Sol 3 Chapter 1: Part 1, a star fox fanfic

"This is Krystal, approaching the planet Sol 3. Requesting permission from General Pepper to continue."

Krystal had been on this job for several years now. She had happened to meet Fox McCloud, lead pilot of the StarFox defense force when she was 19. After seeing her get injured badly in combat, Fox had essentially forced her to resign, thus ending their relationship.

Wolf O'Donnell, the leader of Star Wolf, heard of her leaving Star Fox, and bribed her to join his team. Against her better judgment, she accepted, as it was the only way for her to make a living at that point. However, one of the members of Star Wolf, Panther Caroso, had the hots for her.

He finally made his move one night, drugging Krystal's drink. He had sexually assaulted her, and Krystal hadn't even known it. It was only after she came to in the medical bay that she learned about it. Wolf, who had committed numerous crimes but drew the line at sexual tomfoolery, fired Panther, leaving him stranded on Corneria. But that wasn't enough for Krystal. She was absolutely furious. She went to Corneria, and using the tracking skills she had been taught, found her prey.

Panther didn't know what was coming. Krystal found him at a bar and got pissed off all over again. She began to formulate a plan that would ultimately end in his gruesome death.

One night, Krystal walked into the bar right before a major sporting event. About halfway through the match, one drunkard shouted an insult at another. The other drunkard decided that throwing hands was the best solution, and punched the other guy below the belt. A huge fight ensued. Krystal couldn't help but smile. Her plan was coming together perfectly.

She grabbed Panther by the collar of his shirt, threw him to the ground, and using a knife, cut a six-inch slit in his back and ripped out his vertebrae. He died almost instantly.

After that incident, Krystal went back to Fox and begged him to let her rejoin. He agreed, not wanting her to be forced to kill him in combat. And thus she quit working for Wolf and restored her relationship with Fox. She hadn't left ever since.

Now at the age of 24, she had become an ace pilot, able to expertly weave through heavy fire. Her mission as of right now was to explore a planet in a system that had remained uncharted until mere days earlier, when Falco, one of her former associates and Fox's best friend, had discovered it when he dropped out of warpspace at the wrong time. Falco was nice enough. He was friendly, but also a little bit cocky and tended to be quite blunt at times.

Krystal found herself lost in thought as she remembered the day when she had first met Fox. She had been dying, having her very life force drained by the evil Andross, but Fox had saved her. And that moment when their hands had first touched... it was magical.

"Krystal! Are you still there!?"

Krystal jumped as Fox's frantic, worried voice blasted through her headset.

"Y-yes! I'm here! My mind just... uh, wandered off a little bit."

"Well, the general's given you the go-ahead. So if you're gonna land, I suggest you do it quickly before I start to worry again."

Krystal snorted.

"Okay, fuzzball. No need to get fussy. I'll be fine."

Two sounds came from her headset: the sound of Miyu cackling like a deranged lunatic, and the sound of Fox groaning in indignation, likely blushing.

Miyu was definitely the "difficult friend" of the group. She had a tomboyish attitude, taking absolutely no bullshit from anyone. She was also extremely sassy, and could be a bit of an asshole sometimes. Nonetheless, she was one of Krystal's closest friends.

She couldn't help but smile just imagining it.

"All right. I'm making my approach."

She began to descend towards the strange green-and-blue planet, unaware that there was something VERY different about it.

Without warning, all of the instruments on her Arwing went dead. The engines shut off. But it kept hurtling toward the bright blue-and-green orb in front of her.

"Uhhhh, StarFox Command? We have a problem."

"Krystal? Krystal! KRYSTAL!"

Fox slammed his fist on the communications panel. He'd lost her.

"Damn it..."

He slumped down in his seat, defeated. Slippy gave him a concerned look. Miyu just laughed.

"Just like last time, eh?"

