Authorís notes: This is about the times after Andross... an old enemy from the past that
Gray Lancer(me) and Fox McCloud got mixed up with... some other stuff. Listen, itís
good, just read the story. The characters Brett MacDonald and FlareWolf OíDonnell are
both real people and have given me permission to use them in the story. Please ask me if
you want to steal... er... use any characters in this story. And finally, Iíd like to plug my
web site:
 
        http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/8162/starfox.htm
 
 

           &nbs p;            Book 1: The Snare of the Huntress
           &nb sp;    ìIf the bait is tempting enough... the prey will come.î
 

-Two weeks into Gray Lancerís special forces career, some unknown planet

        ìGET THE HELL DOWN! GET THE HELL DOWN NOW!î
        Gray heard the captain shout over the noise of battle and threw himself into the ground. He heard
an explosion nearby and felt the heat of the blast against his back. He covered his head and prayed that no
debris would hit him. None did, so he was Ok for now. Gray lifted himself back to his footpaws... he was
rudely shoved down by someone next to him. Gray heard a rough voice,
        ìStay down... they havenít stopped yet!î
        Another explosion sounded, slightly farther away. Gray nodded his head and continued to lie in
the dirt. The sounds of explosions faded out... only to be replaced with the sounds of gunfire. Bullets
began to rain down close to where Gray was lying. He shut his eyes and waited for something to hit him...
        Nothing happened. Gray opened his eyes again. The noises of gunfire had stopped. He spoke in a
whisper,
        ìIs it Ok to come out now?î
        Whoever had shoved Gray down laughed,
        ìNo. Now we wait. Get used to it.î
        Gray groaned and settled down in the dirt. He kept his head below the edge of the small pit he
was in.
        There was a sound behind Gray... the sound of a gun being cocked. Gray couldnít see who was
holding the gun... but he didnít seem to need to.
        He kicked a footpaw up and heard the sound of it connecting with someoneís kneecap. Whoever
it was gave a yelp and dropped the gun. Gray whirled around and pulled out his service pistol. He saw that
it was indeed an enemy soldier.
        He squeezed the trigger once. A perfect shot, dead center of the enemyís skull. The soldier
collapsed without another sound. The wolf who was in the pit with Gray smiled,
        ìWhereíd you learn that trick?î
        Gray stared down at his gun,
        ìI donít know... I just sort of... did it.î
        ìThen we didnít waste money training you. Welcome to the CSF.î
        A shout rang across the field,
        ìCHARGE! STORM THE BUNKERS AND KILL ëEM ALL!î
        Gray and the wolf next to him hoisted themselves up and armed their weapons. An entire squad
of Cornerian Special Forces commandos was about to storm down the hill they were on and kill
everything before them. That was a position no foe wanted to find themselves in.
        But the enemy had a little bit going for them. They were expecting it. Gray began running down
the hill next to the wolf who had been in the ditch with him. Then the wolf was no longer there. Gray
looked down and saw the wolf. He was obviously dead. Gray turned away and continued to work his way
down the hill.
        Something hit Grayís right leg, near the top. He felt a flash of pain and looked down. A bullet
had winged his leg and taken off some of the flesh. Gray gritted his teeth and stumbled down. He hit the
ground and lay there. He was then hauled to his footpaws roughly by a large ferret. The ferret growled at
Gray,
        ìListen soldier! You get hit, you keep on going! Got me?!î
        Gray weakly nodded and stood on his own. He brought his rifle up and continued down the hill.
Other commandos were around him now, firing at the enemy. The enemy gave as good as they got and
some of the commandos dropped around Gray.
        Somehow Gray managed not to fall again. He fired almost at random into the enemy units.
        And it was all over. The firing stopped and Gray dropped to the ground. He felt nothing but pain
as he lay there on the ground. A small rat came up and looked down. The rat laughed,
        ìWadda wimp.î
        Gray felt his blood boil he lifted himself to his footpaws and grabbed the rat. Gray stood at least a
foot taller than the rat and glared at him,
        ìLeave me alone.î
        Gray released the rat, who only nodded frantically and ran off. Gray fell back down to the
ground. He felt his leg numbing. Hopefully a medic would find him before the injury got much worse. Not
that it really mattered.

-The present day, Corneria Central High School

        Gray Lancer hated class reunions. His wife Mira wasnít too crazy about them either.
        So they both stood together outside the school where the reunion was being held and tried not to
fall asleep. They had both been mercenaries, and they both still were. They had few friends and no
relatives. They lived every second of life together and loved it.
        And this bored the hell out of both of them.
        Mira leaned heavily against Grayís shoulder and yawned. Gray nudged his wife to keep her from
falling asleep against him. She smiled and snuggled close to him. Gray also smiled and put his arm
around Mira.
        Mira spotted someone in the crowd who looked familiar. She poked Gray,
        ìUh-oh. Old classmate known for being annoying, recommend we get outta his line of site!î
        Gray nodded and they walked into the crowd, avoiding a meeting theyíd rather not have. Gray
leaned over and whispered to Mira,
        ìWhat the hell happened to the classmates who we donít hate?î
        Mira smiled,
        ìOur few friends in this crowd had enough sense not to come. Tell me again why we came at
all.î
        ìBecause we had absolutely nothing better to do.î
        Mira nodded sagely and smiled again. Gray laughed softly to himself. Mira looked up at him,
        ìWhat is it?î
        ìI was just thinking, we COULD just go back to the hotel and make out for the rest of the night.î
        Mira laughed and shoved Gray playfully,
        ìYouíre a funny fox, Gray. Donít test me, I might take you up on that.î
        ìLovely.î
        Mira grinned and put her arm around Grayís neck. He grinned back at her. The two foxes made
their way out of the crowd and headed towards the edge of the area the reunion was in. Neither really
wanted to head back to their hotel yet, but neither wanted to hang around either. They both heard someone
speak over the speaker system set up outside,
        ìGray Lancer, I have something for you...î
        Gray ignored the speaker... then he heard that his own name was being called and turned around
and began to work back into the crowd. Mira trailed closely behind him.
        He worked his way up to the front where the speaker was. They were a small male mouse
wearing a suit and tie. The mouse smiled and spoke in a low voice directly to Gray,
        ìSevantra sends her regards!î
        Grayís eyes opened wide and he reached into his own suit. He pulled out a Cornerian Special
Forces service pistol and aimed it at the mouse. The crowd backed away. Mira ran next to Gray. He used
his other paw to motion her back. Gray spoke to the mouse,
        ìWhat do you want? Why wonít you just leave me alone?!î
        The mouse sneered,
        ìLancer, weíll all see you in hell.î
        ìNo such luck.î
        ìI think so!î
        The mouse pulled out a gun of his own and fired one shot. The shot wasnít aimed at Gray, it was
aimed at Mira. The bullet grazed her arm and she yelped. Gray pulled the trigger on his own pistol and
the mouse fell over dead. Gray ran over to Mira and took off his jacket. He pressed the cloth against her
wound to try and stop the blood from flowing. He shouted into the crowd,
        ìSomebody call an ambulance! Get me a goddamn first aid kit!î
        Someone ran up with a first aid kit. Gray thanked them and opened the kit. He retrieved a roll of
bandages and began to dress Miraís wound. He spoke softly to her,
        ìDid it go in?î
        ìNo, the bullet only skimmed my arm, itís gone.î
        ìGood. Youíll be fine then.î
        ìWhoís Sevantra?î
        Grayís face twisted into a pained expression,
        ìIíll... tell you some other time...î
        Mira frowned and touched Grayís face. He winced. Mira looked hurt,
        ìGray? Is something wrong?î
        ìItís something... from the past. I will explain it to you... when weíre alone.î
        Mira closed her eyes and a tear streamed down her face,
        ìListen Gray, I know what kind of pain your past holds... Rilah... Mike... your old friends... your
entire special forces career... Janus Arkon... everything. I donít want another of those things to tear you up
like this.î
        Gray only nodded. He wasnít worried about this thing tearing him apart. He was more worried
about it getting anyone and everyone he cared about. And he had good reason to feel that way.

-High-rise Hotel, Corneria City

        At the hospital, they had merely told Gray to go home and wait for a call. They hadnít let him
talk to Mira or stay with her.
        Gray paced restlessly... why hadnít they just let him stay with his wife? This was the first time
heíd been separated from her for any length of time. Gray sat down on a couch in the center of the room
and buried his head in his paws. What was everything coming to? Why was it all happening again.
        His old friends were mostly dead. His really close friends were ALL dead. All that was left was
some friends from high school... and Mira.
        And Gray had thought that all the loose ends from his past were all tied up. Janus Arkon was
dead, Nightwake was dead, Srilana was dead, everyone who had wanted to kill him was now dead... or so
he thought.
        So why was Sevantra turning up? Why was she choosing this moment? What did she know that
Gray didnít.
        And why wasnít she targeting Gray? He hated to admit it but he knew it was true. No one could
have missed a point-blank shot like that mouse. He hadnít missed at all. He had been aiming for Mira.
And Gray had a feeling that he hadnít been trying to kill her.
        Sevantra must have known that Gray would kill whoever was sent. So that mouse had been
expendable. Was it just a warning? Or was Sevantra trying to taunt him?
        The com unit chimed to signal an incoming call. Gray jumped up and picked up the receiver.
Must be the hospital.
        But the voice which came on the other end was harsh and disturbing,
        ìHello, Mr. Lancer. Your responsibility is doubling, so to speak.î
        ìWho are you?î
        ìI say again, your responsibility is doubling.î
        ìWhat the hell is that supposed to mean?î
        ìI suggest you visit your wife... better make it quick, you never know what might happen.î
        The line went dead. Gray slammed the receiver back into place and ran out of the room. He
decided against the elevator and took the stairs to the ground level. He ran out onto the streets... the
hospital where Mira had been taken was only a couple blocks off... within running distance.

