A/N: Usually, I write for Cats, but I decided to try something different. I hope you enjoy my first attempt at a Star Fox fic. Sorry if some characters are a little OOC, I don't know them very well yet. The timeline takes place a couple of weeks after Star Fox Adventures, and Krystal obviously stays with the team. Also, any Cerinian talk between Krystal and another character will be in English. Enjoy!
"Fox! Cover me!" Krystal shouted at the brown vulpine as she dashed ahead, but only to hide behind another large boulder. Lasers from the enemy's guns whizzed by overhead, and the constant explosions from grenades made it harder to get her message across.
The Star Fox Team had been called in to liberate a base on Macbeth, which was overrun by Andross' minions. Andross had been destroyed once again, but that didn't mean his goons were as well. They were still trying to cause havoc in the Lylat System, and they had managed to rebuild one of their bases on the barren planet. However, this was just your average, hastily-built military base that shouldn't be too hard to take out. The Star Fox Team had obliterated most of their air defence on their way in, and now Fox, Krystal, and Falco had left their Arwings behind to finish the job on foot. Peppy and Slippy provided air support for their teammates on the ground, droppings bombs and shooting down sentry towers with excellent accuracy. The enemy was resisting quite well, and this was a decent battle in Fox's mind. He had missed this kind of action in the past couple of weeks.
Fox sprayed ammo from his blaster to keep the enemy at bay, just as Krystal had instructed him to. He had taught the sapphire vixen to use a proper gun, and she proved to be an excellent shot in target practise. She refused to leave her staff behind, though. He could see the shiny tip of it protruding from her pack. Fox checked behind him to see that his best friend Falco was only a few feet away, blasting the enemies to his heart's content. The blue falcon had aided Fox in killing Andross and decided to stay for good afterwards. Fox was more than happy to have his best buddy back, fighting alongside him. It was just like old times…
The trio was getting closer to the base with each passing second. The enemy was retaliating more and more, which only added to Fox's excitement. It was less than a hundred yards now, and if they could keep up the pace like this, the base would be theirs in no time. The Star Fox Team leader rolled out of the way as a bomb exploded about fifty metres to his left, sending up a giant wall of dirt and shrapnel. Not a second after, a spray of lasers was flying towards him. Fox ducked to avoid them, and shot in that direction to incapacitate the enemy. An exchange of fire ensued and after a few shots, the lasers from the enemy ceased. The brown vulpine continued, scanning the landscape for his next victim.
"Fox! On your left!" Fox heard Falco warn from behind. He glanced in the appropriate direction to see an automatic, remotely controlled machine gun pointed at him. He easily destroyed it, but not before it fired a few rounds. A pained cry was heard behind him, and Fox turned around to see Falco stumbling over, clutching his left wing.
Fox hurried over to his friend and caught him just as he was about to crash into the ground. "You okay, buddy?" He asked the blue falcon, gravely concerned.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Falco replied, gritting his teeth. He lifted his right wing to reveal a bleeding left one. Thankfully, only one bullet had penetrated his wing. Falco examined the wound and scoffed. "That's it? Just one measly bullet? Lemme at those bastards!" He laughed somewhat in relief as he got up and started running again.
"Falco, you're hurt! Get Slippy to pick you up!" The brown vulpine called after the falcon. Falco was already out of earshot, back in action. He was using only one wing with his blaster instead of two, though.
The earpiece Fox was wearing buzzed and Krystal's voice crackled in his ear, "Where are you, Fox? I heard Falco scream, but he's catching up. What happened?"
The brown vulpine pressed the button beside his earpiece and hastily answered, "Falco got shot, but it's not too bad. He'll be okay. I'm coming, don't worry. Just stay put until we both get there." He took hold of his gun again and resumed mowing down enemies. Before he knew it, he caught up with the blue vixen and their injured comrade. Falco looked as alert as ever, but his left wing was now dripping blood. Fox turned to the avian with a furrowed brow. "You sure you don't want to go back up to the Great Fox?" He questioned seriously.
Falco shook his head and then glanced at Krystal. She appeared to be in some sort of trance. Her two teammates waited impatiently for her to come out of it, and fired a few shots from the rubble they were currently crouching behind. When the sapphire vixen returned to normal she informed her friends, "There are some prisoners inside that base. Apparently one of them is telepathic, like me." She pressed the button on her headpiece and informed Peppy and Slippy above them "Change of plans, boys! Don't blow up the base! There are innocents in there!"
