Krystal was in her ship, responding to another distress call from Dinosaur
planet, this time from Thorntail hallow. After thanking Fox for saving her
after the downfall of Scales, she didn't feel welcome. The Starfox team
wouldn't touch a mission unless there was some sort of price on it, while
Krystal was quite comfortable with the satisfaction of helping someone as a
reward. It suited her fine though as she still needed to know the cause of
Cerinia's destruction. She eventually found the planet. She headed for the
planet, setting her ship to land at Thorntail Hollow. Before she opened the
cockpit, she noticed several Thorntail's being led out of the area by a
group of around forty Sharpclaw. The majority of them were small grunts.
However, some larger Sharpclaw were ordering them around. As Krystal
landed, several Sharpclaw spotted her ship. The larger Sharpclaw sent some
of the grunts to wait for her.
Krystal stepped out of the ship, little realising the Sharpclaw lurking around the back. As she stepped foot on to the grass around the area, she couldn't help but notice the otherwise pleasant landscape spoiled by Sharpclaw viciously herding the Thorntail, hitting them with their spiked clubs. Krystal resisted the urge to attack the Sharpclaw, as she would surely be no match for them. Something caught the corner of her eye however; she looked to her right to see what it was. A huge tower stood out over the hills, bat like creatures swarmed around it, with a devilish red sky cascading the surrounding landscape. The sight caused her to gasp in terror. She had never before seen such a sight. She continued out, looking for what could have made the distress call.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp strike to the back of the head; she was knocked down on the ground. The pain lingered on, and Krystal lay on the ground, with her eyes tightly closed. She felt someone pick her arm up with considerable force, and start to drag her body along the ground. She opened her eyes to see a Sharpclaw grunt, carrying her to a tall Sharpclaw soldier. She quickly unleashed the force of her staff across the grunt's spine, knocking him down. The rest of the Sharpclaw saw this, and charged at her, striking her violently across the head with their clubs. Krystal tried to fight back, but she was quickly overwhelmed, and lost consciousness. The Sharpclaw dragged her away with all the other Thorntails, taking her ship with them.
About two hours later, the Great Fox arrived on target. "Dinosaur planet. here we go again." Fox sighed, the great Fox was positioned over an ocean, the team didn't know which one; due to the primitive language spoken by the residents of this area of the Lylat system, not much interest was generated from over planets. "Where are we headed Rob?" Fox asked, "Sharpclaw activity seems to be most present in Dragon Rock. A Tower of sorts has been constructed. It would be ideal to check this area out first." Fox nodded. "We've been ordered to take Scales out, so let's use the Great Fox; it's faster and safer then the Arwings. The team agreed, and Fox set the Great Fox's coordinates to Dragon Rock.
The Fox blanketed the horizon, closing in on Dragon Rock. Darkness seeped through the sky as the aerial vessel reached its goal. However, the area was not without its defences. Five Sharpclaw ships patrolled the tower, and they quickly realised the Great Fox wasn't a friendly target. The ships started to face the Great Fox, and began firing rapidly. "Damn, they've got air defence. This is going to be a lot harder then we anticipated Fox!" Falco groaned. "Rob, activate the Great Fox's lasers!" Fox ordered, and Rob agreed. The Great Fox's cannons came to life, charging with energy. A huge series of laser bursts took out one of the ships instantly, and the ship began charging up another, however the ships continued fiercely retaliating, and some attacked the sides. If the team didn't do something fast, they great Fox would be in ruins. It was too late to retreat, as the Sharpclaw ships would pursue it. "We're screwed..." Falco sighed. Fox shook his head, and headed out of the door. "Not yet, I have a plan." He muttered, heading out. Just before he exited, Fox turned around, facing the team, "Get the Great Fox into space! I'm going to take care of this!" He ordered, before disappearing. "What's Fox talking about?" Slippy asked, "I'm not sure, but I hope it's good. I don't like the looks of this." Falco replied. Peppy shook his head, "This is Fox we're talking about. Don't worry, it'll work!" He reassured.
Suddenly Fox's Arwing erupted from the great Fox, heading for the Tower. "What the hell is Fox doing!?" Falco yelled, "He's drawing their attention from us! Their job is to defend the tower, so Fox is now a greater threat!" Slippy replied. Fox started firing the Tower, luring the ships to a more critical target. The Sharpclaw ships began attacking Fox, as the Great Fox retreated into space. Peppy radioed Fox, "Fox, it looks like the tower's too fortified to do an all out attack; you'll have to enter Dragon Rock on foot, the Arwings attracting too much attention, Peppy over and out!" Fox knew this was the best option, and turned his Arwing away from the tower. However, the Sharpclaw weren't going to let Fox get away so easily. Their pursuit of Fox was relentless, and Fox couldn't hope to fight them off. He set of towards a series of hills. The Sharpclaw slowed down, and eventually returned to the Tower. It seemed they were ordered to guard the tower, and not pursue anything out of Dragon Rock. Fox sighed with relief, and headed for Thorntail Hallow, a relatively safe landing spot, at least he thought it was.