-The Mother Germaine Hospital, Corneria

        The night watch at the Mother Germaine Hospital was bored out of his mind. The aging terrier
sat at his station in the front and yawned. Hardly any emergencies turned up on his watch. The most
exciting event of the day had been some vixen who had been shot at a high school reunion. That was
several hours ago. Nothing was happening now.
        The terrier sat back in his chair and sighed happily. No news was good news, as the old saying
went. If no one came in at all, the aging guard would be perfectly happy.
        But someone came in. A gray fox who looked like he was in his mid twenties. The fox walked up
to the desk and placed both paws on it. He panted for breath, obviously he had been running. The guard
looked up at the fox,
        ìWhatís wrong, son.î
        ìI... need...î
        The fox gasped for breath,
        ìTo see... my wife...î
        The fox was panting hard, trying to regain his breath. The terrier squinted at him,
        ìWhatís yer name, son?î
        ìGray Lancer... my wife... is Mira... Lancer.î
        The terrierís eyes opened very wide,
        ìThe one who got shot?î
        Gray nodded his head.
        ìGod, son. Didnít they let ya visit ëer?î
        Gray shook his head.
        ìIím not supposed to let any visitors in, but they shoulda let ya see ëer earlier. I know she means
a lot to ya, donít ya worry. Come with me.î
        The terrier left his station at the desk and walked off down one of the halls. Gray followed after
him. The terrier went to one of the elevators and inserted a key card in the slot.
        ìThey keep the main elevators shut down at night. But this is the quickest way to yer
sweetheartís room.î
        Gray smiled. They stood and waited for the elevator to come. The terrier looked over at Gray,
        ìLessee... if yer wife is the one that got shot... oh yeah. There was something else they found out
about ëer that youíll be interested to hear.î
        Gray looked scared,
        ìWhat? Bad news?î
        ìNo, rather good. Iíll let ëer tell ya ëerself.î
        The elevator reached the correct floor and Gray stepped in, followed by the night guard. The
guard pressed the appropriate floor button and the doors to the elevator slid shut.

-Outside the hospital

        ìHeís moving up. Must be in the elevator.î
        The radio crackled,
        ìWell obviously, you idiot. So whatís the verdict?î
        ìHmm... good question. What did she say?î
        ìMove in.î
        ìRight. Kill?î
        ìNo. Absolutely not. She wants him alive.î

-Inside the Mother Germaine Hospital

        The elevator slid upwards silently. Neither Gray nor the guard made any attempts at
conversation. Both stood and thought. Actually, the night guard was doing less thinking and more
whistling. Gray let his mind wander and found his thoughts concentrating on one thing...
        Sevantra.
        Why wouldnít she leave him alone?
        That was about the only question that came up. It kept popping into Grayís head. Why the hell
wouldnít Sevantra leave him alone?!
        So Gray just stood in the elevator and thought about that one, rather limited concept. The doors
soon slid open again to reveal a new floor. The guard stepped out and Gray followed. The elevator doors
closed again behind them
        The hallway into which they had stepped was dimly lit at night, but lit well enough to see. The
guard walked to one of the doors and inserted a key card. He looked at Gray and explained,
        ìSince she was shot under... interesting circumstances... we decided sheíd be safer if we locked
the door at night.î
        The guard smiled upon seeing Grayís relieved expression. The terrier unlocked the door and
opened it. He and Gray stepped into the room. The terrier smiled and backed out of the room, closing the
door behind him. In the dim light, Gray saw Mira lying in bed. He walked over to her and knelt by the
bedside. He whispered softly,
        ìMira? Are you awake?î
        Mira opened her eyes. She looked confused. Then she saw it was Gray who had spoken and she
smiled,
        ìGray! Why didnít you come earlier? I was really worried.î
        ìThey wouldnít let me come earlier. I came to see if you were alright.î
        ìIím fine... is something wrong?î
        ìNo.î
        Mira frowned,
        ìSomethingís wrong, isnít it?î
        Gray nodded,
        ìSomeone called me on the com and said to go see you quick because something might happen.
But youíre fine... so maybe it was just a trick.î
        ìOh, it doesnít matter. Iíve wanted to see you all day! And Iíve got something big to tell you.î
        Gray remembered what the guard had said,
        ìYeah, the guard said something about good news.î
        Mira gave a large smile,
        ìUh-huh. Itís pretty good... I guess I should have expected it by now.î
        ìWhat?î
        ìGray... Iím pregnant!î
        Gray only stared. He began to smile,
        ìReally?î
        ìYeah, I asked them to test it and the test came out positive. Youíre gonna be a father soon!î
        Gray leaned over and embraced his wife. They sat and held each other for a long time. Gray
suddenly gasped.
        ìWhat is it, Gray?î
        ìIím not going to hide this from you, because you need to know. When the person called, they
said something about my ëresponsibility doubling.í I had no clue what they meant, but now I think I
know.î
        ìOur child?î
        Gray nodded,
        ìWhen do you get released?î
        ìTomorrow morning, first thing.î
        ìGood. Iíll pick you up at seven. Iíve got to explain whatís going on to you.î
        ìWhat is going on?î
        ìIíll tell you tomorrow, Iím not even sure about everything myself at the moment.î
        Gray kissed his wife and stood up. Mira gave him a sad look. Gray winced,
        ìMira, I promise Iíll be back by seven tomorrow. I hate to leave you... but Iíll see you again
soon.î
        ìI love you, Gray.î
        Gray nodded and walked up to Mira. He leaned down and they kissed.
        ìI love you too. Iíll know whatís going on by tomorrow. See you then.î
        Mira nodded and waved to Gray. He opened the door to her room and left. The door
automatically locked behind him.
        Him? A father? It was kind of funny. And kind of nice too. All he had to do was survive long
enough to enjoy it... and make sure Mira survived long enough too.
        The guard wasnít in the hallway. Funny. He must have gone back to his station already.
Hopefully the guard hadnít shut the elevator off. Gray made his way to the elevator and pressed the
button.
        It still worked. Maybe the guard had other things to do on this level. Gray stood and waited for
the elevator to reach his level.
        The door slid open.
        Inside stood a tall weasel, smirking and holding a gun to Gray. The weasel spoke,
        ìSorry, Lancer. Iím not supposed to kill ya, but I can if I really want to. You recognize this thing,
dontcha? Itís a Tal-5 Laser Rifle. Quick sucker, blow a hole right through ya. Now get in the elevator and
face the door.î
        Gray knew that trying to fight at this point would probably only get him killed. He complied with
the weaselís directions. The weasel went to the back of the elevator and kept the gun trained on Gray.
Gray spoke to the weasel,
        ìWhere are you taking me?î
        ìShut up. You donít get ta know nothiní!î
        Gray shrugged. He heard the weasel raise the gun a little.
        ìDonít worry, I wonít try anything. Iím not stupid.î
        ìNeither am I, Lancer.î
        The elevator began to descend. Gray watched the numbers indicating what floor they were on.
The elevator went below the ground floor and down to the sub-basement. The doors slid open and the
weasel shoved Gray roughly out. The weasel then turned Gray around to face him and pulled out a large
hood,
        ìYou wear this now.î
        The weasel slipped the hood on over Grayís head. With the hood on, Gray was unable to see
anything, but the weasel kept prodding Gray on. He was going somewhere... he just didnít know exactly
where.

-Near Aquas

        Fox McCloud pulled his Arwing into a quick loop followed by a barrel roll. Close by, his wife
Fara imitated the move almost perfectly. Fox smiled and spoke into the com on his headset,
        ìNice job, Fara! Wanna head down to the planet?î
        Fara yawned audibly,
        ìNah, letís not. Letís pull a few more moves and then head home.î
        ìFair enough. You lead this time.î
        ìAlright. Letís go!î
        Fara accelerated her Arwing and Fox pushed his own to catch up. Fara pulled a quick roll and
shot downwards. Fox managed to stay in formation with her, but just barely,
        ìCalm down, Fara! Itís been a long day.î
        Fara laughed,
        ìYou know me better than that, Fox.î
        ìHa ha. Well, letís keep going here.î
        Fara went into a fast U-turn and decelerated her Arwing. She started to pull a loop and broke off,
choosing only to fly straight.
        ìFara, what are you trying here?î
        ìNothing. Fox, look at your threat display!î
        Fox glanced down at the threat display. He saw several incoming unknown contacts closing fast.
        ìWhat the? I hope those are neutrals.î
        Fox switched his com frequency to the general band and spoke again,
        ìAttention unknown ships, please identify yourselves.î
        The missile lock warning on Foxís threat display answered his questions. He pulled a loop and
broke the enemy lock.
        ìFara, theyíre enemies! Letís get ëem!î
        Fara whooped and charged at the enemy. She locked a missile and fired. The enemy ship
skillfully dodged the missile and fired at Fara with lasers. The vixenís Arwing took several hits before she
could get out of the way.
        One of the other fighters, Fox counted about five, flew at Fox and started firing its lasers. Fox
was ready, though, and only took one or two grazing hits. He fired his own lasers and caused serious
damage to the fighter. Fox heard Faraís voice on the com,
        ìWhat are these things? Iíve never seen them before.î
        ìI donít know and the threat display doesnít either. They can suck a lot of damage.î
        Fox found the fighter he had been shooting at earlier and targeted his lasers. He continued to fire
at the fighter. It took too many hits for the armor and exploded. Fox cheered,
        ìYES! Finally! They arenít invincible after all.î
        ìFox! Threat displayís picking up something incoming from hyperspace!î
        ìWhat?î
        ìWeíre about to find out.î
        Fox checked the threat display and confirmed Faraís statement. The display registered another
five fighters coming out of hyperspace, and something else. Something bigger. Fara spoke in an awed
voice,
        ìThat thingís as big as one of those new super-heavy carriers! Look at it!î
        Fox switched on the visual register on the threat display. The ship was massive, easily as large as
a super-heavy carrier... probably carrying numerous squadrons of fighters.
        The com crackled and hissed, as if someone was trying to break onto the frequency. Whoever it
was succeeded,
        ìHello Fox.î
        ìWho the hell are you?!î
        ìShut up and prepare to be brought on board.î
        Fox pushed his Arwingís throttle to the maximum setting... too late. He felt the Arwing being
restrained by an energy field. There was no way in heaven or hell that he could break free of an energy
field from a ship that size.
        ìWhy are you doing this?!î
        No answer came to Foxís question.
        ìWHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THIS?!î
        Still no one responded to Foxís question. His Arwing was being quickly draw inside the ship.

