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It was quiet.  It had been this way for a little while now, the only sounds being the tapping of a finger against a folder and the gently murmurs and rustles of the sleeping vixen.  While the mission was officially over after the Sev`fel robot production facility had been destroyed, it had begun a long time ago for the fox that now sat with a file folder in his lap, and still was not over.
  After the debriefing with their CO via holographic transmission, Chase and Krystal had returned to their ship-board room, a small bunk.  But while his vixen partner was able to fall asleep easily after removing her armor, Chase sat quietly on the bedside.  The fox shook his head, the night that he had been orphaned replaying again in his mind.  But now he had something else.  In his lap was the only reward Chase had wanted, the files on Colony 341 'Iron Sight'.
While they had not yet returned to the orbital outpost over Sauria where the two where currently stationed, Hiigan had decided to let Chase finally have the file the fox had been after.  After the mission was dubbed successful, the captain had been ordered to hand the files over to Chase.  Now, as the carrier was headed back to the outpost, Chase looked down at the file in his hands.  It had been taxing on his mind and soul, but now he had the information he had sought after.
"But do I dare open it?" Chase asked himself, his fingers gently tugging at the seal over the file, "If it was the Sev`fel who attacked my colony, I know I'll wind up making this entire war personal.  But if it was not…then what do I do?"
With a sigh, Chase set the folder down on the bunk, glancing back at his partner who was fast asleep at his side.  With a smile, he laid a hand on the vixen's shoulder, feeling the light material of her tank top.
"I wonder if you felt the same way after finding out about your parent's deaths." Chase whispered softly to her, "Then again, probably not.  Hiigan did tell me you had been given a copy of the investigation files before you left.  You've had plenty of time for closure and had the support of someone you loved.  In the end, all I have is myself."
Chase got up and slipped the file into his duffle.  He decided not to open it just yet.  First, he needed to thank someone.
*           *          *
On the command deck, a cat watched as the carrier was piloted through the warp tunnel.  Keeping her eyes on the charts in front of her, the cat failed to hear a door open near by.  But she did hear the slow, careful footsteps of someone trying not to disturb her.
"It will be at least another hour before we can drop out of this jump, Ronin." The cat said without looking to him.
Chase jumped a bit, still not used to the captain always seeming to know exactly what was going on around her without even looking up.  But he took a calming breath and approached her.
"That's not why I'm here." The fox said, "I just wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?" the captain asked, looking to him, "Now why the hell would you want to thank me?  You and your partner are the one who deserve the thanks for blowing that construction facility straight to hell.  Not that you'll get it from that CO of yours or the corporate higher-ups."
Chase nodded, knowing that fact very well.
The cat tuned to him, a slight smirk on her lips, "If you really want to thank anyone, thank the drop ship crew.  They got to you just in time from what I heard."
"You heard the debriefing?" Chase asked.
The captain gestured to the command deck crew, "I know of just about everything that happens on my carrier.  I have to in order to maximize efficiency."
Chase nodded.  That made plenty of sense to him.
As the fox watched, the captain looked back over the charts before her.  To Chase, they did not make any sense.  But apparently the captain knew exactly what they were telling the crew.
"Captain Raye, we're closing in on the drop point." A silver fox stated, "Orders?"
The cat looked up from the charts, "Hold course and raise shields as soon as we're out.  We don't want any unexpected surprises."
"Yes ma'am." The silver fox girl replied.
"I guess I'd better go wake my partner." Chase said.
Raye nodded and Chase walked away.
*           *          *
Hours later, Chase found himself once again in the bar of the outpost over Sauria.  With Krystal's suggestion that he take some time to think, the fox had wandered into the few places he had someone he could talk to.  Although many would not consider a night club a 'relaxing' atmosphere for a troubled mind, the bartender was certainly not about to let that stop her from trying.
As the wolfess set down a glass before Chase, her tawny eyes watched him as the fox shook his head.  With a sigh, the wolf girl patted his shoulder.
"You alright foxie?" Mira asked.
Chase's fingers tapped the file in front of him, "That all depends on what this file has inside."
Mira picked it up and glanced at the front of it, "Official 341 'Iron Sight' Colony Report?  Foxie, this thing's marked classified.  How'd you manage to get a hold of it?"
"I had to give up this mission's pay, but Hiigan finally gave it up." Chase replied, drinking from the glass, "According to him, this is everything from that night that could be retrieved, plus the investigation afterwards."
The gray wolf examined the file carefully.  She knew Chase's past fairly well, having known him almost since the fox was first brought to the corporation after the attack, and helping him deal with the nightmares the attack had left in his mind.
"I'm just surprised you haven't opened it yet." Mira said, noticing that the seal was still intact, "You've wanted to know who was behind it for a long time foxie."