Kystal got a quick confirmation from their air support and the trio continued firing away at what remained of Andross' minions in the area. After another half hour, the sound of bullets and lasers that were previously firing at them went silent, and both Peppy and Slippy radioed in that they couldn't see any more enemies. The remotely controlled weapons were all destroyed, now smoking skeletons of metal. The trio on the ground advanced, keeping their weapons cocked in case of any surprise attacks. Fox blew open the doors of the base with a grenade and the three cautiously stepped inside. Once the smoke cleared, it was obvious there were more enemies inside the base. Three of them lay dead on the ground, killed by the grenade blast.
A few more popped out from around the corner and they were quickly mowed down, too. Fox, Krystal, and Falco slowly walked along the corridors of the base, killing any foe they came in contact with. Krystal lead the party, guiding the group towards the source of the mental distress call she had received earlier. It appeared that the further they went into the base, the more enemies there were. It was clear they were trying to protect something of value in here.
At one point, the enemies stopped trying to attack. It seemed they had retreated deep into the base. Fox had a bad feeling about this and kept the team on high alert. Krystal suddenly gasped and broke into a run. "What's wrong, Krystal?" Fox called after his teammate, but the distant sound of gunshots, immediately followed by screams of terror and agony, answered his question. The enemies were murdering all the prisoners so they'll destroy the potential leak in information. The brown vulpine and Falco sprinted after their comrade, skidding around corners as she led them to the prison cells using her mental guide.
The gunshots and screams were getting louder with every step. Soon the team came upon the prisoners they were looking for. Andross' minions were opening every cell and firing into it, killing whoever was inside. Judging by the number of open doors, they were on the last one. Krystal shot the enemies with her blaster, as did Fox and Falco. They were dead within seconds. The air was deathly quiet. Krystal pricked her ears and edged closer to the only remaining closed cell, carefully stepping around the expanding pools of blood. She busted the lock with a single blast and let the heavy metal door swing open. The sound of whimpering immediately sounded from the pitch-black cell and the vixen made soothing sounds to calm the prisoner inside.
Fox held his gun at the ready, just in case the prisoner tried anything suspicious. He heard sudden heavy breathing behind him and whipped around, thinking a rogue enemy had snuck up on them. It only turned out to be Falco, drenched in sweat and blood from the battle, leaning against the wall for support. "You don't look so good, Falco…" Fox stated the obvious in a worried tone.
The blue falcon smirked, but it quickly faded and was replaced by a wince. "That wound's taking its toll on me. That and I've never seen so many dead bodies in one place. Sure, I've shot down a hell of a lot of baddies, but I've never seen freshly dead civilians right in front of me." He panted, and then fell to his knees. Before Fox could help him up again, he was already lying on the floor unconscious.
At the same time, Krystal was escorting a very frightened and distressed female falcon out of her cell. The sapphire fox's eyes grew wide at her unconscious friend. "What happened to him?" She asked in concern. The freed prisoner hid behind her rescuer and let out another whimper.
"He passed out from exhaustion and blood loss. I'll get him out of here." Fox explained as he hoisted Falco over one shoulder. He smiled tiredly at their new companion and introduced himself, "Hello there, I'm Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox Team. We're here to rescue you. What's your name?"
The female falcon vigorously shook her head and made a frightened squeak as she ducked behind Krystal's shoulder. The blue vixen smiled good-naturedly and replied, "She told me her name is Rykah. I just figured out she doesn't speak English very well, but she understands it decently. She speaks my language and is a telepath, too. Turns out she was from a planet not far from mine, but it got destroyed by Andross as well. Our planets used to trade together."
Rykah mumbled something in Cerinian, but Fox merely cocked his head. "Umm…What?" He uttered dumbly. He radioed Slippy. "Hey Slip, is that translator you made for me still functional? I think we're going to need it." He said into his earpiece.
The earpiece made its usual crackling sound and the frog answered confidently, "It's still working like a gem, why? Is it not working for you?"
Fox was about to say that it wasn't, but Krystal's giggling interrupted him. He threw a confused look at her. "What's so funny?"