        Fara saw Foxís Arwing on the threat display being draw towards the enemy ship. She almost
screamed before she realized that Fox couldnít hear her... the channel was completely locked out. She
tried to punch in the auxiliary... that didnít work either. Foxís Arwing was completely out of his control
and completely locked off.
        Faraís com crackled briefly. Then a clear and menacing voice spoke over it,
        ìDo not try to reach your husband. His ship is completely in our command.î
        ìWhat do you want?î
        ìWe want your husband.î
        ìWhat about me?!î
        ìWe want you to... die!î
        The channel went dead. Fara looked down at the threat display.
        One missile lock on her Arwing...
        Two...
        Three...
        Seven...
        Fourteen...
        Twenty-nine...
        Fifty... how many more missile banks could track her?
        Seventy... holding at seventy.
        Fara closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face. She spoke quietly to herself,
        ìFox, I hope youíre Ok... and have a good life without me...î
        The threat display announced with a simple chime that all seventy missiles had just been
launched.
        Fara kept her eyes closed and prayed.

-Gray Lancerís location, unknown

        Gray wasnít exactly sure where the weasel was taking him.
        Actually, to be brutally honest, he hadnít the slightest idea. But even if he couldnít see, he could
still smell, hear, and feel.
        He could hear the weasel taunting him nearby. Gray blocked that out and concentrated on
ambient sounds. He heard dripping water...
        And everything felt damp. The air was cool and damp, and it felt like he was in a closed space.
So he wasnít outdoors, and there was dripping water.
        It smelled damp too. It smelled damp and musty. So he was probably still underground. The sub-
basement of the hospital probably led to all sorts of secret passages and forgotten maintenance shafts.
Gray figured he was traveling in one of those right now.
        Now his attention came back to the broader picture. The weasel was beginning to get annoying,
but he had the gun and Gray didnít. The weasel spoke to Gray in a mocking voice,
        ìGuess yer wifeís fair game now. Man, she is pretty. Iíd like to do a few things to her before I kill
her... cept thatís not my job. But a guy kin dream.î
        Gray snarled and spun to where the sound was coming from. He nearly screamed at the weasel,
        ìLISTEN YOU PIECE OF CRAP! IF YOU EVEN TOUCH HER IíLL KILL YOU!î
        Gray heard the weasel step back and cock the gun,
        ìListen yerself. If ya keep shoutiní, Iíll hafta blow yer head off, orders or no.î
        Gray only snarled at the weasel, who prodded him with the gun,
        ìNow keep moviní.î
        Gray complied, but the way he walked was different. The weasel kept his distance and no longer

spoke.
        After another ten minutes without incident, the weasel hauled Gray to a rough stop. Gray heard
the weasel whistle sharply. Above the sound of a grate being moved was audible. The weasel spoke to
Gray,
        ìClimb the ladder.î
        Gray put his paws out and felt a ladder. He gripped it and began to climb. He could probably
escape now, drop down and land on the weasel... grab his gun...
        No. Now was not the time for heroics. Anything stupid he did now wouldnít cost him... it would
cost his wife Mira and their still unborn child. Gray wouldnít put his life above their safety. Even if that
meant getting killed by some over-zealous bounty hunter.
        Gray reached the top of the ladder and was roughly hauled up by someone above. He felt cold
night air. He was outside again, probably on a back street. He heard the weasel come up after him and
close the grate again. The weasel spoke, apparently to whoever had hauled Gray up,
        ìGood timing. Letís get ëim into the car and get the heck outta here!î
        The other person grunted and picked Gray up. Whoever it was had huge and very rough paws.
Gray was half-carried, half-dragged across the street. The weasel ran up and opened a door on what was
apparently a car. Gray still wore the hood and could still see nothing. Gray was picked up and thrown
inside. The weasel jumped in and closed the door. Gray felt the weaselís gun being pressed to his head,
        ìThe car is where they always try somethiní. Yer not dumb like that, are ya, Lancer? Donít... I
donít wanna disobey my boss here.î
        Gray heard another door open and then close. The engine of the car started. Gray felt the car
begin to move. The weasel spoke again,
        ìYou comfy? This is only temporary until we get ta the next car. Youíll be treated like a king
then... heh heh...î
        The car drove on for about twenty minutes, throughout which no one said anything. Finally, the
car came to a stop and the engine died. The weasel spoke at last,
        ìYou get out now.î
        The door was opened and Gray was shoved roughly out. The weasel walked up and ripped the
hood off his head.
        Looking around, Gray saw grassy fields all around. He could see Corneria City in the distance.
He could also see the weasel holding a gun to him. The weasel grinned,
        ìYa make the rest of the trip without a mask... but the scenery ainít so good.î
        Gray was prodded over to another car. The person who had driven before, a massive wildcat of
some kind, opened the trunk of the car. The wildcat then went over to Gray and picked him up. Gray was
thrown roughly into the trunk and the weasel pulled out a pistol,
        ìYou make the rest of the trip with whatever scenery your brain provides...î
        A flash... then blackness...