Chase sighed as Mira laid the file back down, "Don't I know it…"
"Does Krystal know?" Mira asked, starting to clean out a glass, "You know, about your past?"
"She knows now." Chase replied, his shoulders slouching, "I think she took it well enough."
Mira nodded.  She knew just how understanding Krystal was with Chase.  To Mira, it was not surprising that these two would end up as partners, let alone the close friends they had quickly become during training.  One without her family, the other without a home or a family.
Chase suddenly handed the file to Mira.  Shocked, the wolf girl took it in her hands.  But before she could ask why, Chase raised a hand.
"You open it." The fox stated, "We both know how I'll react if what I think is correct is in there."
Mira nodded silently, picking up a knife from under the counter.  As she slowly slipped it under the seal, the wolf looked at Chase.  The fox was looking down at the glass of water in front of him, trying not to let his emotions through as Mira cut the seal open.
As she read the report, the wolf girl's ears lowered.  It was just as she knew Chase had feared.  Without a word, Mira set the file in front of him, tapping the highlighted words.
Chase read them, his ears lowering in anger, "So…it's true then…It was the Sev`fel."
"It seems that way." Mira replied
But before his rage could begin to grow, Chase took a deep breath.  As the air slowly rushed in, the fox felt calmer.  He shoved the rage inside aside, not about to let it take over.  He would save it for when it was needed.
"But something just doesn't seem right." Mira said suddenly, turning away from Chase as she thought, "The war ended ten years before they attacked your colony.  Why would the Sev`fel only attack one colony and no others?  Not only that, but they returned to it.  It's not like them…"
Chase picked up the file, "I don't know Mira.  But when I finally meet one of them face to face, I'm going to ask."
"Nicely, or in the usual way?" Mira asked as Chase stood up.
Chase smirked to her, tapping the grip of his Stinger handgun strapped to his hip, "My way."
The wolf girl nodded, smiling as she set down the glass she had been drying, "Sounds like a good plan to me."
As Chase turned to go, Mira looked to him.  She knew that this was one of the times Chase felt alone.  But, just as Krystal had known, Mira knew that Chase was wrong, but was not able to see that.
"You're not alone Chase." Mira called to him.
Chase's ears perked.  The fox looked back at Mira as the wolfess simply smiled.
"You have us." Mira explained, "Always have, always will."
Chase looked at her for a second, then nodded.
"Yeah." Chase said with a smirk, "I guess that's true.  Thanks Mira."
Mira smiled and nodded as Chase left.  The wolf knew well that Chase would eventually get the answers he wanted, one way or another.
"Either way, I know Chase will handle it." Mira thought, looking back over to rest of the club, "We're all together in this now, whether we like it or not."
*           *          *
That night, Chase laid back in bed.  As the fox rubbed the blackened bridge of his muzzle, he sighed.  Even though he knew who had attacked his colony, the fox still had yet to find out why.  He had read through the report several times since Mira had opened it.  Unfortunately, there was nothing in the report about why the Sev`fel had assaulted the colony that night, killing everyone but him.
"Mira's right, though." Chase thought, looking up at the ceiling, "The attack was too well organized to be a random choice."
The fox felt movement against him.  Glancing down, Chase smiled and rubbed the back of the vixen who was laying against him, her light tank top keeping him from touching her soft, blue fur.  But as he slowly rubbed, the vixen's eyes opened slowly a she yawned.
"You're still awake, Chase?" Krystal asked, looking up at her partner.
"Too much on my mind." Chase replied.
Krystal sighed and hugged Chase, her arms wrapping around his stomach as she laid her head against his chest.  Without Chase having to say anything, Krystal already knew well what was bothering him so much.
"Chase, you know that one report would never give you everything you wanted to know." The vixen said softly.
"I know." Chase sighed, "But at least I know for sure who attacked."
Krystal pushed herself up off of Chase for a second, moving up a bit more so that she could lay her head on his neck.  As she did, the vixen held onto Chase, feeling his arms hug her close.
"We will find out more, Chase." Krystal assured him, "You know the Sev`fel will not be able to win this war.  Not as long as we have our friends to help us fight them back."
Chase nodded, knowing that Krystal was right.  As he gently said goodnight to her, Krystal nuzzled his neck, closing her emerald eyes once again.
As the vixen fell back asleep, Chase rubbed her back slowly.  They had been lucky during the last mission, escaping with only a few minor injuries.  But after seeing what one construction facility could produce, Chase knew that it was only a matter of time before the conflicts grew worse.  The more the Sev`fel attacked the corporation colonies, eventually things would escalate to the point where Lylat Command would have to get involved.
"I guess Mira's right, though." Chase thought, closing his eyes as well, "As long as I have Krystal or her around, I'm not alone in this war."
Feeling a bit better about things, Chase's mind slipped into a light sleep.

