Well, after being who knows how long away from the site, I'm finally publishing a new work. As you can tell from the description, it's a Star Fox one-shot, one that I'm entering in a contest. For details, here's the link: topic/67452/66083788/1/#66259830. Well, here we go!

The blaring sirens and red flashing signals, indicating the dangerously low shielding of the Arwing, continued to sound throughout the ship of Fox McCloud, the leader of the galactically famous Star Fox Mercenary Team. The ship the pilot had been fighting in, never swaying in the opposition against the threat to his home and everything that Fox held oh so dear, had been heavily damaged, cracks in the canopy and plasma burns on the wings, blackening the pristine steel that built the skeleton of the Arwing. Sweat slowly flowed down the vulpine's brow, leaking from his body from the continuously mixing emotions of fear, anger and anxiety as a stream formed on his face, mixing with the blood from the wounds he had sustained in the ongoing final confrontation.

The Anglar Emperor, the sole commander of the Anglar Empire, and the newest in a long line of threats to the Lylat System, was just the same. The goal of bringing the Lylat System under his iron rule had led him to this confrontation; a battle that was destined from the very beginning of this pursuit of power. The steel of his ship's hull had been dented and cracked in multiple areas, fluids from the depths of the Venomian Sea leaking into the internal systems of the vessel, destroying whatever systems remained unscathed and undamaged by the constant barrage of plasma from the opposing ship. The Emperor knew that this fight was over; he knew he was going to die.

But he would be damned if he was going to let Fox McCloud make it out alive.

Fox took in a heavy breath of calm, adamantly facing his opponent through the canopy over his cockpit, one finger on the trigger, one hand on the thruster control, and both eyes on his target. Closing his eyes with rage and finality, Fox's paw resting on the controls of the thrusters flew forward, igniting the engines anew, propelling the Arwing towards the Angler-esque ship of the Empeoror. His trigger finger put pressure on the plasma trigger, charging the lasers of the ship, watching as they began to glow a crimson-white hue at the bow of his ship.

"If I'm going down, you're going down with me!" the Anglar Emperor bellowed through the metal of his ship, smashing the glass covering a lone switch in his ship.

Within seconds, the metallic jaws of the ship opened frighteningly wide, baring javelin-like fangs while a crimson singularity began to flash with a blinding light, concentrating itself into a single mass of unimaginable energy. Fox gasped with horror upon realization of what the action of the vile reptile had caused, and with whatever strength remained in the vulpine's body, Fox pulled back on the controls of his Arwing, swerving upward, just barely avoiding a dangerously concentrated beam of plasma energy, scraping the bottom of the pristine white metal, scorching it black as it barreled forward.

Keeping control over the heavily damaged vessel, Fox began to spiral around the crimson force of destruction, staring into the eyes of the Anglar Emperor through the steel of his starship, ignoring the blinding force of the final assault that his opponent sent to annihilate him. The force of the blazing plasma began to burn with an even greater intensity, the sirens within the Arwing beginning to blare louder than ever before, the bright red signal of alarm intertwining with the blinding light of the incinerating attack.

Taking his hand off the thruster controls, Fox pulled up the holographic readouts of the skeletal structure of his Arwing, watching as yellow warning signs were pointed to the pristine white plating around the main body. The body plating of the Arwing was being external damaged by the second, the pure and unending energy being emitted from the gargantuan assault of power chipping away at whatever shielding was left within the limitations of the vessel.

'Damn it.' The vulpine though, wiping a thick stream of sweat from his fur, dampening his clothing before resting his paw back onto the thruster controls. 'This blasted plasma force is too powerful. It's practically melting the metal of my ship!'

Turning his attention back to the enemy he so sought to eliminate, to send his body sinking into the depths of the murky waters he flew in, his grip tightened on the controls as the vulpine grit his teeth with utter ferocity.

'Enough of this foolhardy child's play. This. Ends. Now!'

