Alright people, here is the first story that takes place in my Genesis universe. Even though its crossovered with Titan A.E, thats primarily because my Genesis storyline uses races and events from the movie. This is a remake of Starfox Adventures, so some events and dialog from the game will be in the story, though it will be different. So enjoy my work, and review.
I do not own elements from Titan A.E (YET), and Starfox, but I do own original elements from Genesis.
"Blah" – English
'Blah' – Thinking
"Blah" - Saurian
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
~Dwight D. Eisenhowe, 1953
Space, the final frontier as many call it. It is an endless sea of stars and planets, just waiting to be explored. Humanity was always interested in space ever since they first looked up into the skies, the glowing dots that are known as stars flickering in the night sky, creating awe and wonder for the human mind.
What was out there? What would we find? Who would we meet? These were the many questions humanity asked themselves during the times that space was an important thing. The first men on the Moon, the launching of satellites into Terra's orbit, the creation of the first space station in space that was constantly manned by humans; humanity's destiny existed out in space. Humanity was constantly reminded of this destiny when they thought about overpopulation, diseases, and most importantly, war.
That was then, this is now. Humanity now plays a big part in the story that is the history of the Galaxy. From humanity's entry into space as Genesis and their first galactic war in 2100s, to the war against the Bearers, a demonic god-like race, in 2200 and 2600, humanity constantly struggled in the Galaxy. By creating alliances with galactic races, to expanding their race to other planets, humanity constantly showed that it was a major force that could change the Galaxy.
Genesis was forever known as the Empire of Mankind, a name that would both bring hope to many, and fear to those who were corrupt. Genesis remained as a peace keeping force, assisting those who were at war with another, stopping civil wars and showing that unity it stronger then being divided. For 900 years, this was the path that the Empire of Mankind chose for itself, and for 900 years, no civil war threatened it. No alliances were broken, despite the forces of Corruption that threatened the peace.
Though with alliances, new enemies threatened Genesis and its allies. The forces of Corruption were still at work, despite their defeat; creating and corrupting races that could fight humanity and become a major threat to them. Genesis was forced to remain at high alert incase they struck again. The Bearers were always desperate.
In 3028, another race that submitted to the Corruption declared war on Genesis and its allies. They were the Drej, a race made of pure energy who had one goal and one goal only: to resurrect the Bearer forces. The Drej attacked the Genesis homeworld of Terra in hopes of dealing a crippling blow to their forces. Terra was destroyed, but Genesis wasn't destroyed nor crippled.
Genesis's capital was moved to the planet Eden, a world compromised of a metallic shell that protected the inhabitants from attack while its militia remained on the surface. From Eden, Genesis raged war against the Drej, to stop their conquest against humanity and its allies, and to stop their goal. The might of Genesis was stronger then ever, and its allies, kept expanding.
May 23rd, 3033
Unknown Planet
The sleek shape of a Genesis Ragnorak Warship drifted in the orbit above a Earth-like planet deep in space. The warship's nose pointed down to the planet as if it was a blade ready to pierce a ball. Various lights of blue and white dotted the warship's body, creating an almost angelic appearance, despite its name and form.
This warship was known as the GEN Hammer of Orion, a member of the 1st fleet of Genesis. The Hammer of Orion was the home for 5,000 soldiers and a crew of 1,000. The soldiers were all a part of the Black Dragon Division, a dihvision of spec-ops who are trained to fight under any condition, on any planet. The Black Dragons were the heart and pride of Genesis, for without their skills, hundreds of wars wouldn't be won.
The hangar of the Hammer of Orion was full of activity as Genesis soldiers readied themselves for the mission that required attention. Engineers worked on the many ships and vehicles that made up Genesis's forces. One inhabitant of the Hammer of Orion stood out amongst the armored soldiers and human occupants; a blue fox with a staff.
She was here for a special mission, and the condition of the planet showed it. The planet was literally in pieces; various patches of land floated in the orbit above the planet as if someone dug them out. These patches of land still were populated according towards the Hammer of Orion's sensors, which could pick up anything from resources to life forms. Each part of land that was floating in space still had an atmosphere; a notification that the Creators, an angelic race that fought against the Bearers, were doing there best to maintain the planet's atmosphere, even when it was being spit apart. But with the conditions of the planet itself, the atmosphere wouldn't last long.
She felt sorry for the planet, thinking about something that she encountered in the past.
"Krystal, you okay?" An African-American asked the fox, bringing her out of thought.
"I'm okay Sergeant. I was just…thinking of something." Krystal looked down to the floor.