-The Maker, on Corneria

        Fara Phoenix-McCloud opened her eyes and looked around the room she was lying in. It was
clean, white, and sterile-looking. She blinked widely and spoke to herself,
        ìAm I dead?î
        Someone behind her laughed lightly. Fara turned around and saw a female wolf leaning against
the wall. The wolf nodded to Fara,
        ìSorry, I shouldnít have done that. My name is Alana Petrikov, welcome to the Maker.î
        ìWhat?î
        ìOh... you donít know about this, do you? Listen, you arenít dead. Remember where you got your
Arwing?î
        ìYeah, the Cornerian Military let me keep it as a way of saying thanks.î
        ìUh-huh. Well, before it was given to you, it was modified. Weíve been working on a lot of
defensive systems that fall under the code-name ëGuardian Angel.í This is the base for the project, itís on
Corneria. What was on your ship was a ëGuardian 4.íî
        ìWhatís that?î
        ìRight before all those missiles... uh, seventy of them... hit you, the system sent your Arwing into
hyperspace. It didnít go very far, but it did get you out of there. Of course, you still clipped one or two of
the missiles and took some pretty bad damage. Donít worry, itís nothing our techs canít fix.î
        ìAm I Ok?î
        ìDo you feel Ok?î
        Fara sat up in bed and flexed her arms,
        ìI guess.î
        ìWell, you didnít have any serious injuries, but we want to keep you until weíre sure youíll be
fine.î
        Fara yelped,
        ìBut I have to help Fox!î
        ìHold it. We found no debris around the area. Foxís Arwing didnít have the system so we should
have found some remains... after seventy missiles.î
        ìNo, he wasnít fired on. He was captured.î
        Alanaís eyes opened wide,
        ìCaptured? By who?î
        ìThere was a big carrier... I think it took Fox aboard... Arwing and all.î
        ìHold on. I think you need to rest a little.î
        ìWhat? But I feel fine!î
        Alana had been working with something in her paws. Now Fara saw what it was, a hypodermic
needle. Alana walked up to Fara and grabbed the vixenís arm,
        ìListen, you need rest, whether you want to admit it or not!î
        The wolf injected Fara with the needle. Fara felt herself getting tired. Alana stepped back,
        ìDonít worry. Itís just a heavy sedative. Youíll be out for a few hours. The restíll do you some
good.î
        Fara heard the last words as one mash of syllables and sounds as she lost grip on consciousness.
Reality faded into blackness and Fara was soon in a deep state of drug-induced sleep. Alana lowered Fara
slowly to the bed and smiled,
        ìSorry, but you needed that. Save Fox? What kind of idiot suggestion is that?î
        Alana turned and opened the door to Faraís room.
        Standing in the doorway was a medium-sized male cat with a leather jacket on. Next to him was
a female cat of the same size wearing a similar but longer jacket. The cat grinned at Alana,
        ìHello.î
        Alana stared,
        ìWho are you and how did you get inside?î
        ìAh yes. My name is Brett MacDonald. This is my associate, business partner, and wife, Kelly
MacDonald.î
        The female cat nodded.
        ìAnyway, we came to pick up that young vixen over there.î
        ìOn whoís orders?î
        ìWell, sheís being placed under Mercenariesí Guild protection.î
        ìWait just a minute. Youíre a bunch of vigilantes! You canít do that!î
        ìPlease donít make me hurt you.î
        Alana raised her paws into a fighting position. She glared,
        ìDonít push your luck... I was in the special forces for three years!î
        Brett sighed and rolled his eyes. He stepped aside. A huge ferret stepped into the doorway and
smiled. Brett motioned to the ferret,
        ìHallen, please donít hurt her.î
        The ferret nodded and picked Alana up by the head. He put her aside and set her down. Brett
stepped inside the room and nodded to Alana,
        ìLook here, you. Fara Phoenix-McCloud is in a huge pile of trouble, and even you donít know
much about it. Ever stop to think exactly WHO would be firing seventy missiles at her?î
        Alana shook her head nervously. Brett sighed,
        ìWell, we have a few theories... all of which end with Fara dying if she stays here. You wanna
hear something interesting?î
        ìSure...î
        ìEarlier today... no...î
        Brett looked at his watch,
        ì...yesterday. Anyway, yesterday afternoon Mira Lancer was taken to the Mother Germaine
hospital after being shot in the arm. Her husband Gray is a member of the Guild... a reasonably important
member... also a good friend of Kelly and me. We tried to call him on his personal com. He isnít
answering.î
        ìMaybe he isnít carrying it.î
        Brett shook his head quickly,
        ìNo. He ALWAYS carries his com on him. Even when he sleeps he keeps it by the bed. If he
isnít answering, something is wrong. So we sent someone to his apartment to check up on him. Guess
what, heís not there. We also had someone sneak into the hospital and talk to Mira... see if he visited her.
Turns out he had. We didnít tell her that he was missing... itís hard enough for those two to be separated
from each other for any amount time. Point is, sometime after Gray visited Mira, he disappeared. He
disappeared and we have no clue where the hell he is. Do you understand?î
        Alana gasped,
        ìFox McCloudís Arwing...î
        Brett nodded to Kelly,
        ìKel, I want you to call two Guild members who were on assignment.î
        ìWhich ones?î
        ìUh... first call FlareWolf OíDonnell and tell her that Alana Petrikov is no longer considered a
target. Basically tell Flare to stop aiming her gun down here, pack up, and head home. Then call Wraith
and tell her to await assignment from me.î
        Kelly raised her eyebrows,
        ìWraith? Oh, you mean Aue... er... Wraith. We havenít used her since... oh... the CSF corruption
thing way back before Gray even joined.î
        Brett nodded his head and looked over at Alana,
        ìWhat kind of sedative did you give Fara?î
        ìSerigen-5. Why?î
        ìWatch.î
        Brett opened his jacket a pulled out a small hypodermic needle. He removed the cap and walked
over to Fara. He poked the needle into Faraís arm and injected a clear liquid. Fara groaned and blinked
sleepily. Alana stared in amazement. Brett explained,
        ìIíve got these things for most major sedatives. Iím just glad you used a normal one. Think of
them as the antidotes to sedatives.î
        Alana nodded with her eyes still wide. Fara groaned again and looked around the room. She
opened her eyes completely and tried to sit up. Brett gently pushed her down,
        ìDonít yet. Your body will take a second to get used to this.î
        Fara turned to look at Brett,
        ìBrett? Brett MacDonald? I havenít seen you in a long time. Howís Kelly?î
        Kelly walked into Faraís field of view and smiled,
        ìIím fine.î
        ìWhat are you guys doing here?î
        Brett answered,
        ìWeíre placing you under Mercenariesí Guild protection. Iíll explain in the car.î
        Fara finally sat up. She looked down and remembered that she was wearing a generic hospital
gown. She began to speak when Brett realized the same thing. He smiled,
        ìDonít worry. Here are your clothes.î
        He threw them to Fara. She took the clothes and walked across the room to where the small
shower area was. Fara stepped inside the area and closed the door to change. Brett turned finally to Alana,
        ìOk then. Faraís coming with us, whether you like it or not. Now you have a few choices. You
can come with us, we can give you a drug which will erase your memory of what happened, or you can
agree to another option which weíd prefer.î
        ìWhatís the other option?î
        ìYou said you were in the special forces. Cornerian Special Forces?î
        ìYep.î
        Brett grew very serious,
        ìDid you have any connection with project Dead Watch?î
        ìUh... yes.î
        ìWere you in it?î
        ìNo. I was in the 12th Commandos when they saved the people working on the project.î
        Brettís eyes widened and his jaw dropped,
        ìOh crap. Why did we have to run into you. Kelly, is FlareWolf still outside.î
        Kelly nodded.
        ìWhatís her com frequency and the override?î
        ìFrequency is 1114-986... override is not in use.î
        Brett pulled out his own com and punched in the frequency. FlareWolf answered on the other
end,
        ìThis is Overlord 1.î
        ìNo code names, Flare. This is serious.î
        ìWhat is it, Brett?î
        ìDo you have the patch equipment set up?î
        ìUh-huh. Why?î
        ìGive me an energy reading patch on this building.î
        ìHold on... got it.î
        Brett looked down at the visual display on his com. His eyes opened even wider. Fara stepped out
of the shower area, fully changed. She saw Brettís expression and frowned. Brett spoke into his com,
        ìFlare, get the equipment packed and head home. Weíre getting the hell outta here... one over
mission load. Go to plan B.î
        ìWhatís that?î
        ìGet the hell away from the building.î
        Brett shut off the com and looked around the room. He walked over to the shower area and went
inside. He came out holding a small electronic device.
        ìFigures that theyíd hide it in the shower head. Everyone, weíre getting out of here. Alana,
youíve just joined our little mission here.î
        ìWhat? How did I do that?î
        ìBecause someone heard what you said. And... well... youíll all see.î
        Brett led the way out of the room. Kelly followed and walked by his side. Fara went next, then
Alana, finally Hallen Karsair brought up the rear. They walked quickly down the hall. Alana spoke to
Brett,
        ìWhatís going on here?î
        ìShut up. I have no clue.î
        ìBut you said...î
        Brett stopped briefly and turned around. He motioned all around the hall and pointed to his ears.
Alana nodded. She got the hint.
        They continued down the hallway. Brett pulled out his com and checked the visual display again.
He broke suddenly into a run and motioned for the others to follow. They took a quick left turn followed
by a right. After several minutes of running down one long hallway, Brett stopped at one door. He swiped
a keycard through the lock and it clicked open. Alana looked at Brett,
        ìHowíd you get a keycard for our locks?î
        ìTrade secret. This is a service entrance that leads to our car.î
        They walked into the small hallway beyond the door and Brett closed it behind him. They walked
to the end of it and found two other doors. Brett opened the one on the right. The door opened to reveal
the night outside. They all stepped out into the open air. Brett spoke aloud,
        ìOur car is in this alleyway. Weíre getting out through the back street.î
        Alana looked around,
        ìI donít see a car...î
        Brett pointed at his ears and spoke,
        ìItís right here, see?î
        Alana nodded in realization. Brett walked across the alley to a small door. He opened it and
motioned for the others to follow. Beyond was a tiny passage leading to another alley. When they were all
inside Brett closed the door behind them. They all walked to the other end of the passage and Brett opened
the door there. On the other side sat a large car. Brett opened the back door and motioned the others
inside.
        The inside of the car was spacious, arranged so that the seats all face a large central area.
Everyone sat down and Hallen closed the door. Brett spoke to the driver in the front,
        ìTyris, letís get the hell outta here. Plan B escape route.î
        The car began to move. Brett sat back and spoke,
        ìWe can talk again. They had that whole building bugged. Alana, you and Fara are both like
semi-official Guild members now. If our theory is right, then someone is trying to capture Alana and kill
Fara. Weíd also better get to Mira before itís too late. Kel, have you handled that?î
        ìYeah. The team we sent to Mother Germaine should have gotten to Mira by now.î
        Brett, out of curiosity, looked at his comís visual display,
        ìGuys, look back behind us, towards the building we were just in.î
        They stared in that direction for a minute or so. Nothing happened.
        Then a huge blue bolt came down from the sky and hit the building. The whole thing was
consumed in a huge fireball. Fara spoke in an awed voice,
        ìThat was just to get us?î
        Brett shook his head,
        ìNo. That was just to get Fara and Alana.î
        ìBut why?î
        ìLet me and my people work on our theories, weíll tell you in another hour or so.î

-Fox McCloudís location, unknown

        Fox was beginning to piece things together.
        He was in a dark room.
        He wasnít outside. There were mechanical noises all around him.
        It was cold and dry.
        And he was upside-down... which, as far as he was concerned, was the worst part of the whole
thing.
        Where was Fara? Foxís brain wasnít quite up to remembering things. He was quite satisfied with
being able to find out what was going on right now.
        The noises meant he was probably on a ship of some kind. The cold and dark didnít mean
anything. They were probably just thrown in to make him uncomfortable, to make it harder for him to
think. It all hit him at once and he thought out loud,
        ìIím the son of the great James McCloud... Iím married but my wife was left behind while I was
captured by some unknown ship... Iím freezing cold and Iím hanging upside-down in the dark on some
ship in the middle of god-only-knows where... what the hell is gonna happen to me?î
        The lights went on. Fox squinted his eyes against the sudden brightness. He could see that the
room he was in was blank and white... hinting against any practical use for it. He appeared to be roughly
in the middle of the room. Someone spoke behind Fox,
        ìAh, bravo. Youíve gotten it all pretty much right. What is going to happen to you indeed. I say,
the things that might happen to you. Of course, all Iím authorized to do is a little torture. Nothing heavy.î
        Fox found that his eyes were getting used to the brightness. He opened them and spoke defiantly,
        ìIíll never tell you anything.î
        ìI donít expect you to. Iím just going to cause you some pain. Oh, by the way, your wife is dead.
She got hit by... about ninety missiles. See you in a half-hour or so.î
        Whoever it was left the room. Fox heard a snapping noise and felt himself fall to the floor. He
picked himself up painfully and untied the rope around his footpaws. They had let him down. Why? He
could now figure out a way to escape.
        He could. But he really didnít want to. Fara was dead. He didnít want to do anything right now.
        Fox went over to the corner farthest from the door and curled up. He was cold and he was
miserable. But then he thought for a second...
        Why would they tell him if Fara had died now? Wouldnít it work better to use that information
later?
        Unless they hadnít been able to kill her. Unless they had failed.
        Fox continued to curl up. He felt like someone was watching him. But he was no longer upset...
Fara was probably still alive... and terribly worried about him. Fox muttered too low for any surveillance
equipment to pick up,
        ìYou just made the biggest mistake of your lives.î