Fox froze. He flashed back to when Krystal had joined Star Wolf. He'd had to fight against her. The thought lingered in his mind, festering, slowly making him angrier and angrier, until he eventually snapped.

He shot to his feet, whirled around, and grabbed Miyu by the throat. He snarled.

"Shut the fuck up, you little egotistical bitch."

Miyu struggled to breathe. For the first time in her life, she was truly scared. She tried to wriggle free, but Fox squeezed her neck even tighter. Her vision started to fade, and a warm, numbing feeling began to spread throughout her body.

Fox dropped the lynx, leaving her gasping for breath. She scrambled away from him, her eyes wide, her pupils reduced to slits. She had almost died.

Slippy looked even more concerned.

"Fox, are... are you okay?"

Fox gave the frog a poisonous look. He growled.

"What do you think? No, I'm not okay."

Slippy decided that the safest move at this point was to just be quiet.

Fox stood up and stormed off to his private quarters. He looked like he was about to cry.

Slippy looked at Miyu. Miyu looked back at him, her face still red from Fox crushing her windpipe.

"He needs help."

"Fuck that! Did you not see what just happened!? He almost killed me! There is no way in hell!"

Miyu just broke down into tears right there. She didn't give a damn. She just wanted to stay away from Fox.

Krystal woke up in the cockpit of her battered Arwing. She unstrapped herself from the seat and pushed open the cockpit window.

"Where the hell am I...?"

She spotted a nearby city and decided to head in that direction.

Maybe I can find help there...

She hopped back into the cockpit, changed into a t-shirt and jeans, and went on her way towards the city.

Fox couldn't sleep that night. Every time he fell asleep, he had visions of Krystal, dying alone, in the middle of nowhere. He pulled out his phone and tried calling her.

beeeeeep

"Hiiii, this is Krystal. I'm kinda busy right now, but feel free to leave a message and I'll talk to you later! Byeeee!"

Fox sighed. As far as he knew, Krystal - his shining light, his perfect girlfriend - was dead, and he had no way of contacting her. He rolled over facedown on the bed and wept silently to himself. He eventually cried himself to sleep.

The next morning, neither Fox nor Miyu were anywhere to be seen. Fox had left a note, in his cramped yet neat writing:

Slippy, you're in charge until I come back. I've taken Miyu with me, for a few reasons (one of them being I need to learn how to tolerate her bullshit). I'll try to keep in touch.

-Fox

Slippy shrugged as he looked at Fay.

"Guess it's just us two."

"Yeah."

"Where the hell are you taking me!?"

Miyu was still scared of Fox from his outburst earlier. She didn't trust him. As far as she knew, he was a threat.

"Relax. We're going to look for Krystal."

"Like hell I'm going to help you! After you nearly killed me!?"

Fox winced. He was still recovering from that heated moment.

"Yeahhh... sorry about that. You just... kind of triggered me, you know?"

"That doesn't mean you should kill me! What did I ever do to you?"

"You gave me sass when I was already upset."

"...that does sound like something I might do."

"Precisely."

Fox looked at Miyu.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier, though. I really am."

Miyu studied his face. His expression was 100% genuine.

"Apology accepted. Just don't choke me like that again."

Fox and Miyu landed near Krystal's mangled craft. Fox immediately sighed with relief as he saw Krystal's footsteps heading away from the ship.

"Okay. So we know she survived the crash. And it looks like she changed into her casual outfit before she left. Not a bad idea, considering how warm it is and how hot those flight suits get."

Miyu grumbled.

"Stupid space federation regulations..."

Fox chuckled.

"For once I agree with you."

But Miyu wasn't listening. She was too busy gaping at the size of the sprawling metropolis that laid in front of her.

"Holy shit... We'll never find her in there!"

Fox glanced at her.

"Try to stay optimistic, kid. We'll find her eventually."

Miyu nodded. The two of them set off in the direction of Krystal's footsteps.

