Chapter 6: Forgotten Memories

I'm running down a narrow corridor, my blaster is in my right hand. Sweat is pouring down my face, I hear an alarm ringing. Red lights are flashing on and off. I can feel my heart racing, my legs are getting sore. It's getting very difficult to breathe.

I suddenly see a door to the right of me. I peer in through the room window and I notice that no one is in it. I slide open the door, dash inside and lock the door. I brace my back to the nearby wall and attempt to catch my breath. As I begin to rest, I notice that the room is some sort of laboratory. I see glass cabinets filled with bottles all around me.

"Alert!" I hear a female computer voice beep. "Intruder has been detected in sector three! All scientists please evacuate immediately until the threat is neutralized."

I hear the automated voice say that phrase, over and over again. I begin to search through the glass cabinets in the room. Even though most of them are locked I just smash the glass with my blaster.

'I must find proof,' I tell myself. 'I cannot let them get away with this. They must be stopped.'

Rigboroflam, Draghionyl, Sigyroglan... made up names of various chemicals.

"Dammit," I curse out loud. "It's not here. Of course its not..."

I take samples of everything I see before a glass window shatters behind me. I roll away from the shards of flying glass, only a few manage to scrape my back. I look towards the window and I see a guard talking into his communication device.

"She's in lab fiv-" He manages to say before he yells with agony.

I look at my blaster and notice the fresh smoke billowing out of it. I get up off the ground as I hear a thud and I notice another door at the other end of the room. I run towards it and kick it down. I see a new, different colored hallway as I continue to run...

I wake up startled and sweaty, my heart is pounding in my chest. I clutch my stomach and breathe a deep sigh of relief. I notice that my blanket and pillow have fallen onto the floor.

"What's with these dreams?" I say aloud, half asleep. "They feel so real."

I rub my eyes again and quickly remember that I'm on Fox's ship. I'm on top of a bunk bed, located in a corner of The Great Fox's sleeping quarters. I hop down from the top of the bed and head towards the bathroom. I turn on some music before walking inside. I turn on the bathroom light and I see my messy reflection staring back at me. My eyes are groggy, my hair is tangled and my fur is scruffy.

"Well..." I grumble lightly. "Time to get started."

I take a shower, fix up my fur and comb my hair. After my shower I put on my causal clothes, a simple navy blue t-shirt and gray sweat pants. After the song is done, I turn off the music player and leave the room. After walking down the hall for about a minute, I hear the sound of laughter and joy coming from a nearby room. I poke my head in and I notice that everyone is in the Great Fox's game room. Fox, Falco, Slippy and Peppy are playing pool, the table is located in the middle of the room. The doorway that I'm standing in is in one corner of the room. In the opposite corner there are a few old arcade machines. As I enter the room, they finally notice me and look over.

"Good morning young lady," Peppy says cheerfully. "How did you sleep?"

"Just fine." I lie, unable to tell the truth about my nightmares.

"Glad to hear it," Peppy replies happily. "We're about twenty minutes from Fortuna. We're jus' having a friendly game of pool. Want in?"

"No thanks," I carefully respond. "You guys finish up."

I casually look around behind me and I notice a huge holovision mounted into the wall. The entire Lylat system, well at least I think it is the Lylat system, is displayed on the screen. All of the planets are labeled with various data. Name, core temperature, climate, atmosphere, elevations and the like. The Great Fox's location is shown as a yellow, blinking dot.

"What is this one?" I ponder as I point to a blue and green planet on the edge of the star map.

"Sauria..." Falco replies, almost shuddering as he pronounces it.

I suddenly feel weakness in my legs. That name sounds so familiar. I get a rush of pictures, memories, in my head. One right after the other.

I hear loud shouting and the sound of blaster fire. I hear screams all around me. My vision is clouded by smoke, trees are quickly burning all around me. I can hear the distinct sound of evil laughter off in the distance.

"Get outta here!" I hear some dinosaur shout at me. "It's too danger-"

I hear several blaster shots as the dinosaur falls to the muddy ground. I see strange warriors, cloaked in red robes, running straight for me. I draw a sword from my own belt and begin to cut them down swiftly. A wave of terror sweeps across their faces as I continue to impale them against my blade.

I'm in the cockpit of a fighter ship. I see the surface of a planet burning beneath me. Literally hundreds of ships are flying in the sky, lasers are shooting off in every direction. I hear a loud crackling noise and I smell smoke. I've been hit! I cannot seem to control the ship! I push a button as my seat ejects. My fighter crashes into a nearby a tree a few milliseconds later...