His ship arrived at the Hallow, and began to touch down on his usual landing point, scared with the burning marks of past visits. He was quick to notice the lack of Thorntails in the area, and the abundance of Sharpclaw. He knew it wouldn't be good Idea to land yet, so he cancelled the landing procedure, and targeted some of the Sharpclaw, blasting them. There were around thirty or so Sharpclaw, but Fox soon scared the tribe away, until it was safe to land. The Arwing slowly landed, and Fox jumped out. He looked around; the Hallow was now bear, with the exception of several Sharpclaw strongholds, which were now evacuated thanks to Fox's efforts. He radioed Peppy for more details, "Peppy, its Fox. Can you tell me how to get to Dragon Rock?" Fox asked, "Sure thing, Fox, just head through Cape Claw. Scanners indicate that the Sharpclaw have created a tunnel behind a Stronghold. That tunnel goes right through to Dragon Rock." Fox nodded, "Hey Fox," Falco interrupted, "Don't go just yet, I'll touch down in a moment!" Fox shook his head, "No Falco, the Great Fox is in bad shape, if it gets attacked, and you'll have to be there to defend it." Falco grudgingly agreed. Fox headed through the tunnel leading to Lightfoot village, which would carry on to Cape Claw.
Meanwhile, Scales sat in his throne. It took a few months to regain his status as a Sharpclaw general. After his apparent death, the Sharpclaw split into two groups, those who were loyal to him, and those who were happy his reign of tyranny had ended. The former were mainly the large soldiers, while the latter the grunts. When he rose from unconsciousness, he gathered those who were faithful, and the unfaithful Sharpclaw eventually sided with Scales out of fear. The tower in which he resided had only recently been constructed, and the recent attack had left him reasonably bitter. He was waiting for the combat report. Eventually, a Sharpclaw grunt came in. "Sir. One ship lost by Starfox. We scare Starfox away." The grunt said, in primitive dinosaur language. "Starfox...yes, I'll finally be able to get my revenge! After four long years, Fox Mcloud will pay for destroying my reign!" The Sharpclaw grunt cautiously interrupted the general, who was still fixated on his hatred for Fox. "Um sir, we also captured blue fox girl who try to rescue Thorntail. What should we do?" The grunt asked, "That's no bother to me. Just throw her in the dungeons with all the other slave scum." The general suddenly remembered a blue fox who attempted to attack him on his flying ship four years ago. He still thought nothing of her, but decided to tread cautiously, "Wait, she may be dangerous to our survival. Let her rot in the higher security prisons. My reign is not going to be stopped by some naive girl." The grunt nodded, and then disappeared into the door. Scales smiled. His plan was falling perfectly into place, and now with Starfox hunting him down, his revenge would be perfect...
Krystal stepped out of the ship, little realising the Sharpclaw lurking around the back. As she stepped foot on to the grass around the area, she couldn't help but notice the otherwise pleasant landscape spoiled by Sharpclaw viciously herding the Thorntail, hitting them with their spiked clubs. Krystal resisted the urge to attack the Sharpclaw, as she would surely be no match for them. Something caught the corner of her eye however; she looked to her right to see what it was. A huge tower stood out over the hills, bat like creatures swarmed around it, with a devilish red sky cascading the surrounding landscape. The sight caused her to gasp in terror. She had never before seen such a sight. She continued out, looking for what could have made the distress call.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp strike to the back of the head; she was knocked down on the ground. The pain lingered on, and Krystal lay on the ground, with her eyes tightly closed. She felt someone pick her arm up with considerable force, and start to drag her body along the ground. She opened her eyes to see a Sharpclaw grunt, carrying her to a tall Sharpclaw soldier. She quickly unleashed the force of her staff across the grunt's spine, knocking him down. The rest of the Sharpclaw saw this, and charged at her, striking her violently across the head with their clubs. Krystal tried to fight back, but she was quickly overwhelmed, and lost consciousness. The Sharpclaw dragged her away with all the other Thorntails, taking her ship with them.
About two hours later, the Great Fox arrived on target. "Dinosaur planet. here we go again." Fox sighed, the great Fox was positioned over an ocean, the team didn't know which one; due to the primitive language spoken by the residents of this area of the Lylat system, not much interest was generated from over planets. "Where are we headed Rob?" Fox asked, "Sharpclaw activity seems to be most present in Dragon Rock. A Tower of sorts has been constructed. It would be ideal to check this area out first." Fox nodded. "We've been ordered to take Scales out, so let's use the Great Fox; it's faster and safer then the Arwings. The team agreed, and Fox set the Great Fox's coordinates to Dragon Rock.