The Sergeant sighed. "I know what you're thinking about…I'm sorry Genesis couldn't get their in time."
Krystal looked up a little with tears forming in her eyes. "It's okay Sergeant, there was nothing you could do."
She remembered that day three years ago. The Drej attacked Cerinia, her homeworld, because of its telepathic inhabitants and because it had a connection to the Creators. Genesis arrived just when the Drej fired their planet-killer weapons, only being able to rescue one inhabitant from the planet before it was destroyed. She remembered her parents getting her onboard a dropship for her safety, she remembered their last words to her.
The sergeant, despite Krystal words, was still upset. "There was something we could have done, but just like Terra, the Drej attacked without warning. Because of us, another planet was destroyed."
Krystal put her arm on the soldier's arm. "Don't blame yourself…you already are doing something about it. Genesis declared war on the Drej because of the destruction of Terra…you will prevent them from destroying other planets." 'My world was destroyed because of them because of their own goal...I hope we win this war...' She thought to herself.
A soldier ran up to Krystal just before the Sergeant could say anything else. "Ma'am, the captain wants you on the bridge ASAP. He says it's time."
Krystal nodded "I will be there in a sec." She looked towards the sergeant. "Don't worry about me, worry about your job."
He nodded. "Yes ma'am." He replied, before Krystal made her way to the bridge.
The bridge of the Hammer of Orion consisted of 2 floors, and just like hangar, it was full of activity. Human crewmembers worked hard at getting everything ready for the mission ahead, with the captain looking out to the planet from the 2nd floor. The captain was a male in his 60s; despite his looks and age, he had his experience of battle.
He turned his attention to the fox once she made it to the bridge, "I'm glad you made it, Krystal," he said to her.
"Sorry I was a bit late, Captain Ryon, but I was just finishing up something in the hangar," Krystal replied.
"So I saw from the cameras. Now then Krystal, I'm sure you know what the situation is."
Krystal nodded to the Captain. "I do Captain, at least I have an idea."
"Good, then you are aware that someone or something is tearing this planet apart…"
Krystal smirked a little "You're not sure if it's the Drej."
Ryon raised a brow, forgetting that Krystal was a telepath. Slowly, he nodded to the Cerinian,"In a matter of speaking, yes. Considering that the planet is has primitive technology, or no technology at all, it means that we can't use our forces until we figure out what is causing the planet to tear itself a part."
"So you need me as a scout, since I don't have a lot of technology on me." Krystal replied to him.
Situations like this required a single person to confirm the problem. Since Genesis is highly advanced, she would have to go down to the planet and confirm the danger before Genesis forces can be sent to the planet.
"Yes. Your first objective is to make your way to the distress signal we picked up, something about a mountain hidden in a storm."
Krystal raised a brow. 'A mountain hidden in a storm? If it's hidden...then why would the distress signal come from there?' she thought to herself.
Ryon cleared his throat. "Once you're done there, proceed with your primary objective. You will be our eyes and ears during this mission."
Krystal smiled. "Good to see I'm being counted on."
Ryon nodded to her. "Good, now head back to the hangar for insertion." Krystal nodded before she ran off to the hangar.
"Let's just hope that the mission won't turn into a large-scale battle, or worse." Ryon said to himself.
By the time Krystal returned to the hangar, everything was set. The dropship was loaded with equipment needed just in case of a crash landing, the guns were armed and ready, and the dropship itself was warmed up for immediate drop. Two standard Genesis soldiers were already waiting on the dropship, while it's third member was waiting for Krystal to arrive. That third member, was the sergeant.
The sergeant turned his attention to Krystal as she entered, "Krystal, the dropship is prepped and ready for immediate drop. You know the procedures?"
Krystal rolled her eyes at the sergeant's question. "I know how to prepare myself for a drop, sergeant. I've been with Genesis for three years, remember?" She mocked.
The sergeant rubbed his head in embarrassment "I know, I'm just being cautious, okay? You're the only Cerinian who survived the Drej attack; I don't want you to die just yet."
Krystal smiled and patted the sergeant's solder. "I'll be fine, sergeant. Like I said before, don't worry." With that said, she stepped into the dropship.
"Glad you could join us, ma'am." The pilot said over the internal speakers as she sat down, the sergeant sitting next to her."We will be going through the usual drop. Be advised that it will be bumpy; a storms brewing over your LZ."
Krystal nodded. While the other soldiers had internal speakers in their helmets, Krystal had to resort to a headpiece in order to receive transmissions and to report back to the Hammer of Orion.
