"Why don't you just tell her what's really going on?" Fox recalled what Falco had said to him the night before, after his argument with Krystal. That night, he and Slippy had just arrived from Fortuna, a hostile planet far from the core of the Lylat System. The military base that Oikonny lured them to over a year ago had been destroyed by the aparoids, but Corneria was still working on sending relief efforts to combat Andross' remaining forces occupying the planet. More of the planet was being liberated every day, and progress was smooth, so Fox and Slippy left the planet to attend the ceremony on Corneria the next day.

"I told you I can't do that, Falco. Krystal would be furious if she knew I was trying to protect her by pairing her with you." The beautiful vixen had a strong will, and though she proved to be an excellent pilot, Fox still wanted to pair her with Falco on missions. He was the ace pilot of the team, even above Fox himself at times.

"I'm sure she was pretty steamed anyway," Falco had told him. "She thinks that you just have no preference for her and don't want to go on missions with her now. You ought to tell her the truth. She may hate you for it, but at least she will know that you care."

The bird had a good point. Maybe it was better to just tell Krystal that he paired her up with Falco for her own protection. "But I can't go on missions with her... What if I can't keep her safe? If I make one mistake-"

"-Fox, she knows the risks as the rest of us do," Falco interrupted. "And as much as I hate to admit, I'm not that much better of a pilot than you anyway," he shrugged. "Besides, do you have any idea what she puts me through? I'll be honest; she has a thing for disobeying orders."

That was what attracted Fox to her even more. She matched his willingness to bend the rules in order to do the right thing. He didn't try to contain her strong will like Falco, but matched its strength and intensity. "I don't know, Falco. I'm afraid of what this line of work does to those I love."

"Don't try to compare this to what happened to your old man, Fox," Falco warned. "James was betrayed, it had nothing to do with you."

"But it has everything to do with me, and who I am..." Fox's late father, James McCloud, was the former leader of the Star Fox team. His own wingman, Pigma Dengar, betrayed him to the hands of his greatest enemy, Andross. Since Fox had taken over the team in his father's place, the same rivalry existed between himself and the scourge of Corneria. "The shadows of the past will always haunt me and those closest to me. I know I might be overly cautious, but I'll think about it..."

It was the day of the celebration on Corneria, and the night of Fox's argument with Krystal had passed. He sat up in his bed and stretched, having had a rough night's sleep filled with dreams of uncertainty and doubt. He still wondered if Krystal was upset with him, and hoped that he would figure out what to tell her. I'll save that for some other time... Today I need to focus on this ceremony. Oikonny, now that he's back, will surely have something planned for us. We will all need to be ready.

            Fox had sent a warning message to General Peppy Hare the night before, warning him of danger at the next day's ceremony. When the rabbit inquired about the nature of the trouble, Fox only said to trust him, knowing that Oikonny's return would receive skepticism from all members of the Cornerian military. They would find out in time; all they needed to know for now was to be on their guard.

Hauling himself out of his bed, Fox put on his uniform and headed for the door leading from his sleeping quarters to the control room of The Great Fox. Just before he left, he turned around to look at a picture frame sitting on a table beside his bed. It was the same picture that Krystal had in her room, depicting the two at the Cornerian Spaceport. Krystal, I hope you'll forgive me, he thought silently as he passed through the sliding door to his room and headed for the bridge.

Slippy and Falco were waiting for him, but Krystal was nowhere to be seen. Through the windows surrounding the bridge, Fox could tell that they were approaching the planet Corneria rapidly. Soon, they would have to fly their Arwings to Corneria City, the planet's capital, in order to meet with General Peppy before they received awards for their services to the city.

"Does anyone have any idea where Krystal is?" Fox asked his companions. He guessed that she was still in her room, but something inside of him was worried for her. What if she didn't want to go to the ceremony with him after their argument?

Both of the other pilots shook their heads in reply. "Haven't seen her," Falco answered.

