Meanwhile back on planet Fichina...
Please… Please be safe" A soft quiet voice whispered against the howling of the bitter, snowy wind. Celestia, a rather lovely turquoise phoenix, had been searching for her dear friend for several years now. She had found herself to be very lonely without the comfort of her friend after being separated for so long. Celestia had decided that it was time to find her.
Normally, they were never too far apart from one another, and for a long time the two worked together to protect and deliver justice throughout the galaxy. Celestia had found Nova when she was very young, and very alone. Luckily for her, Celestia happened to be close by and sought to care for her. She never left her side and trained her as best she could. Treating her as her own flesh and blood, sheltering her until she grew older and learned the truth of who she really was. From then on, the two were like sisters, inseparable and unstoppable to the forces of evil. They watched over the beautiful, peaceful planet Cerinia, and all that was bad seemed to behind them…Until the incident.
With just a blink of an eye, Nova was gone from Celestia's life. And with all the troubles and obstacles that she had to overcome without her, she had fallen into great despair. A sickness overcame her that had weakened her physically and mentally. She isolated herself, which brought about a darkness inside of her that she could not control. However, Celestia realized that she was stronger and more confident when Nova was around; and thus, decided to start her search where she last knew her friend was seen, Fichina.
Celestia didn't have to fight hard against the bitter gusts of wind, for she was in her element. Born with a unique trait different from many of the other phoenixes, she was able freeze things at will and could create blizzards with a quick swish of her hand. Although, she was also ashamed of this ability. More often than not, she did not use it, even when she was in danger. Nobody really understood why she shied away from using her powers. Many thought the reason lay within her inability to love who she really is and behold the beauty in her uniqueness. Despite this, she was not a very confident or powerful ice phoenix; though many knew her heart was in the right place.
Just when she was about to give up hope Celestia, by chance, glanced down and noticed a pink feather. But the bitter wind picked it up before she could seize it. Annoyed, she raised her hand and swiped quickly to the side, completely freezing everything in place. All stood still, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of her breathing. Celestia approached the feather and took it in her hand. She analyzed it for a moment and smiled when she realized that it was indeed Nova's feather. She knew she was close now…
It wasn't long after Nova was admitted to the medical bay in Corneria's Orbital Gate that they started operating on her. The doctors, along with the help of a robotic surgeon, managed to siphon out the poisonous cooling agent. Nova's breathing and consciousness quickly returned. After only a few hours she was up and walking. She did not allow the nurses to help her. The crew was impressed by her determination, but insisted that she rest until the results were processed. Nova pouted in her hospital bed; she had too many important things to do for her sit around and wait for her wounds to heal. As a phoenix, she would heal quickly and so she didn't feel the need to 'recover'. She slowly eased herself off the bed and tip-toed across the floor to the door to peek out the window. Her sharp fuchsia eyes scanned outside her room looking for signs of movement. Nobody seemed to be around, so she quietly opened the door and snuck out.
The low-lit metal hallways echoed Nova's every move. She tried her best to remain silent but nothing she did improved her stealth. She rolled her eyes and quickly gave up trying to go unheard.
It's not like they can stop me anyway... She thought to herself.
She continued confidently, swaying her hips from side to side. While she strolled, she thought about what had happened before she was frozen. She clenched her fists in anger, and remembered each and every moment of it. She was determined to put an end to this madness. Stopping her adversary wasn't going to be easy, but for now it was her main concern. General Peppers' voice could be heard down one of the halls close by. She slowly made her way down towards the general, her wing sliding along the wall beside her as she walked. To her surprise, she saw Beltino too. He smiled, "Well someone was eager to get out of the med bay."
Nova smirked, laying her hands on her hips. "I don't like the smell of hospitals. Besides, I will heal."
"Well frankly, I'm just glad you're alright" Beltino touched her arm, a genuine smile spread across his face.
"Could we walk and talk?" The general cut in, "I would like to see how the research team is working out with the results of the cooling agent." The two nodded and they proceeded to walk towards the laboratory.