"Alright pilot. Just get us there in one piece, please." She said with a smirk.
"Yes ma'am!" The pilot responded to her. He flicked a few switches in the cockpit, closing the side doors and getting the dropship ready. "Dropship 4093, ready for drop. Waiting for the go, over."
"Roger that 4093, exit's clear and ready for your decent. Control out."
Crewmembers and soldiers moved away from the dropship as the area around it was blocked off by rising railngs; something to make sure that no one falls out of the ship accidentally after the dropship left.
"Drop in 5..."
The sergeant wiped some sweat from his forehead while the helmet's visor was disabled.
"4"
One of the soldiers playfully punched his teammate, who returned the punch.
"3"
Krystal took a deep breath.
"2"
The pilot lowered his visor and attached his rebreather."1...drop!"
On the mark, the doors below the dropship opened and the anti-gravs were disabled; the dropship exited the GEN Hammer of Dawn through the drop shaft that led underneath the ship.
"Dropship 4093, we have clear drop, over. Heading to the planet's surface now!"
"Roger that dropship 4093. Good hunting." Control replied to the dropship as it made its way down to the planet surface.
"Dropship 4093 coming in hot…damnit, this storm is making things worse for me!"
The dropship roared through the skies of the planet, its pilot trying his best to keep the ship from crashing. Thunder and lightning came down from the sky around the dropship as if gods were trying to shot the dropship down.
"Copy that 4093, your about 15 clicks from the LZ. Control out."
Inside, Krystal, two Genesis soldiers, and the sergeant waited for a clear landing.
"Remember, we're only here to make sure you have a safe LZ! Don't think we will be accompanying you!" The sergeant yelled over the thunder.
Krystal shook her head. "I'll be fine sergeant! I'm not helpless you know."
The sergeant nodded. "I know…and call me Adam!"
"LZ coming into view. Once we hit the ground, you will be on your own Krystal." The pilot said over the speakers/
Krystal glanced out the side doors of the dropship to see where they were. She could see a large clearing in the middle of a forest, a large mountain looming over it. She saw some creatures going about there everyday business, though she didn't know the name of them. The pilot, however, knew exactly what they were.
"Dinosaurs? What are dinosaurs doing on this planet?"
Sergeant Adam looked out the door alongside Krystal. "Maybe the Creators put them here. Either way, the mission remains the same: find that distress signal, and find out what the hell is going on with this planet."
The dropship came out of the sky and into the clearing, the inhabitants either running away from it or looking at it with amazement. Krystal jumped out of the dropship once it reached ground level and looked around. She looked back to the dropship, seeing the sergeant giving her a salute.
"Good luck Krystal! We'll see you again once we get the okay." The sergeant yelled out to her before the dropship took off again.
She was on her own now.
Krystal sighed. "Alright…" she said to herself. "First thing to do is to find a way to distress signal without drawing more attention to myself."
Krystal looked around, before she closed her eyes and rubbed her head. There were a number of dinosaurs, but they were all the ground type, not a flying type.
"Easier said then done…"
A noise caused her to open her eyes and look around; a Pteranodon flew down and looked at her with curiosity, never seeing a fox before in its life.
Krystal smiled. 'How fortunate.' She thought to herself. 'Maybe I can get this dinosaur to help me get to the distress signal.' She cleared her thought "Umm, I need to find a distress signal, can you help me out?" she asked in English, the common language in the Galaxy.
The dinosaur tilted its head, not understanding what she said.
Krystal face palmed herself. "Of course…it probably doesn't even speak English…well, off to Plan B."
Krystal gently rubbed her hand over the creature's head; it was shocked at first that she was touching it, but it calmed down.
"Can you understand me now?" She asked in another language.
The dinosaur's eyes widen at seeing that she learned the language so fast. "Why yes! How you managed to learn Saurian so fast, I don't know. Who are you?" It asked her.
Krystal raised a brow. 'Saurian? Is that what the language is called?' "My name is Krystal, and I'm looking for something. Can you help me?."
The creature looked at her with a raised brow, before nodding. "I can take you there if you really want to get there."
Krystal nodded.
The creature turned around, allowing the fox to ride it. "Get on my back, and I'll take you there."
After she got on, the creature looked back towards her. "Are you ready?"
Krystal nodded again.
"Hang on tight." With a caw, the creature took off into the skies.
"Umm, what can I call you, your race I mean?" Krystal asked."
I'm a member of the CloudRunner Tribe, one of the ruling tribes here."
Krystal smiled "Nice to meet you Mr. CloudRunner."