"Nope. No sign of Krystal anywhere. I haven't seen her at all since last night," Slippy replied with an awkward expression on his face. Fox wondered if he was alright, but decided not to ask. He had to find Krystal before they could leave.

The fox turned away from the control room and knocked at her door. "Krystal, hello? We need to leave for Corneria soon." No reply came, and Fox wondered if she was in her room at all. "Slippy, check the medical room on the second floor. Falco, try the hangar bay, will you? We can't leave without her."

The two took off immediately, passing Fox and heading for their respective locations. While he waited, he pressed his pointed ear up to Krystal's door to see if he could hear anyone inside. With a moment's pause, he heard nothing and was almost positive that she was missing. Suddenly, a beeping sound came from the communicator strapped to his wrist. He looked down to see who the message was from, and surely enough, it was Krystal.

Fox pressed a button on his comm link and a virtual image of Krystal's face appeared. Sadness and a hint of regret glimmered in her eyes as she spoke her message to him. "Fox, I won't be going to the awards ceremony today. I've left The Great Fox, and I don't when I will be back."

The message continued as Falco and Slippy appeared. They shared an alarmed look with Fox, who then returned his attention to the message. "I am not leaving the team, and I want you to know that I will be safe. There's something I have to do. Take care, and say hello to Peppy for me." The image of Krystal smiled, and Fox couldn't help but smile back at it. Then she faded away and left the remainder of the Star Fox team silent in bewilderment.

"There were only three Arwings in the hangar bay," Falco confirmed. "She really has left us... Fox, should we go find her?"

"I don't think that is such a good idea. She said she will be back, and we have to go to Corneria," Slippy spoke up. He sounded too sure of himself, making Fox wonder if he might know more about Krystal's disappearance than he was willing to admit. There was a tough decision to make. Fox truly cared for the vixen, and was devastated by her leaving. But at the same time, he was comforted by her message and felt that she would come back to him again when she was ready.

"I guess we have no choice but to go to Corneria without her," Fox sighed. "I would go after her, but I fear what Oikonny may be planning today. There will be civilians at the ceremony, unarmed and defenseless if we are not there. We can use the awards ceremony as a trap to lure Oikonny in, and if we are successful, we can capture him and end this war."

Fox was more confident in his decision when he saw the nods of approval from his teammates. "I hope Krystal will be alright. Maybe we can try to contact her afterward." The time was nearing, and the Star Fox team had a mission to complete. "Let's get down to Corneria; everyone will be expecting us."

* * *

Fox was amazed at the crowd that had gathered at Corneria City as he landed his Arwing on the large circular landing pad at the city's center. The city was one small island surrounded by water, filled with tall skyscrapers and complicated roadways that twisted and turned in between them. Peppy Hare, Fox's old friend and former pilot of the Star Fox team, was waiting for him on the landing pad as he exited his ship, followed by Falco and Slippy.

"What a crowd, huh Fox?" The old grey hare in the crimson Cornerian military uniform smiled in greeting. Fox nodded as he gazed down at the Cornerians gathered below. Foxes, dogs, cats, lizards, and a plethora of anthropomorphic life had gathered in order to celebrate the Star Fox team and their efforts to destroy the aparoid threat. Fox was glad to see that so many had come to honor them, but he disliked being the center of attention.

"Hey, are we going to get this over with?" Falco asked in a mildly arrogant tone as he and Slippy approached. Fox narrowed his eyes at him, understanding that he was only in a hurry to move on with the ceremony because Oikonny could be planning something right under their noses.

Peppy felt insulted, clearly unaware of how serious the threat really was. "What's your hurry? We want to honor you all for your services to Corneria," retorted the elderly rabbit.

"Well, that's what we need to talk to you about," Slippy croaked. "It might be more serious than we led you to believe..."

Before he could say any more, Peppy interrupted him. "Where's Krystal?" He gave Fox a rough stare as if he guessed that something had happened between them. "Is she not coming for the celebration? I only see three Arwings when there should be four."