Looping back under the crimson plasma, Fox fell out of sight, hiding from his enemy as he prepared the coup de grace that his enemy so rightfully deserved. Diving into the depths of the Venomian Sea, Fox began taping holo-matter controls one after the other, setting the thruster power, energy transfers and weapon settings, smiling with sadistic delight as he heard the clunk of a bomb, his final bomb, set into the launching bay of his Arwing.

Watching the crimson beam begin to weaken in its blinding ferocity, the vulpine pilot dove deeper into the depths of the Venomian Sea, positioning himself in preparation for his final assault, one that would not only end the Anglar Emperor's life, but rip his body to shreds as they became scattered amongst the caverns and crevices that cut through the cracked ocean floor. This man, no, this monster had nearly destroyed everything that Fox held close to him. His home, his allies, and his closest friends. The time for mercy was long sense gone. Judgment was upon the Anglar Emperor.

With all energy finally depleted from the plasma reserves in the ship of the Anglar Emperor, the crimson beam of annihilation began to thin into a weaker source of power before finally dissipating, its singularity dimming into a blackened core, lacking the absolute force that it was emitted from its being. Fox noticed the hole in the Anglar's defense, and with his instincts going into to maximum overdrive, the thrusters switch instantly flew forward, igniting the engines of the Arwing with a new, blazing cobalt fire as it barreled through the Venomian Sea like a silver arrow. Resting his finger on the bomb launcher, Fox's Arwing shot upward, the cobalt flames of the engine burning ever-brighter as the screaming metal harbinger of death began to accelerate towards its next victim.

"Hey fishstick!" Fox exclaimed through the communication speakers between the ships, catching the enraged attention of the reptilian force of destruction, only for his face to fall with horror and dismay, his eyes immediately catching sight of the glowing epicenter at the bow of Fox's Arwing.

"Say hi to Andross for me."

Taking one final look at the steel vessel that would soon be sinking into the unforgiving depths of Venom, Fox slammed his finger into the trigger, letting loose the destructive force of the final bomb as it spiraled towards the center of the ship's hull. As the bomb impacted the metallic surface of its target, impaling the internal systems of the ship before finally detonating, the vulpine pulled back on the control stick of his vessel, flying just under the jaws of the now-combusting ship, avoiding the destructive and unrelenting forces of the Smart Bomb as it began to rip the materials of the ship on a molecular level, skewering them from each other and sending them scattering across the Venomian Sea.

Not a single scream had been expulsed from the burning esophagus of the now-deceased leader of the Anglar Empire; a final testament to his defeat, his ship marking his grave as it sparked with frayed wires, smoke stacks billowing from the gapping entries in the skeletal structure of the ship. Fox watched with pity as decimated vessel continued to plummet into the ever-descending waters of the Venomian Sea.

But it was over. This series of battles, just teetering on the edge of the beginning of a new War of Lylat, had finally come to a close. The leader of the Anglar Empire had fallen to exploits and piloting of the Star Fox and Star Wolf teams, with the vulpine leader of the former ending this entire fiasco with a finality and distance from death that he had felt twice, no, three times in the past. The vulpine lightly chuckled to himself, reminiscing at how this series of events that had mixed into nothing less than pure insanity had begun.

This entire journey had started on Corneria, almost like it always had, but it soon began to spiral out of control. With Anglar forces occupying one planet after the next, Fox was about to rip his fur out of his skin in frustration at how it had become so difficult, now that the days of his teammates had long since passed.

But they began once again.

One after the other, the allies that Fox had so desperately missed had begun to appear before him again, becoming a part of the Star Fox team once again. Slippy, the technical genius of Aquas. Falco, the cocky feather-brain that Fox never got used to. Even Peppy, his surrogate father and General of the Cornerian Armed Forces, had come to assist in the final confrontation! However, there was one member in particular that Fox was shocked, angered, and exploding with ecstasy to see after so long.

Krystal.