A few hours has passed, and the storm still wouldn't stop. In fact, the storm got worse as they flew.
Krystal looked around cautiously, for anyone can use the storm for their advantage and ambush Krystal and the Cloudrunner.'Why do I have a feeling that there is something more to this planet then what Genesis believed?' She took out her staff, before looking at her CloudRunner mount. "I received a garbled distress signal…it said something about a mountain hidden in a storm." She tried to remember what she was told back when she was on the Hammer of Orion, when they received the signal.
The CloudRunner cawed, saying that he understood what she meant.
"Whoever they are, they sound like their in great danger."
Something caught her attention, hearing a swishing sound over the storm. 'What's that sound? It sounds like…a propeller?'
She turned around, just in time to see a fireball barely miss her head. More fireballs zoomed at the CloudRunner, who took evasive action immediately. A large ship was close behind them, the helm bearing the head of a large dinosaur. The head was alive as it roared at them.
'Of course THAT'S not primitive technology.' Krystal thought to herself after seeing the ship.
The CloudRunner maneuvered itself behind the ship in order to avoid the fireballs. Cannons started to fire at them from the ship's rear, but it was better then being in the front. Krystal aimed her staff at the cannons and fired at them. She was lucky that her staff had Ion, an energy commonly used as both a power source and as a weapon. It only took a few shots to take down the cannons,
"One threat down!" the CloudRunner said triumphantly
The ship's propellers soon went in reverse, causing it to back up towards Krystal and the Cloudrunner. Seeing this, Krystal fired at the ship's propellers, blowing them off before it sliced them.
"Second threat down!"
The ship soon turned around, the dinosaur head on the bow eyeing them with anger. Krystal fired at the bow as the CloudRunner avoided a fireball that came from the head. Finally, she ship came to a complete halt.
'Time to find out who tried to kill us.' Krystal thought to herself as the CloudRunner flew over the ship.
Krystal jumped off the CloudRunner and onto the ship's deck. It was surprisingly deserted, despite that a few seconds ago it was firing everything at her. The CloudRunner flew off, leaving Krystal to investigate the ship.
'I thought Genesis said that they didn't have advance technology. In dinosaur standards, this would be considered advance technology…' she thought to herself.
A high-pitched caw caught her attention; a small CloudRunner was trapped in a birdcage just up a flight of stairs. The small CloudRunner looked both surprised and excited that there was someone else on the ship.
"Are you here to rescue me?" it asked Krystal, showing that it was female.
"Well, actually I was here for…" Krystal started, but she nodded. "Yes, I am here to rescue you."
The small CloudRunner cawed happily. "Yay! I am being saved! My name is Kyte, Princess Kyte of the CloudRunn-"
Krystal looked around cautiously in case anyone heard her. "Shhh, I will get you out. Is there a key I can use?"
The CloudRunner nodded "Yes, there's one downstairs .But be careful of the, the evil general is here."
Krystal raised a brow, though she discarded the thought. She looked around until she saw a way downstairs. "I will be right back."
Making her way downstairs, Krystal cautiously looked left and right in case there was an ambush. She sighed in relief when she made it to where the key was without any problems. 'Odd that there are no guards…' she thought as she unlatched the key from the wall. Making her way back upstairs, she heard a crackle of static; apparently she forgot that she had a earpiece radio with her. "Krystal here." She answered.
The voice of Captain Ryon responded to her "Krystal, any luck yet?"
"There has been a bit of a delay…I got a ride on one of the planet's inhabitants, but we were attacked before we reached the distress signal."
"Attacked? Attacked by what?" The captain asked her with urgency.
"Some sort of flying ship. I don't know, but I would say that someone on this planet has advance technology."
"Impossible. The planet is untouched by any space faring races. How could they…?"
Krystal closed her eyes. "I don't know…but I will get more information once I rescue one of the inhabitants from this ship."
The captain sighed with relief. "Good, contact us once you get more information and reach the distress signal. Ryon out."
By that time, she was walking up the flight of stairs where the small CloudRunner was. 'Alright, now I just need to…' She thought, before the doors ontop of the stairs flew open, causing Krystal to backflip from the top of the stairs to the bottom to avoid being hit.
A anthromorphic dinosaur ran out onto the deck, wearing a orange tunic with metal shoulderpads and kneepads. Instead of having a left hand, it had a pair of hooks. "General Scales," it introduced itself proudly. "ruler, tyrant, and dictator of Dinosaur Planet." It looked at Krystal with an evil glare. "Now who might you be, animal girl?" It asks Krystal, putting spite in the last part.
