Ch. 1: Pleased To Meet You Take My Hand.
How he longed to be back to the Starfox mother-ship. Fox McCloud sat in the captain's seat of the massive Great Fox. It was such big change from the small combat Arwing. It usually was not as physical for him as the past days. Running around performing tasks all over planet made him extremely tired, but didn't show it. He had gone two days without rest. It did not matter. Fox and rest of his Mercenaries had earned major pay. With the Great Fox being in disrepair, the whole team wanted to get back to Corneria.
Fox tapped at the display on the keyboard on his computer, reviewing the mission. According to the mission log he had traveled over 100km. and that was just on foot. That was way too much. It was a good thing the mission had such a big incentive. Of course the team would get any money they could, this one paid especially well. Since Cornerian High Command found out that Andross had something to do with it, the Starfox team received a massive bonus. It would be good to feel rich again. The Starfox team had been out of work for around 8 years. The Great Fox needed some major updates. Not to mention the Arwings needed to be replaced. The old Landmaster tanks they had aboard would also get traded in for brand new ones. As for the Blue Marine, it had been built by Slippy and his father. It would probably stay with them as long as possible. It had only been used one time. That had been over eight years ago so the team would either keep it as a last resort or salvage it for parts.
"Oh yeah, Fox?" Fox turned to meet the gaze of the old hare. Peppy had been part of Team Starfox from the beginning. The hare was even a part of the original Starfox team. He had been with Fox's father, James McCloud when he had leaded a valiant attempt to defeat the evil scientist Andross. Of Peppy's age he was obviously in no condition to pilot an Arwing. So he sat on the bridge of the massive and powerful Great Fox. Peppy didn't want to be under used or feel like he wasn't contributing to the team so now he worked on his maps and research. Peppy was in charge of intelligence for the team now, "I almost forgot! I received this message from Krystal thanking you for saving Dinosaur Planet."
A holographic image appeared on the hollow-panel. Fox stood up. It was her… Fox glanced at her cute blue muzzle and couldn't help to look at his feet, "Hi Fox. I would like to thank you for saving me… I am so sorry we didn't get a chance to talk, there is just one thing I wanted to say…" the crew looked to back of the bridge as the door wisped open, "and that's to say thank you," She strolled to the command team on the bridge.
Fox stared at her in awe. And quickly looked away, he thought to himself, "How childish," then saying aloud, "well, uhh… ok… ok, I mean, uhh it's no big deal really," Fox put his hand behind his head as if he were scratching his neck. The vulpine attempted to hide the glow of red that began to flow across his face. But it only grew brighter as Krystal drew closer to him.
"Your not shy, are you fox?" Slippy said. The vulpine shot a glare at Slippy. Slippy had been one of Fox's closest friends for years. Though, he was quite clumsy and often found himself being saved by the other mercenaries. For what he lacked in skill and agility of flying the Arwings, he made up for with his mechanical knowledge. He was very resourceful and intelligent. He and his father had built the Blue Marine for the Starfox team.
Fox knew he was being made fun of. The truth was he wasn't shy. He had never been this way before. She was beautiful. When Fox had first seen the young vixen she was trapped inside a crystal at the top of Krazoa Palace. He could have stayed there for hours.
Falco nudged Fox forward. Falco had just returned to Team Starfox moments ago. He left the team a while back, in search of action. The sense of adventure lived in his blood. This is what made him an amazing fighter pilot. He was easily on of the best in the galaxy. Falco wore a black leather jacket and sunglasses sat on top of his head. Though he was arrogant and cocky, Fox still liked the bird as a close friend even though he had not seen him for years.
"My censors indicate a rise in Fox's temperature," ROB said, "are you ok Fox?" He was more embarrassed then ever. It was not the robots fault though. He was programmed to be attentive to relevant medical issues. The vulpine had inherited the robot along with the entire ship from his father about a decade ago, maybe a little less. Fox's face was now glowing red. He felt very uneasy and lightheaded. Maybe because he hadn't slept for the past days or maybe is was now because Krystal looked directly at him as she spoke. He felt more embarrassed then ever. Like a young kit, foolish and childish, a love sick pup. Krystal just gave a playful smile toward him.
"Pull it together!" Fox told himself. He had never had a problem talking to girls before. He only managed to stumble a few clumsy words out of his mouth, "I'm gonna be just fine… but uhh… what are you doing here?" Fox paused, "I thought you were mad at me for…" the next part sounded dumb in his mind, "saving you."
