reached down, behind her seat, and withdrew her medical scanner. She climbed out of the cockpit and dropped down onto the side of the tank body, just above the treads. "Is your dialect thicker than usual?"

"Bloody hell, is it? I keep trying to be mindful of it when someone brings it up; my apologies."

"I think it sounds awesome."

Krystal chuckled softly. "Well, ta, then."

Amanda waved the scanning device in front of Krystal, looked up from the display, and said, "Yes." She nodded firmly. "Successful conception."

Krystal's eyes widened and glistened with hopeful tears. She was too nervous to laugh or scream yet. She brought her hands together in front of her muzzle.

"I'll be able to determine conception date when I have you in the medical bay of the Great Fox. But it was pretty recent. I just need to make a quick note."

Krystal nodded quietly, despite the raging warzone going on up ahead.

Amanda thumbed a button on the medical scanner and dictated a notation. "Patient Krystal of Cerinia, acting obstetrician, Amanda Rana Aurora-Anura. Patient's GPAL history currently unknown but is presumed to have a parity number of zero-zero-one-zero; gravidity one, nulliparous, first known pregnancy. Patient currently in early gestation cycle, first trimester. Conception date to be determined once subject is out of the field." Amanda thumbed the key to end the recording. The amphiboid met Krystal's eyes again. "C'mon. Let's get you four home. Krystal, how about you take everyone in the Cloudrunner ... just divert power from your weapons; set your G-diffuser to full displacement and crank your shields. I'll cover your ascent."

"Brilliant, love." As an afterthought, Krystal added, "I never knew you had a hyphenated surname."

"Mom and dad separated before I was born, so mom gave me a hyphenated last name - her maiden name and dad's name, combined. I usually just go by 'Anura,' because I'm a bit of a daddy's girl. But it'll be 'Toad' soon enough."

"You're an exceptional medic, just brilliant. You know that, right?" Krystal lifted a paw, making a circular gesture to the rest of her teammates, but she spoke to Amanda, adding, "I'll see you in the medical bay when we get back to the ship."

"You got it, girl," said Amanda with a beaming smile." She sank back into her Landmaster's cockpit and pulled the safety harness over herself.

"Ta!" Krystal pivoted on her feet and shouted to Katt, Falco, and Fox. "On me! We're headed for the Cloudrunner! And, no, Fox, I'm flying." She took point and made a hard run for her ship.

Amanda followed them in the Landmaster at a low speed to provide shielding and coverage for the ground team's retreat.

Krystal was the first one to the Cloudrunner. She used an app on her smartwatch to open the rear loading ramp. It lowered to the ground as she approached, with the rest of her team right on her heels.

She dashed through the belly of the ship, stole a glance at the rumpled sheets of her bed, where a blue feather was sitting in the middle. She raced into the narrow section, leading up to the cockpit. She ducked down, climbed through, and pulled herself up into the pilot's seat.

With her left hand, she mashed the start button and fired up her engines. With her right, she reached for her safety harness.

The shields came online.

The comms came online. Krystal opened a channel to Amanda. "Shields are up! Good to go! Head back and keep your boy safe; I've got it from here!"

Amanda replied. From her tank's cockpit, her lips looked slightly out of sync with the audio, but only by a split-second. "Godspeed! Get that baby back to my med-bay safe and sound!"

"Cheers!" Krystal closed the channel with a paw-gesture in front of the comms panel.

She could sense everyone aboard. She also sensed that Fox noticed pink fur strands and blue feathers on the bed at the back of the Cloudrunner. She also sensed him rolling his eyes, which caused her to grin with amusement, up in the cockpit, where no one could see her.

Krystal reached for a button to close the cargo loading ramp.

With the Cloudrunner secure, she shouted over her shoulder, "Everyone sit down and get ready! Engines are coming online, now!"

She tapped on a capacitive touch screen, careful to use the padding of her fingertips, not her nails. She went through the computer's graphic user interface without looking at the screen, and quickly moved energy from her weapons to her shields and G-diffuser.

The computer chimed, signaling that the operation was complete.

Krystal pulled back on the controls, causing her ship to lift off, vertically. The sky came into view of the cockpit HUD. She could hear and feel the G-diffuser pontoons, beneath the ship, changing angle from the hydraulic motors beneath the craft. It was barely noticeable from the maneuvering thrusters on the belly that caused her ship to hover, and then tilt upward. "Okay, hold tight!" She hit the boost, blasting up into the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

She pulled back on the control stick a bit more, headed straight into the air. Once she passed a majority of the atmosphere, she angled her ship a bit to the side. The speed display on her dash cluster showed her craft reaching twenty-five thousand miles per hour. Beneath, the display showed, '11KPS,' and ticked over to twelve just as Great Fox came into view.

Krystal opened a channel to the Great Fox. "Oi, ROB, we're coming in hot. As soon as we pass through the force field, I need you to pilot Great Fox into the lower atmosphere. We have to scoop up Slippy and Amanda. It will be tricky, so let them know to be ready. Calculate the speed and angle of travel necessary to scoop up both Landmasters on a single pass, while they're in hover mode or some such. We have to time this just right so we can pull back up and head straight back into space in one brilliant maneuver. Got it?"

"Understood, Krystal. Opening a channel to coordinate with Slippy and Amanda. I will see you on the bridge. Also, I've been monitoring the comms channels ... congratulations."

Krystal beamed with pride. "Ta, mate. I appreciate you, ROB. See you soon!" She used the wave gesture in front of the comms panel to close the channel, then she shouted over her shoulder. "You lot, brace for a quick stop! In three! Two! One!" She hit the retro-reverse rockets.

A split second later, Krystal shouted, "Brace again!" in warning to the group at the back of her ship.

The Cloudrunner passed through the atmospheric force field. A strong net popped up from a compartment built in the landing deck.

The net grasped the Cloudrunner, bringing it to a very sudden stop.

"Everyone all right, back there?"

Fox called from the belly of the Cloudrunner. "We're fine!"

"All right," Krystal shouted. She waved a paw at the comms panel, activating the redial feature, which opened a channel to ROB again. "We're in! Go, go, go, ROB!"

"Entering Macbeth's upper atmosphere, now. Stand by."

"Too right. I'll see you on the bridge shortly!" She powered down her fighter and slumped in the seat. "What a rush!"