-The Mother Germaine Hospital, Corneria
 
        Mira woke with a start. She was fine physically... but something felt wrong. She stared at the
ceiling of her room and tried to place the feeling.
        She told herself it was fine. Gray would be here in the morning and everything would return to
normal. It was just some crazy guy... maybe the mouse had been a friend of Grayís... maybe.
        But something was wrong with that explanation. Only a few things had ever upset Gray as much
as he had been... and none of those things were the deaths of minor friends. He hadnít even been all that
upset over Charlie Henshawís death... and those two had been good friends.
        So why had what happened made Gray so upset?
        Maybe it wasnít what had happened, maybe it was what was said. Mira tried to think about what
had been said between the mouse and Gray... the only thing she had been able to hear was ëLancer, weíll
all see you in hell.í But it had looked as if the mouse had said something to Gray before that. She would
have to talk to him tomorrow... and he HAD promised to explain in the morning.
        She heard the door being unlocked. Was it morning already? It didnít look light outside...
        A tall rabbit and a short, pudgy marmot walked into the room. The marmot spoke softly,
        ìDonít say anything. Weíre friends. My name is Gerdin, his is Falway. Weíre with the
Mercenariesí Guild. Weíve got orders to take you somewhere safe.î
        ìWhereís my husband.î
        Gerdin frowned,
        ìHeís been missing...î
        ìOh...î
        Mira put her head down and started to cry. Falway walked over to her and patted her lightly on
the back,
        ìës not so bad, missus. ëeíll be found ëventually. ëe canít be dead ër weíd ëave heard somethiní.î
        Mira sniffled and looked up,
        ìYou really think so? You mean that Grayís still alive?î
        Gerdin perked up,
        ìUh, yes. Most certainly.î
        Falway nodded,
        ìAye! Yeíll see yer ëoney soon!î
        Mira couldnít help laughing at the rabbit and marmot. Gerdin frowned,
        ìI say, is something funny about...î
        Gerdinís sentence trailed off. Mira looked at the marmot closely,
        ìWell... itís just that... oh lord...î
        Miraís eye caught a flow of red coming from near the marmotís heart. The marmot slumped to
the ground. Mira rolled off the bed to the floor and reached for the bedside table where her clothes were.
Falway jumped behind a table,
        ìWhatís goiní on?î
        ìSomeone just shot Gerdin. They must have a silencer on the gun!î
        Mira hurriedly took off the hospital gown she was wearing and changed back into her normal
clothes. It was pitch dark, but she knew what she was looking for. She reached into her jacket and pulled
out a well-hidden pistol. She checked the laser charge and turned off the safety,
        ìGet out your gun, Falway.î
        ìAye, missus!î
        ìJust call me Mira.î
        Mira jumped up over the bed and rolled down. She heard a bullet impact the wall behind her. She
quickly dived to the side of the door and peered into the hallway. Where was the gunner? She heard
movement behind her and a yell. Mira turned and saw Falway lying on the floor. He had a wound in his
chest. He spoke,
        ìGet outta here! Thereís a car below... ëereís the key!î
        The rabbit threw Mira a keycard. She caught it and put it in her jacket pocket.
        Another bullet from the gunner hit Falway directly in the head. The rabbit fell forward, dead.
Mira looked out across the hall. There was a balcony going around a large central square. It would
probably lead all the way down to the bottom. That was five floors. She would have to hit water to survive
with only minor injury...
        Of course, there was a very deep pool down there. It was just for decoration but it might save her
in this case.
        Mira jumped up and ran. She felt a bullet graze her right arm. She reached the edge of the
balcony and threw herself over it. She aimed for the pool... she was going to hit it... and she was probably
going to survive the fall.
        She was getting pretty close to that pool.
        Even closer...
        Mira slammed into the pool at the bottom with a huge amount of force. She felt her left leg give...
probably dislocated... and her right arm was really hurting. But she was mostly alright...
        Why hadnít the gunner shot any more? Were they trying to kill her or not?
        The world was becoming a haze. Mira swam to the edge of the pool and flopped over onto the
hospital lobby floor.
        Everything faded into blackness.

-Gray Lancerís current location, unknown

        Gray Lancer forced his eyes open. His head was pounding... throbbing with pain. He groaned and
tried to sit up.
        Then he remembered where he was. He was inside the trunk of a car travelling to a destination
unknown. He groaned and thought out loud,
        ìOh god, how the hell did I get myself into this crap?î
        The car was loud. Itís engine needed a tune-up. But this only worked in Grayís favor. His captors
wouldnít know he was awake yet... and he had a feeling that this trip was going to be a long one. That
gave him a little bit of time.
        What had happened? Gray ran through it in his mind... he had been blindfolded and led outside
the city through tunnels. Then they had shot him with a stun laser and left him in the trunk. He was
probably supposed to be out cold right now.
        Gray couldnít see his own paws in the trunk, it was far too dark... but he could feel all too well.
First of all, his head hurt like all hell had broken loose inside of it. Secondly, there was a heavy object...
probably a wrench... near his right paw. Gray grasped it. Definitely a wrench. That could be very useful
later on. He felt around for anything else. A crushed beer can... several rags... Grayís paw caught on a flap
in the bottom of the trunk.
        He pulled hard on the flap and it came loose. There was a small compartment underneath... Gray
fished around inside with his paw... and found something hard and metallic...
        A gun! Grayís paw closed around the weapon and he pulled it out. He muttered to himself,
        ìGood lord, a Tal-1G laser pistol... I havenít seen one of these in four years... thought they were
outlawed on Corneria.î
        So he wasnít defenseless anymore. This was going to be fun... and a little crazy. But they had
trained him for this sort of idiocy in the Cornerian Special Forces...
        Gray aimed at the lock to the trunk and flicked off the safety on the pistol. His finger began to
squeeze the trigger...
        Suddenly Gray thought better of it and released the trigger. He put the safety back on and
concealed the pistol in his jacket. Gray then carefully put back the flap that had hidden the pistol.
        What was the use of escaping if Mira was going to pay the price? The only attempts at violence
had been directed at her. Best to wait this out... Sevantra, if it really was her, wanted him alive for some
reason. If he waited, he might be able to find out what was going on... and even the score a little.
        It had been a long time. Now it was time to make her pay.
        The only trick was survival.
        Gray curled up in the trunk and waited.

-The roof of the Mother Germaine Hospital, Corneria

        The small cargo ship flew in silently. It came down through the cloudy night sky and landed on
the small pad on top of the Mother Germaine Hospital.
        A lone male squirrel held the unconscious vixen in his arms and frowned. Was it already too
late?
        On his part, he had failed. They had been a little too quick for him. But how could he have
known theyíd use such a dirty trick.
        The squirrel looked again at the vixen lying in his arms. Gray Lancer was lucky to have someone
so pretty for a wife. And she had his child now. Which made it all the more important that she remain
safe.
        The squirrel placed her on the ground. He picked his rifle that had been on the ground and slung
it over his shoulder. He picked up the vixen again and walked up to the cargo ship. The hatch to the ship
opened and the squirrel stepped inside. The squirrel was greeted by an aging terrier wearing a white coat.
The terrier looked at the vixen and sighed,
        ìHello. My name is Dr. Kiurtus. Please take the vixen this way... we have surprisingly advanced
medical systems on this ship. If she is still alive, sheíll probably be fine.î
        ìThanks.î
        Dr. Kiurtus led the way, followed closely by the squirrel. They came into a small room with a
medical table in the center. The squirrel laid the vixen down on the table. Dr. Kiurtus nodded,
        ìThank you. Please leave her to rest. You may talk to her when sheís awake.î
        ìNo, thank YOU.î
        The squirrel turned around and left the room. He went forward to the cockpit and took the co-
pilotís seat. The pilot turned to him and spoke,
        ìYou know what youíre doing?î
        ìYes. Weíre getting this thing back to base. And yes, I am familiar with the co-pilotís station in
this thing. Letís get going.î
        The pilot nodded and worked several controls. The ship began to lift off from the roof of the
hospital. The pilot turned to the squirrel again,
        ìYouíre sure that you checked for surveillance devices?î
        ìYes Iím... oh crap... the keycard! The vixen still has the keycard on her!î
        ìOh damn, theyíll be coming soon.î
        The squirrel got up and ran back to the medical room. Dr. Kiurtus walked over and put his paws
up,
        ìIím sorry, youíre not supposed to be back here.î
        ìShut up and give me the keycard the vixen had on her!î
        The terrier walked over to the table and picked up the vixenís jacket. Inside one of the pockets
was the small keycard. The squirrel took the keycard and snapped it in half. He then turned around and
ran back to the cockpit.
        The squirrel again took the co-pilotís seat and strapped in. The pilot turned to him,
        ìWhat do we do?î
        ìWe run! Get this thing back to the base and loose anyone following us.î
        ìGood thing, that, cause we got about twenty I-32s following us.î
        ìI-32s?! Those are the latest pirate customs... they arenít military models.î
        ìNo kidding, well we still got twenty of ëem on us!î
        ìThen letís start running!î
        The pilot slammed the throttle forward and started to pull the ship up. The squirrel unstrapped
and stood up,
        ìWeíre switching stations NOW!î
        The pilot nodded and unstrapped. He switched with the squirrel. The squirrel strapped into the
pilotís station and grabbed the controls. He jerked the cargo ship down into a dive. The pilot looked over
with eyes wide,
        ìAre you insane?!î
        ìNo, but I do want to live!î
        The cargo ship swooped down between the buildings of Corneria City. The squirrel looked at the
threat display... eleven of the I-32s had managed to follow closely. The squirrel spoke to the pilot without
taking his eyes away from the cockpit window,
        ìDoes this thing have any weapons?î
        ìYeah, four front-facing lasers.î
        ìWell hold on!î
        The squirrel pulled at the controls violently and cut the throttle back. The cargo ship began to
sink, but it also turned sharply around. The squirrel pushed the throttle back and targeted lasers. He
squeezed the trigger and fired several rounds at the incoming fighters. One of them turned to avoid the
fire and rammed right into one of the buildings. The squirrel looked down at the threat display,
        ìLooks like only these ten are actually pursuing us.î
        One of the fighters had taken bad damage in one of its stabilizers and began to plunge towards
the ground. It collided with another on the way down and both were consumed by fire.
        The cargo ship dived down into the canyons of the city below, the squirrel weaving it between
buildings to avoid the enemy fighters. One more of the fighters missed a turn and slammed into a
building. The squirrel turned to the pilot,
        ìUh... where is the base?î
        ìYou idiot! Itís on an orbiting ship!î
        ìAre the coordinates locked in?î
        ìYes.î
        ìHold on.î
        The squirrel turned the ship up and pushed the throttle as far as it would go. He turned on the
intercom for the ship,
        ìEveryone strap down tight. Iím gonna turn off all non-essential systems in about five seconds!î
        He turned the intercom off and poised his paw over the control panel. The pilot stared at him,
        ìWhat are you doing?î
        ìRe-routing all unnecessary systems to our engines... watch!î
        The squirrel flipped several switches. The cockpit lights went off and the red emergency lights
came on. The pilot and the squirrel began to feel the effects of their acceleration as the G-compensators
were cut back.
        The trick worked... the cargo ship began to gain speed. The fighters below were beginning to fall
behind. The squirrel steered the ship towards the base orbiting the planet. He looked over at the pilot,
        ìIf you had been flying, weíd be dead right now. But you can fly now... weíre safe. Theyíve given
up.î
        The pilot and the squirrel switch back. The pilot restored the systems to normal and throttled
down to a normal speed. The squirrel smiled,
        ìI just hope theyíll be glad to see me.î
        The pilot only glared at him.

