Chapter 7
Assumptions
Fox McCloud aggressively banged his head on to the console as he saw the sight before him, the planet Katina, "Damn, we're right back where we started!" Falco yelled
"'Tis a shame, I wanted to be closer to Venom." Piers chuckled
"Why did Pepper want us to go through the warp if we'd just end up in friendly airspace?" Piers asked
"Pepper didn't know where we'd end up, and I doubt Katina could've taken it out." quipped Miyu
"Damn it, this through us off track" Bill yelled
N-no! You are from Corneria…you…" Krystal's voice babbled in his mind.
What is it Krystal?
Venom…Cernia
Fox waited for more, but nothing came. Then Slippy's face came over the HUD, "You guys, I'm picking up energy readings from Solar….they're off the charts!" Slippy yelled,
"Is that….is that even something that concerns us?" asked a confused Katt
"Regardless, I'm glad Slippy noticed. Pepper would probably like to know something about it." reasoned Peppy
"Shall I inform General Pepper of this new finding?"
"Sure ROB. Get back to the Great Fox, you all deserve a rest"
They all docked into the hangar. Immediately, Fox ran over to Krystal's ship. The cockpit slid open and the blue fox clad in a bikini slid out with a gracefully landing, "Angry and beautiful huh?" Fox said, "Listen…"
" No, you listen, your perversions will not stand…" Krystal began in a dark tone but was interrupted by Falco's laughter, which caused Krystal to shoot a death glare at the avian.
"I know you're ogling me you oaf. I also know that you're imagining us having intercourse. I suppose that makes you just as disgusting as the rest of your kind."
"So I guess she's a telepath or whatever huh? Great, no more privacy on this bird." Falco laughed
"Oh, you'll lose much more than 'privacy' my friends. I know everything about all of you, and I could easily take all of you out if I wanted to." Krystal explained, Fox noticing her strange accent (A British accent to a human)
"Listen, I don't get your hostility, but that's not how things work on this ship, so get off your soapbox. Whatever power you carried, wherever you're from, doesn't apply here, so the only option you have is to fall in line while we arrange to have you sent to Corneria for questioning. If you don't do as we say, we could easily make your experience here very very ugly." Bill said, seething with an annoyed anger, as Wisp nodded in approval
"Wait a minute, hold everything. We could work things out here." Fox said, trying to calm the people in the room.
"Is that some attempt at Lylatian humor? You must be joking." hissed Krystal
"No, we seriously could use someone like you on our team, so if you cooperate, things will be a lot easier on you."
"Are you seriously asking The Last of the Cernians to join a filthy Cornerian band of headhunters? Don't count on it Lylatian scum!" Krystal snapped walking away in a huff
Katt walked up to him, hands on hips, "Now look what you've done. You've made the blue girl mad." Katt said, "You'll never get her that way."
"Damn, somebody better mail that bitch a wench of the year award." Piers said nearly doubling over in laughter if it weren't for Falco's support
"Listen to yourselves! Your ancestors would be ashamed of how you treat women."
"Actually, people back in the day were just as sexist as we are, if not more." Slippy inputed
"Not helping my point Slip." Peppy growled through gritted teeth
Falco picked up on this first and walked away. Piers just sighed as he too walked away.
"AT LEAST THERE AIN'T NO GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE ARMY!" Wisp shouted
"It'd be a zoo if there was." Bill admitted,
"Actually, there is. A lot of women are confined to secretarial positions. Statistics show that…." Slippy began
However, that all was cut short when Fox let forth an annoyed, almost feral sounding growl, "Slippy, shut up."
Slippy's eyes widened to an even larger size than normal. Peppy started to speak, probably intent on lecturing everyone, but Fox held up a hand, "Listen you guys, now isn't time for fun and games. We've got an alien hostile aboard the ship. If you guys shut your traps for a second, I can try to work things out with her."
"Fox, you said it yourself, she's a hostile." said Peppy
" You heard her, she knows everything about us. I saw her fly too, she was mimicking Cornerian flight patterns perfectly. She could really be an asset to this team if we can convince her to stay. That's really the only option we have though, unless one of you wants to wait for whatever greenhorn Pepper can dig up, or if you want jettison her in her own pod, which would involve going toe to toe with someone who knows your next move before you do, be my damned guest, because like I said, those are the only options we for now."