The Fox blanketed the horizon, closing in on Dragon Rock. Darkness seeped through the sky as the aerial vessel reached its goal. However, the area was not without its defences. Five Sharpclaw ships patrolled the tower, and they quickly realised the Great Fox wasn't a friendly target. The ships started to face the Great Fox, and began firing rapidly. "Damn, they've got air defence. This is going to be a lot harder then we anticipated Fox!" Falco groaned. "Rob, activate the Great Fox's lasers!" Fox ordered, and Rob agreed. The Great Fox's cannons came to life, charging with energy. A huge series of laser bursts took out one of the ships instantly, and the ship began charging up another, however the ships continued fiercely retaliating, and some attacked the sides. If the team didn't do something fast, they great Fox would be in ruins. It was too late to retreat, as the Sharpclaw ships would pursue it. "We're screwed..." Falco sighed. Fox shook his head, and headed out of the door. "Not yet, I have a plan." He muttered, heading out. Just before he exited, Fox turned around, facing the team, "Get the Great Fox into space! I'm going to take care of this!" He ordered, before disappearing. "What's Fox talking about?" Slippy asked, "I'm not sure, but I hope it's good. I don't like the looks of this." Falco replied. Peppy shook his head, "This is Fox we're talking about. Don't worry, it'll work!" He reassured.
Suddenly Fox's Arwing erupted from the great Fox, heading for the Tower. "What the hell is Fox doing!?" Falco yelled, "He's drawing their attention from us! Their job is to defend the tower, so Fox is now a greater threat!" Slippy replied. Fox started firing the Tower, luring the ships to a more critical target. The Sharpclaw ships began attacking Fox, as the Great Fox retreated into space. Peppy radioed Fox, "Fox, it looks like the tower's too fortified to do an all out attack; you'll have to enter Dragon Rock on foot, the Arwings attracting too much attention, Peppy over and out!" Fox knew this was the best option, and turned his Arwing away from the tower. However, the Sharpclaw weren't going to let Fox get away so easily. Their pursuit of Fox was relentless, and Fox couldn't hope to fight them off. He set of towards a series of hills. The Sharpclaw slowed down, and eventually returned to the Tower. It seemed they were ordered to guard the tower, and not pursue anything out of Dragon Rock. Fox sighed with relief, and headed for Thorntail Hallow, a relatively safe landing spot, at least he thought it was.
His ship arrived at the Hallow, and began to touch down on his usual landing point, scared with the burning marks of past visits. He was quick to notice the lack of Thorntails in the area, and the abundance of Sharpclaw. He knew it wouldn't be good Idea to land yet, so he cancelled the landing procedure, and targeted some of the Sharpclaw, blasting them. There were around thirty or so Sharpclaw, but Fox soon scared the tribe away, until it was safe to land. The Arwing slowly landed, and Fox jumped out. He looked around; the Hallow was now bear, with the exception of several Sharpclaw strongholds, which were now evacuated thanks to Fox's efforts. He radioed Peppy for more details, "Peppy, its Fox. Can you tell me how to get to Dragon Rock?" Fox asked, "Sure thing, Fox, just head through Cape Claw. Scanners indicate that the Sharpclaw have created a tunnel behind a Stronghold. That tunnel goes right through to Dragon Rock." Fox nodded, "Hey Fox," Falco interrupted, "Don't go just yet, I'll touch down in a moment!" Fox shook his head, "No Falco, the Great Fox is in bad shape, if it gets attacked, and you'll have to be there to defend it." Falco grudgingly agreed. Fox headed through the tunnel leading to Lightfoot village, which would carry on to Cape Claw.
Meanwhile, Scales sat in his throne. It took a few months to regain his status as a Sharpclaw general. After his apparent death, the Sharpclaw split into two groups, those who were loyal to him, and those who were happy his reign of tyranny had ended. The former were mainly the large soldiers, while the latter the grunts. When he rose from unconsciousness, he gathered those who were faithful, and the unfaithful Sharpclaw eventually sided with Scales out of fear. The tower in which he resided had only recently been constructed, and the recent attack had left him reasonably bitter. He was waiting for the combat report. Eventually, a Sharpclaw grunt came in. "Sir. One ship lost by Starfox. We scare Starfox away." The grunt said, in primitive dinosaur language. "Starfox...yes, I'll finally be able to get my revenge! After four long years, Fox Mcloud will pay for destroying my reign!" The Sharpclaw grunt cautiously interrupted the general, who was still fixated on his hatred for Fox. "Um sir, we also captured blue fox girl who try to rescue Thorntail. What should we do?" The grunt asked, "That's no bother to me. Just throw her in the dungeons with all the other slave scum." The general suddenly remembered a blue fox who attempted to attack him on his flying ship four years ago. He still thought nothing of her, but decided to tread cautiously, "Wait, she may be dangerous to our survival. Let her rot in the higher security prisons. My reign is not going to be stopped by some naive girl." The grunt nodded, and then disappeared into the door. Scales smiled. His plan was falling perfectly into place, and now with Starfox hunting him down, his revenge would be perfect...