Fox woke up early in the morning. Seeing Krystal was still asleep, Fox snuck out and found a package waiting outside her door. Opening it, she found the chastity belt she asked Fara to get her, giving the fennec the money for the device. She disposed of the packaging and carried the contents into the shower room. In there, she slid on the chastity belt, adjusted it, and locked it. She did the same thing with the chastity bra and then snuck back into her room.
Falco smiled in relief as he was allowed to change out of his cheerleader outfit and boots.
"No more making bets with Krystal." Falco told himself as he walked into the recreation room, having changed into his normal uniform. To his surprise, Fox and Krystal were both wearing their loincloths.
"Please tell me you're wearing underwear." Falco said.
"Fox insisted." Krystal sighed, "It is nice to wear traditional garb again."
"Don't get to used to it." Fox told Krystal, "You might be taking your test earlier than anticipated and you'll be expected to wear your uniform."
"I won't mind." Krystal told her seductively, "I'm more excited about... after the test."
"I'm sure I can reschedule a post-test training exercise or two." Fox assured her.
"You two have a room." Falco scoffed, "There's no need to soil the rest of the ship."
"If you're feeling jealous, I can invite Katt over." Fox teased, "I'm sure she'll have lots of fun things for the two of you to do."
"Perhaps we should continue this in our room." Krystal suggested, "We can discuss some things. Maybe see how far we get with each other."
"I was thinking of finishing your test." Fox told her, "I have all the parts. All that's left is putting the pieces together."
"I have things to plan out too." Krystal told Fox, "...for after the test. I'll get your input when you're done. I'll be waiting in our room."
"I'll meet you there." Fox told her, "My thing should only take a few minutes. Ten minutes tops."
Fox turned on the computer and opened the file containing Krystal's test design. There were melee sections, shooting sections, and an Arwing section. Fox settled on a gauntlet-style test where Krystal would have to move from one part from the next without stopping, to better simulate a more intense battle. The onfoot sections would take place on Fichina, since she wasn't exactly used to cold climates. That would probably be the closest thing available to something she'd hate. The Arwing parts would consist of flying through a maze of rings and fighting special drones. Fox moved different parts around on a map until she was satisfied. She saved the file and turned off the computer.
"Found something she hates yet?" Falco asked Fox.
"Probably cold climates." Fox told him, "Probably. She's definitely more used to hot climates."
"Add an essay." Falco suggested, "Every normal person hates those, though I'd hesitate to call her 'normal' after the bet."
"She sure could stand quite a bit of pain." Fox observed.
"She's a freak." Falco told her.
"A freak we need." Fox pointed out, "Might even find out if she's a freak in bed too one of these days."
"Katt's a freak in bed." Falco added, "Compared to her, Krystal has to be completely vanilla."
"I'll find out soon enough." Fox said as she walked out of the room. Eventually, she reached her room.
"So, what have you been working on?" Fox asked Krystal.
"Mostly the final parts of your culture's courtship rituals." Krystal explained, "I'm wondering where we should go after the ceremony. It seems customary for your people to take the brief period afterward to begin the fullfillment of a certain duty."
"Have you narrowed it down?" Fox asked.
"Corneria for being the cultural capital of, well, your culture and Cerinia. Definitely Cerinia. It's customary for priestesses to 'break in' their spouses deep in a temple, where they'd be least likely to be interrupted. Maybe a return to Fichina for a change of pace. Still have trouble standing the cold, but that's half the run."
"So we spend our honeymoon period going from planet to planet?" Fox asked.
"We should have more than enough time." Krystal pointed out.
"If that's what you want." Fox told her, "What about the ceremony itself?"
"A simple ceremony." Krystal told her, "A sort of a compromise between Lylatian and Cerinian styles. We'll have a Lylatian official at the main ceremony and then get a blessing from a Cerinian priestess."
Fox was a little pleased. She would have been satisfied with a trip to the courthouse, but Krystal wanted something more traditional.
"One more thing." Krystal said as she handed Fox a key, "I'm trusting you to ensure I honor our agreement. No matter what I say or do, don't unlock me until it's time."
"Is this for that chastity belt you bought after talking with Fay?" Fox asked.
"I need to do this." Krystal told Fox, "And I need you to be strong. I must honor my promise."
"Okay. Okay." Fox said as she grabbed the key. Krystal turned away while Fox hid the key in a drawer. Sensing the key had been hidden, Krystal turned and looked at Fox.
"My belt doesn't mean we can't have some fun." Krystal said as she inched closer to Fox.
"Neither does mine." Fox said, showing Krystal her new chastity belt and handing her the key. Krystal put the key on the nightstand on her side of the bed. They then moved in for a kiss, but were interrupted by a message on Fox's communicator.
"Looks like Fara's company developed something and want us to test it." Fox told Krystal, "They're offering modest pay and free equipment."
"When do they want us to test the equipment?" Krystal asked.
"Today, if we want." Fox replied, "They just need the two of us."
"I have no other plans for today." Krystal told Fox, "Why don't we see what they want us to test."
Fox nodded and the pair dressed up in their uniforms and headed for their Arwing. Fox sent a message to Falco explaining their absence. Fox then had Krystal fly the ship to Fara's company on Corneria. After Krystal landed the ship, they headed into the lobby and found Fara waiting for them.
"Glad you guys could make it." Fara said cheerfully, "Follow me to the testing room."
The trio walked down a few halls until they reached a door. Fara opened the door and led them in.
"Please wait in here." she instructed, "The testing will begin shortly."