Fox paused, realizing how much she would be missed by Peppy and all of the Cornerians gathered below. Krystal fought and flew admirably during the aparoid invasion and deserved to be honored just as much as the rest of the Star Fox team. "She left just some short time ago," Fox answered gravely. "She said that she wasn't leaving for good, but would not be here for the awards ceremony. I hope that she's alright, but I'm not sure... She picked a good time to slip away, since we were needed here. She mentioned something that she felt she needed to do..."

Peppy slowly nodded. "Fine, as long as you didn't hurt her... She really is something else," he added with a light nudge and a humorous gleam in his eyes.

"Hey!" Fox tried not to blush at Peppy's mention of his feelings for Krystal. Urgently, he knew that he had to tell the Cornerian General about her confrontation with Oikonny before the celebration started. "Peppy, we need to tell you something... it's about the threat to the ceremony that we warned you about..." His words were interrupted as Peppy turned to face the crowd below and began the ceremony. Clearly he had not heard Fox's warning.

"Citizens of Corneria," the General waited for silence so that he could speak. "A year ago, our planet was attacked by a threat known as the aparoids." At once, the faces of the Cornerian civilians turned sour, recalling the attack on their home planet. Fox let his mind travel back in time to the day of the assault. Instead of facing a bright, clear sky and tall Cornerian skyscrapers, he saw smoke, fire, and buildings in ruin. The aparoid attack on Corneria was more devastating than any of the other attacks, and it was hard to imagine such a swift recovery for the planet afterward.

"As we all know, Corneria retaliated against this threat by sending a fleet to the aparoid homeworld. This force managed to destroy the Aparoid Queen, the source of all aparoid will, along with the planet itself. Today, we honor the pilots that led our army into the heart of enemy territory and saved us from this threat once and for all. Team Star Fox, thank you for protecting and defending our great planet Corneria!" With this statement, the crowd began cheering in thunderous applause.

Fox glanced over at his friends and realized how honored he felt to be accompanied by such excellent pilots. Falco was truly an excellent aviator and would do anything to aid his allies, even though he preferred to be a loner sometimes. Slippy was not the most skilled in the air, but was the team's best mechanic and a dear friend to all. Deep down in his heart, Fox missed Krystal and wished that she could have been there to share this moment with him.

From among the crowd, a Cornerian soldier dressed in a light blue space suit walked up a ramp leading to the top of the landing platform. The expression in the pilot's face was unreadable underneath his round helmet and dark visor as he handed something to Peppy and proceeded down to the ground once again. Peppy faced the crowd and lifted his arms above his head, revealing four brilliant gold medallions that gleamed in the Cornerian sunlight.

"Behold, these medals are not only a symbol of our gratitude, but also recognition of true ace pilots." Fox clearly read the words "Ace Pilot" that were engrained in each of the medallions. As the crowd cheered, Peppy turned to face the members of Star Fox. He first approached Slippy and placed a medallion around the toad's neck. "Slippy Toad, I thank you for your ingenuity and bravery on behalf of the citizens of Corneria."

The old hare made his way to Falco, who had to bend over so his medallion could be placed around his neck. "Falco Lombardi, on behalf of the citizens of Corneria, I thank you for your swiftness and skill."

Lastly, Peppy turned to Fox to give him his award. "Fox, I wish your father was here to see this. He would have been so proud of you and the legacy you have led behind him," he murmured in a voice so soft that only the two of them could hear it. Fox simply nodded, knowing the friendship that existed between his father and with Peppy. Deep down, he wished that his father was there as well.

"Fox McCloud, on behalf of the citizens of Corneria, I thank you for your leadership and courage." Fox lowered his head so that he could receive his medal. He smiled once more at Peppy before he turned to face the crowd again.