Krystal glared at it when it called her a "animal girl", but she answered. "My name is Krystal, and I'm her for the princess." The last part was not true, but she didn't want to show that she was here because of the distress signal.
But the dinosaur smirked "Oh really now, is that the only reason?" it asked her, "I know you're here because of the distress signal, animal girl. The whole planet is in distress you know." He seemed very proud of it.
"The CloudRunner told me about you, the evil general." She mocked him, specially because of the "animal girl" insult.
Scales just glared at her "Me, evil?" He chuckled. "I am not evil. I rule all the dinosaur tribes with fear, as you know." He turned his attention to Kyte before ripping the cage door off and throwing the poor CloudRunner out of it towards Krystal.
Kyte whimpered in fear at the General.
Krystal gritted her teeth. 'This guy is heartle-' her thoughts were cut short as a clawed hand grabbed her throat.
"And for you, you dare challenge me and my word? You dare challenge my order?!" The General yelled at her with anger. Krystal smirked as a response. Seeing this, he went over to the railing of the ship, and dangled her over it. "I hope you can fly, animal girl, because we won't be seeing each other, again!" With that, he tossed Krystal off the ship. General Scales laughed evily at his accomplishment, but he stopped short in realizing what happened next.
Krystal flew up to General Scales on the CloudRunner that brought her here. "Bad luck General, maybe next time!" She said mockingly as Kyte flew next to Krystal in happiness. With that, they went in their original direction.
"This is not over yet, animal girl!!!" Scales yelled out her with anger and hate.
"You okay?" Kyte asked Krystal.
"I'm very fine, thanks." She replied to the her.
The CloudRunner Krystal was riding on looked at Kyte. "I'm glad you're okay, Kyte! You're mother was worried sick!"
"No thanks to the evil general!"
Krystal looked at Kyte, a question bother her. "Who is General Scales anyway?"
The larger CloudRunner responded to Krystal's question. "He is the reason this world is tearing itself apart! I don't know how, but he found someway to do it!"
Krystal nodded. 'Well, that answers the question on who is doing this…' She activated her earpiece radio. "Krystal to Orion, I found out who is doing this."
Ryon responded to her. "Roger that Krystal, what information you have?"
"I had a meeting with a inhabitant of this planet, goes by the name of General Scales. He's an anthromorphic dinosaur, unlike the other inhabitants."
A pause in the conversation.
"That would explain the technology. Humanoids always had an advantage above others. Seems like the mission just gotten harder."
Krystal nodded. "Agreed, captain. What's your orders?"
"Continue on with your current mission. We'll send word out to Eden about this information." "Affirmative captain, Krystal out."
With a sigh, Krystal returned her attention to her CloudRunner friends. "Let's find the source of the distress signal."
The larger CloudRunner cawed in agreement, while Kyte nodded her head.
'I hope they're ok.' She thought to herself, as the storm raged on.
Hours has passed ever since they encountered the General and his ship. The storm hasn't stopped since then, telling Krystal that they are indeed on the right path.
"Kyte, why were you captured?" Krystal asked the small CloudRunner.
The question surprised Kyte, but she went with it. "I was sent to spy on him, due to my size. It would of worked perfectly, if the General didn't find me on accident."
Krystal was about to ask Kyte why, when her mount cawed to alert her. A temple can be seen coming into view; indeed the storm did hide it well, but not too well. The CloudRunner flew down to the entrance, and dropped the fox off.
"This is Krazoa Palace, the dinosaur's most sacred place." He explained to her. Krystal looked around at the CloudRunner continued explaining "Be careful if you go inside. There are many dangers and traps to keep out unwanted guests."
Krystal nodded. "I will, thanks." she said to the CloudRunner before he flew off into the storm. Krystal noticed that Kyte stayed behind "Why aren't you going with him?"
Kyte shyly answered Krystal, her voice having a hint of uncertainty. "I never really been to Krazoa Palace, at least inside it. I was alway curious as to what made this place special. If the distress signal is here, then it most be something important."
Krystal smiled. "I understand. If I was at your age, I would be curious as well." She turned her attention to the entrance. "Come on, we need to find the distress signal." she said to Kyte, who perched on Krystal's shoulder.
She noticed a few things outside of the palace. First, was the giant jellyfish-like creatures what pulsed with electricity.
'Glad I got my staff. At least I have a fighting change against those things' she thought to herself.
Second thing she noticed was the most important: a injured dinosaur lying on the ground, gravely injured. Seeing this, she ran to help the dinosaur if she can.
"It's okay, I'm here to help." she said to it.