-Fox McCloudís current location, unknown

        Fox guessed that he had been curled up in the corner for about an hour when the lights went off
again. The temperature in the room began to drop. Fox curled up tighter to preserve his body heat. He had
a feeling that this was only going to get worse.
        Someone entered the room and spoke. They sounded like the same person who had come in
before,
        ìSit up straight and look at me!î
        Fox complied slowly and reluctantly. He uncurled and faced the voice. A bright spotlight came
down from the ceiling of the room and illuminated the speaker. She was a pretty ocelot with bright orange
eyes. She smiled... a smile which held no warmth or friendship,
        ìHello Fox. Donít you remember me?î
        Fox squinted into the light,
        ìNo... should I?î
        ìCome now... it was several years ago... before you even met Fara. On... oh lord, what planet was
it?î
        The ocelot thought for a second and then put up a finger,
        ìAh yes, it was on Titania. Do you remember Titania?î
        Fox struggled to drag the memory up from his past,
        ìI still donít know who the hell you are.î
        ìCareful now... you shouldnít use such language around a lady... especially a lady who can rip
your throat out!î
        ìI still donít know who you are.î
        ìMaybe I can give you a name thatíll ring a bell... how about it?î
        ìSo who are you.î
        The ocelot smiled slowly. Fox shuddered. The ocelot grinned again and spoke,
        ìMy name is Sevantra. Oh, Iím sorry, I havenít told you about my little home... welcome to the
Heart of Steel... no one has ever escaped from this prison. Of course, no one has ever lived long enough to
try it.î
        Foxís eyes widened. The name had indeed rung a bell. He knew who Sevantra was. He had hoped
he would never hear that name again... but here she was, as terrifying as that day so long ago... the day of
the pact...

-The Remorseless, in orbit around Corneria

        Brett strode onto the bridge of Remorseless, the ship which served as a temporary Mercenariesí
Guild base. A small muskrat scampered up and held out a folded piece of paper. The muskrat cleared his
throat and spoke,
        ìSir, message from Ms. FlareWolf OíDonnell.î
        Brett nodded and took the paper. He unfolded it and read:

           &nbs p;    -To: Brett MacDonald
           &nb sp;    -From: FlareWolf OíDonnell
           &nb sp;    -Subject: Mission accomplished
           &nb sp;    -Message body, received code-p 334 Delta:
           &nb sp;            They lost the trail. /end
           &nb sp;            Havenít found me either. /end
           &nb sp;            Iím going home, see ya later. /end
           &nb sp;            /end message
           &nb sp;            /code-p 334 Delta standard encoder
           &nb sp;            \code-p 334 Delta standard decoder mark
           &nb sp;    -End message

        Brett smiled. His wife Kelly walked up and looked at the message over his shoulder. Brett
explained,
        ìFlare tells me that they couldnít find our escape route. She wasnít discovered either... I think
she deserves the break after working as our overlord for one mission.î
        Kelly nodded and whispered in Brettís ear,
        ìWe found another member of the 12th.î
        ìThatís great.î
        ìNo itís not... theyíre dead!î
        ìOh... how?î
        ìSniper outside their room. Oh yeah, our retrieval group picked someone up.î
        ìWhazzat?î
        ìI think youíd better see yourself.î
        Brett nodded and turned to follow his wife off the bridge. They walked down the main corridor
until they came to the elevator leading down to the medical bay. The elevator was on the same deck and
the doors slid open. Brett and Kelly stepped inside and Kelly pushed the button for the main medical bay
deck.
        As the elevator went down to the medical bay, Brett turned to Kelly and asked one question,
        ìWhich retrieval team?î
        ìYouíll see.î
        The elevator reached the medical bay deck and the doors opened. Kelly went out first, followed
by Brett. She turned left into the first medical area and stopped at one of the doors. She opened it slowly
and both she and Brett stepped inside the room.
        Inside were counters around the room and a bed in the center. One of the shipís medical
attendants, a young female raccoon, stood next to the bed. She smiled at Brett and Kelly as the entered the
room. Brett walked over to the bed. The attendant spoke up,
        ìShe just woke up a little while ago.î
        Brett saw who was lying on the bed... it was Mira Lancer. Mira opened her eyes and saw Brett
and Kelly. She spoke quietly,
        ìWhat happened and whereís my husband?î
        Brett looked nervous,
        ìWell... I think I know whatís going on here...î
        Kelly broke in,
        ìIíll explain.î
        Mira nodded for her to continue.
        ìOk. It works like this. Our recovery team was only one guy going in to pick you up...î
        ìBut two people came in to get me, and they both got killed.î
        ìYeah, they werenít the team. The guyís orders were to go in and get you out alive. We knew
about the other two. Did they give you a key?î
        ìYes.î
        ìIf you had used it, youíd be dead. Their whole plan was to lure you into their car... it was loaded
with explosives.î
        ìSo why did your person shoot me?î
        ìFor a good reason. Letís face it, you wouldnít have believed him if heíd tried to convince you he
was on your side. He wasted the enemy to get them out of the way... and he had to drive you away from
that car... which meant shooting to injure. He was never intending to kill you... and I think he wants to
talk to you alone.î
        Mira closed her eyes partially,
        ìLet him in.î
        Brett and Kelly left the room, followed by the attendant. The door opened again and a squirrel
walked in. He was tall and trim, wearing a long black overcoat. He walked up to Miraís bed and sat on a
chair by the side. The squirrel hung his head,
        ìMy name is Paul Lycanis... I was the one who was sent to get you out... I want to apologize for
anything I did... I also came to see if you were alright.î
        Mira felt anger rising inside her. How could he have the nerve to... but then she thought about
what had happened. If it wasnít for Paul, sheíd probably be dead right now. She put a paw on the
squirrelís shoulder,
        ìI accept your apology... it wasnít your fault. If I had been smart enough to tell that those two
werenít really with the Guild then you wouldnít have had to do that.î
        The squirrel raised his head again,
        ìNo hard feelings?î
        ìNo hard feelings.î
        Mira extended her paw. The squirrel took it and shook. Mira spoke to him,
        ìHave you heard anything about my husband? Where is he?î
        The squirrel looked down again,
        ìHeís been missing since he visited you. No one knows exactly where he is or who is
responsible.î
        Mira looked around the room and noticed that Brett had been standing in the doorway. He spoke
up,
        ìThatís not entirely true. We have a pretty damn good idea who took him. Mira, you wonít like
this... but you have to hear it. Did Gray ever tell you about someone named Sevantra?î
        ìNo... does this have something to do with his disappearance?î
        ìUnfortunately it does. It has to do with him, Fox McCloud, and several other people... mostly
him and Fox. It was a long time ago... before Andross... and I think that Gray and Fox got deep into
something they never wanted any part in... something evil.î
 

           &nbs p;            *                *                *

           &nbs p;             ;        Book 2: Souls of Glass
           &nb sp;    ìThe illusion has been shattered... and it cannot be repaired.î
 

-The planet Titania, during project ìDead Watchî(several years before the war against
Andross began)

        Fox McCloud looked out over the barren desert before him with the binoculars. He saw nothing...
but he didnít exactly know what he was looking for. He turned to his friend Falco,
        ìWhat ARE we supposed to be doing?î
        Falco shrugged,
        ìWho the hell knows. They told you more than they told me anyway.î
        ìThey told me to look for a bunch of soldiers with a banner. The banner has a skull wearing a
Cornerian Special Forces beret and two knives crossed under it. Thatís all they told me. I donít see any
soldiers or any banner.î
        ìBut I do... look over here.î
        Fox walked to the other side of the mesa they were on and looked down. Sure enough, a group of
soldiers was moving along, one of them carrying the banner. Fox pulled out his com and turned it on,
        ìThis is Point to Base, do you read?î
        The com crackled,
        ìThis is Captain Lancer, whatís your report?î
        ìWeíve spotted the D Unit. Just north of post Gamma.î
        ìGotcha. Any pursuers visible?î
        ìNope.î
        ìRight. Are they moving.î
        ìNo, actually. Looks like theyíre digging in.î
        ìOk. Base is on the move, weíll be there in another half-hour.î
        ìItíll be dark by then.î
        ìI know. Weíre gonna be wearing light-amp goggles.î
        The com went to static as Captain Lancer cut off his end of the transmission. Fox shut off the
com and walked over to his swoop. He sat down on it and leaned back. A half-hour of free time. Falco sat
down on his own swoop and promptly went to sleep.
        Fox just stared up at the rapidly darkening sky and thought.