"Well wouldn't you be a bit cranky waking up after spending what felt like eternity in glass?" She remembered waking up peering up the very top of Krazoa Palace, holding onto the rouged but gentle paws of another fox, and a handsome one at that. Though dangling from over a hundred meters, Krystal took a quick look at the other, meeting his bright green eyes. She had a headache was disoriented at this point from the crystal chamber exploding. It was true, for if not for this vulpine she would be still trapped inside that crystal. That… or dead, "Oh, I am sorry if I…"
Fox quickly cut her of, "No, I understand," he thought back remembering the first time he saw her. Trapped and helpless, the vulpine could have looked at her forever lost in her radiant blue fur. When he had looked at her through the glass the expression on her muzzle had changed, like when he had came in had comforted her. The blue that covered her body was odd but it was one of the things what made her beautiful, "Well is there any place we can take you to? Where is your home?"
"Fox I…" the vixen started but was shortly cut off by Peppy.
"Fox, she is a Cerinian, a planet that was destroyed years ago. I have done some research while you were on Dinosaur Planet, but as far as the Lylatian Data-base tells me… and as far as anyone knows there were no survivors," everyone on the bridge turned to the blue fox. She felt singled out.
"That explains a lot," Fox said not realizing how inconsiderate he sounded until the vixens gaze slowly drifted to the floor, "Oh I, uhh… sorry."
"Way to go Foxxie! You really have a way with the woman!" Falco exclaimed. Slippy just giggled.
Fox ignored them, "Where do you go? Were have you been living for… years?" Fox asked the vixen slowly and quietly. He hated the way he sounded. His voice had made him sound like he was asking a sad question. It probably just made her feel worse. When his father had died he remembered not wanting to talk about it. But after such a small amount of time Fox had accepted the fact that his father was not coming back. He moved on with his life and now it didn't hurt to talk about it at all.
"I-I live in my ship," She paused, "It is all I have left from my parents, this and my Staff, and the clothes I have on my back. That's probably why I was so agitated when you took it. It's all I have got…" The clothes she wore weren't very much, the armor pieces she wore on her shoulders and forearms looked ancient, though they still were tough and authentic. She wore small cuts of cloth covering her. Fox also noticed tattoos on her arm and thigh. He tried not to play attention to it but caught himself glimpsing at it several times.
Fox felt foolish, "Why did I do that?" He thought to himself, then had the courage to ask, "But… your staff? I just found it on the ground in the Hallow. I received a message from someone… it seamed to flow through my body…through my head and I could feel someone's breath in my ear."
"I can answer that Fox!" The old hare explained, "During my research of Planet Cerinia I found myths that the inhabitants of this planet were 'blessed' with telekinetic powers."
"Is this true?" Fox asked.
"Yes partially," she turned her gaze to the vulpine, she caught his gaze too. And for the first time noticed the red in his face, she giggled, "We…or I can't exactly read minds but can connect with physiological messages telekinetically."
This was a lie though. The vixen could read minds. It could sometimes be extremely difficult with distractions of large groups of people. She hadn't quite mastered the skill and she had much to learn. But when she was young her planet was destroyed, before she could master the full technique of telekinetic abilities. Krystal was still very skilled at it though. From her lost planet of Cerinia everyone could read minds. It kept everyone from keeping secrets from each other. It made for a calm and easy existence. Her planet had lived in nothing but peace except everyone was trained to fight just incase the time had come when they needed to.
Krystal herself had been trained in a special form of hand to hand combat and as a healer. This and with her powerful Staff could make her attacks powerful and sometimes lethal if the correct technique was used. Everyone had shared thoughts with each other so there was no reason for anyone to be ashamed, or embarrassed. It also kept conflict on the low side too. If people knew that someone else didn't like them they would simply avoid each other. No conflict involved.
She didn't want to admit it though. She had already come to the conclusion that the existence of this other race simply didn't posses the ability that she has taken for granted. It could be sometimes difficult to translate the thoughts of the others. The technological power of the Great Fox was something that Cerinia had lacked. Her planet didn't focus on technical up rise but more on prosperity. Light flooded from the bases of the walls illuminating the floor. Buttons and control panels flashed. These were all big distractions that blocked out the concentration needed to sense the thoughts of others. It was still possible but it took energy and concentration.
She had already had problems trying to decipher the odd looking digits and symbols that riddled the ship. In time she would learn. She had already learned to speak their language. What they called Lylatian was simple and easy to understand. The same not could be said the same about the symbols and odd looking characters that operated the entire ship. She couldn't even read them let alone write them.