The doctors and researchers concealed portions of the cooling agent in various glass vials for later analysis. While the group was talking, one of the crew members, a short black sheep, snuck into the secured room and slipped a vile into his pocket. He quietly snuck by the group and into the hallway. One of the other researchers went into the room shortly after the thief had left and noticed that one vile was missing and sounded the alarm. The cooling agent wasn't to be toyed with, and if placed into the wrong hands, a serious catastrophe could occur.
The pink phoenix stopped dead in her tracks seconds before the alarm was sounded. She could feel something was wrong. As if on cue the blaring of a warning alarm sounded in her ears. Nova looked up at the red flashing light, and knew right away what the problem was. She knew somebody would be after that vile, it was only a matter of time. This behavior was typical.
She cut the general short of his story of his times in the Cornerian Army, and dashed into the hallway. The group rushed to the hall just as Nova had, but she was already half way ahead of them; the thief was in sight.
The black sheep was running short of breath, but the sight of the angry phoenix kept him going. He was starting to wonder if this was worth the money, or even worth dying for; he went to turn the corner but bumped right into a fox holding a blaster.
"Going somewhere?" the new opponent grinned. Standing right beside him was a tall blue pheasant. The avian also smirked and pulled out his blaster. "If he's goin' anywhere it's not off this ship." The fox laughed at the his comrade's comment.
"Fox! Falco!" Beltino exclaimed excitedly from down the hall, the sheep went to run the other way but when he turned around, he saw Nova standing furious behind him, fire in her hands.
"Looks like you've run out of options," she said brashly. The sheep sighed in defeat raising his hands.
"Coward..." Nova mumbled, disgusted. She was crossing her wings when Fox grabbed the sheep's hands and pulled them behind his back, wrapping them in cuffs. Beltino grabbed the vile out the sheep's shirt pocket.
"I'll be taking that, thank you very much." Beltino turned around and headed towards the storage room. Falco grabbed the sheep by the scuff of the shirt and looked at him angrily in the eyes.
"So sheepy… what did you need the vile for?" he said in a low voice. The sheep shivered, already having a fear of the avian. He didn't look him back in the eyes.
"I-I...I was blackmailed into doing it!" He yelped. Falco rolled his eyes and placed the blaster against the sheep's head.
"Get talkin'." He said sharply. Nova felt unease in the air. She walked up to Falco and pushed the blaster away from the sheep's head. He glared at her, but she glared right back.
"What's the big deal..?" He asked but she cut him off.
"Move," she said. Something else was wrong. She walked a few steps down to the next intersection and noticed another sheep making his way around the far corner.
"He's a decoy!" she yelled as she made a running dash down the hall. She jumped and flung a fire wisp but missed by the length of an eyelash. She slid around the corner of the hall to hear whispering nearby. Trying her best to be silent as she searched for her target, she grinned when she found him tucked in a dark corner talking to someone on his wrist device.
"Hey boss…. yeah I got it right here. Yeah I know… I'll be there… Gotta go!"The sheep slowly turned around to see a tall pink avian standing behind him, smirking.
"Got what?" She asked innocently. The sheep quivered, after hearing the commotion that she had caused back in the lab, and took a step back.
"Oh, it's nothing," he swallowed hard. Nova rolled her eyes; she had seen this time and time again, and was sick of it. She proceeded to grab the sheep by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off the ground.
"Then you won't mind me taking a quick look in your pockets then?" The sheep looked away; her eyes were just too threatening.
"I'll call security!" He threatened. She laughed.
"On yourself?" She dropped him on the floor. He took out a blaster and aimed it at her, Nova's smile faded to a annoyed expression.
"I'll do it!" he screamed, his hand and blaster shaking.
"I'm not afraid of little boys… let alone ones that won't use a gun." She grimaced, and kicked the blaster out of his hand, sending it flying. It smashed upon contact with the floor.
"Hand it over!" She ordered, impatient.
"No!" He said, holding the vile close to his chest.
"Boy, do you even know what that stuff can do to you?" She snarled.
"It can stop you." He said. Nova paused for a moment.
"… Give it to me." She gestured for him to give it to her.
"No."