The dinosaur coughed out some blood, the result of it's injury taking a tole on it, "The King Earthwalker sent us here to protect the palace. It's not safe here."
Krystal nodded. "I'll be careful."
She turned her attention to a locked door, just a few feet behind the Earthwalker.
Kyte's eyes widened as she remembered something. "The key that you picked up was for the palace! I remember Scales talking about how he kept the keys in a room on the ship!"
Krystal sighed 'I wished I knew that hours ago...' She took out the key, and opened the door with it. There was only one thing in the room, and that was a fuel barrel. 'A fuel barrel? What is fuel doing on a world like this? Maybe a space faring race did come to this planet..' She picked up the barrel, after looking over it for any leakage. 'I could probably use this.'
Carrying the barrel over her shoulder, Krystal noticed a stack of crates positioned to prevent anyone from going further. Knowing what she needed to do, Krystal tossed the fuel barrel at the crates, destroying them with an explosion.
"So much for security! " Kyte joked as Krystal went down the ramp that was behind the crates.
Another injured Earthwalker could be seen as she went down the ramp to help it.
"General Scales and his army attacked...we tried to stop them, but there were too many of them." The Earthwalker explained in hoarse voice.
Krystal clenched her fists.'That bastard...' "It's alright...rest." she said to the Earthwalker before turning her attention to the entrance of the palace. As she went to it, she saw a third injured EarthWalker.
" You should leave...Scales brought great evil into the palace..." It tried to explain to her.
Kyte sighed with sorrow, while Kyte seemed worried "We CloudRunners always had a disagreement with the EarthWalkers...but seeing the evil general do this to them...it's sad."
Krystal grew angrier at General Scales with each moment. She turned her attention to the EarthWalker "I'm aware, thanks for the information." She looked towards the entrance, but only found a wall with a crack in it. Krystal sighed in annoyance as she was forced to trek all the way back to where she found the fuel barrel, picked up another one, and treked back to the crack just so she can blow it up. Satisfied, she went inside with Kyte following close behind.
Inside, Krystal had two ways to go, right, which led to a dead-end, or left. She decided left would be better then right. She was right, as she found another EarthWalker just down the hallway.
"Are you alright?" she asked it.
"General Scales attacked the palace so he could capture the Krazoa Spirits for himself..." It explained with bitterness, showing a hatred for Scales. "The Spirits hold great powers and have been safe inside this palace for millions of years...we fought hard against the Sharpclaw and were able to hide the Krazoa Spirits all across the planet."
Kyte listened in shock.
"Scales then unleashed an evil into the palace...the Sharpclaw sealing me inside in their hurry."
"The Krazoa Spirits?!" Kyte yelled out in shock. "My mother told me stories about them ever since I was a hatchling! I always thought they were fairytales!"
The EarthWalker sighed "They...they are real."
Krystal rubbed her hand across the EarthWalker's skin "I've opened a hole in the wall, if you have the strength, you can leave..." she explained. Krystal looked into the hallway ahead of her; a series of flamethrowers guarded another cracked wall. Luckily, an explosive barrel was near her, but she would have to be careful around the flamethrowers. After picking it up and maneuvering around the flamethrowers, she managed to destroy the wall. Inside was a large room with another barrel and a black switch on the floor on the other side of the room. 'Pressure pads, never really thought I would encounter a simple security method.' she thought to herself while she picked up the barrel and carried it over to the pad. Placing it down ontop of it, the large door next to it opened up.
Inside was another large room with another EarthWalker inside. Krystal ran to the dinosaur's aid, with Kyte flying alongside her. The dinosaur opened his eyes as Krystal knelt down to examine it's wounds; various cuts and other injuries across his body.
The dinosaur coughed "The Krazoa need your help...they are dying..." He explained to her, his voice being old.
"Was it you who sent the distress signal?" she asked softly to him.
The EarthWalker nodded to her. "When we were attacked, I signaled for help. We were massacred..."
Krystal nodded. "Why were you here though?" she asked him.
"King EarthWalker sent us here to protect the palace...the home of the Krazoa. The Krazoa are spirits of peace, being that bring life to our planet...without them, or planet is dead."
Krystal closed her eyes. 'Why would General Scales want to harness the Krazoa if he knew that the planet can't survive without them...unless...' She opened her eyes again and looked at the dinosaur with concern. "Is there anything I can could do?" she asked him.
"Only the purest of hearts can take the tests..." he looked towards a opening door where a platform was situated behind. " Enter the Shrine. Once inside, complete the Spirit's test, and await it's reward. When you finished, return to me..." he coughed. "I'm not going anywhere..."