"I have one more medal for the last member of the Star Fox team. This medal goes to Krystal, who could not be in attendance today. On behalf of the citizens of Corneria, I thank her for her foresight and determination." The crowd cheered and applauded now that each member of the Star Fox team had received their honors. But before the moment could be enjoyed, everything grew silent as several enormous shadows appeared, covering the crowds of Cornerians below.

Fox looked upward to find that several large ships had appeared in the sky. The dark grey aircrafts each had a pair of launchers, containing at least a dozen rockets launchers. Without warning, a barrage of missiles rained from the sky, heading straight for the ceremony.

"Venomian stealth bombers! Run!" Fox shouted into the crowds. He raced for his Arwing, but he was too late. Several rockets landed around him with an explosion and he was hurled off the landing platform, down to the ground below it. He landed with a grunt and the wind was knocked out of him.

For several moments, the lead pilot of the Star Fox team lay motionless as the citizens of Corneria City panicked around him. Fox's hearing and vision blurred until he heard a muffled voice that sounded like Falco's.

"Fox? Fox, are you there? Snap out of it, we need you up here!"

Slowly, Fox's senses returned as his feathered friend spoke through his wrist communicator. "Yea, I'm here. I took a hit but I'm fine," he replied as he slowly rose to his feet. By this time, the skies were filled with Cornerian and Venomian ships, firing lasers at each other as they maneuvered through the city. On the ground, Cornerian civilians were being chased by the foot soldiers of the Androssian army, unarmed and helpless with the exception of the Cornerian military, who were on the ground fighting back. Fox's immediate reaction was to climb back to the top of the landing platform and get to his ship.

Being careful to avoid stray laser fire, he reached his Arwing and noticed that there was smoke rising from its engine. "Dang it!" As he feared, the engine had been damaged and the ship was unable to fly. He knew that there were no Arwings in reserve at The Great Fox, so he had no choice but to help the Cornerians on the ground. "Falco, Slippy, my Arwing's engine is damaged. It's nothing that can't be fixed, but not right now. We don't have the time."

"Why don't you help the civilians," Slippy suggested. "There are lots of troops down there. Maybe you can take some of them out."

"Alright," Fox replied. "Get those stealth bombers out of the sky. This has to be an ambush set up by Oikonny. If you see him, take him down!" Ending his communications with his team, Fox realized that enemy soldiers had nearly surrounded him on the landing platform, and he was all alone.

The apes around Fox fired several blaster rounds and he rolled to the side to avoid being hit. While maneuvering, he reached into one of the pockets in his vest and pulled out a handful of motion sensor bombs. After he recovered, he spun and hurled his weapons at his enemies. Instead of latching to the ground as they normally should, they attached themselves to the ape soldiers with a click.

The enemies stood motionless in their tracks as the small, round bombs glowed red and blinked with light. They knew that if they attacked, the bombs would sense their movement and explode. Fox was satisfied with this and used the jetpack strapped to his back to launch himself into the air, down to the ground below the landing pad. Those bombs won't keep them there forever; eventually they will wear off... But they don't know that, Fox thought with a grin.

On the ground, there was so much going on that Fox had no idea where to start. Nearby, he spotted a patrol of three Androssian troops that had cornered a female hare with pink fur wearing a yellow space suit. The rabbit was outnumbered and unarmed, but was staring down her foes in defiance. I know that look... This is going to be awkward...

Fox launched himself into the air again with his jetpack, landing behind the three apes. He kicked one of his foes in the back of the knee, sending him falling to the ground. His head smacked against the solid ground and he lay motionless and unconscious. The other two enemies were alerted by this, but were too slow to react. Fox had already drawn his blaster from his hip, smacked one ape across the face with it, and then fired a shot at the remaining target.

"I didn't need to be saved, you know," the hare remarked crossly as her attackers collapsed to the ground.