Silence befell the room until Peppy spoke, "If that's what you feel is best, then do it."
"Okay then, everyone is dismissed except for Peppy, he and I need to talk."
There was a moment of chilling awkward silence before the team dispersed, leaving only Peppy and Fox, "Peppy, She kept mentioning Cernia…"
Peppy's ears perked up, " As in…she's from there?"
"From what I could gather, yes."
"So that makes the legends true."
"Legends?"
"Do you know much about Cernia?"
"Not a lot I'm afraid. A lot of what Andross found on Cernia was kept top secret from what I understand."
"Long ago, its people had peace with the Lylatians, all thanks to my grandfather, Allistar Hare, who actually took the time to learn the language and represent Cernia in negotiations with the Lylat Order, which was in its infancy mind you. Decades later, a young Andross managed to convince the Order to send him on an expedition ot the planet for one of his first government-sanctioned experiments. He seemed to be pretty excited to run some tests on Cernia. He befriended the Cernian leaders, and things were good. However, that all went to hell when Andross recruited several renegade Order soldiers to lay waste to Cernia. Andross even had the balls to be on The Instigator when the first shot was fired, not even trying to hide his involvement. By the time Andross had used all the stolen Cornerian resources, Cernia was a radioactive wasteland "
"That's how Andross built his entire empire, weapons and tech smuggling"
Peppy nodded, "Obviously Andross was traced as the source of all the chaos pretty easy, then we all found out he was just a madman willing to kill the Lylat system from the inside. That's when The Order exiled him to to the barren wasteland that was Cernia. The Cornerian dubbed the planet Venom after that, as there was no Cernians to object, but rumor had it that some Cernians had escaped the carnage in secret, and Andross was still hunting for whatever he was looking for, as nuking the planet didn't uncover anything."
Fox nodded, finally understanding, "Creator….so this woman's former homeland is now a nuclear wasteland where we deposit our criminals, and above the corpses of her loved ones no less? "
"I'm afraid so."
"I'd better go find Krystal." he explained jogging off in Krystal's direction.
It didn't take long to find Krystal looking out the large window of The Great Fox, "Hey." Fox whispered sheepishly
Krystal spun on her heel, striking a strange stance Fox had never seen before. Her left arm was fully extended behind her, while her right arm was extended fully in front of her, mere inches away from Fox's chest , "Don't you dare touch me! If you want to kill The Last of the Cernians, you're going to have to fight me for it! And if you do, let me warn you that that's the dumbest thing you could do all day, I know exactly where to strike the heart to make it explode inside of your chest. Or, I could make everything much more painful by attacking your other pressure points."
"Kill you?" Fox shuddered at the thought of being systematically destroyed, "That isn't our style."
" You seem to be smarter than the average Lylatian, I see you were intent on taking the civil route before you came in here."
"Not all Lylatian's are violent."
Krystal snarled, "Really?" she growled, her voice burning with sacasm, " That isn't how it looks from my end. Need I remind you that my entire race was killed by your people?"
"I…" Fox blushed slightly with embarrassment, not knowing how to phrase his next point, "Nobody on the team is responsible for that, nor do we think that was appropriate action, it was Andross, the man we're opposing who…"
"Andross? That name sounds…HIM! He was the one that launched the first bombing attack on his flagship The Instigator "
"In fact, we have a descendant of Allistar Hare on board."
"The Man from the Sky? Our elders always told us about him. So many nights around the fire, so many…"
Without thinking, Krystal broke her stance, her head hanging down, crying quite noticeably. Fox stood silent for a second, unsure of what to do. The second he thought to hug her close, she flung herself into Fox's arms, desperate for something to hold as she sobbed. Fox couldn't necessarily explain what he felt next, but the mutual agreement of their comforting gestures gave them both a comforting warmth, and Fox wasn't sure how he knew Krystal actually felt this way, it was intuitive. Unfortunately for him, Krystal's started to squirm and needlessly adjust her position, as if she were trying her absolute hardest not to accept his warm grasp. Although this disappointed the young vulpine, it wouldn't deter him from helping her out.