        Fox felt someone poking him. He opened his eyes and saw Captain Gray Lancer standing over
him,
        ìWake up Fox. Itís time to get down to business.î
        Fox realized that he had been sleeping and got up quickly. He smirked at Gray,
        ìSorry... sir.î
        ìDonít call me that. Letís get going, we need to find out whatís going on with D Unit.î
        Falco walked over and yawned,
        ìDo I hafta go down there too?î
        Gray rolled his eyes,
        ìNo. Youíre staying with the two other guards on this mesa and watching things. Fox, the rest of
my unit, and I will go down to talk to whoever is in charge of D Unit... there also seems to be a terrorist
unit thatís following them around. We think we can be of some help.î
        Falco nodded and walked back to his swoop to sit down some more. At the edge of the mesa,
several members of Grayís unit were rigging rope systems to scale the sheer sides of the mesa. Fox and
Gray walked over to the edge of the mesa and sat down. Fox spoke to Gray,
        ìSo what is this D Unit thing?î
        ìTheyíre the members of a secret project called ëDead Watchí... officially, they donít exist.î
        ìUnofficially?î
        ìTheyíre the most lethal and efficient enforcers in the CSF. The ësecret shame and prideí of
Corneria. They do the real dirty stuff, things a normal soldier wouldnít touch with a mile-long pole.î
        ìSo why are we talking to them?î
        ìTheyíve failed to report in and havenít contacted us in a long time. Weíre worried that theyíre
trying to break off on their own... so weíre being sent in to negotiate.î
        Fox nodded and looked down over the camp of D Unit. They had fires burning outside. Fires?
Fox looked on and felt a shiver running down his spine. There was something eerie about that camp...
eerie and evil.

        Fox McCloud, Gray Lancer, and several members of his unit lowered themselves on ropes down
the side of the mesa. Fox Looked out to the camp of D Unit and shivered again.
        Gray hit the bottom first and released the clasp holding him to the rope. He walked a few feet
away from the mesa and waited for the others to get to the bottom. The next person down was a female
wolf named Alana Petrikov... one of Grayís officers. Fox was the next down, followed by several other
members of Grayís unit. They all stood at the bottom of the mesa and looked towards D Unitís camp.
        Gray went first, followed by Fox and the others. It was about 200 yards to D Unitís camp. When
they were about one-hundred feet away, someone shouted to them,
        ìHalt! Who goes there?î
        Gray answered,
        ìGray Lancer and the 12th Commandos. Also Fox McCloud, a mercenary attached to my unit.
We want to talk to your commander!î
        ìHold on. Wait there.î
        The guard trudged off. Gray stood with his unit and waited.
        After ten minutes of standing in silence, the guard returned and shouted to Gray,
        ìShe agrees to let you all within the camp. Only you and Fox will be allowed to talk to her.î
        ìFair enough.î
        The group moved forward and up to the camp. The guard opened the perimeter fence gate and let
them through.
        Fox took a look around and realized why he had gotten such a bad feeling about this place. There
were skulls of various species stuck on poles... and bonfires everywhere. Strange flags and banners all
around, most of them depicting horrible scenes.
        A guard walked up to Fox and Gray and motioned to them,
        ìYou two will come with me.î
        Gray nodded. The guard walked towards a large tent in the center of the camp. Gray and Fox
followed closely. They came to the big tent and the guard held the flap open. Gray and Fox both stepped
inside the tent and the guard released the flap.
        Inside the tent was a central fire, which burned brightly. Around it were rugs made of some
unidentified furs... in the center of the room, sitting on a large chair made of wood, was a very attractive
female ocelot. She motioned for Gray and Fox to sit,
        ìSit down. What have you two come for?î
        Gray held up a paw,
        ìFirst, who are you?î
        ìMy name is Sevantra. I took over command of this unit when the old commander... couldnít
handle it. Why have you come?î
        ìWe have the positions of the terrorists following your unit. Weíve come to give those to you and
ask why you havenít reported to command recently.î
        Sevantra gave a small laugh,
        ìRight. Iíll take the info now. You may stay at my camp until tomorrow night... by then Iíll have
disposed of the terrorists. Then weíll talk about the other issue... I think youíll find the answer
surprising.î
        Gray nodded and took a data card out of his jacket. He handed it to Sevantra,
        ìThis is the info. Weíd prefer to sleep at our base.î
        ìYou have no choice. You WILL sleep here.î
        ìFine. Tomorrow night?î
        ìYes... be here when it gets dark...î

        The day passed quickly and uneventfully. About halfway through, Sevantra came in to announce
that her troops had killed off the terrorists and that Grayís information had saved her unit. The rest was
mostly spent by Gray and Fox sleeping and wandering around. What they saw in Sevantraís camp scared
them... it looked as if she had reverted to some primitive tribe.
        Then it came time to meet with her again.
        Fox and Gray entered into the large tent that they had the previous night. There was one
difference, there were numerous people along the sides wearing black cloaks... the hoods hiding their
faces and snouts. Both Gray and Fox noticed some things that were different about the room.
        Both noticed the shield hanging on the wall behind Sevantra. It had the logo of D Unit on it... a
skull wearing a beret with two knives crossed under it.
        Gray noticed that Sevantra looked wilder and more fierce than the other night. She had a wild
look in her eyes. And she was holding a large spear in her right paw.
        Fox noticed more about the room they were in. The rug on which they were sitting appeared to be
made of one large piece of something... but closer inspection revealed it was made of many pieces of fur
stitched together. They looked a little small to be from the large animals that roamed Titania... but where
could it have come from.
        There was a huge fire in the middle of the room, as on the other night. It blazed even higher than
before.
        Sevantra picked herself up from her chair and grinned a wicked grin... flashing her large
canines. She motioned around the room and grinned again. She picked her spear up and pointed it to the
ground... she thrust it down quickly, lodging it in the dirt. Sevantra finally spoke in a loud voice,
        ìWe are here to complete the pact set before us by our master... it is time to seal his will and
make him live on forever in our minds and souls!î
        Sevantra jumped through the fire and landed on the other side. She walked up to Gray and Fox
and sat down next to them,
        ìOur eternal master has promised those who follow him much... Gray Lancer... you understand
something of the situation... YOU have seen death! Join me! Join me as my mate and together we will be
immortal!î
        Gray, who was getting some very bad feelings about all of this, only glared at Sevantra,
        ìIím sorry, but I have to tell you to go to hell.î
        Sevantra looked over at Fox, who merely shook his head. Sevantra jumped up and glared at the
two foxes,
        ìYou fools! You will not join me?!î
        Both shook their heads. Sevantra spoke in a low growl,
        ìThe time is not here now... but you will both live to regret what you have refused... for you do
not know what true evil is... but I SERVE IT!î

-present day... Gray Lancerís current location, unknown

        Gray realized that he had been sleeping. He silently swore at himself for being such an idiot... but
then he thought better. He would probably need the rest... and what did it matter if he fell asleep in the
trunk of someoneís car? It wasnít like he could do anything else.
        But there was reason he had woken up... the engine had stopped. The car was no longer moving.
Gray felt his jacket to make sure the pistol was well hidden and impossible to feel from the outside. He
then curled up again and waited for the door to the trunk to open.
        The trunk did open. The one who opened it was the huge wildcat who had thrown Gray inside in
the first place. The wildcat grabbed Gray and pulled him out of the trunk. Gray was roughly set on his
footpaws. The weasel stepped out of the car and walked over to him, holding a rifle. The weasel sneered at
Gray and spoke,
        ìFrom now on, you go exactly where I lead you or tell you to go. You do not try anything and you
do not speak unless asked to. If you break these little rules, your wife and child die... then you die.î
        Gray only nodded... he knew exactly what was at stake here. He knew that acting too soon or
without planning would mean his death... and, much worse, the death of Mira and their unborn child.
This was one game he couldnít just muscle his way through.
        The weasel prodded Gray with his gun to signal the fox to move. Gray complied and walked
where the weasel led him. After five minutes or so, they came to a small train set on a rail. The rail led
away into a long tunnel. The weasel motioned for Gray to get in.
        Gray walked inside. The weasel also walked in. The wildcat stayed behind. The weasel pressed
several buttons and the train shot off down the rail and into the tunnel. The weasel could not resist
needling Gray again,
        ìSevantra is going to be very pleased to see you. She knows you never really believed... not you or
Fox McCloud. Well, sheís going to show you...î
        The weasel grinned,
        ìSheís going to show you both how wrong you were...î

