FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(-0-) Prologue

The space station Belter Sol loomed ahead of them through the forward window pane. The station's size was beyond even the Great Fox's own impressive scale. Built in orbit around an asteroid Belter Sol was a merchant's heaven for scrap, black market items, and other goods neither legal nor common. Provided you were on good terms with the powers that be on station, you'd have little to worry about once docked. It had its own small population of almost ten thousand. Ten thousand merchants, vagrants, dealers, and criminals. It was the perfect place to off load salvaged goods, which again were usually neither legal nor common.

"Fox, station Belter Sol is in contact. Identification requested." R.O.B. was at his post. From his captain's seat on the bridge Fox McCloud surveyed the station. It was the first time he and his team had been here in several months. They typically made a stop every few months, but with work being scarce they lacked sufficient reason to make a trip to the out of the way station.

"Send it, R.O.B. Get us cleared for docking." Fox said and R.O.B. executed the command from his station. The station loomed like a burnt pillar of rust hanging in space. It shimmered lightly with faint light from signal and caution lights.

"It looks a bit dangerous, Fox." Krystal touched his arm lightly. He looked over at her and found her smiling at him. This would be her first time visiting Belter Sol. It was too ugly a place for someone like her, he thought.

"It's only dangerous to the uninitiated, Krystal." Peppy swung his chair around to face them. "Why, me and James have been here before a handful of times before Fox was even a pilot."

"Just carry a gun." Falco said from his nap. He was reclining in a seat with his feet propped up on the console. Slippy was the only teammates not present on the bridge.

"It'll be fine. The guys that run the place like us." Fox assured her. It was true. The pair of brothers that ran the installation were "friends" in a sense that they did regular business with the Star Fox team. The brother, Baccus and Kilroy, were savvy and cunning dealers of goods. They liked anyone that could bring them regular business and put money in their pockets. As foul as they were, they had enough good business sense to not screw over a good business partner with a good reputation. Being the Star Fox team made them good bed fellows so long as they had business to bring in.

The cargo hold of the Great Fox was heavily laden with salvage that was mostly useless to them, but could be resold to others or recycled into other things. Either way you looked at it, there was money in their cargo hold. Some of it valuable. Running jobs for the Cornerian military or private employers helped bring in money at the front end of things, and then more money at the back end when they off loaded everything they had salvage rights to. He even had an intact Androssian fighter in the cargo hold that was by all accounts a cherry. Slippy gave it a good going over and found it fully operational.

"Docking clearance granted, Fox. Moving Great Fox to Docking Bay F7." R.O.B. announced. Fox gave his confirmation and watched the station pan across the window as the Great Fox maneuvered its way to their docking bay.

"Ok, Peppy, let Slippy know to be ready to start dealing with the loading crews. R.O.B., put in a meeting request with the brothers." Fox said. He got up from his seat with Krystal in tow behind him. He approached the bridge's forward window and watched the station grow in size through the many inches thick glass. He felt her touch his arm again.

"You are nervous." she said quietly. She was standing very close and he could see both their reflections in the glass. Her eyes were on his.

"They are hard negotiators." he replied truthfully to her in the glass. It wasn't that they were liars that made them difficult. If anything they were brutally honest about exactly what your salvage was worth. They liked to hammer you with numbers and expenses to explain to you exactly why what you were selling was actually going to cost them money. The entire haggling process was stressful. If they had tells, he couldn't discern them, and no one else on the team was good at reading them either. So far they hadn't ever been outright cheated, but they would have probably gotten better deals elsewhere. Too bad most of the their salvage isn't legal or desirable to anyone running a respectable space station or installation. Beggars couldn't be choosers. The brothers gave them a solid opportunity to sell everything they brought in, legal or otherwise.

"Fox, when we dock I'm running the field and seeing if there is any work someone wants done, ok?" Falco called out from his perch and swung his feet down to the floor to leave. He was already seeing himself out.

"Bring back some actual work this time won't you Falco?" Fox watched him leave. The falcon waved his hand in goodbye and looked like he had a skip in his step.

"I don't think he's planning on working, Fox. He feels too giddy. Not like him to feel that way when he works." Krystal told him. She hooked her arm in his and returned to watching the station grow in size with her captain.