This little sheep was far too stubborn for Nova's taste. He aggravated her. She grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the stomach. Immediately he doubled over, and collapsed to the floor. She put her foot on his chest.
"Who's your boss?" She demanded. Her new prisoner choked and coughed.
"You'll have to kill me first!" he cried out.
"Well I guess you will be spending the rest of your life on this cold metal floor then. I am not moving my foot until you tell me who put you up to this." She boldly stated.
Falco and Fox came running around the corner, blasters in hand. Fox's eyes widened at the sight of Nova standing over the sheep. It looked to him as if Nova was a predator and the sheep was her prey. Falco merely grinned at the sight. Not too far behind them were Beltino, General Pepper, and the guards that had followed.
The thief was frightened to the bone. He was underneath a viscous pink avian who was backed by the Star Fox team. Knowing very well he was not going to win this fight alone, he popped open the vial and drank the dark substance. Nova quickly stepped and readied a fist of fire. Within seconds the small sheep had transformed into a hideous black monster.
His shriek tore through the halls of the gate and made Fox's fur stand on end. The rest of the crew held back, raising their weapons. Nova stood right in front of the beast without a hint fear. She leaped up over the front of it and threw a sharp blade made of violet flames. He screeched in agony and grabbed her by her tail feathers. She landed face first on the floor, which knocked the wind out of her.
Fox and Falco fired their blasters, giving Nova the time she needed to recuperate and get back on her feet, but their shots seemed to do little more than irritate the monster. She slowly eased herself up and glared up at the monster. Her face was scraped and bloodied; taking a deep breath she leapt back up and started to fight again.
The two Star Fox members looked at each other, and silently agreed that they had stood on the sidelines for long enough. They both ran in, guns blazing. The creature flung shadowy disks at the both of them, but the shot them down with ease. They both sent more shots at the deformed sheep. Fox's shot managed to graze the creature by the eye. Falco took his shot which bounced off the creature's chest and flew past the General and his men.
At this point the general ordered his men to open fire at the creature. It flung its arms around, trying to swipe Fox and Falco away from him. But what the monster did not know was that they were distracting him.
Nova took this opportunity to make her final blow. She stood up and raised her hands slowly. Closing her eyes, she summoned a giant ring of fire that surrounded and enveloped her enemy. More rings of violet flame appeared and began to spin. The heat and light spread throughout the room, blinding those that did not cover their eyes. The creature shrieked in pain, causing the rings to crack slightly. Nova's fuchsia eyes shot open fiercely, without pupils and as white as the brightest suns. She was more than finished with this battle. Strength welled up inside of her and she started to flex her fingers, tightening the rings and forcing them to become even brighter.
Everyone looked at the creature with amazement. From the floor up it was turning white, and slowly starting to resemble the sheep that was it once was. In a matter of minutes the shadow-beast had faded, and the tiny sheep had reappeared. Nova sighed, satisfied with the result of her actions, and lowered her hands.
"Beautiful." Beltino whispered, awed by her abilities. Nova approached the sheep and pinned him, her talons encompassing his neck.
"I'll ask one more time, who put you up to this?" she questioned sternly. When he did not reply, she started to squeeze.
"Okay, okay!" He cried, "...His name is Andrew…"
Fox jumped in, "As in Andrew Oikonny?"
The sheep nodded, "He is gathering his army again..."
"Where are they gathering?" Fox growled, grabbing him from Nova. He had a bone to pick with Andrew..
"Ouch! …I don't know!." The sheep squealed, quivering in Fox's grasp.
Fox became annoyed and bared his fangs at him pulling him closer to meet his gaze. "Cowardly little sheep..if you know what's good for you... you'll…"
"That's enough!" Beltino and Pepper chimed in, ordering their men to take the Sheep away and lock him in a cell. They could get more answers out of him later if need be. Nova glared at him as he walked by, in a way that scared him more than being face to face with Fox McCloud. Her eyes were menacing, and had the glimmer of a predator ready to rip apart its prey…
"We need to find out what Andrew is up to." Pepper said in a quiet voice. A voice that meant he was in deep thought and likely two steps ahead of everyone else.