Krystal nodded before standing up, activating her radio. 'First things first though.' "Krystal to Hammer of Orion, come in Orion."
"Captain Ryon here. You found the distress signal?" Ryon answered Krystal's radio signal.
"I found it, and found out what is going on. General Scales and his army attacked a place called Krazoa Palace in hopes of stealing what they call, Krazoa Spirits. From what the survivors told me, they keep the planet alive. Scales would of got the Krazoa, if the forces defending the Palace didn't scatter them across the planet." Krystal explained to Ryon.
With a sigh, Captain Ryon responded. "Just as we feared. The planet has more of a connection with the Creators then we though. Since the spirits are scattered all across the planet, then the urgency to the mission has changed...Alright, new mission: Find the Krazoa spirits and return them to their point of origin. We'll send a message to Eden to request for additional forces to assist in the search."
Krystal heard him sigh again.
"Krystal, if General Scales is indeed trying to harvest the Krazoa's power, it would mean he is planning on something big. I doubt it involves just the planet if he is willing to destroy a planet for power. Find out more information if you can. Ryon out."
Krystal looked towards Kyte.
"What was that about?" She asked Krystal, curious to why she was speaking in another language to a voice she couldn't see.
"It's nothing, Kyte. I want you to stay here. Wait for me, okay?"
Kyte, knowing what she was going to do, nodded. "Okay Krystal."
With that said, Krystal turned her attention to the portal, stepped on the platform, and disappeared as she went into the shrine..
Krystal reappeared in another location. It was similar to the Palace, but different in some way. Stepping off the platform, Krystal went through a door that was just ahead of her. In front of her in this room was a ladder; without a second thought, Krystal climbed the ladder and arrived in a room with flamethrowers. Running past them, she found herself situated in another room, this time it had a pit with another jellyfish creature and a sealed door on the other side of the pit. She felt a great amount of energy coming from the door, an energy that was linked to the jellyfish creature.
'Life-force door, I never thought I would encounter this again in my life.' she thought to herself, remember how most security doors on Cerinia were linked to the guards in the area.
Unsheathing her staff, Krystal jumped into the pit and stabbed the jellyfish in it's head, killing it instantly. The door opened as she climbed the ladder, revealing another room with flamethrowers, a pressure pad, and a barrel.
'Great, I am really starting to get annoyed by this. Why can't someone else do this?' she thought to herself in annoyance. She heaved the barrel over her shoulder and quickly made her way past the flamethrowers, putting the barrel on the pad and opening the door.
Walking inside, Krystal saw something strange that appeared to be a blue floating head with tendrils hanging down. It was similar to a human head, in some weird way.
'This must be the Krazoa Spirit.' she thought to herself.
"Test one: Test of Observation."
Krystal looked at the Krazoa Spirit as it talked to her; it's mouth was moving but it's voice was projected from everywhere. It was then she realized what was happening. 'Hes talking to me telepathically...'
The Krazoa Spirit continued to talk to Krystal telepathically, ignoring her thoughts. "Watch closely where I hide. When the urns stop moving, you must show me which urn I hide in. Find me three times in a row, and I will be yours to return to the Palace."
Krystal nodded to it as 6 urns appeared out of nowhere around her, the Krazoa Spirit going into one urn before the urns started to rotate around Krystal. 'Easy...just need to keep my eye on that one urn.' she thought. Unfortunately, she realized that with each time she found the Spirit, the urns moved faster.
She was lucky when she succeeded in finding the Krazoa three times, but now she had another task.
'Where did you go...' she thought to herself; the Krazoa Spirit apparently disappeared after she completed the test.
Krystal noticed something strange in the room, a mirror resting one on the walls in the room, the energy from the Krazoa Spirit coming from it.
'Found you.'
She slowly walked to the mirror as the Krazoa Spirit reappeared from it, the mirror rippling as if it was water. The next thing she knew, the Spirit rushed into her body. Shocked from both the sudden action and the feeling of it, Krystal fell to the floor; her body aching. It took a while for Krystal to regain her breath, and when she did, she stood up proudly with a smile.
'That's one Krazoa Spirit down.' she thought to herself.
Her vision suddenly became brighter until she couldn't see anything but white, her body disappearing once again.
When Krystal's vision returned, she was back in the room where Kyte and the EarthWalker were.
Kyte, happy to see Krystal, cawed happily and rested on her shoulder so she can nuzzle her. "I'm glad your alive Krystal!"