It relived Fox to hear that she could not read minds, "Well, then if you… uhh don't want to leave well…I … you don't have too," the vulpine put his hand behind his head again, unintentionally showing the pink in his face even more. The Bridge fell silent. Falco, Slippy and Peppy looked at Fox dumbfounded.
"Oh no!" Fox thought, "I messed it up! Grrr… come on someone say something!" Fox then continued, "I mean… she is obviously a fighter. Look how long she…" Fox then spoke directly to Krystal, "I think you make a good addition to the Starfox team."
"Becoming more like your Father everyday Fox… why, I remember when he met your mother, he was so shy and paralyzed," the hare began to ramble.
"Yeah Fox!" Slippy exclaimed. Falco just stood there smiling
"NO! Uh… not like that! I the…umm," Fox felt lightheaded again. Why was everyone making fun of him? He wished that they would all just shut up.
Krystal laughed, "I don't think that I would make a very good addition to the team. I don't know the first thing about flying the small aircraft that you guys do. All mine is good for is getting me around," the vixen looked at the deck again, disappointed, "besides I am still looking for the cause of my planet's destruction… of my parent's death. Just bring me to Corneria, and I will be out of your way."
"Krystal…" the vulpine replied softly.
"Hmm?" The vixen looked back up to Fox.
"You don't have to go this alone. We can hel…" the Mercenary was cutoff.
"It's not up to you," she felt agitated not yelling but she spoke with a tone, "This is something I have to do alone!" She then paused with a look of surprise on her face. She had never had outbursts like this one before, "Were did that come from?" She thought to herself, "Maybe I am tired."
"You don't have to decide now," Fox had been startled by her up rise of anger. But he knew how to keep cool and keep it simple.
"Fox, I want to find the reason for the destruction of my planet."
"Oh that?" Peppy tapped at the keyboard in front of his seat. Peppy didn't mean to, but he sounded smug like he had all the answers to life. He was wise but there was only so much a person could possibly know, "It appears that the sun that warmed the planet had simply burnt out. But it doesn't quite add up, the star was young. It shouldn't have burnt out for billions of years to come. Cerinia cooled in a matter of days. The residents knew that something was wrong when the star simply disappeared from the sky. The Cornerian data base indicates that the young and the brightest were evacuated from the planet to carry on the existence of their race. This could mean that there others of the Cerinian entity still alive."
Krystal remembered this day. The thought of it still haunted her. Occasionally she would have bad dreams about it too, about her mother and fathers ship being shot down and her in a separate one. She felt helpless. That was many years ago. The hare wasn't entirely correct either. There was more to it then their blue sun just burning out. There were enemies that had tried to extinguish her race. That didn't matter to them though.
"Well," Fox stuttered, "If you don't want to leave then you don't have too. In the end it's your call. I'm just offering."
She actually began to consider the offer of the vulpine, then shook her head, "No I would only be a burden."
"Ok, if you say so. But the offer stands. ROB, how long until we reach Corneria?" Fox spun around to face the robot. ROB was in charge of piloting the Great Fox.
"Calculating…" the robot paused for a moment, "at cruising speed we will reach the Cornerian space docks in approximately 40.67 hours and counting."
"I think I am gonna turn in, I need some rest. Krystal?" Fox looked over to see the vixen's bright moon-like eyes, "You can spend the next two nights in my quarters. I'll go ahead in sleep in the lounge. Peppy will show you were it is when you guys are ready to go to bed."
"Fox, you don't have to do that for me."
"Relax, it is the least I can do for you."
Krystal could sense that the vulpine had other thoughts in is head. The red fox's mind raced, he knew he wouldn't go to sleep for hours to come. Not until he could clear his mind from thoughts. Fox left the bridge.
In due time after talking with Peppy and the rest of the mercenaries for a while, she began to tire. Peppy led her to the quarters of the vulpine, "Here it is Krystal. Go ahead and make yourself at home. There is a shower in the back if you would like to have one. Can I get you anything else?"
She shook her head and thanked the hare, sending him on his way. It was a little uncomfortable being waited on. It would only last a short time though. Krystal sat down on the red fox's bed. It was extremely comfortable and large compared to her own. She had to reflect on what had happened.
Thinking back to the point where she had released the Krazoa Spirit from her body into the shrine at which she stood. She couldn't remember exactly what had happened. Except an ape of some kind, the one that had pushed her into the reverse gravity field sending her to the top of the palace trapped in a crystal. The crystalline chamber was very uncomfortable, small and cramped. She found herself struggling to get out a few times, feeling claustrophobic.
