Chapter 14: For Krystal and Kaltar, PART 1
Fox and Krystal arrived at the docking bay shortly after leaving the bridge. When the large door slid open in front of them, they could see the fighters of Katt and Falco quickly departing out of the small opening at the end of the long runway. Fox walked with Krystal over to her Arwing and helped her climb the first step of the small stepladder that extended out from the side of the craft. She quickly reached the cockpit and enthusiastically jumped in. Fox yelled up at Krystal as her cockpit window closed, "Be careful and I'll see you down on the planet!" Krystal gave Fox a wink in reply as she activated the ship's thrusters and skillfully guided her Arwing out of the docking bay. Fox smirked as he watched her Arwing fly away, "Heh, I'm glad to see she's finally getting comfortable with these missions..." Fox caught himself before he drifted into thought and mounted his own Arwing. He engaged the main thrusters of his craft and easily piloted it out of the metal hull of the Great Fox and into open space.
Fox's in-ship comm system began to blink as he led his ship towards the green surface of Kaltar. Fox cleared the transmission and Falco's face appeared on the small screen on his ship's consol. "Hey McCloud, Didn't think you were gonna be comin' with us...Didn't see ya in the docking bay the whole time I was there..." Fox responded, "Come on, you didn't think I would want to miss out on all the fun, did you? It's not everyday we get this kind of action." Falco replied cockily, "Whatever, Just don't get in my way and you'll be fine...Now where the heck are we supposed to land?" Fox calmly responded, "Hang on, I'm breaking the atmosphere now..." Fox returned his attention outside the ship's cockpit window as he breached the outer layer of the planet's atmosphere. The ship rumbled slightly as it exited the vacuum of space and entered the air-filled environment of Kaltar. Fox checked his ship's gauges to make sure everything was still operating smoothly and then continued, "Looks like there's a clearing in that forest down there. Falco, let's set down there so the natives can't spot us." Falco replied, "Fine, Whatever you say McCloud, Falco out..." Fox deactivated his comm system and headed for the small clearing in a large gathering of trees. He made sure Katt and Krystal were following him as he descended behind Falco into the dense forest. Fox and the others set down among the huge trees and dismounted from their Arwings.
Fox looked around at the lush, green forest that surrounded him. It was filled with trees that seemed miles high and, displayed their large trunks, were flowers that Fox had never seen in his life. The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind seemed to make it feel like there could be absolutely no danger in the area, it seemed like the most peaceful place he could ever imagine. Krystal walked over to one of the trees and bent over to pick one of the flowers. She delicately cupped her hands around the base of its bright silver bulb. Krystal leisurely raised it to her muzzle and let the pleasant smell of the flower enter through her nose. She commented happily, "This flower is just as beautiful as it smells." Krystal rose from her kneeling position and approached Fox with the flower in hand. "Here, see for yourself." She passed the bulb into Fox's hands, who carefully studied the strange flower. Its bulb was a silver color that gave it the appearance of metal, but it was soft to touch and seemed to shine as the sun hit its surface. As Fox raised the fragile flower to his nose, Falco commented restlessly from behind him, "Fox, we're not here to pick flowers, let's have Peppy send that M.C.D. system down before we run into any problems." Fox purposely ignored him as he smelled the flower. Falco walked up behind him and said in an annoyed voice, "Hello!? Let's get the show on the road!" Fox calmly turned to Falco, "What's the rush! Settle down Falco, I'll get that M.C.D. system down here..." Falco gave him a questioning look, "What? McCloud, are you ok? Maybe those flowers are drugged..." Fox sarcastically replied, "Maybe your right...want a sniff?" Falco quickly jumped back, "No way, I ain't smellin' that thing..." Fox began to play along with Falco's inaccurate assumption, "Whoa...Hey, I think I see something behind you..." Falco turned quickly to see only more trees and flowers, "What are you talkin' about McCloud? I don't see anything." Fox turned to Krystal and gave her a wink, "You see it too, don't ya Krystal?" She immediately caught on and replied, "Yes...that creature is quite large for you to not see it..." Falco began to desperately turn his head to scan the environment, "What!? There's nothing there...I better get you back to the ship McCloud...Seems like that flower got you drugged pretty bad..." Fox and Krystal broke out into laughter. Fox said with a smirk, "Heh, I didn't know you got scared so easily Falco..." Falco replied, now seeing that they were not drugged as he had thought. "Well how the heck am I supposed to react? Heh, and by the way, your pretty good at acting drunk...you been gettin' a lot of practice McCloud?" Fox hesitated to answer, and Krystal suddenly spoke from behind him with a concerned tone of voice, "Fox...Falco...Where is Katt?" Fox and Falco broke their conversation and looked around the area. Fox commented, "Weird, I thought she was standing right there by the Arwings..." Falco climbed up the side of his Arwing and looked around. "I don't see her in any of the Arwings and I don't see her in her ship either..." Krystal naively asked, "Fox...Where do you think she could she be?" Fox thought for a second and replied, "I have no idea...maybe she went off on her own..." Falco angrily commented as he jumped down from his Arwing, "That Katt, What the heck does she think..."