Krystal made her way down the street in the city, drawing all sorts of strange looks from the locals (along with a particularly weird boy who made strange noises as she walked past).

This is so uncomfortable... I swear that one kid was catcalling me... someone PLEASE MAKE IT STOP

She looked up and saw a bright sign that said:

INFORMATION

Exactly what I'm looking for!

She walked inside and went up to the counter.

"Excuse me, where can I find a nice, isolated place around here?"

The lady behind the counter looked at her.

"Dear, you might want to try heading east, into the suburbs. You'll be able to find some nice, quiet neighborhoods there."

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

And she did just that. She caught a taxi into the suburbs. She then started to look for a place to stay.

Fox and Miyu had been searching for Krystal for nearly two years by this point. Fox was starting to lose hope, but Miyu kept egging him on.

"She might be getting laid by another guy right now. You wouldn't want that, right?"

This made Fox exceedingly angry, but it kept him going. Slowly but surely, he was starting to admire the lynx's unorthodox motivational tactics.

"Have we tried checking the suburbs?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, let's go!"

"Wait. We can get information here."

Miyu nodded.

"Go ahead."

Fox walked inside the building and went up to the counter. He held up a picture he had taken with Krystal shortly after they first met.

"Have you seen this girl?"

The woman peered at the picture.

"Why yes, I have! She went to the suburbs. Somewhere east of here, in Falling Springs."

Fox was so excited that he actually jumped up and down like a little kid.

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver!"

"Glad I could help."

Miyu just rolled her eyes.

He acts like a tough guy, but in reality, he's still a kid. Don't know why I was ever afraid of him.

Fox grabbed Miyu and practically dragged the lynx behind him. Miyu shouted in protest.

"Let me go!"

"Sorry!"

Krystal sat down at the table in her small two-bedroom house. She'd come to enjoy life on this planet (which she had learned was called "Earth"), and she didn't know if she ever really wanted to go back to her old job. She'd discovered that she had a mean talent for cooking, and made a living running her own restaurant (Krystal's Sushi Bar and Bistro). She was happy.

ring ring

"Hello?"

"Krystal!"

"Fox! Is that you?"

"Yes! Where are you?"

"You want an address?"

"Sure."

"I'm at 421 Spring Yard Lane."

"Alright. I'll be right there."

Fox did a fist pump. He was unbelievably happy.

"She's alive!" Fox shouted. "I knew it!"

Miyu just snorted.

"As if you never doubted it."

"Fair enough."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Miyu jerked her head toward where the place was. "Let's go!"

He ran off. Miyu sighed and followed him. She was starting to get tired.

knock knock

Krystal answered the door, only to get tackle-hugged by Fox.

"I can't believe it took TWO ENTIRE FUCKING YEARS... but we found you."

Krystal smiled and hugged him.

Fox got up and held his hand out.

"Ready to go back?"

"...what if I don't want to?"

Miyu had just taken a large sip of water. She did a spit take.

"WHAT!?"

Fox's jaw dropped.

"B-but I thought you loved the job!"

Krystal sighed. She sat on a chair.

"Look, I... I feel like I've finally found my calling. And you have to realize... I'm not just a kid anymore. I'm not as tolerant of the g-forces as I used to be. I... I'm just so much happier here."

Fox bowed his head.

"Well, then I guess I'll leave you to it. My duty is to the StarFox organization."

Miyu looked at Fox. Her usual cocky, jaunty expression was replaced with one of sympathy.

Krystal gave Fox one last hug, crying into his shoulder. Fox hugged her tightly.

"Goodbye, my love..."

He slowly walked to his Arwing, along with Miyu. They took off and headed back to the mother ship, leaving Krystal behind.

Fox arrived back on the bridge, looking melancholy and depressed. General Pepper called, but Fox was in no mood to answer. He was devastated. Disheartened. Dejected. He sulked back to his quarters and sat on the bed.

knock knock

"Go away…"

Miyu came in anyway and slowly sat down next to Fox, her normally bright blue eyes dark with concern.