Description
Report

It was quiet.  It had been this way for a little while now, the only sounds being the tapping of a finger against a folder and the gently murmurs and rustles of the sleeping vixen.  While the mission was officially over after the Sev`fel robot production facility had been destroyed, it had begun a long time ago for the fox that now sat with a file folder in his lap, and still was not over.
  After the debriefing with their CO via holographic transmission, Chase and Krystal had returned to their ship-board room, a small bunk.  But while his vixen partner was able to fall asleep easily after removing her armor, Chase sat quietly on the bedside.  The fox shook his head, the night that he had been orphaned replaying again in his mind.  But now he had something else.  In his lap was the only reward Chase had wanted, the files on Colony 341 'Iron Sight'.
While they had not yet returned to the orbital outpost over Sauria where the two where currently stationed, Hiigan had decided to let Chase finally have the file the fox had been after.  After the mission was dubbed successful, the captain had been ordered to hand the files over to Chase.  Now, as the carrier was headed back to the outpost, Chase looked down at the file in his hands.  It had been taxing on his mind and soul, but now he had the information he had sought after.
"But do I dare open it?" Chase asked himself, his fingers gently tugging at the seal over the file, "If it was the Sev`fel who attacked my colony, I know I'll wind up making this entire war personal.  But if it was not…then what do I do?"
With a sigh, Chase set the folder down on the bunk, glancing back at his partner who was fast asleep at his side.  With a smile, he laid a hand on the vixen's shoulder, feeling the light material of her tank top.
"I wonder if you felt the same way after finding out about your parent's deaths." Chase whispered softly to her, "Then again, probably not.  Hiigan did tell me you had been given a copy of the investigation files before you left.  You've had plenty of time for closure and had the support of someone you loved.  In the end, all I have is myself."
Chase got up and slipped the file into his duffle.  He decided not to open it just yet.  First, he needed to thank someone.
*           *          *
On the command deck, a cat watched as the carrier was piloted through the warp tunnel.  Keeping her eyes on the charts in front of her, the cat failed to hear a door open near by.  But she did hear the slow, careful footsteps of someone trying not to disturb her.
"It will be at least another hour before we can drop out of this jump, Ronin." The cat said without looking to him.
Chase jumped a bit, still not used to the captain always seeming to know exactly what was going on around her without even looking up.  But he took a calming breath and approached her.
"That's not why I'm here." The fox said, "I just wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?" the captain asked, looking to him, "Now why the hell would you want to thank me?  You and your partner are the one who deserve the thanks for blowing that construction facility straight to hell.  Not that you'll get it from that CO of yours or the corporate higher-ups."
Chase nodded, knowing that fact very well.
The cat tuned to him, a slight smirk on her lips, "If you really want to thank anyone, thank the drop ship crew.  They got to you just in time from what I heard."
"You heard the debriefing?" Chase asked.
The captain gestured to the command deck crew, "I know of just about everything that happens on my carrier.  I have to in order to maximize efficiency."
Chase nodded.  That made plenty of sense to him.
As the fox watched, the captain looked back over the charts before her.  To Chase, they did not make any sense.  But apparently the captain knew exactly what they were telling the crew.
"Captain Raye, we're closing in on the drop point." A silver fox stated, "Orders?"
The cat looked up from the charts, "Hold course and raise shields as soon as we're out.  We don't want any unexpected surprises."
"Yes ma'am." The silver fox girl replied.
"I guess I'd better go wake my partner." Chase said.
Raye nodded and Chase walked away.
*           *          *
Hours later, Chase found himself once again in the bar of the outpost over Sauria.  With Krystal's suggestion that he take some time to think, the fox had wandered into the few places he had someone he could talk to.  Although many would not consider a night club a 'relaxing' atmosphere for a troubled mind, the bartender was certainly not about to let that stop her from trying.
As the wolfess set down a glass before Chase, her tawny eyes watched him as the fox shook his head.  With a sigh, the wolf girl patted his shoulder.
"You alright foxie?" Mira asked.
Chase's fingers tapped the file in front of him, "That all depends on what this file has inside."
Mira picked it up and glanced at the front of it, "Official 341 'Iron Sight' Colony Report?  Foxie, this thing's marked classified.  How'd you manage to get a hold of it?"
"I had to give up this mission's pay, but Hiigan finally gave it up." Chase replied, drinking from the glass, "According to him, this is everything from that night that could be retrieved, plus the investigation afterwards."
The gray wolf examined the file carefully.  She knew Chase's past fairly well, having known him almost since the fox was first brought to the corporation after the attack, and helping him deal with the nightmares the attack had left in his mind.
"I'm just surprised you haven't opened it yet." Mira said, noticing that the seal was still intact, "You've wanted to know who was behind it for a long time foxie."