The blue vixen calmed down to answer bemusedly, "You silly fox, Slippy made that translator for Dinosaur Talk, not Cerinian! I'd be more than happy to be a living translator, though. Rykah said she's very grateful that you rescued her. Anything else, Rykah?" Krystal glanced over her shoulder at the avian, who was now less scared. She whispered something else and Krystal translated, "She also says that she would like to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's get back to the Great Fox!" The leader of the Star Fox Team broke into a quick jog, despite his burden. Krystal and Rykah weren't far behind, and they were conversing in Cerinian all the while as they made their way out of the base. Once they were at a safe distance, Fox radioed to Slippy and Peppy above, "Alright, light it up guys! We're out of the way!" A few seconds later, the two Arwings belonging to said teammates flew low overhead and dropped bombs on the base. It exploded into an inferno and they made another pass, essentially obliterating the building. Fox, Krystal, Falco, and Rykah hastily jogged over to where the Great Fox had landed, and soon they were leaving Macbeth behind. Slippy and Peppy had docked their Arwings and had rejoined the rest of the team in the command room. Fox had brought Falco over to the infirmary, so that left Krystal to tell the story to Peppy and Slippy.
Afterwards, Krystal had found an empty room for Rykah to stay in until they could get back to Corneria, where the government could provide further assistance for her. As the falcon gazed about the room in awe, Krystal couldn't help but giggle. The room wasn't very big. It was like all the quarters on the Great Fox: cramped and furnished with the bare necessities. There was a simple bed on one side, a mirror and closet on either side of it, and a small desk situated in the opposite corner. A telecom that was connected to the command room was on the wall next to the desk.
"Wow, your previous room must have been terrible if you think this is a luxurious living space!" The blue vixen joked in her native language. She watched Rykah inspect herself in the mirror.
The female falcon turned around with a serious glare. "Don't remind me of that horrid place. I was kept in that cell for months before you and your team arrived." She said sharply in the same tongue.
Krystal put her hands up in surrender and Rykah resumed looking at herself in the reflective glass. The blue fox truly observed her new friend's state for the first time since the avian arrived. She was wearing tattered clothing that looked like nothing more than rags, and her feathers were so filthy that she didn't even know what colour the bird was. Through the numerous tears in her clothing, Krystal could clearly see the worrying outline of her ribs, along with numerous scars and bruises. Her striking navy blue eyes had bags under them from lack of sleep.
Rykah finished examining herself and moved on to exploring the closet. As she did so, she pondered aloud in Cerinian, "By the way, who was that other bird? The unconscious one?"
The sapphire fox cocked her head. "You mean Falco? What about him?"
"Is that his name? I feel so bad for him, getting shot and all. Can we go see him in the infirmary? I think I might be able to help with his injuries." Rykah replied as she shut the closet door.
Krystal nodded and the pair stepped out of the room. "Do you have experience with treating wounds?" She questioned casually as she walked down the deserted corridor.
Rykah giggled in answer, "You could say that."
The blue fox just shrugged and continued walking. After a few more minutes of silence, a notion hit her. "Hey, if we're going to the sterile infirmary, you can't go in there like that. Fox won't let you within ten feet of Falco if you intend to treat his wounds. Let's get you cleaned up and out of those disgusting rags, huh?" She said over her shoulder to the falcon following her. Rykah smiled and nodded her head enthusiastically. Krystal returned the smile and guided the bird over to her room.
Krystal's room had exactly the same set up as Rykah's, only it looked like someone lived there. Papers and books were piled neatly on the desk in the corner, and the bed's sheets were creased from use. Rykah sat down on the bed while Krystal rummaged around in her tiny closet, hunting for a suitable outfit for her new friend. After a few minutes, she let out a happy squeal and came out with one item of clothing. "Here, try this on after you take a shower." She handed a simple navy blue dress to Rykah.
The avian looked approvingly at the dress and then back at Krystal. "Thanks so much! Umm…where's the bathroom?" She inquired with a furrowed brow.
Krystal smiled in appreciation and opened the door. She pointed across the narrow hall to a similar door, only this one was slightly smaller and labelled "bathroom" in silver letters. "Now, take as long as you need to scrub all that grime and dirt off your pretty little feathers. I'll be waiting here when you come out." She said and gently nudged Rykah in the direction of the bathroom. The falcon eagerly opened the door and disappeared inside the tiny washroom.
Rykah actually did take a long time in that shower. Krystal waited for a good half hour before the door to her room finally hissed open. The blue vixen gaped in amazement at the transformation of her new friend. Rykah was adorned in her blue dress, which was a simple halter-top with a flared bottom that went a little passed the knees. It wasn't the perfectly-fitting dress that made Krystal stare in wonder, it was Rykah herself.
Beneath the filth, the female falcon was absolutely stunning. Her feathers were a beautiful sunset orange, with golden tips on the wings and tail. Her long crest fell to her shoulders, and that was golden, too. The scaly patches around her eyes were red, just like Falco's.