"He's going to be working the female population. It's his MO when we come here." He told her. She lifted her eyebrows in awareness then nodded.

"I shouldn't be surprised." she said after a moment, and Fox only chuckled.

"No, you shouldn't." He agreed.

"Fox, don't you think we should take Krystal along for the negotiations?" Peppy asked. The Great Fox was beginning its docking procedure.

"No. I'd rather take her on station after we've done our business. I could show her... how to not get shot without needing to worry about negotiations." He replied, which got her to frown at him.

"I can read people's emotions Fox. If they are lying I can let you know. I can be of some use!" She argued and pulled him around to face her.

"She's right, Fox. We've never had that advantage here before, and they won't know we have it, either." Peppy agreed with her. Fox didn't like the idea of bringing her to meet the brothers. They were womanizing and lecherous. If their 'secretaries' were any indication of how they treated women he wasn't keen on bringing Krystal there to endure them.

"You stop that, Fox. I sense jealousy." she nudged him in the ribs. "They aren't better than the finest mercenary in the system, are they?"

"It's not that." he found himself blushing under her gaze.

"Krystal, the brothers that run this fine establishment aren't well known for how they respect women." Peppy came to Fox's aid.

"I'm not worried. I've dealt with my share of pricks." she told Peppy, then looked back at Fox with a confident stare that left no room for argument.

"Alright, Krystal. You can come. Do you need to come along Peppy if she's with us? Or do you think Slippy needs help?" Fox asked him.

"Slippy could probably use some help. You want to tackle them with just Krystal by your side?" He thought about it and shrugged.

"I've had to negotiate with them alone before. I survived it then, I think we'll do ok." He looked at Krystal and gave his best confident smile. He didn't like negotiating with them at the best of times. Maybe having his lover next to him will bolster his confidence in the business arena.

(-1-) To Negotiate

The pair stepped out into the cargo hold equipped for a business meeting. Fox was dressed as he usually was, but he made sure to pick out his cleanest and most damage free items he had. He chose to zip up his jacket. He looked modestly professional, at least as far as mercenaries go. Krystal chose to forego her usual casual or working outfits she typically wore around the Great Fox or in her arwing. Her new outfit was a tight pair of black pants with a matching navy blue pencil skirt over it. She had a smart looking jacket zipped up like Fox had his own. She looked like a lawyer, and he felt underdressed by comparison.

"Slippy, you think you and Peppy can take care of yourselves?" Fox called out to the amphibian perched on a catwalk high up in the Great Fox's cargo hold. He was covered in oil and dirt.

"I think so, Fox! Hurry back! I've got a lot of parts to order after you make the sale, ok? Try to bring back a fat deposit!" Slippy was trying his best to be optimistic and cheerful despite a small army of foreign crewman crawling around the Great Fox's cargo hold. They were unloading and uncoupling crates and parcels of goods for sale under Slippy's and Peppy's direction. It would probably take them hours to get through it all, because not only did they need to remove it from the Great Fox, but also make a record of everything that was being sold. Slippy already had a list of items prepared, but the dock crews always did their own for comparison.

"We'll try." He put some optimism in his own voice and led the way down the ramp to the docking bay floor. Bay F7 was identical to all the others he'd seen. The only real difference was that F7 was on level F of the station. That put it on the same level that the tramcar system operated on that took you from the outer rings of Belter Sol, where the docking bays were, to the central column that was the true Belter Sol. The entire station was colossal. The Great Fox docked inside bay F7 with room to spare, and the rings surrounding the station could hold a fleet of ships the same size and not be pressed for space.

Belter Sol was originally a mining colony. It was still orbiting the asteroid that provoked the stations development, but the mines had long since run dry in the asteroid and the station that remained became a haven for the likes that now made it home. From mining colony to merchant heaven, life in space continues.

"Is there anything I should know?" She asked them after they exited the docking bay. The corridors were moderately full of passersby. Most looked like crew from docked vessels, but a good many were still obviously locals. You could tell if someone was a local by the fact that they were either a Goannan, the reptilian species that dominated the station's native population, or that they were wearing civilian garb unfit for a space faring environment. The interior of Belter Sol was habitable with a stable atmosphere. The station was old and dirty, but the brothers in charge kept a tight watch on the life support systems.