I grab on to the wall in front of me. I nearly fall over because my knees are shaking violently. I cannot make sense of them...

"Are you all right?" Fox asks as he stops me from collapsing.

"Yeah..." I groan as I hold onto my sore head. "That name... is very familiar... I saw pictures... in my head... that somehow relate to it..."

"We'd better get you something to eat." Fox says as he activates the intercom on his wrist. "R.O.B., prepare lunch right away please."

"Yes sir," R.O.B responds in his monotone voice through the vessel's PA system. "Right away."

"Wait... if R.O.B isn't navigating the Great Fox then who is?" I ask curiously.

"Krystal," Fox replies hastily. "She enjoys it. She claims that it relaxes her."

"That reminds me," Slippy states hesitantly. "She wanted to speak with you before we reach Fortuna."

"Alright," I reason, slightly confused. "I guess I will meet you guys in the dining hall with Krystal."

With those words I say my good-byes and leave the room. As I continue down the hallway, the floor makes a slight clanking noise. I look at it and notice it's made of a white metal. After a few more minutes I reach the control room at the front of the Great Fox. I see Krystal, dressed in a white shirt and red pants.

"I'm glad you came," She speaks without turning to face me. "I wanted to talk privately with you before we landed on Fortuna."

She turns around and motions toward the empty chair beside her. As I sit down she continues to talk. "I don't know if Fox told you or not but the three of us are very similar. Fox lost his father, I lost my parents and you lost your uncle. The loss of a loved one is a powerful thing. It's the most traumatic experience that we all go through."

I start to feel sad again as I sighed.

"Krystal... why are you telling me this?" I question in a slightly forced way.

"Because Fox chose to avenge his father," She replies quickly. "He hunted down his father's killer two years ago. And me? I myself chose to find the truth behind my parent's deaths, but I found nothing. All that I was left with a bitter taste inside of my soul."

She sighs before carrying on. "My point is that Fox and I were miserable for years. We pursued revenge. That was a mistake. I do not want you to make the same mistakes that we made."

She was right. I knew she was right. It made sense when I thought about it but... that's not how I felt inside. I had a deep hated within me. One that continued to eat away at my thoughts.

'How can I just stand by and do nothing?' I say to myself.

'No...' I reason. 'I will not rest until every pirate pays for their crimes...'

"I know what your thinking Nikki," Krystal says as she reads my mind. "We don't just stand idly by. We are doing everything that we can to stop pirates and other criminals from taking over this system. It's our job."

I turn away. I cannot stare at her face because I feel ashamed. When I turn my head I see a planet off in the distance. It looks like a gigantic emerald glistening in the air, it's beautiful. I hear the computer beep and I notice Krystal's fingers tapping on the keyboard.

"That'll keep us in orbit." Krystal says as the computer beeps again.

"Now," She continues. "Lets eat before we land..."

It takes the whole team about an hour to eat. We are eating minced red snapper, marinated in some kind of berry wine. Mashed potatoes perfectly seasoned, and a garden salad. It's delicious, even by Slippy's standards.

When everyone is finished eating, I excuse myself and head off to the sleeping quarters to grab my things. The bag is slightly heavier now because Krystal gave me some extra clothes. As I'm standing in the doorway I turn my head around and stare at the room for about a minute. I wonder if I will ever see it again.

"The transport is ready Nikki," Fox says as he motions his hand toward me. "Come on."

I follow him to The Great Fox's hanger and I notice a small rectangular shaped vessel. It has many windows and is painted red.

"It used to be a Cornerian convoy bus," Slippy educates me cheerfully. "Until I modified it. It's now used only for planetary descents."

I smile lightly and follow him onto the "bus." We begin to make our descent on Fortuna. My home, the location of my tragedy and the future of my hope.

Meanwhile, Leon and Wolf have arrived within Fortuna space. An empty Wolfen on auto pilot is following them.

"They are already here Wolf." Leon grins as he gestures towards The Great Fox.

"Do not engage them Leon," Wolf scorns slightly. "I don't like Fox either but we are here for our team member."

"Yes sir," Leon replies with obvious annoyance in his voice.

"The scan shows that Nikki has reached the surface, we must be quick." Wolf replies hastily.