"So that's the thanks I get for saving you, Lucy?" Fox knew that he and Lucy, Peppy's daughter, would not meet each other on the best of terms. Years had passed since he declined her application for the Star Fox team, but she was still not willing to let it go. She had done well for herself by becoming a professor and researcher of astrophysics on planet Fichina, but still envied Fox and his team deeply. "What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be on Fichina?" Fox asked her.

"What do you think? There was a ceremony today? My father wouldn't let me live it down if I didn't come," Lucy frowned. "Some ceremony, though," she added with a glance at the scenery around her.

Just as she had finished speaking, two more ruffians appeared and began firing lasers at them. "Take this," Fox quickly tossed Lucy a blaster that had been lying on the ground beside him. Together, they fired back at their enemies and dispatched them.

"Thanks, I guess," Lucy sighed. Her eyes betrayed her sadness and envy for Fox. It couldn't be any more obvious that she still wanted to be a member of the Star Fox team. At some point he knew that he would have to address the issue again. "What's going on, anyway? Why are Andross' forces attacking us here and now?" The rabbit asked, changing the subject.

Fox felt that he could trust Peppy's daughter, so he told her the truth. "Oikonny is back. He must have known about the ceremony and planned an attack on the city." Lucy appeared to be as surprised to hear this news as he was. Surely Peppy had mentioned the supposed death of Oikonny when he was shot down by the aparoids. "Lucy, I need you to help the Cornerians get to safety. Take out as many of Oikonny's soldiers as you can."

Peppy's daughter looked thrilled to receive an order directly from Fox himself. "Alright, leave it to me." With a nod, she took off toward the eastern side of the city, leaving Fox to take the western side. Lucy had been cornered just outside Persimmon's toys and goods store just south of the landing platform at the city's center. The three-story orange building seemed to be clear of Oikonny's forces, so Fox moved toward the Corneria City News Center, a grey building near the city center with an enormous screen monitor built into one of its walls. The channel broadcasted the city's largest news reports, live, 24 hours a day.

At the base of the building, enemy troops were chasing a family of toads consisting of a mother and two small children. Immediately, Fox activated his jetpack and hurled himself straight at the pursuers. Using the speed of his jetpack to give him more power, he threw a kick at one of the monkeys, sending him crashing into a wall. Another enemy turned on him as he landed, but the sly fox dodged the incoming punch and shot his foe in the chest with his blaster.

The toad family, realizing that they had been saved, returned to Fox so that they could thank him. "Thank you so much," the mother told him. "How can I ever repay you?"

Fox smiled at the green-skinned toad and her blue-skinned children, who all wore matching red outfits. "Don't worry about it ma'am. Just stay out of trouble and get your kids to safety, alright?" He watched the Cornerians flee to safety as he felt a sharp pain in his side. Fox was thrown sideways from the punch and turned to face his attacker, an Androssian soldier, and retaliated by evading another incoming punch and flipping his enemy over his shoulder.

Before the leader of the Star Fox team could react, he felt arms reach around him from behind, wrapping tightly around his neck in an attempt to strangle him. Two more soldiers approached him from the front with laser swords drawn. Before could reach him, Fox lifted both of his legs up to kick them backward. The pressure on his throat increased, and in a last attempt to shake his foe off, he leaped and threw all of his weight forward. As he landed, he flipped the enemy over his head with his increased momentum.

Fox fought on, but realized that he was still surrounded. He had dropped his blaster when he was attacked and didn't have time to retrieve it before more enemies came at him. He quickly avoided a kick by grabbing the leg of his next attacker and flipping him backward. As an ape attempted to tackle him from behind, he used his jetpack to launch himself upward, landing with his elbow extended to strike the ape's back.

Laser fire began to spray towards him, but instead of reaching for his own blaster, Fox raced toward the gunner with furious speed. He dodged around the laser beams until he had reached his target, gripping one of the monkey's shoulders in each hand. In a single movement, Fox boosted upward with his jetpack, keeping a hold onto his enemy as he flipped over him, cut the power in his jetpack, and thrust the enemy downward as he landed behind him. He was pleased when he noticed that the remaining Androssian soldiers were beginning to flee, surely due to his impressive combat maneuvers. Suddenly, a beeping sound on Fox's wrist communicator alerted him of an incoming call.

