Bound by Blood (Gay Star Fox Fic)

1 - A Sector of Suspicion

The war was over, and all was well, or so everyone said to each other. There was still much work to be done after that final, resounding defeat of the evil emperor Andross, especially in regards to rebuilding the sites of each battle. A less-than-peaceful transition occurred on Corneria in particular, where the long-reigning General and his loyal compatriots were tried and executed by the liberty-hungry people themselves. Thankfully, the trusted Star Fox member Peppy Hare took this role.

In less political terms, everyone could get their share of rest.

Everyone except Fox McCloud. Wanting to let everyone else live their lives, he separated himself from his team, and had taken it upon himself to find every major player on Andross's side. He scoured the system, hunting only for the bounty of his own vengeance... Leon Powalski was found in the undergrounds of Fichina, where he was captured, and sent to prison. Pigma Dengar was shot dead, after confronting planetary forces in rural Corneria. Andrew, meanwhile, was the luckiest, turning himself in and agreeing to disclose any information that was still obscured to Cornerian intelligence, as well as speak out to quell neo-Androssian sentiment.

Now, the only piece of the puzzle was missing, and yet, to Fox, it was the most important one. Wolf O'Donnell. A seemingly war-grizzled fellow, and an extremely skilled pilot. The cunning commander of Star Wolf, and deftness in the cockpit that rivaled only Fox in terms of maneuverability and manipulation of starcraft. Fox, while having previously been ordered to during the course of the war, and being all the readier to do so, had no desire to see any killing. In fact, he had his hopes up.

He knew that, if persuaded, Wolf would make an excellent ally. If not a teacher, or an advisor, then maybe a member of Star Fox, in its potential future ventures.

He floated to Sector Y, where he was advised Wolf may have been hiding out somewhere in. It was where his ship was last seen by Cornernian forces, about two weeks ago now. This may have been a lost cause. Two weeks was a lot of time for a criminal to pack up and move off to the next hiding-hole. He could have been anywhere in the system, or, if he was ballsy enough, perhaps even outside of it by now.

While the vulpine was lost in thought, however, he was brought back to his senses by a spot-on hit of his ship, by a small proton bomb. Immediately slamming his hands on the controls, he did a quick 180, to see that maroon-hulled, four-winged ship zoom overhead.

"WOLF O'DONNELL, YOU HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, SURRENDER TO CORNERIA AT ONCE," Fox blurted the customary confrontation, feeling anxious as ever to face this belligerent again.
"I surrender to no one," came the deep, certain reply, and, as it did, the very Wolf's eyepatched face came into view on the receptor screen. "And you should leave immediately."

"Prepare for some apprehension, then, O'Donnell!" McCloud made no haste in saying, and sped up, flying an adequate shooting distance away from his foe and aiming right for him. He pulled his laser-firing triggers, that muscle-memory move that never failed him, and watched as his target was met.
"Is that all you've got? Where's the rest of your teammates?" gruffed the wolf. "I so enjoyed chasing them around. Best entertainment I've had in years. It's a shame I would have to hide out here."
"Too busy doing their jobs to— GAH!" Fox growled, feeling his cockpit rock. He tried to keep a hold of his flight stick, as he got himself centered again.

"If you're gonna be a damn annoyance and stay, then less talking, more blasting. Come at me," the older canine ruffed. "
"You're ON!" said Fox, with a smirk on his face. The two became tangled in a long, tedious skirmish, as one-on-one dogfights tended to become. They used all their worthwhile bombing charges, and even exchanged a few homing missiles, and fired away Lylat-knows-how-many laser rounds at each other's vicinities. They found their shields decreasing gradually, and each of the canines realized how much of an equivalent threat they posed to the other.

The Arwing, however, was that genuine Cornerian technology, compared to Wolf's Androssian imitation. As close of a match in hardware it may have been, Wolf's shields finally depleted, and Fox still had that bit left of his.
"No," Wolf huffed, the confident expression on his intimidatingly scarred face fading, giving way to a subtle yet profound fear. "Fuck."

"Hey, Wolf. You're under arrest," Fox panted, as the confrontation's violence came to its proper close. "But don't think it's over for you just yet."
"What do you think you're gonna do? Torture me?" O'Donnell seemed to mock. "I don't care, so long as you get out of my sight, this very instant. And I mean it."
"What makes you think I'm going to yield to a criminal's demands? You are a criminal, Wolf," Fox reminded his rival captain. "But what I was going to say was that you deserve a chance for more."

"...What?" Wolf confusedly looked over, away from his screen, instead directly at the fox he was talking to, close enough to be visible.
"You have skill, and determination, and the ability of a pilot like no other," McCloud described. "It would be a distinct pardon granted unto you, so long as you agree to serve the interests of Corneria and the Star Fox team. It is a proposition that I hope you are grateful for."

"Screw off," Wolf growled lowly now, his red eyes widening. "Kill me, or leave me here."
"I am doing neither of those," Fox refused, simply answering this demand.
"It would be so easy, Fox. Your rival, throughout the course of this long war, damned from the start to shake the system to its core. Put the cherry on the sundae. Finish it," O'Donnell grunted. "Everybody thinks I'm already dead, anyhow."

"The people of Corneria know better. I don't know about everyone, but by my orders, Star Fox and I will welcome you with open arms," the fox captain explained.
"...General Hare?" Wolf curiously borked.
"Pepper is dead, O'Donnell. Long story, but he got what he deserved," Fox nodded. "You won't have to worry about any of his stipulations anymore."

"That's one less thing to worry about then. Hm," the wolf seemed to smile, as if a plan was coming together. "But in the time you've been talking, I've remembered a gift for you."

Before Fox could ask what this gift was, Wolf fired a supercharged shock blast Fox's way. In an instant, the Star Fox captain was unconscious, and, with none of his teammates to save him, Wolf beamed the Arwing in, towing it alongside him to his destination.