"Stay close to me while were here. Don't worry about the Goannans or civvies. They do have laws here, even if they aren't the most civilized. Punishments are harsh." He told her. The locals on Belter Sol were mostly vagrants with nowhere else to go. They lived off the scraps that fell from their better's tables or found odd jobs on Belter. Mostly mechanic work or maintenance. There was a crude economy here, but it was all held together by a very strict system of rules that sometimes resulted in death penalties for lawbreakers. The brothers kept a firm grip on the station. They were still fair, mostly.

"Be wary of anyone in a spacesuit. They aren't from here." He continued. "The laws don't always apply to outsiders the same way they do to locals."

"And the brothers?" She asked, and he frowned.

They reached a bulkhead door that led to a narrow tram station. Fortunately for them there was a tram still parked in the station. The tram was a tube car that ran forward and backward down a support strut that connected the outer rings to the inner column. Looking from the top down over Belter Sol it would look like a bicycle wheel with spokes connecting the outside to the inside.

"They are smart, and shrewd. Very nit picky over details. Stubborn. They will try to drown us with numbers. Confuse us without actually lying. They will act offended if we ask for a better deal." He tried to explain in a short hand. It was hard to capture them fully in a conversation. They were more an experience that had to be weathered first hand. "And I'm worried they will be crass or rude to you. They can be polite to me, but I've never seen them be polite to the women in their offices."

"I'll keep a straight face, love. I've been through worse things than a rude businessmen." She reassured him. He smiled at her, and in return she leaned against him after they sat down on a empty seat in the tramcar. He knew she was right.

"They are also Goannans. Try not to call them reptiles or lizards." He cautioned her. She giggled.

"After all my years on Sauria, I know better than to make that mistake, Fox." He told her she was right. The tram began to move and it made a surprising smooth journey from the outer ring to the central column. It took only a few minutes, as the tram was slow. There was no view, no windows. The tram was shared with them by a handful of others, both locals and non.

When the tram docked with central station they exited and Fox watched Krystal's expression as they got her first look at the real Belter Sol. The outer rings looked like a dirty well used space port, but that only meant it wasn't anything special. The central column is where things got drastically different.

Krystal looked wide eyed in disbelief. No one expects this view when they first arrive.

Central Belter was built like a soda can. Utterly hollow with a network of elevators and transports fastened onto the interior "walls". The interior was designed like a city. From one side of the "can" to the other there were skyscrapers no different than what would be in Corneria CIty, except that these were in space and were over a hundred fifty years old. Everything from top to bottom was covered in a rusty red hue from age and weathering. Ribs were also built into the walls like rings that encircled the station in rows. Each rib was a level of city carved up into residential districts and business districts. They were standing on one such rib looking out at a skyline that glowed yellow and red with ambient light. There was no sky, but gas and smoke hung in the air and gave the illusion of clouds and fog.

"That's where we're going." Fox said, pointing to a tower that was more like a pillar. It started at one side of the station, below them, and ran all the way to the other, high above them. From where they were, near the middle of the station, his finger was aimed at a spot parallel to them. "The dead center of the station is their HQ. We'll have to taxi our way there."

"This is a real city." She finally said.

"A filthy one, yeah. Let's find a taxi." She followed him closely while eying the sights around them. It was a spectacle to behold the first time. If there was a natural sky overhead one might think you were on Katina or perhaps Titania. However, unlike the cities on either of those worlds, this one was built purely out of metal and neon lights.

The taxi service was the only way to get anywhere quick. On a previous visit Fox was given an ID card for Belter Sol that would let him pay taxis and other services and have the credits deducted from his account automatically. It also gave him authorization to travel directly to the Belter Sol headquarters. It was apparently a perk that not many were afforded. He tried not to ever let it make him feel special. Most people that get special attention from the brothers aren't always made better off for it, and he was always making efforts to keep himself focused. Carelessness was costly on Belter Sol. The hollowed and empty faces of the Belter homeless worked as good inspiration to stay sharp.

He called a taxi from a booth and they were greeted in short order by a rugged looking machine that might have been made up of the corpses of several other machines. Most things on Belter Sol had been chopped up and spliced to serve whatever function was in need of filling. He was sure Krystal noticed scorch marks and dents from weapons fire along one side of the taxi, but she wasn't commenting on them.