"It's rough, isn't it?"

Fox looked at her, practically on the verge of tears.

"Wha- what do you mean?" He choked on his own words.

Miyu sighed and looked at him.

"To have one of the people closest to you just disappear from your life, probably never to be seen again. I know what it feels like. It- it hurts, you know…?"

She took a deep breath.

"I… I don't know if I've ever told anyone this, but… before I joined, I had it easy. Real easy. I worked at a nice restaurant. Got paid relatively well. I loved it. My boyfriend worked there as well. His name was Hirochi. We dated for a while. I thought we were gonna tie the knot… but…"

Miyu trailed off. Her eyes were beginning to water, and her voice was progressively becoming more and more hoarse.

"... but he disappeared. Two months later… I found out that his dad got a job elsewhere and he had to move. I… I didn't know how to deal with it… I…"

She looked back up at Fox, her eyes bloodshot.

"I wanted to kill myself. Depression… really changes a person. Sometimes I dream about what life would have been like if he'd stayed. I see us with two kids, just the happiest little family ever, and I wake up in tears because I KNOW it's never going to happen… I… I just wish people didn't drift apart like that… you know?"

Fox was shocked. Miyu was young, but she knew better than most how cruel the world could be.

"Just… don't do what I did. You'll regret it."

The lynx got up and left the room.

Fox wished there was something he could do about his current situation… but he was powerless to do anything. Until he could decide on a worthy successor, he was bound to his position as head pilot of the StarFox organization. He had to stay in his position, or else he risked the entire universe getting overtaken. He couldn't let that happen. But his separation from Krystal was tearing him apart from the inside out, and the pain was nearly unbearable. So it was at that moment he began the search for his successor.

Five months later, Fox got up in front of everyone, including General Pepper and all other divisions of the StarFox organization. Falco had decided to show up as well. They had all gathered for this moment. Fox took a breath.

"It is with great regret that I announce, due to unfavorable personal circumstances, that I must step down from my position as head pilot of the StarFox organization. Said circumstances could have an effect on my performance in this position and thus could put the universe in danger. So now it comes time for me to appoint a new head pilot. And the individual I chose is..."

There was a pause. Everyone was dead silent, waiting for the new head pilot to be appointed.

"...Miyu."

Miyu's jaw dropped.

"Wha- I- th-thank you!"

Fox smiled.

"Miyu, I know we aren't exactly best friends. But that doesn't mean you're not an amazing person. You're one of the truest people I know. You make a plan, and you stick to it without fail. And that is why I chose you to take my place as head pilot."

The entire audience clapped. Fox walked to his personal Arwing, waved, and flew off. Miyu followed to bid him farewell.

Krystal sat in her bedroom, eyes closed, consumed with sadness.

tap tap

She looked up at the window. And there was Fox, a mischievous smile on his face. She ran over to the window, threw it open, and pulled Fox in.

"I thought you'd left for good!"

"Well, I resigned. Just so I could spend my life with you. Because I love you"

Krystal hugged him tightly.

"Please... don't leave again..."

"Don't worry. I'm here to stay."

Miyu walked in, her new badge shining. She smiled.

"Good luck, you two. I'll try to visit as often as I possibly can."

Krystal smiles and nods. Fox patted Miyu on the back.

"Don't blow up the mothership, ok?"

Miyu laughed.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it in perfect shape."

She turned and waved.

"じゃあまたね!" (See you later!)

Krystal waved.

Fox sat on the couch and leaned into Krystal. Krystal hugged him and turned on the TV.

"This is nice."

Neither of them noticed the specter watching them outside the window...

Note:

Thank you for reading Part 1 of my first major fic that I actually decided to go through with! I actually wrote this whole thing on a whim and lost motivation several times, but I was glad that I ended up finishing this part. And Part 2 is officially in the works! Will Panther get his revenge?