The vixen that Fox had so blindly, yet so eagerly, let go of, simply to try and keep the woman he loved safe. Krystal had left Star Fox after Fox had sent her away, joining Star Wolf in the process. This action had broken Fox's heart, but simply having the chance to see the beautiful vixen just one more time was all that mattered to him. Taking control of his Arwing's controls, the vulpine shot upward, the engines blazing with power as the ultimate mercenary and the Hero of Lylat flew from the depths of the Venomian Sea, off to the Great Fox to greet his teammates and friends in glorious victory.

"FOX!" Slippy exclaimed, leaping from his seat and tackling the vulpine commander to the ground in relief. "You're still alive! I can't believe it! I thought… I thought that…"

Tears had begun to well up in the amphibian's eyes, Fox letting out a heartfelt chuckle, tousling the toad's head and drying the tears from his eyes.

"I'm fine, Slippy." Fox replied, picking himself up off the ground and walking over to the rest of his allies standing in front of him.

Falco, flashing the cocky smirk that every person in Lylat had become familiar with. The blazing blue avian was almost never seen without it spread across his face. This aspect, however, had not changed one person's outlook on the pilot. While his brash attitude indeed annoyed the rest of the team on more than one occasion, and while he also needed the occasional assist from Fox or the others, they still respected him like any true ally and friend would do.

Peppy stood adamant, staring at Fox with the stalwart stare worthy of a General in the Cornerian Army. The heartwarming glow of a father, however, always streamed from the hare, be it when he was happy, disappointed, or even flat out flushed with rage. This care was what kept Fox going on in his life, with his father deceased at the hands of a madman scientist that he had defeated twice before. Anyone that knew Peppy Hare knew that they would always have a true ally to stay behind them in times of doubt, uncertainty, and pain.

Krystal, with, for once in this chaotic journey of explosives, shattering planes and fluctuating emotions, was wearing the loving smile the vulpine so desperately missed. While she had gone to Star Wolf after Fox had cruelly, yet at the same time caringly, disbanded the Star Fox team and sent her off, she still cared for her teammates just the same. It was her nature to have sympathy for all living creatures, especially those close to her, and while the vulpine had shattered her heart, she still couldn't bear to stay apart from him. Not after being away from the vulpine she loved for so long, and to have him standing right in front of her.

"It's great to have you back, buddy." Falco spoke, welcoming Fox back to his mobile living space with a simple pat on the back amongst friends.

"Your father would be so proud, Fox." Peppy replied, a miniscule small spreading across the hare's face, while Fox mirrored the expression before turning to Krystal.

As Fox began to near Krystal, the loving smile on her face began to… disappear. While the vixen had indeed missed Fox, despite everything that the vulpine had put her through, she still hadn't forgiven him for sending her away without any notice or explanation. To say the least, she was furious.

"So" the vixen spoke up, miniscule hints of rage dripping from her tone, of which Fox was completely aware. "What happens now, hot-shot?"

"Do whatever you want." Fox replied with complete and utter apathy for Krystal's feelings and emotions. "I don't care. Go and join Wolf and Panther if you want to. It doesn't matter to me."

Krystal was shocked. No, shocked is an understatement. Krystal was horrified, disgusted even. Krystal had come all this way, through an asteroid belt, two different sectors and the barren planet Venom for Fox, and she was so close, so close to having him back again. But now, none of that mattered anymore. The vulpine, in an absolute force of apathy and uncaring emotions, had taken her freshly repaired heart, and simply shattered it all over again.

Without another word, Fox made his way through his allies, each step of his boots clacking against the steel floors of the Great Fox, Falco, Slippy and Peppy watching with absolute horror on their faces as they listened to the hiss of the great steel doors to the pilot's rooms, and turning back to Krystal once the doors came to a close. The avian, amphibian and hare all stared intently at the bright blue vixen, their eyes worryingly searching hers for some place of solace, but all too much like her, they would find none.

Krystal's body was trembling with fear, anxiety, sadness and absolute disappointment, each emotion lashing out at her inner being without any mercy, letting back no force as they shook her very soul to its core. Tears would not come for this wayward wanderer, this broken fighter that had gone through hell and back, simply trying to undo a mistake. Tears were a privilege for those in pain, a privilege that this vixen was so cruelly deprived of.