"Uh, Fox, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" It was Falco's voice, and it sounded as if he had seen a ghost.

"What do you mean? I'm down on the ground."

"Look up in the skies and tell me it's not so."

Fox did as the bird directed, and among the chaos of Cornerian and Venomian ships in the sky, he saw another ship that stood out to him. "Is that... a Wolfen?!" He could clearly distinguish the red and black triangular ship with its thin silver fins. The Wolfen was an aircraft piloted by the team Star Wolf and was very similar in abilities to the Arwings that Fox and his team flew. The ship's pilot, however, was difficult to identify through the ship's windshields.

"What are Wolf and his team doing here? Are they with us or against us?" Slippy asked the same question that was on the whole Star Fox team's mind.

"I don't know..." Fox trailed off. Last time he and Wolf met, they had cooperated as a team to defeat the Aparoid Queen. Surely Wolf would not be siding with Oikonny and assisting in the stealth attack on Corneria? The ship, Fox noticed, was heading directly for him and picking up speed. Obviously the pilot had spotted him, and it didn't seem like he was coming just to send a greeting. The soldiers had not left Fox earlier because they were afraid of him; they left because the approaching ship was preparing to attack!

Fox raced away in the opposite direction and started up a roadway that led above the ground level of Corneria City. The road flattened out once it was at the same height level as some of the smaller buildings as Fox continued to run. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he could see that the Wolfen was just above and behind him. Red lasers began to stream from the ship's guns, landing just at his heels.

Then Fox spotted another ship flying toward him from the side. Before he could panic at the thought of another Wolfen, he realized that this ship was something else entirely. It was a wide, red ship with two guns pointing out its front side. The ship, when viewed from below, resembled a cat's head with two rocket boosters at its rear for ears and a fin out each side for whiskers. This ship was the Cat's Paw, and Fox knew all too well who it belonged to.

"Make way for Katt!" A new, feminine voice sounded through Fox's communicator. The Cat's Paw flew straight for him, sending a volley of shots above his head that forced the Wolfen off its course.

"Katt, what are you doing here?" Falco seemed to be surprised. Fox knew that the two had some history as part of a gang together, but had parted ways when Falco rejoined Star Fox. Surely he was surprised to see her again on Corneria, especially given the circumstances.

"Never mind what I'm doing here, help me toast this guy," Katt ignored his question and flew over Fox's head in pursuit of the Wolfen.

"Rob," Fox spoke through his comm link to the robot that was piloting The Great Fox. "Send me a plasma cannon, will you?" The Great Fox was currently orbiting Corneria, and it was not long before a flash of bright light appeared, vanishing almost instantly as a heavy grey launcher was left in its place. "Falco, pick me up. Let's see whose side Wolf is really on."

Just as Fox picked up the plasma cannon and lifted it up to rest over his shoulder, Falco appeared in his Arwing just below where he stood on the roadway. Fox jumped off the edge and landed on the ship's wing, just beside the cockpit. "Follow that Wolfen," he directed.

With a nod, Falco began to take off. "Hang on there, Foxy." Immediately, wind rushed past Fox and he felt himself soaring through the air. The Wolfen that had chased him was almost out of his sight, but he could see the Cat's Paw ahead of him in pursuit. "What do you think Wolf is doing here?" Falco asked.

"I don't think the pilot of that ship is Wolf," Katt's voice answered. "I don't recognize him at all... Did you invite any other guests to this party?"

Fox was not sure how to answer until a new voice came through his communicator. "Ha, looks like I've outwitted you all!" The sound made his blood run cold. The pilot of the Wolfen was not a member of Star Wolf, as far as Fox knew. The voice was that of Andrew Oikonny. Fox knew that he was alive after what Krystal had told him, but it was something else entirely to see and hear it for himself.