This planet is beautiful, I do not remember seeing anything like it. Huge trees and flowers cover the vast landscape, except for the plain that I am on. The air is rich and moist, I take in the sweet scent of some of the flowers. I remember that smell. It smells like...

I hear many children laughing happily. They're cheering as they are playing some sort of game amongst the various wild flowers scattered across the ground. I see a smaller group of them chasing a large red ball with green stripes, laughing with happiness in their voices. I have a sudden urge to run toward the ball with the other kids, and I suddenly realize that I'm a child too. The other kids join in, and we are all dashing toward the ball now, trampling flowers and squealing with excitement. I get a sad look on my face when I see that a young boy has already grabbed the ball

"I got it!" A little otter boy squeaks. "I got it!"

He is holding the red ball above his head and between his tiny hands. The other kids, including me, are running up to him in an attempt to take the ball for ourselves.

"Now, now," I hear a familiar voice say behind me. "Play nice little ones. You don't want to hurt any of your friends do you?"

I turn around and I notice a young but tall Falco towering over all of us. He looks down at me, chuckling with his arms crossed.

"Nikki," He says with cheer in his voice. "You uncle wants you home for lunch now, follow me."

I wave good-bye timidly with my right hand, while Falco holds my left one. I casually look over to my right and I see a huge cliff that seems to go on down forever. Beyond it is a huge body of water that stretches as far as the eye can see. The yellow Lylat sun is slowly setting as it creates a amazing but beautiful spectacle of light. I see yellow and red colors glistening softly on the water's surface, the water is perfectly clear. It seems to be the most awe-inspiring sunset I have ever seen. As we continue walking I notice many other adults in the village, all busy with their chores. I notice the aroma of a sweet smelling flower. It's coming from my house. The wooden door is open and I see my uncle in the doorway. He's tall and muscular.

"Nikki!" He shouts with joy as he opens his arms toward me. "I've made your favorite meal! Groundhog pansy soup with strawberry icecream!"

"Yay!" I happily squeal as he lifts me with his huge arms, laughing.

He walks off of our porch and into our dining room, and I see Fox's team all gathered around the table. They're all laughing with smiles on their faces, as they talk to one another they are holding some sort of drink in their hands.

I hear the "bus" alarm beep loudly. I jump and turn around in surprise.

"Fighters!" Peppy yells from inside the small machine. "Coming in from the south!"

I look up and I see three red and gray fighters are descending towards us.

"Wolf." I say out loud.

Fox turns to me in surprise and asks, "You know him?"

"Yes," I say regretfully. "He's my boss."

The Wolfens land and I see Wolf get out of one. A green chameleon hops out of the other one, grinning.

Fox and Wolf stare at each other intently.

"I am not here to fight you Fox," Wolf says as he tosses his blaster into his Wolfen's cockpit. "I'm just here for my team member."

My eyes fill up with sorrow. I realize now that Star Fox and Star Wolf are rivals. Bitter ones at that. Why, I do not know.

"I just brought her home!" Fox yells angrily at Wolf. "You can't just take her away again!"

"We don't have time to argue Fox," Wolf sighs as he turned towards me. "As long as she is here she is in danger. We all are."

"I will go," I say as a tear rolls down my cheek. "I will not be a threat to my own planet."

"You can't be seri-" Falco manages to say before being interrupted.

"It is her choice," Krystal interrupts sadly. "We cannot choose Nikki's destiny for her."

I am filled with confusion as I walk toward the third Wolfen, bag in hand. But I have to go and I trust both Wolf and Fox for some reason. I am going with my instinct. Before entering the Wolfen, I turn to face Fox. His team members all have surprised looks on faces, all of them except Krystal.

"I'm sorry Fox," I begin to say as my voice begins to crack. "I didn't know that you two were unfriendly."

With those words, the three of us leave the planet's surface. I have left behind the only friends that I could remember. As their faces disappeared from view, I wondered if leaving them was a mistake.

"We're flying out to our space station to refuel," Wolf says over the Wolfen's intercom. "After that we must search for our fourth team member, he's missing. You two have a small history together. You should remember it soon enough."

"Then," Leon speaks into the intercom a little too loudly. "We must stop a bloody war. One where we've been forced to switch sides..."

'War?' I say to myself. 'I do not want to be in a war. And who is this fourth team member? Will I ever remember our time together? Or are those memories lost forever?'

I turn on the Wolfen's autopilot and my mind begins to wander. I drift off into a peaceful sleep...