Rykah averted her gaze in self-consciousness and traced a circle on the ground with one of her talons. "They starved me real bad, didn't they? I must look like a skeleton…" She muttered softly.
Krystal shook her head. The dress didn't accentuate Rykah's emaciated form, but rather made it look like one smooth line. The blue vixen beamed at her friend and moved aside so she could see herself in the mirror. Rykah gasped in surprise at the tangerine falcon staring back at her.
"The boys will be floored when they see you! You look gorgeous!" Krystal exclaimed in Cerinian and grabbed Rykah's wing to lead her down the hall to the infirmary. Before she could take three steps, Rykah dug her talons into the metal floor and forced her friend to come to a sudden halt. Krystal glanced over her shoulder, perplexed.
The orange and gold falcon stared down at the floor again. "Krystal…I'm really scared of males…You see, it was the opposite sex that abused me during my time on Macbeth. I don't want to attract the attention of any 'boys'…" She said hesitantly.
The sapphire fox nodded in understanding. She placed a hand on Rykah's shoulder and reassured her, "They won't do a thing to you, I promise. They're your friends as much as mine…well except for Fox. He's more than a friend to me. They'll really like you, so don't worry about them!" With a little more encouraging, Rykah finally got over her fear somewhat and agreed to make friends with the other male members instead of just going and treating Falco.
Once the pair reached the infirmary, Krystal walked in first to make sure it was alright to come in. Fox said it was okay, so she motioned for Rykah to follow her inside the infirmary. Fox took one look at the flame-coloured falcon and smiled at the blue vixen beside her. "You're a genius with clothing, Krystal." He turned his attention back to Rykah and complimented, "You look like a much different girl from when I saw you a few hours ago. Krystal did an amazing job; you look beautiful."
A shy smile tugged at the corners of Rykah's mouth, but Krystal could still see the slight apprehensiveness in her deep blue eyes. She decided to change the subject. "How's Falco doing, Fox?" The sapphire vixen questioned, before her friend could get too uncomfortable.
Fox turned around to reveal that the blue falcon was still out cold, but the bleeding had stopped from his wound. "I managed to get the bullet out, so it should heal within a few days. Luckily, it didn't go in very deep." He answered with a frown. Even though the bullet was gone, Falco was sweating more than was normal and his breathing was shallow. He felt a tap on his shoulder and noticed it was Rykah.
"I…see Falco?" The orange avian requested in broken English. Fox understood and got up from the bed to stand by Krystal. When Rykah started to unwrap the bandages, Fox went to stop her, but the sapphire vixen prevented him with a stern glare.
Rykah gently held Falco's wing as she continued to undo Fox's work with the gauze. It was a poor job, anyway. Once the slightly bloodstained linen was lying in a pile beside her, the sunset-coloured falcon placed the fingers of one wing on the wound. Krystal and Fox could only watch in awe as she chanted a few words and the bullet wound disappeared, like nothing happened. She also placed her fingers on Falco's forehead and said the same words. The fever-like symptoms vanished and his breathing became deep and even. After a few tense minutes, his eyes fluttered open.
"Who the hell are you?" The blue falcon snapped irritably. Rykah jumped back with a frightened expression and hid behind Krystal again.
"Falco! Is it fair to be so rude to the girl who just saved you from a world of pain?" Krystal chasisted in defense of Rykah.
Falco raised a skeptical eyebrow at the cowering female falcon behind Krystal. "How did you save me? You some sorta sorceress?" He asked curtly.
Rykah threw a confused glance at Krystal and the blue fox translated for her. When the falcon understood, she nodded vigorously. This only added to Falco's already annoyed state. "Oh goody, I've been saved by a magical bird. Not only that, she can't speak English, either. What a day." He commented with heavy sarcasm.
"It was either that, or spend a few days in a feverish hell because I didn't know what was wrong with you." Fox remarked, also in defence of Rykah. Falco opened his mouth to retaliate, but he knew the vulpine was right. So he merely sat there, smoldering for a few minutes.
Krystal huffed and added expectantly, "Aren't you going to thank Rykah for healing your injuries?"
The blue falcon tensed and set his jaw. When he glanced up again, he saw that Rykah had moved out from behind Krystal and he could now see her fully. His stubborn composure faltered for a second, and he clamped his beak shut as he looked away again. He would not allow himself to swoon over this girl like Fox did with Krystal. "Thanks." Falco mumbled through clenched teeth, though his intended rude tone clearly wavered on the edge of sincerity. Satisfied, Krystal turned around and left the infirmary with Rykah. Falco couldn't help but stare after the flame-coloured falcon, taking in her beauty.