"Oikonny, we're gonna' take you down!" Falco accelerated as the pursuit led outside of the city's center towards the outskirts. The buildings became sparser and the ground turned green with the color of grass, dotted with several trees. Fox became curious as the ape led them away from the battle that was taking place. Why is he leading us out here? What if it's a trap?

He hadn't even finished the thought when a maniacal laugh sounded from ahead of him. Suddenly the open skies ahead of Fox, Falco, and Kat became filled with Venomian stealth bombers as their cloaking devices disabled. The sky swarmed with rockets and Falco had to maneuver carefully out of harm's way with a pilot on his wing.

Fox found it difficult to keep his feet firm on the wing of Falco's ship, but he fought with all of his strength to hold his position. Falco and Katt fired lasers at their foes, and Fox unleashed a barrage of rounds from his plasma cannon in an attempt to destroy rockets as they approached. "It's an ambush!" He shouted to his allies as lavender colored beams volleyed from the launcher on his shoulder.

The Arwing and the Cat's Paw were entirely surrounded by Venomian bombers as their pilots fought for their lives. Fox destroyed a bomber ahead of him and then turned to shoot an enemy that had attempted to flank Falco's left side. He almost dropped his plasma cannon when Falco tilted his ship to avoid colliding with another of Oikonny's reinforcements.

"There are too many, we have to retreat!" Katt called out. Fox noticed that she was being chased down after doing a loop in the air. No matter how evasive they were, there seemed to be no end to the bombers on their tails. Fox hated to call off the chase on the Wolfen, but realized that they would be shot down unless they combated the bombers.

"Abandon the pursuit! Focus your fire on the Venomian stealth ships The safety of the city and its civilians is more important!" Fox was reluctant to give the order, but he knew that he had no other choice. Falco and Katt followed his lead and turned their ships back toward Corneria City. Fox watched helplessly out of range as his target continued past the outskirts of the city and over the blue sea of water that surrounded it. I'll get you next time...

Returning his attention to the present moment, the Star Fox team's leader fired his launcher at two bombers that were chasing him. The plasma rounds tore through each of the Venomian ships' exteriors, causing them to explode and descend from the sky. Katt was still being pursued until she flew right past Falco, lining her enemies in his sights. The bird fired his ship's lasers repeatedly, destroying all of the Venomian aircrafts in pursuit of his feline friend.

"Thanks, I guess," Katt complained at the thought of receiving help from another pilot. As Fox searched the skies for any further threats, he noticed that they were all clear once again. The bombers vanished almost as quickly as they had originally appeared. I guess Oikonny only wanted to escape, Fox thought. We lost him, but at least we are all safe...

"Let's get back to the city," Falco suggested. "We are wasting time out here."

Fox nodded and lowered his plasma cannon as they headed for the city's center. Below, the ground appeared to be nearly clear of Androssian troops, and the skies above were only occupied by Cornerian fighters. The remnants of Oikonny's stealth squadron must have fled with their leader.

"What was that about?" General Peppy's voice sounded from Fox's wrist as Falco and Katt landed their ships on the circular landing pad that the awards ceremony had been held on. Fox realized that Slippy and the general were waiting for him as he jumped carefully from the Arwing and landed beside them. He left his plasma cannon resting against Falco's ship and turned to address Peppy.

"Oikonny was behind the attack. He knew there would be a ceremony today and set a trap for us." Peppy still looked confused, and Fox remembered that he had not been given the opportunity to mention Krystal's encounter with the ape commander on Zoness. "Krystal ran into him when she and Falco were on Zoness. We didn't want to cause any panic, so we didn't reveal his identity in the message we sent last night," he explained as Falco and Katt appeared from where they had landed their ships. Lucy joined them as well, following the ramp leading to the top of the landing platform. "We tried to warn you about him today, but the ceremony began too quickly," Fox explained.