"I hope this isn't expensive." She said as they entered the taxi. It wasn't cramped, but there was a strong smell of sour notes and onions. Bathing wasn't the highest priority on Belter Sol, since water was always at a premium. Better to drink it than drain it. Some merchants made money by just bringing hundreds of gallons of fresh water to Belter Sol. Water can always be recycled, but it never hurt to freshen it up a little with something that hadn't been processed several thousand times.

"Not enough to hurt us." He told the pilot where to go and he was asked to swipe his ID. Fox did so and after a few moments the pilot turns his attention to flying them to their destination. On Belter Sol, if an ID swipe gives a green light then you trust it. Belter Sol security was to be trusted. It had a deeper reputation that Fox didn't feel like telling Krystal, at least not on this trip. He didn't know it for a fact, but he was fairly certain that anytime his card was swiped he'd ping on someone's desk at Belter's HQ. They knew where people were.

The Admin HQ was a large structure even without being connected the pillar above and below it. When the taxi landed on the small tarmac outside the front entrance they were both greeted by a squad of armed guards. All were Goannans in tan and green hues. They were laden with heavy armor and each carried a heavy rifle fit for taking out the taxi they just arrived in. Fox was sure they were also armed with many other unseen weapons.

"Foxx McCloud?" The squad leader asked. His tongue drug out the 's' on the x of his name. It was common for them to draw out the 'S' on anything. Their voices were always deep and nasally in a serpentine sort of way. In that way they were often called reptiles, which was not always very well received.

"I am." He addressed himself, and pointed out that Krystal was a crewmate aboard the Great Fox. They were both quickly frisked and Fox was surprised to notice that the guard frisking Krystal kept himself professional. Anyone guarding Admin was likely to be their finest. Perhaps he shouldn't have been too surprised.

"Alright, you are cleared to enter, Misster McCloud. You are exxpected." The leader informed them and the squad escorted them to the door and allowed them to enter. They didn't follow them in. Inside their were more guards at posts in staggered intervals and no doubt with more hidden elsewhere. Fox always wondered if the brothers were paranoid or if they really were under constant threat of a coup. The walk across the austere lobby was a short one.

Fox drew himself upright a little and put on a friendly face. There was a purple female Goannan sitting at a front counter at the other end of the lobby, which was flanked by two sets of elevators. "Don't be upset, Krystal." He whispered to her. She was about the ask why but the lady behind the desk looked up from her desk and beamed a toothy grin at the sight of Fox approaching.

"Misster, Foxx! It hass been long long time! How happy it iss for you to vissit!" She was energetic and friendly and stood up from her chair to lean her elbows on the counter. She had styled hair and meticulously painted nails. She was also double Krystal's size, all curves, and most of what she had was on display in a skimpy tight sleeveless dress with a window over her breasts and the bottom of her hem riding up her thighs. He refused to glance at Krystal to check her reaction.

"It has been a long time, Deeka. We're here to see," he began.

"I know, I know, but why can't you come to vissit Deeka? Sspace hero too busy to ssave damselss?" Fox felt himself going red. He was accustomed to fending the women off alone or with a male teammate. Falco was good at catching attention. Fox was not ready for this with his lover standing next to him.

"Fox is always busy. Why, we just got back from Katina. He barely has any time to rest with how hard he works." Krystal spoke up and gracefully took him by the arm. The Goannan made a noticeable frown.

"Misster and Misster Loka are waiting for you upstairss." She said curtly and sat back down. She hit a button and the elevator to the right of the desk dinged and its doors slid open.

"Thank you, ma'am." Fox told her and he and Krystal left for the elevator. Krystal was looking ahead and smiling wryly.

"Was this perhaps the reason you were nervous?" She asked after the elevator doors slid shut. He shrugged, he guessed he hadn't really remembered how excitable the girls could be. He tried not to remember. They were clingy and overbearing. Attractive, yes, but handfuls, of both the physical and emotional variety.

The ride up was short. The lobby behind them was spic and span with cleanliness and the elevator was a top of the line model, likely shipped from Corneria. They arrived at their destination in short order and was greeted to another lobby with a large reception desk and a variety of lounge seating. There was gentle music playing overhead, potted plants, and artwork for decoration.