Fox plopped himself down on the bed beside his friend, startling him out of his reverie. He directed a knowing look towards the bird.
"What?" Falco said tersely.
"I saw that look on your face. You like the new girl." The brown vulpine smirked, ignoring the death glare he got from Falco.
"I don't! How could you even assume something that absurd? I fly solo, you know that." Falco shot back, but couldn't hide the slight blush that rose to his cheeks.
Fox's smirk widened into a wicked smile as he slowly stood up again. "Wait 'til Katt hears about this! You'll never hear the end of it!" He chortled and sprinted off before Falco could seize the collar of his shirt.
The blue falcon growled as he ripped the thin, white sheet off of him and chased after Fox. He could hear him laughing from down the hall and followed the sound until he came to the command room. The rest of the team, including Krystal and Rykah, stood around the edges of the room as Fox hovered over the holographic communicator's keyboard.
"Don't you dare touch that keypad, Fox! I'm warning you!" Falco said menacingly, ignoring the confused glances from the other team members.
Krystal and Rykah frowned in concentration as they read Falco's flustered thoughts. The former queried, "What's up with you? We never see you lose your cool like this." Neither she nor Rykah could make sense of the blue falcon's incoherent, racing thoughts.
Falco didn't answer as he was preoccupied with his current mental torture. If Katt knew he had a crush on Rykah, the pink feline would never stop gushing about it. Katt was usually modest, but when it came to gossip, she couldn't keep her mouth shut. Falco's reputation of being a 'lone wolf' was on the line here. He took another step closer to Fox, and the brown vulpine's fingers inched closer to the keypad.
"You know we have Katt on speed-dial. She'll be delighted to hear about your little secret." Fox sneered and laughed a little at the murderous look in his best friend's eyes.
The blue avian sighed in frustration and ran his fingers along his crest to smooth it down. "What do you want, McCloud? I haven't even been here three weeks and this is the treatment I get from my best pal? Some friend you are!" He said sarcastically, hoping the guilt trip would work.
The tactic seemed to be successful because the mischievous glint in Fox's eyes disappeared for a moment. Falco took the momentary distraction to rush across the room and tackle the brown vulpine. The two wrestled on the floor for a bit; Falco was cursing and Fox laughing.
A few minutes of this passed and the avian had his friend pinned on the floor. Fox couldn't escape. "Alright, I give! I won't tell! Let me up, will ya?" Fox surrendered as he winced. It didn't help that his best friend had his knee digging into his back, while his arms were painfully held in place there.
"Promise?" Falco said sternly, tightening his grip. He had to say that Rykah did a good job with his wing. It was completely healed and he felt no pain there at all.
"Yeah, yeah I promise! Lemme go!" The brown vulpine whined as he squirmed uncomfortably. After a few seconds of deliberation, Falco finally released Fox. The moment he was free, Fox got up and sprinted for the door. "Falco has a crush on Rykah!" He yelled, just before the door shut behind him.
Falco groaned in defeat, seeing no point in chasing after Fox now. The beans were spilled and now it was time to see the reaction. Peppy and Slippy were surprised, to say the least. The old hare had an intrigued eyebrow raised and Slippy was snickering quietly. Falco shot him a glare and the amphibian faked a cough, pretending to go back to work.
The blue falcon took note of some whispering on the opposite side of the room, where Krystal and Rykah were. The sapphire vixen was saying something in her native language to Rykah, and her eyes grew wide for a moment. She shifted from foot to foot uneasily, and Krystal led her out of the room. Falco saw the slight fear in her eyes as she left, and his previous anger at Fox boiled up again. He stalked across the room and exited, only to find Fox leaning casually against the wall nearby. The brown vulpine tensed, ready for another chase, but there was none.
"Thanks a lot, McCloud. I blew it even before I introduced myself. Now Rykah's scared of me because of you. Krystal went back to her room with her." The sincere hurt in his eyes and the heavy disappointment in his voice was plain as day.
Fox felt his heart tighten with guilt as he tried to apologize. "Hey, I didn't mean to scare her off. I was just playing with you, buddy. Tell you what, I'll set things straight. Sorry that things went this far." He placed a reassuring hand on Falco's shoulder, but the falcon merely shrugged it off and turned around to walk back to his room with a sad sigh.
Fox frowned and headed in the opposite way, towards Krystal's room. Hopefully, he could catch up with the pair and undo the effects of his little prank.