"I thought that Oikonny's flagship was destroyed by an aparoid when you fought him on Fortuna? Are you saying that he survived?" Peppy scratched the old, grey and white fur on his head. His long ears, normally standing tall and upright, bent over and curled with age.

"We were as shocked as you are," Slippy confessed. "He must have been alive this whole time, but for some reason he has finally allowed us to know about his survival. Even stranger is the fact that he was flying a Wolfen. Didn't Wolf get rid of him a long time ago?"

This bothered Fox as well. He wondered what Oikonny could possibly be doing with a Wolfen. Years ago, the nephew of Andross had once been a member of Star Wolf, until he was forced to leave the team. Why would Wolf allow him to become part of his squad again? Wolf siding with the enemy would be a terrible threat to Corneria. But for some reason, Fox couldn't believe it after everything that had happened with the aparoids. Wolf and his team had helped, even saved their lives from the dangers that faced Corneria. It seemed unlikely that Star Wolf would turn their backs on them now that the aparoid invasion was over.

"I'm not sure," Fox tried not to sound too convinced. "We don't even know what happened to Wolf and his team. No one has seen them since the destruction of the aparoid homeworld. I doubt that Oikonny has any allegiance to anyone other than Andross himself."

Peppy gave him a stern glance in reply. "Nevertheless, Corneria will see this as an act of war declared by Star Wolf. It was a Wolfen that aided in the attack on the city. We don't know if Wolf is involved for certain, but the evidence that we have points us in that direction."

Fox twitched his tail back and forth, unsure how to respond.

"Until we have more answers, I must attend to the city and it's civilians," Peppy sighed. "I apologize that the ceremony was cut short, but I have work to do." With a salute to Fox, the old hare made his way down the ramp toward a group of Cornerian soldiers assessing the damage to the city.

Fox gazed around at his surroundings, thankful that many Cornerian buildings were not heavily damaged. Most of the enemy fire had been focused on the landing platform and in the skies. Hopefully most of the Cornerian citizens had managed to evacuate to safety.

"So, are you going to tell us what brought you here?" Falco aimed a sudden question at Katt.

"I thought you would be glad to see me," the pink cat purred. She was dressed in a sleeveless, yellow shirt that was topped with a black, leather jacket. She wore dark blue pants, leading down to tall, black boots with short heels, making her about as tall as Fox in height. Her thin, pink tail swayed back and forth behind her as she addressed Falco's question. "I heard rumors that the gang would all be here, so I decided to see how you guys were faring. You should be glad I was here, or you might have been short a leader," she added with a glance toward Fox.

He knew that she was aiming that comment directly at him. He had no doubt that he was fortunate for her appearance; she had probably saved his life. "Thanks again, Katt," Fox acknowledged. Before he could say anything more, Falco interrupted him.

"Actually, we had it all under control here, but I guess the extra pilot helped." Fox knew that he was just trying to act cool in front of his old friend. Before Falco had made his decision to rejoin the Star Fox team, they had been part of the same space gang, known as the Hot Rodders. Years had passed since then, but Fox was sure that Falco missed her more than he was willing to admit. He felt that they shared a similar bond that he felt with Krystal. Suddenly, Fox was very worried for the vixen. What if she was attacked by Oikonny as well? I wonder how she is doing... Wherever she is, I hope that she is safe...

Returning his focus back to his companions, Fox addressed them all. "Katt, Lucy, why don't you two come with us to The Great Fox? There's nothing more that we can do here, but I have a feeling that Oikonny's army will not stop with this one attack." Lucy looked thrilled, and although Katt hesitated, she nodded slowly after a shared glance with Falco.

"Alright then, it's all settled." Slippy croaked with a smile. "I can repair that Arwing of yours in no time, Fox." he added.

As the group began to head for their ships, Fox cast another glance up into the Cornerian skies. Krystal, please be careful. You know more than anyone the power of Andross and his forces.