"Hadn't expected this." Krystal said from beside him. She noted the small water fountain tending to a shallow reflecting pool that range the length of one wall.

"They aim to impress their clients. It's a show of wealth and power. This is probably the only office on Belter Sol that looks like this." He told her, adding. "You don't see running water like that unless you own the reservoir.

There were more overly graciously endowed ladies behind a glass window on one wall doing office work or painting their nails. They didn't look busy. He declined to tell Krystal they were more for "entertainment" than they were for paperwork. They seemed to notice him, but the woman hanging on his arm made them turn their noses away at him. None were concerned that they had a visitor. The reception desk at the other end of the lobby had another Goannan. She was busy filing her fingernails.

"Bosses are insside. You can enter, Misster McCloud." She said as they approached. Fox guide himself and Krystal to the door on his own. It was a heavy wooden door. Another show of power as it was authentic wood. He knocked, and heard the door click with an electronic lock. He tested the handle and found it was unlocked, and opened it. The brother's actually had hand made brushed steel door handles installed. Let's make all of our guests open our heavy, wooden, expensive, imported, Cornerian door on their own.

The office was no different than the last time he'd seen it. It was a medium sized octagon with red and gold patterned carpeting and dark rosy wooden walls. In the center was a pair of leather upholstered chairs facing a large wide wooden desk with two sharply dressed Goannan men sitting behind it. Each male boasted deep forest green skin with a black pinstriped business suit custom fitted to their frames. They looked like they were gangsters from old cinema.

"Misster McCloud. A pleassure to ssee you again!" The rightmost Goannan hissed. His right eye was milky white with a scar running down the side of his face and neck where an old injury had stolen half his sight. The other brother, if he remembered right, was missing the end of his tail and had it capped with silver.

"The feeling is mutual, Baccus, Kilroy." He nodded to them both as he said their names, more for Krystal's benefit. Baccus was the rightmost brother with the scar. Kilroy was missing the end of his tail. Both brothers offered them seats, which were accepted and taken.

"Before we begin, pleasse do introduce uss to the maiden you have at your sside, Misster McCloud." Kilroy asked, looking over the blue fox with interest. Fox felt himself grow nervous, and noticed that Baccus was also admiring Krystal from his seat. Both had polite expressions and were behaving themselves.

"My name is Krystal, gentleman. I'm a new member of the Star Fox team and partner to Fox. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Krystal introduced herself and gave them a gracious nod and a smile. Very formal and professional.

"It pleasses me to ssee such beauty hass been added to your ship, McCloud. Good fortune followss your name." Baccus turned to Fox. "Our people have not finished assessing the contents of your cargo, but we feel the record your engineer provided us will be accurate. We trusst your reputation." He turned to his brother. Their thicker accents fit well with the suits.

"Yess. You've not cheated uss in the past and we can be lenient this vissit." Fox stifled a smile. He was glad that they were in such a good mood. He didn't dismiss the possibility that Krystal was influencing their decisions by looking pretty. Women were sometimes good at swaying opinions by simply existing. Fox hoped that perhaps having Krystal with him would turn into a strong advantage.

"I'm glad we've been able to instill such confidence in you. I hope what we've brought in will catch your attention." Krystal crossed her legs slowly and folded her hands in her lap. She kept herself attentive and pleasant. If anything, Fox noticed that the brothers were eying her up continuously, if with a strong measure of tact, which was a far cry from the ways he'd seen them manhandle and lick their lips at the women out in the lobby. Perhaps they simply treated female clients differently from their employees? Fox admitted to himself that the girls in the lobby were probably hired specifically for sexual favors, and if they boasted any skills beyond that, then all the better.

"Yess, and we are very interessted in the fighter you've brought in. Rare, and valuable. Mosst of the resst you have brought is standard goods, but in good quantity. No doubt because of your long abssence, yes?" Baccus asked.

"We've been running around a lot doing odd jobs. It's was hard to pull away." He replied. Kilroy shifted forward and examined a datapad in front of him. Fox did notice his eyes flickering above the datapad in Krystal's direction.