Swallowing a lump in her throat that had formed from the deprivation of the right to bawl into the steel floors, Krystal spoke up saying "Thank you, everyone. But I'm afraid I must be going now."

The sapphire vixen began to walk towards the hanger doors, Slippy reaching out to stop her, only to have Peppy halt his movements with a hand to his shoulder. Staring up at Peppy with a look of question, tears were already starting to show in the corners of the amphibians eyes. Slippy, however, already knew the answer to his question. This was Krystal's choice, and they had no right to step into her decision. The hiss of the metallic doors came to a close, and the rest of the Star Fox team somberly watched as the CloudRunner flew off into the dark abyss of space, the bright sapphire trail of flames acting as the only light in the darkness.

The sobs of the devastated vixen echoed through the cockpit of the CloudRunner, continuously rebounding and resonating off the canopy of the vessel as it accelerated through the deepest reaches of the darkness that acted as the only company for distraught pilot. She couldn't go back. Not after what had happened between her and Fox. He said it himself; he didn't care what happened to her. She was dead to him. If that was true, she had no purpose to stay with the rest of the team. Panther was still waiting for her with Wolf and Leon.

A signal alarm began to ring inside the steel walls of the ship, Krystal noticing the communicator within her vessel was being hailed. Looking at the contact that read "Fox McCloud", she ignored the hailing, letting the signal ring, ignoring whatever message the vulpine had intended for her to hear. If he didn't care for her, than those feelings would be returned tenfold. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Eventually the ringing stopped, much to Krystal's relief and despair as she watched the last remnants of Fox dissipate from the rest of her being. However, fate had another idea entirely for this distraught vixen, wanting not to punish her for her transgressions and mistakes, put to repair her heart for all that the poor soul had been through.

"Krystal?" Fox's voice inquired through the communication speakers of the CouldRunner. "Krystal, please. Just listen to me."

The sudden appearance of Fox's voice within the ship instantly caught Krystal's attention as she intently listened to the message the vulpine had left for her.

"I know that I was completely insensible on the Great Fox. I don't deserve a single forgiving thought from you. But I just want to talk, just one last time. Meet me on Sauria… if you still have it in your broken and abused heart to give this foolish pilot another chance."

With the transmission ending, the communication speakers became filled with static, though Krystal couldn't hear a single sound after the message from the vulpine that had so easily rejected her. That message; he wasn't lying. The vixen could tell when Fox was lying, and that message was nothing less than pure sincerity and truth. But would she really go back for him? He had sent her off, without a single "good-bye" at that matter, and didn't care what became of her despite her leaving. Could she really give him another chance? Could Krystal, the gem of a woman among all the planets in the Lylat System, really give Fox McCloud, the leader of the Star Fox team and the only other man competing for her heart, really love once more?

Krystal knew the choice she was going to make, and the choice she had to make.

"I must be out of my mind."

Fox McCloud stood on the rolling hilltops of Sauria, watching the sun set over the horizon of the planet as it lit the sky ablaze with fire. The silhouette of his Arwing II cast a glooming shadow over the hillside, its pilot intently and impatiently waiting to find if Krystal would give him another chance. The glowing star began to sink lower and lower into the horizon, darkness spreading across the planet at a growing pace. Krystal hadn't shown up at this point, and at the rate the motions were going, she wasn't going to show at all.

With this realization, Fox, a lone tear rolling from his eye, began to walk back to his ship, clenching his fists in rage and sadness at the thought that he so foolishly threw the woman she loved to the dogs.

"You're lucky I came back for you, Fox McCloud." Spoke a lone voice that stopped Fox in his tracks.

The vulpine slowly turned his body to meet the figure, unfurling his hands in hope that the vixen he loved would be standing behind him.

And she was.

Much to Fox's delight and saving grace, Krystal was standing there, just five feet in front of him, arms crossed and a scowl across her face. She was definitely angry with Fox, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him was that Krystal was here, and that he could talk to her at least one last time.