"Like I said, we're opposing Andross and..."
Krystal snorted, "But only for a bounty I suppose?" she hissed
"Absolutely not…." Fox started, but she interrupted
"How do I know you and your band won't just side with Andross if he pays you more, or, if your countrymen lose?"
Fox almost snapped in frustration at the comment, but he suddenly felt a sense of calm wash over him, as he formulated a plan, "Look, you're a telepath right?"
Krystal's forehead wrinkled in confusion, "Yes…why?"
"Read my mind." Fox said flatly
"W-what? No one has ever invited me to peak into their mind, in my culture, it's considered rude…"
"Do it. A wise man once told me, 'Trust your instincts'. Now, my instincts are telling me that running my mouth about my intentions won't convince you of anything, so please, tap into my brain."
Krystal nodded. To her, this man gave off a very positive, warm hearted energy which is why she'd tried to find sanctuary in his arms, but even so, she was frightened. What if it was all a façade? What if this man was telepathic himself, and only willing to fight her…?
But then, what if he isn't? Krystal thought
Krystal shut her eyes, and concentrated on the young man's brain waves. She picked up a name, Fox McCloud, but she knew that already.. Along with it came the most basic information about Fox, age, place of birth, height, weight, occupation et cetera. Although she had been able to pick up the Lylatian language from the other people on board, a flood of words with seemingly no connection other than the language itself bombarded her. As if she were pushing through thick brush in a jungle, she shoved those thoughts away, as it was all redundant to her. Then, more names, the names of the crew of the ship and what they meant to Fox. Then, details about their mission, which hit her like a freight train. She was overwhelmed with some of Fox's personality traits, a strong sense of patriotism, compassion for others, all the emotions flooding through his mind as it pertained to the mission. She had pried far enough. However, she could feel negative energy within Fox's consciousness, like heat emanating from an oven. Fearing that Fox was a liar, she decided to investigate. More names.
James McCloud
Vixy R McCloud
Then, voices
I'm afraid he isn't coming home
Fox, we'll find who killed your mother.
Then, the name Andross punched its way through the energy, almost kicking Krystal out of Fox's mind. Krystal heard a disembodied, far away voice, a voice she recognized as Andross', spewing some sort of outdated propoganda.. Then, she felt her body ease, as she shifted from fighting the stormy currents of anger, to relaxing in Fox's melancholy psyche. The name Fara Phoenix was thrown around a lot, and with it came mixtures of sadness and happiness. Then, out of nowhere, like an attack from behind, a name through itself at her.
Wolf O'Donnell
Krystal finally was pushed out of Fox's subconscious, gasping for breath, slowly regaining her composure. Once again, Fox had wrapped her in his arms. The emotions she had felt before, all subsided, all replaced with something that felt like a mixture of bliss and concern
"Are you OK?" Fox asked, concern evident in his voice
"Yes. I'm sorry for accusing you of murderous intentions, I now see you and your crew are goodhearted people."
"Well good" was all Fox could say
There was an awkward pause, both vulpines enjoying the presence of the other. Krystal was the first to speak, "Oh, and Fox?"
"Hmmmm?" Fox asked
"I'm joining your team."
"Good."
"But…"
"But what?"
"You aren't exactly oozing professionalism right now by embracing your newest crew members, something tells me that isn't how Lylatians operate."
Fox snapped out of his dream-like state, pulling away, "Oh crap!" he yelled, obviously humiliated.
"It's alright, I was rather…" Krystal said, running a hand across Fox's cheek, "….Enjoying it."
Krystal laughed to herself as Fox blushed. Normally, she was not a devious woman, but Fox McCloud was entirely too much fun to mess with.
Just as Fox began to stutter like a fool, ROB's voice blared over the intercom, "Incoming message from General Pepper."
They all assembled in the main room as Pepper's face appeared on the hologram, "Star Fox Team, while I thank you for bringing the bizzare flares on Solar to my attention, they aren't of your concern. However, I do have a rather urgent request of you. The forces patroling Sector Y are being destroyed! You must hurry!" Pepper screamed, the transmission cutting away.
