Following the bridge that attached the Great Fox to this new ship (which, upon further inspection, bore the title "Salvation" on the side of its bow), the team was able to walk through its main vessel of entrance. Able to walk and breathe without any form of artificial assistance, like Peppy had predicted, the team only carried the standard equipment. Fox, as usual, led the way, and was making sure the new, blue-furred member was always close by him as he walked. Not having any kind of uniform suitable for a female, the vixen had to put on her normal attire; she even had her staff hooked to her back, just in case. Krystal was given a thick metal bracelet with computerized abilities similar to what the rest of the team had, and they each included a built-in flashlight that surrounded each one them with a bright, comforting glow that paved a visible path as they crossed the bridge.
While she felt like she was already being accepted, Krystal couldn't help but feel nervous. She hadn't even technically entered the ship yet and already she could feel vibes of uneasiness. Something about this strange vessel made her feel uncomfortable, almost to the point where it was sickening just to think about it. "It's nothing to get so concerned about," she thought to herself, "I'm sure there are plenty of ships like this out there. After all, it's a big universe. I have no reason to be so vague. There's nothing strange about this ship; it just lost its way, and we're here to help. That's all. Don't get paranoid." Despite her attempts to look ready and willing, and though she was constantly making sure she didn't lag behind the others, the vixen unintentionally displayed an unnerving facial expression of discomfort.
Fox decided not to say anything to her just yet; an idea sparked in his head that he'd be able to talk to her in private, almost guaranteed to have no interruptions from his fellow mercenaries. If only they could mind their own business, but it'll change. Even though he didn't want to go through with this little expedition, since he still wasn't totally eager about it, he thought he could turn this situation around and make it work out just right for him. It certainly was funny the way things have been working out for him. Still silent other than the tapping of feet and soft breathing, Fox intentionally brushed against the vixen, grabbing her distained attention with a smile. She smiled back, but Falco found it too suggestive for his liking and rolled his eyes; Slippy just tried to hide his laughing.
Eventually, Fox broke the near perfect silence with a confirmation as spoken through the COM link on his armlet (also equipment which Falco and Slippy had on, and Krystal had just been given). "Well, the oxygen and gravity is still working fine like you said, Peppy," he said while the door leading to the inside of the actual ship lay just a few feet away.
The elderly hare had remained in the mother ship with ROB, who had scanned the Salvation and was able to download an internal map of the ship. "Like I said, the main power had just gone off, in fact it's been going back and forth, so I'm sure there are still people alive in there." He said, diligently observing the map.
"Can ROB find any of their heat signatures?"
"So far, no, nothing like that…I really fear something terrible happened on that ship. I think you should try and hurry."
"What should we do, Fox?" asked Krystal sheepishly.
"Let's be quick and thorough…" he responded as the end of the bridge became clear in the darkness. The doors looked like two stone slabs that supported a spherical glyph, encrusted with dust and thick, withered roots.
"What in the hell is that?" said Falco.
"It's probably just a decoration or something," said Slippy, "Judging from the outside, I'm sure whoever owns this ship could afford anything he wanted…"
"Will you drop that, already?" said Fox, still annoyed at the amphibian. "Since the power's out, we'll have to get through the doors with force."
"Alright then, let me at it!" said the falcon as he pulled up his sleeves a bit and rubbed his wings together. He fit his feathery fingers in the slender slit between the slabs, and Fox did likewise on the other side.
"One, two…three!" the two of them pulled as hard as they could to tear the stone slabs apart, but after almost a full minute, there was no signs of progression.
"Um…maybe it can be pushed?" said Krystal, trying to be helpful. She approached the rigid doors and, not sure of what she was doing was an intelligent choice, placed her paws on the glyph and prepared to push the doors downward. Before the team could assist her, before the vixen could even apply much force into her arms, a cold, cringing sound echoed through the bridge as the stone slabs shifted apart and opened up by themselves. In this, an enormous foyer revealed itself, dark and desolate, elegantly sculpted with pillared hallways and cryptic scriptures diligently written along the shining floors.
The team stood still for a moment, dumbfounded by what they just saw.
"Oh…kay…" Fox said unsure if what he saw really occurred.
"How did that happen?" asked the shocked toad.
"Huh. Maybe Krystal doesn't know her own strength," said Falco with a tone that implied he was trying his best to be friendly. Krystal blushed, and the avian quickly headed into the foyer, rotating himself so he could catch a glimpse of as much as he could. "Jeez, this place is like a mansion!"
