Prologue
Year 8, ALW
"Thanks again, for saving me back there… If it wasn't for you, I might have been trapped inside that crystal prison forever," a blue-furred vixen sighed with relief. She glanced around at the numerous computer monitors and screens glowing inside the control room of the ship she was aboard, taking in all that was around her. She was still amazed at how quickly everything happened on Dinosaur Planet; one moment she was trapped at the top of a spire, and the next thing she knew she was aboard an unfamiliar ship, talking to the stranger who saved her life.
The red fox sitting beside her ruffled his fur with his hand awkwardly, leaning back in his chair while she leaned against the wall next to him. "Oh, um… it was nothing, really," the male fox replied. "I just did what anyone would have done. Somehow, the fate of Sauria was linked to your survival, and by saving the planet, I was able to save you as well."
The she-fox smiled at her rescuer. Only moments ago, she was trapped at the top of the Krazoa Palace, held prisoner by the spirit of Andross. The evil ape had used her powers to channel the energy of the Krazoa Spirits and revive himself, only to be defeated at the hands of her rescuer, the pilot Fox McCloud of the mercenary team known as Star Fox.
"Thank you, Fox," the vixen replied. She cast another glance around the control room of the Great Fox, the aircraft carrier she had flown aboard to meet with him. The other pilots she just met had left the room, leaving her alone with Fox as they talked together in the silence. She had only just arrived, and still had not been given the chance to formally talk to the others yet. They must have gone elsewhere to celebrate their victory and the survival of planet Sauria.
"By the way, Krystal," Fox interrupted her thoughts, "what brought you to Dinosaur Planet in the first place? How did you end up trapped at the top of that spire?"
Krystal hesitated, unsure of how to explain it all. The last thing she remembered before she was trapped was the presence of Andross himself. Though he was just a spirit at the time, Krystal could see him and read his thoughts telepathically. She shuddered at the thought, again thankful that Andross was destroyed by Fox in the end.
"You finished what I was there to start," the she-fox answered, returning her gaze to look into Fox's eyes. "I met your enemy inside the Krazoa Palace. He followed me, setting a trap to lure me in as I released the first Krazoa Spirit. Somehow he knew I was coming. It's as if-"
"He planned for you to be there," Fox finished her sentence. It was strange for the telepath to have someone else finish her thoughts for a change. "Andross knew that you could channel the power of the Krazoa and use that power to revive himself," the fox continued in a more serious tone.
Krystal turned away and began pacing across the control room, toward a window that revealed the emptiness of space around them. In the distance, she could see Dinosaur Planet fading as the Great Fox hovered away from it. The vixen could distinguish some of its features, including the snowy mountains of the Snowhorn Waste and the barren wasteland of Dragon Rock. She had traveled across the planet, desperately searching for answers to the many questions in her mind. It was hard to believe that after all this time, the answers finally became clear.
Suddenly, Krystal sensed Fox's distressed thoughts flowing toward her in waves. "Krystal, are you alright?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair with concern.
The she-fox hesitated again before replying. "I always thought that I hadn't seen the last of Andross, but I never expected him to return on planet Sauria. I first came to the planet searching for answers, but didn't expect to find them so soon…" She mumbled the words, as if speaking only to herself. However, Fox heard every one and almost jumped up from his chair in astonishment.
"Wait, you knew Andross?" He gasped. "How? He's been dead for several years now… And what do you mean by 'answers?' Answers to what?"
Krystal continued staring out the window as Sauria began to vanish from sight, leaving the planet behind in the vacuum of space. "… I know him," the vixen murmured. "We met a couple of years ago. Then, he was just a wandering spirit searching the nearby star systems and planets for alternative means of resurrection. After his battle with you, I finally understand his desperate need for vengeance… He was the one responsible-" Krystal stuttered, incapable of forcing the next words out.
"He was the one responsible for the destruction of…" The vixen fumbled the words around again, still choking on her thought.
Fox's thoughts were consumed with worry and fear at what she would say next. "The destruction of what, Krystal?"
The vixen turned to face him, this time with a tear running down her right cheek. "Everything I've ever known or loved… My home planet, Cerinia."