"Well?" Krystal begrudgingly asked, wanting to know the reason behind Fox's request.

"Krystal." Fox replied, his body trembling to the point where he would've fallen to his knees and begun to beg for Krystal's forgiveness had it not been for his soldier's resolve. "I know that I don't deserve you. I don't deserve anything that you've done for me. I don't even deserve you standing here in front of me. But I want you to know that… I'm sorry."

Krystal was utterly shocked at the two words that Fox had uttered. "I'm sorry". Two words, that while used to every extent in reality, could mean much, much more in true sincerity. Krystal uncrossed her arms, instinctively walking over to Fox as he did the same, until the two of them stood on the hillside, wrapped in each other's arms.

Fox was on the verge of tears at this point, almost being unable to continue in his desperate lament and his questioning eulogy. His want to simply be loved by the vixen in front of him was so powerful, it could've pulled the moon to Corneria, or even split Sauria apart once more with his despair.

"I'm sorry that I sent you away. I just wanted to protect you. I'm sorry that I was so insensitive on the Great Fox. I was still angry with myself and my foolish actions. And I'm sorry that I sent you away once again. I was unable to forgive you for everything that I've done. So please… come back, Krystal."

"Fox" Krystal replied, a smile breaking out on her maw much to Fox's delight. "I will come back. I will stay with you forever, and I will always love you. On one condition."

This comment caught Fox off guard, his face twisting into question at the remark. Condition? He moves in with her? She moves in with him?

…

He pays for the bill at dinner?

"Quit being a mercenary." Krystal finished. "I've come so close to losing you too many times, and now that I'm that close to having you back, I'm not going to lose you again."

The smile kept on Fox's face at the remark. This was a joke! She was asking him to quit the profession that kept him alive, yet at the same time, had almost killed him on many occasion.

"Krystal, to never fight again is a hard thing to ask of a warrior."

At the remark, Fox leaned closer to Krystal, inching closer and closer until their lips connected in utter bliss, the blazing star behind them finally setting under the horizon, bringing the beautiful, caressing gales of night in its own grace. The finality of Fox's apology; the epitome of Krystal's love returned for him. The ultimate display of the emotions flooding through their bodies, and spreading throughout the surface of the planet. Slowly separating, Fox lovingly, with every fiber of his being not wanting this lone moment to ever end, stared into the crystalline eyes of his vixen, reflecting his love for him in her pupils.

"But for you, I can make an exception."

Satisfied with the response from her vulpine, Krystal nuzzled her snout against the chin of her hero as they continued to embrace in each other's arms. This was how it was meant to be. A chance encounter had started a twisting journey across the galaxy and back. That encounter had blossomed into love. That love had weakened into worry. That worry had wilted into separation. That separation continued to tear the two foxes apart from the inside out.

But yet again, another chance encounter started this twisting journey across the galaxy and back. This chance encounter budded with thorns into resentment and scorn. This scorn and anger between the two eventually faded into regret and remorse. And while this bud had pricked the two in this grand scheme of fate, the rose of love had bloomed once more in the end, finding its owners in each other's arms once more, this time, forever.

The stars above Fox and Krystal glimmered in their beauty, letting their beacons of hope become a safeguard to the lovers in their long-deserved, and what would be long-lasting solace. The expanse of night, its dark and never ending canvas painted unto tomorrow, infinity, and forever with the memories, actions and emotions of Fox, Krystal, and those close to them, completing the cycle of findings, happiness, and pain, only to begin anew. The sun had set on this day, and Fox and Krystal knew one thing.

Another was soon to dawn.

Well, that's it for this fic. I do hope that you readers enjoyed the telling of what is, in my opinion, the best ending to Star Fox: Command, even though it may not even be cannon. I know that I haven't posted anything to this site in quite some time, and I do hope that I can get back to this website more often. For now, I leave you with this, the ending to a tale of heartbreak, destruction, and a love-story spanning the galaxies.