Chase sighed as Mira laid the file back down, "Don't I know it…"
"Does Krystal know?" Mira asked, starting to clean out a glass, "You know, about your past?"
"She knows now." Chase replied, his shoulders slouching, "I think she took it well enough."
Mira nodded.  She knew just how understanding Krystal was with Chase.  To Mira, it was not surprising that these two would end up as partners, let alone the close friends they had quickly become during training.  One without her family, the other without a home or a family.
Chase suddenly handed the file to Mira.  Shocked, the wolf girl took it in her hands.  But before she could ask why, Chase raised a hand.
"You open it." The fox stated, "We both know how I'll react if what I think is correct is in there."
Mira nodded silently, picking up a knife from under the counter.  As she slowly slipped it under the seal, the wolf looked at Chase.  The fox was looking down at the glass of water in front of him, trying not to let his emotions through as Mira cut the seal open.
As she read the report, the wolf girl's ears lowered.  It was just as she knew Chase had feared.  Without a word, Mira set the file in front of him, tapping the highlighted words.
Chase read them, his ears lowering in anger, "So…it's true then…It was the Sev`fel."
"It seems that way." Mira replied
But before his rage could begin to grow, Chase took a deep breath.  As the air slowly rushed in, the fox felt calmer.  He shoved the rage inside aside, not about to let it take over.  He would save it for when it was needed.
"But something just doesn't seem right." Mira said suddenly, turning away from Chase as she thought, "The war ended ten years before they attacked your colony.  Why would the Sev`fel only attack one colony and no others?  Not only that, but they returned to it.  It's not like them…"
Chase picked up the file, "I don't know Mira.  But when I finally meet one of them face to face, I'm going to ask."
"Nicely, or in the usual way?" Mira asked as Chase stood up.
Chase smirked to her, tapping the grip of his Stinger handgun strapped to his hip, "My way."
The wolf girl nodded, smiling as she set down the glass she had been drying, "Sounds like a good plan to me."
As Chase turned to go, Mira looked to him.  She knew that this was one of the times Chase felt alone.  But, just as Krystal had known, Mira knew that Chase was wrong, but was not able to see that.
"You're not alone Chase." Mira called to him.
Chase's ears perked.  The fox looked back at Mira as the wolfess simply smiled.
"You have us." Mira explained, "Always have, always will."
Chase looked at her for a second, then nodded.
"Yeah." Chase said with a smirk, "I guess that's true.  Thanks Mira."
Mira smiled and nodded as Chase left.  The wolf knew well that Chase would eventually get the answers he wanted, one way or another.
"Either way, I know Chase will handle it." Mira thought, looking back over to rest of the club, "We're all together in this now, whether we like it or not."
*           *          *
That night, Chase laid back in bed.  As the fox rubbed the blackened bridge of his muzzle, he sighed.  Even though he knew who had attacked his colony, the fox still had yet to find out why.  He had read through the report several times since Mira had opened it.  Unfortunately, there was nothing in the report about why the Sev`fel had assaulted the colony that night, killing everyone but him.
"Mira's right, though." Chase thought, looking up at the ceiling, "The attack was too well organized to be a random choice."
The fox felt movement against him.  Glancing down, Chase smiled and rubbed the back of the vixen who was laying against him, her light tank top keeping him from touching her soft, blue fur.  But as he slowly rubbed, the vixen's eyes opened slowly a she yawned.
"You're still awake, Chase?" Krystal asked, looking up at her partner.
"Too much on my mind." Chase replied.
Krystal sighed and hugged Chase, her arms wrapping around his stomach as she laid her head against his chest.  Without Chase having to say anything, Krystal already knew well what was bothering him so much.
"Chase, you know that one report would never give you everything you wanted to know." The vixen said softly.
"I know." Chase sighed, "But at least I know for sure who attacked."
Krystal pushed herself up off of Chase for a second, moving up a bit more so that she could lay her head on his neck.  As she did, the vixen held onto Chase, feeling his arms hug her close.
"We will find out more, Chase." Krystal assured him, "You know the Sev`fel will not be able to win this war.  Not as long as we have our friends to help us fight them back."
Chase nodded, knowing that Krystal was right.  As he gently said goodnight to her, Krystal nuzzled his neck, closing her emerald eyes once again.
As the vixen fell back asleep, Chase rubbed her back slowly.  They had been lucky during the last mission, escaping with only a few minor injuries.  But after seeing what one construction facility could produce, Chase knew that it was only a matter of time before the conflicts grew worse.  The more the Sev`fel attacked the corporation colonies, eventually things would escalate to the point where Lylat Command would have to get involved.
"I guess Mira's right, though." Chase thought, closing his eyes as well, "As long as I have Krystal or her around, I'm not alone in this war."
Feeling a bit better about things, Chase's mind slipped into a light sleep.