"If Baccuss agrees, I ssee reason to negotiate a new rate." Kilroy manipulated the datapad and turned it to his brother. The screen was hidden from view, but it still made Fox frown. Krystal wiggled the foot she had suspended in midair from having her legs crossed. Fox looks sideways at her and she was looking sideways at him. She delicately mouthed out the word "scheming" in silence. He nodded in agreement. She followed up with, "they are excited". He felt that was curious.

"I agree." Baccus added. and pulled his attention away from the privacy of his brother's datapad. "Our current rate hass been modest, but given how long you've been bringing uss bussines, and that the Star Fox team is unlikely to lose work due to your reputation, I think that Kilroy and myself are willing to cut you a better deal under the promisse of first rights to ssalvage." Fox's eyes widened. He looked at Krystal and she looked back at him and gave him no indication that there was any foul play that she could notice. So they were scheming, but not in a way that Krystal could feel was hostile.

"If you are willing to negotiate terms. We can increasse payout by sseven perccent. You're record of goods, if we use current rate, would total to three hundred and ssixty thoussand creditss. With the increasse, that would add an additional twenty five thoussand creditss." Baccus explained.

An extra seven percent on everything they brought in?

"You said you wanted first rights to what we acquire in salvage?" Krystal asked.

"Yess. You come to us first, and we will buy everything of value at a sseven perccent markup. Foxx McCloud hass habit of bringing in good merchandise. We could tolerate the higher price in exchange for certain perks granted to uss, such as first rights over everything you acquire." Kilroy answered. Krystal looked over at Fox and nodded to him that she felt they weren't lying. Fox knew that a lot of their salvage went to Belter Sol, and had been that way for a while. It wouldn't be a shot in the foot to give them first rights over everything by default, if it meant making more off of everything.

"I'll be honest. I can't promise that our visits to Belter Sol will be regular enough to make this worth your while." Fox admitted. He wondered if there was a catch to this offer being given.

"We understand thiss is possible. Sso, we feel that we could come to other arrangements on the sside to counter any possible reduction in merchandisse. We would be willing to lissten to the word on the sstreets and passs along work to you when we find it." Kilroy offered. Baccus leaned forward.

"But even with that there iss perssonal rissk we are assuming." Baccus began patiently, but he paused. He turned to his brother and they exchanged looks before Baccus returned his gaze to Fox and then to Krystal. "If you, Fox McCloud and your lovely maiden, were to agree to our terms we could find oursselves feeling very generous toward you and your team even in the event of a downturn in your business."

"On one hand we can give you a sseven perccent markup on all goods sold, in exchange for first rights to ssalvage. We ssee this as an invesstment opportunity. To protect oursselves should the Star Fox team fail to make it worth our while, we will resscind the markup of sseven perccent with no chance for it to return. We do not bet twicce on a lossing horse." Baccus continued, and Fox and Krystal listened.

"On the other hand, though brief our discusssion may have sseemed, we have decided to amend the original markup for a ssecond offer. We will buy from the Star Fox team at a sseven perccent markup, and hold first rights to ssalvage, but the Star Fox team can also purchase ssupplies from us at a reduced price. We will mark down your supplies by fifteen perccent. We feel that this will make us your preferred market for supplies, as well as your firsst place to go to to unload merchandisse. You do all your businesss with uss."

"That sounds like an arrangement that benefits us more than it does you, gentleman." Krystal spoke up. Judging by her voice, Fox knew that she was smelling something devious.

"Thiss iss true." Kilroy replied. "Sshould I?"

"No, I can, Kilroy." Baccus returned his attention to the pair. "We will give you the better offer, under the condition that you make a sstop at Belter Ssol every month. We can be flexible, but monthly is the exxpected norm. Not only will you purchasse supplies, but you, Fox McCloud and you're lovely maiden will vissit our office regardless of ssalvage being brought. We can also be flexible on thiss ass well. However, we will not be flexible on one condition. With the maiden's permission, we require her to pressent hersself here every time the Great Fox docks. We would like her to entertain uss as only a woman can."

Fox felt himself flush red and he straightened up. "What?"

Both brothers stifled small grins but held up their hands in gentle submission. Fox was on the verge of shouting at them a barrage of obscenities when Krystal spoke up from next to him. He felt her hand fall over his at the same time. Her grip on him was firm. He hadn't realised how tight he was clutching the armrest.