"ROB, how much time till we reach Sector Y?"
"Approximately one hour Star Fox." ROB informed the group.
Fox looked over at Krystal, who had a small smile on her face, "So, are you going to teach me how to use the ship of yours?" she asked
"Oh, the Arwing? Of course, just follow me to the hangars."
"No the Landmaster." Falco said sarcastically before whispering, "Dumb ass."
Fox smirked as he and Krystal walked to the hangars. Eventually, they were standing in front of Peppy's Arwing.
"Okay, the horseshoe shape thingie is the steering wheel." Fox explained
"Yes."
"…and the yellow and red buttons are for lasers and bombs."
"Okay."
"The Footpedal is for the brakes."
"Got it."
Wow, what a fast learner Fox thought as he went on, "The yellow button is the launch button and the stick is for barrell-rolling."
Krystal smirked knowingly. Krystal had known how to pilot an Arwing ever since she read Fox's mind, but truthfully, she just enjoyed hearing Fox's kind voice.
And now, for the final trick….
"That's it?" Krystal asked.
"Oh, see that toggle switch?" Fox asked, pointing to it.
"Toggle switch?" Krystal confusedly asked with a small grin.
Fox leant into the ship, "That one." the vulpine grunted slightly, tapping the toggle.
Krystal went to lean in as well, but when she did, she "lost her balance," landing right on Fox's back…leaving them in an odd-looking position to say the least.
"Oh, THAT toggle switch?" Krystal asked sarcasticaly
"Which one do you think I meant?" the aggrivated vulpine growled
Krystal giggled, causing Fox to chuckle some He's strong, very strong the blue fox admitted, blushing a bit.
That's when Bill walked in, "Woah! I always knew you were a ladies man McCloud, but damn, that was quick!" he said, covering his eyes with his left paw and sidestepping out of the room.
"Just out of curiosity, did he think we were…?" Fox asked silently
Krystal began to giggle with laughter, eventually beside herself with an uproarious fit of laughter. That's when it hit Fox, he'd been dooped by this woman. If Fox hadn't been so embarrassed he might have been able to appreciate the playful nature of it all. However, his first instinct was to break away ad fast as he could.
Fox broke away, sliding out from under Krystal rather smoothly, but taking a tumble backward as he did so. With a polite smile, Krystal grabbed him by the hand and pulled him up. Krystal immediately took notice to his tender grasp, making her blush even more.
"Hey Krystal?"
"Yeah?"
"That was funny."
Krystal let a devious smirk cross her face as she pulled him up. Suddenly, ROB's voice blared over the intercom, "Come to main room for mission breifing!"
Fox smacked his forehead, "I forgot all about it!" he whined
You'll do fine Captain.
Krystal gave him a wink which reassured him as he went into the main room, "Pardon the tardy team."
A few grunts of forgiveness were heard, including a snide remark from Falco which Fox tuned out out of habit.
"Okay." Fox began, the projector zooming on Sector Y, "We know that there are three main flagships in the area, The Instigator, The Kitana, and The Constable. Now, The Instigator is known for its massive arsenal of weapons, The Kitana is known for being one of Venom's fastest flagships and The Constable is unanimous with Shogun, the mass murderer."
Miyu and Fay gasped at this while Krystal's paws clenched.
"With this in mind, I say we spit up into teams. Slippy, Krystal, and I will hit The Instigator. Akeem, lead Wisp, Bill, Piers and Katt to The Constable and Falco takes Miyu, and Fay to The Kitana
"Looks like I'll be at your side hun." Fay giggled towards Miyu
"Looks like." Miyu sighed, not sharing the same tone, "Just don't turn into Miss Encyclopedia again girl."
Falco opened his mouth to retort, but Krystal interrupted, "Fay recites facts when she is nervous, it's a nervous tick if you will. Miyu has nicknamed this side of Fay's personality, 'Miss Encyclopedia.'"
"Thank you for clearing that up Krystal, Now guys, we're entering Sector Y. Prepare for launch!"