The ape was so familiar though, like she had seen it on her planet before. But for some reason she couldn't sense the danger. She couldn't sense the thought waves. Could his mind have been conceded? Was he a thoughtless drone? Or had she just let her guard down? The last option wasn't likely though, but yet it was still possible, even though she had not let it happen before. Maybe she had been too concentrated and exited of saving the planet.
It didn't matter now. When she was trapped in that crystal, she could feel the life being drawn out of her, by some powerful force. She had remembered a red fox to come and visit her on occasion. Though she could not see him she could here him and she could sense him.
The fox had once called her "beautiful" she remembered. Every time he came near to her or even entered the place it calmed her. Like he was her guardian even though she didn't even know who he was or what he looked like. The last time he had come to visit he brought some sort of space craft with him. When the last Krazoa Spirit was returned she felt confused as the power of the spirits entered her body, then left in a quick burst. She heard words, something along the lines of, "Wake up." Then the chamber exploded as she reached out to grab something, anything, a fall of that proportion would surely kill her.
She found refuge holing onto the familiar power of her own staff. The same one that she sworn she had lost. Suspended in midair until the staff was pulled up, and a paw reached down toward her. This is when she had me the bright green eyes of McCloud, her hero. He was the nearly the exact same as she had pictured him. She often would dream about him too. She thought of him of very kind to do such a thing, even though she could have been evil. It was a "Pleased to meet you take my hand" sort of moment. And her stomach felt full of butterflies to meet the handsome vulpine.
The one that this other race called "Andross" rose from the top of the palace. She had at this point taken her staff back from the red fox. The Lylatian language was easy to speak and she had been studying it as the one as she now knows as "Fox" explored the planet. The words he spoke were childish, but it gave him a boyish charm. As he retreated to his own shuttle to attack this "Andross" more directly she was firing wildly into the air. She was lucky to have caught up to the Great Fox before it broke orbit with the planet.
The new technology aboard the ship was more then she could possibly handle all at once. She found it hard to concentrate enough to reflect back and read minds of the others. In due time they would find out of her ability, but she didn't want then to know just yet. It was still fun for her to play with the minds of the others and explore the wide range of emotions. Fox was the one who seemed to be the must fun.
He expressed many different emotions. Some of witch she had already witnessed from the vulpine alone had been shame, compassion, nervousness, anger, guilt and shyness. All these emotions were new to her. Fox had also proven himself to be pure of heart, for only those who possessed this quality could enter the Krazoa shrines. This fact interested the vixen for knowing more about him. Yes, this McCloud fellow was defiantly unique from the others. The fact that he had a pure heart gave him a trust worthy quality.
Fox's mind hummed with activity. He was tired but he couldn't help to review the mission he had just been sent on. He thought about Tricky and the other Earthwalkers. He only met a few but they seemed to be valiant defenders of the planet. The Earthwalker tribe was rouged and tough.
The ancient Krazoa that inhabited the planet protected Sauria altogether. They could sometimes be annoying and had tests that seemed so lifelike even though some of them had just been illations. It took cunning and ability to pass each test. He thought back to the test of fear.
This meant the Krystal was probably pretty smart. Not to mention that she had spent multiple years alone. Yes, she was defiantly a fighter, but something about her just didn't feel right to the vulpine. She was beautiful, and Fox often found himself stumbling over words when he talked to her. He had never been this way before, even with his last relationship. But that one didn't work out either. He found himself interested in learning more about the young vixen. From what he understood she was only 17, this was no good for him. Fox had just turned 26. She was much too young even though something about her made her look like she was older then she claimed. She looked and acted much more mature then the age of 17. He dismissed Krystal from his mind and retracted his focus back onto the mission.
Fox had been beat up, but aside from fighting Andross and the giant Redeye, his body had come back to the Great Fox relatively undamaged. The world of Dinosaur Plant was ancient. Fox couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable being there, that and the fact that everyone seemed to need his help all the time. Even though it was a nuisance, he was often rewarded. Still, he couldn't help to feel agitated when the dinosaurs got themselves into trouble.
A lot of weird things happened on that planet, most of which Fox didn't seem to understand. Like the whole "Gate Keeper" business and the planet had too many weird magical histories to it, it made the vulpine uncomfortable since his world rotated around technology. When Peppy had spoken to him over his communicator the first time he was at the Volcano Force Point Temple, he spoke of how the magical forces tore the planet apart and how the Spell Stones were strategically placed to stop the flow of energy.