-The Remorseless, in orbit around Corneria

        Fara leaned against a railing on the bridge of the Remorseless and listened quietly to the chatter.
The Mercenariesí Guild was organizing something big. Fara heard Kelly MacDonald speak to someone,
        ìListen, hereís the situation with our ships in the Guild fleet... Iíll put it up on the display.î
        Fara glanced at the main display and saw the fleet status listing:

           &nbs p;    -Mercenariesí Guild Fleet
           &nb sp;            -Capital ships:
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Remorseless
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -fully operational
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Rightful II
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -fully operational
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Severance
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -needs transfer fighter squadron from ground base
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -needs transfer bomber squadron from ground base
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Hostility
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -needs VS-17 missiles to be loaded
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Vehemence
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -needs shield generator repairs
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -needs translight repairs
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Restoration
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -fully operational
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Vengeance II
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    -needs F-90B squadron from op base
           &nb sp;            -Medium ships:
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Daring flight
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    (6 modified cruisers)
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Versatile flight
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    (10 enhanced corvettes)
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Lance flight
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    (4 heavy cruisers)
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Rapier flight
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    (10 modified freighters)
           &nb sp;            -Notable free-lance ships:
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Quicklight
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    (heavily modified G-Class Repulsor Starfighter)
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Guidance
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    (modified gun-runner)
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -Attrition
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;    (custom heavy gunboat)
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;        -

        Fara glanced down the list and saw a few things that struck her as very odd. She walked down to
where Kelly was standing and tapped the cat on the shoulders. Kelly turned around,
        ìYes? What is it, Fara?î
        ìUh... I want to ask you a couple things about your fleet.î
        ìI suppose... youíre in the fight with us. Ask away.î
        ìFirst, I thought F-90s were out of use...î
        ìOh, thatís our little Guild secret. Weíve been secretly developing the technology and enhancing
it. We built exactly twelve of these new prototypes. The F-90B enhanced heavy fighter... the official name
is the F-90B Soul Harvester. Theyíre some nasty suckers... but those twelve are all that will ever be
produced.î
        ìOk. Second, why are VS-17 missiles being loaded on a cap ship?î
        ìWeíre trying a little something. See, the VS-17s are heavier than most cap ship defense
missiles, and they can hit fighters. We figure a little heavy defense wonít hurt. Rebels on Venom captured
tons of those missiles and sold them to us wholesale.î
        ìRight. Next question... the Quicklight? Grayís ship? Is he back?î
        ìYeah right. Mira can fly it by herself... we offered to get her a co-pilot, but she refused. She said
that only two people could fly that ship... her and Gray. Since heís not here, sheís going to do it by
herself.î
        ìGotcha. And finally, whatís with that last bullet point? Youíve got no info on it and no name.î
        Kelly smiled slowly and motioned to Fara,
        ìListen, come with me and Iíll do better than tell you, Iíll show you.î
        Kelly walked off the bridge, followed by Fara. Kelly spoke to Fara as they walked,
        ìBrettís already down there. He and I are two of only five people with knowledge of this thing
and keys to enter the hangar... the five people are me, my husband Brett, Gray Lancer, Mira Delinax, and
the pilot herself.î
        ìHERself?î
        ìYeah, youíll recognize her.î
        They came to a very small elevator with a keycard slot on it. Kelly pulled out a keycard and slid it
through. The doors on the elevator opened. Kelly and Fara stepped inside.
        The elevator automatically went down. After ten seconds or so, the doors opened again. Kelly led
the way out, Fara close behind. Kelly stopped before the next door and reached into her jacket,
        ìListen Fara... Iíve got a little gift for you. We were deciding whether you and Fox were ready for
this... we figured you were. Too bad Fox isnít here.î
        Kelly produced a small keycard almost identical to the one she had used on the elevator door.
        ìNow there will be two more people with access to this. You and Fox are now officially in on this
project.î
        Kelly opened the next door and she and Fara stepped into a large hangar beyond. The only ship
in the hangar was a fighter in the center. Kelly smiled proudly and explained,
        ìOfficially, this does not exist. It is unknown to anyone but a select few... those who have access
and a few techs who worked on it. This is the Mercenariesí Guildís second best kept secret. This is the
most advanced fighter in existence... the F-90X Wraith. Itís a modified F-90B... big time modified. Iíll
walk you around the new features...î
        Kelly and Fara walked up to the fighter and looked around it. Kelly talked as they circled it,
        ìWe quadrupled the shield power, changed the armor to the latest, most durable variety... and
added another few centimeters to it. Itís got five forward-facing lasers... all triple normal strength... itís
got a railgun on a turret that can cover the entire top of the fighter. It has 20 large missile hardpoints, four
missile launchers, and 8 large torpedo hardpoints. It has the most powerful sensor and targeting package
in existence... the best thruster package out there... and a little surprise.î
        Fara glanced at Kelly,
        ìWhat kind of surprise?î
        Kelly smiled,
        ìA couple surprises actually... it has the ability to do minor maneuvering in hyperspace and even
some in translight... it also has a cloaking device.î
        Faraís eyes nearly bulged out of her head,
        ìBut the ArSpace annual report said thatís impossible!î
        ìWe paid many people a great deal of money... including top officials at ArSpace... to make sure
that news of a working cloaking system never got out. Officially, it canít be done... but this is not an
official fighter.î
        ìIíll say.î
        ìYou realize, of course, that this is all top classification and is NEVER to leave the selected few
who are authorized to know about it. Even your children canít know about this.î
        ìRight, right. You said something about the pilot?î
        ìOh yes. I believe sheís here... she works under the code name ëWraithí but happens to hate that
name.î
        A voice spoke behind them,
        ìDamn straight I hate it. Hey Fara, good to see youíre in on this too.î
        Fara turned and saw someone she recognized from her past. A vixen about her age wearing a
green tank-top and jeans. The vixen smiled. Kelly looked at both the vixen and Fara,
        ìFara, meet Auerulis Varius... the Mercsí Guildís best kept secret.î
        Fara grinned,
        ìYeah, weíve met... a while ago. Best kept secret?î
        Kelly nodded,
        ìYep. There are techs who know about this project, and have worked on it, who donít know that
Auerulis is the pilot. Oh yeah, everyoneís heard of her... but no one really knows that sheís piloting our
little friend over there.î
        Auerulis nodded,
        ìOh man, that fighter is something else. God, Iím glad they didnít pick Fox McCloud, Katt
Monroe... or you... to fly it... cause that thing is just fantastic!î
        Kelly frowned,
        ìDonít everyone get too happy... we may have to use it sooner than you think.î

-The Vehemence, in orbit around Corneria

        FlareWolf OíDonnell sat by herself against a small console tucked out of the way. She just
needed some rest, that was all.
        It had been a very long day. She had been assigned to sniper and watch position on Brettís rescue
op... that was never very easy.
        And FlareWolf had figured that when she got done, she could go back to the apartment in the
city that the Guild was lending her and sleep.
        Wrong. Of course, the Mercenariesí Guild declared a full state of emergency... basically they
were gearing up for war. So FlareWolf had been called up to the Vehemence.
        But she had thought that sheíd be assigned to a normal crew position... probably as a pilot. That
would mean that she would do basically nothing until someone actually attacked.
        Wrong again. She had done such a great job recently that Brett assigned her as the fighter
operations commander. That meant lots of people coming to her to ask about training schedules, pilot
rosters, weapon loadouts, and a thousand other concerns that they probably could have handled on their
own.
        But the job wasnít really all that important until actual fighting started. They could handle their
own damn weapon loadouts... FlareWolf wanted to sleep. So she had found a nice out of the way spot and
curled up to rest. Nobody had found her yet, so it seemed to be working... and fighter operations hadnít
collapsed so she was completely right.
        FlareWolf smiled and opened her eyes to small slits. She was actually sitting in a small hallway
that ended in a balcony above the hangar. FlareWolf was on the balcony behind the small console... no
one came up here and she had a un-obstructed view of the hangar below.
        She glanced around the hangar below... a ship was coming in... and judging from the amount of
activity below it was a pretty important ship.
        The ship flew in slowly and settled on the deck. A number of techs and operations officers ran
around the flight deck. The ship was a large cargo ship... why was it so important?
        Oh yeah, the Vehemence needed repairs to the shield generator and translight systems... they
must need replacement systems and techs to work on them. So the ship was the key to getting the
Vehemence combat operational again. Well, that meant that FlareWolf wouldnít be missed for a while.
        A very tall hawk had come out of the cargo ship and was talking to the lead tech. The other
Vehemence crew members had all left the area to make preparations for the repairs. From where she sat,
FlareWolf could hear the conversation between the tech and the hawk. The tech was speaking,
        ìSo we need a replacement translight drive?î
        The hawk responded,
        ìYes... and a new shield generator energy converter.î
        ìOh, Ok. So how long will it take?î
        ìNot long... we have a lot of help on board.î
        FlareWolf opened her eyes... what kind of response was that? She looked down at the tech, a
dingo wearing a dirty jumpsuit. The dingo glanced around nervously and whispered something to the
hawk. The hawk nodded and motioned for the tech to follow him. The hawk walked around to the side of
the cargo ship that faced FlareWolf. From that spot, the only person in the hangar who could see the hawk
and the tech was FlareWolf. She heard the hawk speak quietly,
        ìIt should be a good three days before they find out that the shipping schedule was changed. Oh...
we had to suppress a few curious guards to get this going.î
        ìYou didnít kill them, did you?î
        ìWhat the hell do you think? Of course we killed them.î
   &nbs