"You are offering all this to us, under the expectation of having me cater to you both?" Krystal asked, almost incredulously. She was not angry, but rather composed, even surprised. Fox looked to her and kept his mouth shut. Krystal knew how to speak for herself.

"Of coursse, dear maiden. You have captivated uss thoroughly. Women on Belter Ssol do not come in the variety of azure that you do, nor do they come in a demeanor such as yours." It was Baccus again that spoke. Fox felt Krystal squeeze his hand and he continued to let her do the talking. He was trying to keep himself calm since she was still calm. If she wasn't flipping out he wasn't about to let himself do it, even if he wanted to. He wanted to.

"And this is non-negotiable to the deal you just offered us? I must present myself to you every time we visit, and be prepared to have sex with you both?" Fox flushed red with embarrassment at her words, being spoken so plainly, but still with a hint of incredulousness coming from her lips. Their request was outrageous!

"Yess, this iss correct." Kilroy answered.

"If that's all you need of me, then I agree. I would be happy to comply." Krystal answered.

"Wait, what?" Fox asked her, almost not noticing the gentle squeeze on his hand. "Krystal!"

"Fox, I am not offended by their request, and it would be a great gift to the Star Fox team! Don't be upset for me if I am not upset for myself! You should know my feelings." She reassured him, and he only could stare at her feeling hot in the face with confusion. "But! I ask for myself, some conditions regarding when I spend time with you both."

The brothers looked at each other, smiling unashamedly. "We lissten." They both said together.

"I ask that Fox always be allowed to join us. He is my partner." He felt her squeeze his hand again, tighter this time. "And I ask that if I make a request when we are together, that you honor it."

The brothers looked to each other again and looked back at Krystal smiling. Fox could see their teeth. "We can agree to these terms." Baccus answered for the pair.

"Krystal!" She turned to him.

"It would be silly to turn down their offer, Fox! It may even be exciting, and it'll help us out so much!" She urged him. She was nothing but pleasant and even a little excited. "Please don't feel that way." She stood up and stepped over to him to plant a kiss on his cheek. The brothers watched in amusement as the kiss on the cheek turn to one on the lips.

"Krystal." Fox said her name, but she looked into her eyes, which seemed bright and cheerful.

"It's just sex, Fox." She said, then leaned in close to his ear. "It's not my heart I'm giving away. You know that."

Krystal returned to her seat while keeping a pleasant eye on Fox, who was still in shock, but much more calm than he was before. His heart still felt like it had been dropped. The brothers gave them a moment of silence in case if they were to speak again, but when that moment didn't come Kilroy spoke.

"Sso we are in agreement?" Baccus asked. Krystal nodded to Fox that she was. He felt hot in the face still from a flurry of emotions. Her expression was shifting to disappointment as he drug out his pause. It was difficult for him to assess the situation.

"If this does not go in a way I am comfortable then can we cancel the arrangement and return to the previous?" He asked. Fox looked at Krystal and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'll stand by whatever you decide, Fox." She told him.

"We can do this. If the arrangement is ever broken then we will resume the prior arrangement." Both brothers agreed.

"Y-yes, I think we can agree to these terms." Fox told him. He felt cold chills after letting the words pass his lips. Krystal reached and took his hand. It was a comforting feeling.

"Good! Then I ssuggest that we retire to the back and ccelebrate." Baccus chimed in with a cheerful hiss. Kilroy agreed. Fox felt a rush of cold hit him at the sudden change of direction. They were going to do this now? He should have assumed this would happen. The brothers were lecherous!

"I would love to." Krystal told them and stood after they both had. She took his hand and Fox followed them.

He was barely aware that they were being escorted by the brothers through a side door into a large room behind their office. He'd never been in here before, but it was a large lounge with a bar and wall of liquor. There was seating and a massive television screen mounted on one side. Then he noticed an oversized bed to one side next to the bar. It was large enough for four or five people to lay out on it. It was obviously a room built for fun.

"We would like to begin, little maiden." He hears Baccus tell her. The goannan positioned himself behind her and ran his hands over both her shoulders. She didn't seem upset by this.

"And how should we start, Mister Baccus?" Fox watched her ask. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the toothy grin of Baccus Loka. Kilroy stepped closer to her until he blocked her from Fox's view.