Fox nodded, "I think we can snoop around and try to dig up something? Maybe fight a few pests. What do you think Falco?"
"I would hate to miss a good fight." The avian grinned, swinging his blaster around his finger and then sliding it back into its holster.
Fox looked over at Nova, "Would you be interested in coming with us?"
She nodded, "Knowing what they are after I cannot refuse. I am obligated to investigate this...issue."
The general piped in, "I am sorry Nova, but we cannot have you wondering Lylat without knowing what kind of threat you pose. We haven't often trusted people with great power in the past."
Nova sighed, "I understand your concern General, but I can reassure you that I am not a threat to you or your people. If you must insist on me staying back I would be required to use… an extreme response. Matters that involve dark energy are not to be tampered with by lesser life forms such as yourselves. No offense... but I must insist that I go with-"
"You are staying here until Beltino clears or deems you safe to roam Lylat!" Pepper snapped.
Beltino got in between the General and Nova before a heated debate broke out.
"Listen, I think we can reach an agreement here…" he said and turned to Falco and Fox, "You take Nova, or rather, escort her to help you investigate this issue. That way she gets what she wants and we know that she won't cause any trouble."
Pepper sighed. In a way he knew what it was like to be kept from his duties, and decided to agree with his friend. "Fine, but make one mistake and you are no longer welcome in Lylat. Is that understood?"
Nova nodded in understanding, "Understood General."
"So its settled then?" Fox placed his hands on his hips. "We will get resupplied and move out
tomorrow morning."
"Oh Nova, I guess you haven't been properly introduced", Beltino said to Nova ushering her over towards the two, "This is Fox and Falco. They are part of team Star Fox; they're kind of a big deal around here."
Nova smiled and offered to shake Fox's hand, "Nice to meet you Fox."
"Likewise" Fox smiled back, shaking her hand in return. Nova felt an unease with Falco, but shrugged it off and offered to shake his hand anyway.
"And nice to meet you too, Falco."
"Yeah yeah, nice to meet you too lady" He scoffed, crossing his arms. Nova rolled her eyes.
"Rude," she mumbled, glaring at the other avian.
"I'll have someone clean up this mess," the General stated. "Beltino, see to it that our new…guest…is wearing proper attire before she leaves."
Nova didn't understand what the General meant, until she compared what she was wearing to everyone else. She wore white robes with rose shaped gold plates that twisted and twined around like vines all over her ankles and wrists.
"But this is the only thing I can wear without burning it up…"
Beltino raised his brow, clearly both clothes and armor would both be destroyed in high temperatures.
"Its enchanted..." She finished, seeing that Beltino and the rest of the crew were confused.
"Ah! Well I'm sure we could whip something else up for you, Nova" Beltino suggested with a hint of excitement in his voice, "I'll get started on it right away! Also, if you wish you can have room G456-C, it's for our special guests. One of the men can show you where it is when you are ready."
Pepper gestured the men to follow him and Beltino.
"Be ready for a debriefing. You and the Star Fox team will be given the most valuable intel on the situation regarding Andrew and his followers. We will see you all at seven-hundred hours."
Fox, Falco and Nova nodded and watched the crew march around the corner. Fox sighed stretching his arms, "Well I guess we should get back to see if our supplies have made it on the ship, eh Falco?"
Falco was too busy looking at the pink avian standing in front of him to respond. He was impressed by the way she held herself, especially when she fought the dark creature. Fox grinned and wanted to laugh but managed to hold it back.
Nova spun around, "Glad that's over..." she said, noticing Falco's dazed expression. She raised her brow annoyed. "Really? You don't get to look at me like that, especially after that introduction."
Falco was taken aback by her comment. It was not too often he met a girl who would talk back to him like that. And he wasn't too fond of it. He was about to respond when Fox stepped in to insure he wouldn't say something he would later regret.
"Ha, okay… We will see you tomorrow Nova." He pushed Falco back slightly hoping he'd back off. As Fox and Falco turned and walked away, Nova and Falco shared a glared at one another.
This is going to be an interesting trip…. Fox thought.