Fox didn't understand this, and the plot became even more confusing as the Krazoa came into play. Good thing the young Earthwalker Tricky had tagged along, he may have even still been there if it weren't for him. That or dead. It had bothered him that he couldn't use any weapons on the planet. He often had the urge to grab the LSR2 Sniper Rifle that sat under the seat of the Arwing, but the incentive was too great. If he would have used a weapon, pay could have been deducted from his salary, or completely taken away.
The annoying Sharpclaw often ganged up on him. Fox found himself in a lot of fights simply trying to survive. Any weapons would have helped a lot. He thought back to the test of combat. But Krystal's Staff would have still been the most helpful. It wasn't that efficient power wise but it easy to recharge. The upgrades helped him get trough passages and defeat enemies. He could have done with out it. Fox could have put a large explosive charge on every door he needed through and any place he wanted to go as well, it would have taken a lot of room and would have been an inconvenience to carry around, but it could have been done. Though if he wanted to he couldn't, a D22 charge was classified as a weapon so it could not be used. Overall the Staff was probably the best thing he could've had.
In a lot of other places he found himself stumped. Just after landing the Arwing for the first time on the planet's surface he had to run around talking to the Thorntail tribe witch inhabited the Hallow. Many of them were a burden, some were selfish, others were quiet, and more yet were whinny and unhelpful. Another thing that annoyed the fox was how much some of them took a simple question that lead up to a whole conversation or yet another mission for the vulpine to accomplish. It was ridiculous.
There were some "characters" on the planet too. One on which was a greedy old shop keeper. At first the vulpine thought it was weird to see such a dinosaur that could float in the air. But after witnessing all the other things that had happened there, it seemed completely normal by the end of his tour of duty. It was kind of nerve wracking to be around him too. The shop keeper would always have his eye on you. Fox had once tried to look at something he didn't quite have the money for and was yelled at by him.
And that Warpstone, Fox couldn't help but chuckle to himself every time that he met this creature. The Warpstone was so loud and obnoxious. People could here their conversation from kilometers away. He was very helpful too, that is after Fox gave him a gift. He also liked some of the Snowhorn, often they were very helpful. Most of them had quite a good attitude too.
All of the tribes he had met had their ups and downs. The only one that the vulpine couldn't seem quite eye to eye with was the Lightfoot. They were all so selfish and most of them were nothing but liars. Thanks to the help of a Cloudrunner Fox managed to make them see his way. They even rewarded him with a Krazoa Spirit. But still, Fox didn't really ever want to see those buffoons again.
And Krystal… she was more of a secondary or bonus objective at first. But after it came to his knowledge that the Krazoa were needed to bring the planet back together she became one of the primary targets. He would have felt guilty for leaving her there. He wondered if he would have gone back for Krystal if the Krazoa had not been required to bring the planet back together. Then he remembered he trapped and helpless in the crystal chamber and how beautiful she had been and how her fur glowed. Yeah, he probably would have.
All in all, it was a pretty successful mission. Minimal mistakes were made, and besides fighting and getting eaten by monsters and having combat with the Redeye King. He had managed to come back in one piece. Even managed to make a bunch of new friends, it wasn't very often that a mercenary could do this. Content with the mission and how well he had done he left the papers on the table. Tomorrow he would have to do a whole report on his mission in order to receive his pay but it wouldn't quite take all day maybe only a few hours if he concentrated and completed the mission review before all the paper work. Exhaustion took over the vulpine. His mind at ease, sleep soon took over.
Krystal laid down in Fox's room, reading the thoughts of McCloud. He thought very logical, if he was in trouble, his training would take over. It amused her how he disliked many of the tribes on Sauria. It saddened her though. Krystal wanted to be the hero of Dinosaur Planet. She didn't want to be the damsel in distress. But it had been for the best. If she had never been trapped in the crystal she would have never met the handsome Fox McCloud.
His thoughts were always so calm too, for the most part anyway. He was something that Krystal had never really met before. Her own parents had died when she was 13. It wasn't easy for her. She had lost her friends, family and even her whole race. Krystal shook her head, hating to think about this.
She was flattered to know that he would have come back for her even if it wasn't necessary for his mission. Even though she was a complete stranger to him, Krystal herself thought if she would go for him if the tables were turned. She refocused her telepathy back onto the mind of Mr. McCloud, and soon found herself in a deep sleep. Little did the vixen know that the tables were about to be switched and it would be up to her to save him.