Krystal smiled and petted the small CloudRunner on the head. "You were worried?" she asked.
Kyte stopped nuzzling, and looked at Krystal with some embarrassment. "Kind of...but your back, thats what matters!"
Krystal chuckled, before looking towards the EarthWalker.
"I see you got the Spirit..." The EarthWalker said to Krystal, coughing again. "The shrines keep the Spirits safe from harm, but their powers are useless...only when the Spirit is released into the Palace can they be used to end the war."
Krystal nodded to the EarthWalker when she noticed a door opening up in the room, a small platform behind it. Knowing where to go, Krystal slowly walked onto the platform; the platform activated as soon as she stood on it, and brought her up to the doorway above her.
"Why are your eyes purple?" Kyte asked Krystal.
The question surprised Krystal, though she smiled. "It's probably the Krazoa Spirit in me. I guess it's to tell who has a Spirit with them..." She explained. Kyte nodded as they reached the top.
Stepping off the platform, they found themselves in another hallway. To the left was a closed door, and to the right was a statue of a Krazoa Spirit's head.
'That's probably where I would release the Krazoa Spirit.' Krystal thought as she walked towards the statue. Her suspicions were confirmed when she felt the Krazoa in her become restless and try to get out.
"Krystal, are you okay?" Kyte asked in concern as Krystal fell to her knees and closed her eyes, her whole body feeling as if it was going to explode. "Krystal?!" Kyte yelled out as Krystal suddenly spread her arms, her body on autopilot, and released the Krazoa Spirit.
Krystal reopened her eyes just in time to see the Spirit enter the statue; the statue's mouth opened and released a beam of energy from the mouth. Krystal stood back up as she watched the beam go through the newly opened door, leading into a large circular room.
"Are you okay Krystal?!" Kyte asked in concern, the fox turning to the small CloudRunner and smiled weakly.
"I'm fine, Kyte...I guess that will be a common thing whenever I release a Spirit."
Kyte sighed. "It's weird!"
Krystal chuckled. "Now come on, let's check out the room ahead of us."
Krystal walked into the room with Kyte following; the room went up all the way to the top of the Palace, the stormy skies visible from the room. Many fans blew wind up to the top, most likely to allow people to get up there.
'Maybe I can get up top to signal a ride. I sure hope that CloudRunner is still in the area.' she thought to herself. She jumped into one of the fans and used the wind to get to another fan. She was finally on the top of the Palace.
"Hey Krystal, what's with that crystal in the middle?" Kyte asked.
Krystal looked to the center of the room to see a light blue crystal elevated above the room with the fans. The Krazoa Spirit that she released was circling around it, as if waiting for something to happen. "I don't know, maybe it has something to do with the planet." she suggested. She snapped her fingers, remembering something that she was supposed to do. Activating her earpiece radio, she contacted the Hammer of Orion again. "Krystal to Ryon, come in Ryon."
"Captain Ryon here, what's your status?"
Krystal smiled proudly. "I returned a Krazoa Spirit to the Palace. That's one Spirit down, who knows how many left to go." She heard the Captain chuckle.
"I knew you were the right person for the job Krystal. All right then, standby for further orders. We're still waiting for the word from Eden, so you have some freetime. Ryon out."
Krystal turned her head to Kyte, before she heard another, louder caw as the CloudRunner from before returned. He perched on the ledge of the roof, and from his expression, he was glad.
"I see that you returned a Krazoa Spirit to the Palace! I had a feeling that they had something to do with the planet!"
Krystal chuckled, looking to Kyte briefly. "Well I had some help. Can you give me a ride back to where we met?" she asked.
"You mean ThornTail Hollow? Sure, I can bring you back there! Hop on!" Krystal got onto the CloudRunner with Kyte flying near her. With a proud cry, the CloudRunner flew off the ledge and into the stormy night sky.
'I wonder what General Scales is really planning...it can't be anything good." she thought to herself, as they flew to ThornTail Hollow.
Chapter one is complete, so lets clarify things.
In the Starfox universe, no one knows why Cerinia was destroyed. I used that as a plot device into explaining why Krystal was with human forces, as well as putting a reason why the Cornerian forces would join the fight against the Drej, even if I didn't explain their part in this story yet. Also, I explained how Krystal got onto Dinosaur Planet, and how she met the CloudRunner (Who I have no idea what his name was… can someone tell me what his name was?). Third: Krystal wont be trapped in that crystal, which means NO ANDROSS.
More will be explained in chapter 2, if I haven't already, when Starfox enters the story. So stick around, review, and enjoy.