Slippy excitedly leaped through the opened entrance and followed the bird into the ship. Likewise, he was amazed at what he saw. "Okay, I know we're not pirates, but if there aren't any survivors in here, I'm really going to have to take something. I mean, it would be a crime not to!"
"Well, it might be…" said Krystal softly. The rest of the team seemed surprised yet interested at her words as she spoke. "It's just…sometimes people like to die along with their possessions; they think it's necessary for them to be happy in the afterlife. As far as we know, there's no one alive in here…but we can see all these elaborate things and it seems strange. But, what it could be…is something like a great tomb, eternally roaming through space, perhaps even built for several people, with all their worldly belongings, ready to be taken once they cross over." She sighed and looked at the floor once she was finished with her speech.
"That's an interesting theory you've got there, Missy," said Falco, "weird…but still interesting."
"Hey! Leave her alone," said Fox as he walked up closer to the vixen. He was tempted to wrap his arm around her waist protectively, but decided not to. He could save his advances for later. "Krystal has a point. I've heard of people doing that, so it's definitely a possibility."
"A big floating coffin, huh?" said Slippy, "Maybe…I guess I'll just have to keep my sticky hands to myself and keep to business, eh?" the toad laughed at himself, and Krystal seemed pretty amused as well, but the other two were more focused with their unofficial mission.
"In any case, we had better get started," the vulpine said with a sigh. Seeing the ship was even bigger than he thought, he figured it would be best to split up. "Slippy, get to the lower level of the ship; the generator should be there, so see if you can get this place up and running again."
"Right!" the amphibian hopped with excitement.
"Falco, you check out the upstairs, Krystal and I will examine this level."
"Uh-huh," the avian grunted. Slippy couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"What? What's so funny?" asked Fox, now confused in the loss of gravity the situation once had.
"Just some advice for ya, Missy," said Falco as he walked up to Krystal and pointed to her new bracelet. "You can use this to contact any of us at any time, so if lover boy over here gets too touchy-feely, you just call me and I'll come running to beat some sense into him, alright?"
"Oh, come on, Falco! Don't you trust me?"
"No," the avian said bluntly, "no I don't. Not at all."
"Krystal, I'll keep in contact with you, as well," said Peppy through the vixen's COM link, "so Fox can't do anything funny without any of us finding out, alright?"
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," said Krystal, giggling. "Thank you very much, guys."
"Hey!" at this point, the vulpine knew everyone else was poking fun at him, and he detested it. "The lower level is probably larger, and since she's new and everything, I only think it's fair she stays with me…for safety reasons!"
"Yeah, sure Fox, whatever." said Slippy, still laughing some.
"It's okay," said Krystal in a teasingly seductive way, "I think I can take care of myself! I've been doing it all my life."
"Alright, alright!" said Fox, fed up with the joke, "let's just get this over with already!"
"Relax, Fox, we're leaving," said Falco as he jerked a wave goodbye while walking up the regal, stony stairs. The doors swinging shut behind him, the falcon decided to quickly check his COM link as he walked through the halls. "You know, Slippy, I don't know why Fox acts so surprised at the way we treat him. I mean, he's moving in on Krystal so quickly, and she doesn't even seem to mind that much, it's like they're married or something!"
"Hmm…well, maybe it's a mammal thing," responded Slippy as he made his own way down the stairs into the lower bowels of the ship, ready to get to work.
Back on the main level, the vulpine cooled down and approached the blue vixen again. "Well then…shall we?"
"First you have to promise not to get too intimate—this is a mission, after all."
"Very funny. Everyone's ganging up on me, but I don't mind…"
"Could've fooled me!" Krystal looked at him, the poor thing flustered with embarrassment again, and laughed. She was able to forget the thoughts that worried her…for the moment, at least. "Come on, you silly fuzz-ball, let's get going."
Meanwhile, back in the Great Fox, Peppy watched the team's movements on the digital map, and was somewhat relieved to see them finally progressing. "Alright, they've started, that's good." With his paws behind his back, he walked up to the hull, looked out the window onto the ship. The vessel seemed to resonate a haunting sort of aura that made the hare have to clutch his heart. "I don't know why, but I've got a terrible feeling about this ship…something about it just isn't right. It should be nothing; there might not be anything left in that ship at all, but even the circumstances seem strange to me."
"Scanners indicate faint traces of organic matter." stated the robot.
"Huh? Really?" said the hare, "ROB, have you found any leads to any passengers yet?"
"Negative."
With that, Peppy sighed and turned back around at the ship. "Just hurry up, guys…I want to put this behind us."