After Fara left, Fox and Krystal waited several minutes before the door on the other side of the room opened.
"Please enter the room, Krystal." they heard Fara say over the intercom, "Fox, stay there for now."
Krystal walked into the next room and found a dark blue suit folded on a cart next to a pair of dark blue boots.
"This is the latest in our line of armored suits." Fara told her over the intercom, "It's designed to maximize mobility while still protecting the wearer from enemy small arms and shrapnel, all without the power supply needed for energy shielding. Proceed to change in the changing room."
Krystal grabbed the suit and boots and proceeded to walk into the room labeled "changing room". A few minutes later, she walked out dressed in the suit.
"Proceed to the next room." Fara said over the intercom as another door opened. Krystal walked into the next room and was greeted by an obstacle course.
"This course will test out the suit's mobility." Fara told her, "Proceed to the starting line. Then, when you're ready, go through the obstacle course as fast as you can. The timer will start as soon as you pass the starting line."
Krystal walked to the starting line and readied herself. A minute later, she ran past the starting line down an uneven path until she got to a tunnel. The tunnel forced her to crawl on her stomach for about a dozen yards. Once through the tunnel, she ran, jumping over hurdles, until she got to a wall. She climbed over the wall and sprinted to the finish line.
"Final time: two minutes and thirty one seconds." Fara announced, "You may pick up your clothes from the changing room and wait in the waiting room. You may also keep the suit."
Krystal grabbed her clothes from the changing room and walked into the waiting room.
"Nice suit." Fox told Krystal.
"Fox Mccloud, please proceed to the next room." Fara said over the intercom before Krystal could reply.
"Thank you." Krystal said as Fox walked into the next room. On the cart was a light-blue suit , a pair of black and yellow bracelets, and a pair of yellow heels.
"Please take the suit, bracelets, and boots and put them on in the changing room." Fara said over the intercom.
"Any reason why they're heels?" Fox asked.
"Questions will be answered after testing is complete." Fara told her. Fox said and carried the suit, bracelets, and heels into the changing room. A minute later, Fox walked out wearing the suit, bracelets, and boots.
"Proceed to the next room for testing."
Fox walked into the next room.
"Proceed to the starting line." Fara instructed, "When you are ready, finish the obstacle course as fast as you can. The timer will start as soon as you pass the starting line."
Fox walked to the starting line and readied herself. A few seconds later, she ran past the starting line. She slowed down on the uneven ground as she tried to keep her balance. She then quickly crawled through the tunnel and ran through the next segment, jumping over the hurdles. To her surprise, the boots seemed to give her a boost every time she jumped. She then proceeded to climb over the wall and ran past the finish line.
"Final time: Three minutes and twenty four seconds. You may now proceed to the next room.
Fox walked into the next room and found a gun range. On the table was a gray and yellow gun.
"Grab the gun and aim it down the firing range when you are ready. The test will begin shortly afterward."
Fox grabbed the gun and aimed it down the firing range. A few seconds later, targets started flying.
"Proceed to fire at the targets." Fara told her. Fox aimed the gun and began firing. The first shot took a full second to charge before it fired, missing the target. Annoyed, Fox tried again. This time, she followed the target and adjusted for the slightly slower speed of the projectile. The target registered a hit and left the firing range. Fox did the same thing with the other targets, hitting the remaining 11 targets with 15 shots. A bell sounded, signaling the end of the firing test.
"You may now return to the waiting room." Fara told her over the intercom, "Your clothes were already returned to Krystal and you may keep the emergency pistol for further testing."
Fox walked back to the waiting room and found Fara there waiting for her.
"What's the deal with the boots and gun?" Fox asked.
"The boots contain small boosters to enhance performance." Fara explained, "The heels were... someone else's idea. The gun is an emergency pistol designed to fold to store compactly. The gun and boots both run on experimental micro energy generators to get rid of the need for fuel, ammo, or charging. The bracelets help the suit interract with your vehicles. They also contain an interface to adjust the interraction between suit and vehicle."
"Is there a restroom nearby where I can change?" Fox asked.
"The suit and boots won't be removeable for at least a week." Fara warned, "They need time to adjust to your body. Fortunately, the suit allows for waste removal and cleans the wearer during use. Are there any further questions?"
"No." Fox told her, sighing.
"Are the boots armored too?" Krystal asked Fara.
"Yes." Fara answered, "If you need them adjusted, there's a machine in the room across the hall that will make adjustments. Adjustments can't be made to Fox's boots, though. Any further questions?"
"We're good." Krystal told her.
"You're free to go." Fara told the pair, "I'll be going through the data and sending the payment by the end of the day."
The pair left the room and Krystal walked into the room with the machine. She took her boots off and put them in the machine and pushed some buttons on the console.
"Are the boots too big or small?" Fox asked.
"Something like that." Krystal replied as the machine came to life. When the machine was finished, Krystal put the boots back on and the pair walked back to the Arwing. Fox noticed the boots were noticeably taller.
"Krystal?"
"I know your preferences." Krystal replied, knowing what Fox wanted to ask, "Even if you don't want to admit it."
The pair walked back to the Arwing, with Fox once again riding in the back. When Krystal turned on the ship, Fox noticed her bracelets began to glow. Fox pushed a button she found and a small hologram screen was produced that read "Connecting..." A few minutes later, it read "Connection established. Awaiting user input." Fox pushed the button again and the screen read "Standby" before deactivating.
"I'll look into that later." Fox told herself, "Don't want to interfere with Krystal's flying."