Falco stopped as a loud scream pierced through the quiet forest. Fox and Krystal quickly turned towards the noise. Krystal walked up close to Fox and timidly asked, "...What was that?" Falco lowered his head and answered, "Katt...I know that scream..." Fox jogged up to Falco and urgently responded, "That was Katt? Come on, We gotta help her!" Falco calmly replied, "Let's just get the M.C.D. system set up first and then we can worry about her...ok McCloud?" Fox shook his head and replied, "By that time it may be too late...Let's go after her now!" Falco leaned against the hull of his Arwing with his head still lowered, "Ever think this could all be a trap for us Fox? We're all dead if you make a stupid decision..." Fox glared at him and said, "So your willing to let her die!?" Falco remained silent, which was enough to answer Fox's question. Fox continued, "Well I'm not about to let anyone die...I don't want to lose anyone during this mission...You can stay here if you want...but I'm going after Katt." Falco shrugged and replied, "Hey, It's your funeral..." Fox turned to Krystal and urgently said, "Let's go find Katt." Krystal nodded and they both disappeared into the forest. Falco stayed against the hull of his Arwing and thought to himself, They can go ahead and do whatever the heck they want to Katt...It's not like I'll be losing anything...
Fox and Krystal began their search for Katt within the thick underbrush of the forest. There were no paths to help them find their way along, only the occasional scream that shattered through the silent forest. They had no idea where they were or where the were going, they could only hope that they would find something soon...Fox suddenly slowed his pace as he walked, which Krystal immediately noticed and asked nervously, "What is it Fox?" Fox held his hand up in the air and said quietly, "Listen...I think I hear something." They both stopped in place and perked their ears up as they attempted to pick up the sound. For a while, nothing was heard except the wind moving through the leaves that hung over them. Suddenly, their heads shifted in unison as they heard the crack of a breaking tree branch from above them. They saw the limb fall to the ground and a small shadow jumping away into the trees above. Fox muttered quietly to himself, "That's never a good sign..." Krystal asked nervously, "What was that Fox?" Fox thought to himself, It's probably better not to make her worry... He answered with a reassuring smile, "It's nothing, I guess it was just an old limb...Nothing to worry about." Krystal took a sigh of relief, "That's good, now let's continue our search for Katt." Fox nodded and they continued to make their way into the forest.
They had been walking for quite some time now and the screaming had stopped long ago. Krystal stopped, panting heavily, and managed to say between breaths, "Fox...can we rest...for a little while...I'm quite tired..." Fox took a sigh out of frustration of no longer having any direction to follow and replied, "I guess that's ok...but a really short one...I can't stop worrying about Katt..." They found a small clearing in the thick foliage of the forest floor and took a seat on a hollow log. Fox pulled his backpack off and set it on the ground. He opened up a small pouch on the side of the green bag and pulled out a small canister. Fox held the container in front of Krystal and said, "I brought some water just in case something like this happened...Do you want some?" Krystal nodded and eagerly took the canister from Fox's hands. She took a few quick sips of the water and rested it back in front of her as she took a breath of air. "Thank you Fox, I haven't done this much walking for quite some time...It was smart of you to..."
Krystal's words we cut off as a scream once again echoed through the forest. Fox stood up quickly and exclaimed, "Katt! That didn't sound like it was that far away...she must be on Krystal, let's get going!" Krystal re-sealed the canister and placed it back into the bag's side pocket. She stood up and took a few clumsy steps forward. She quickly kneeled to the ground and made a painful groaning noise. Fox quickly bent over next to her and asked with concern in his voice, "Krystal...are you ok?" She looked up from the ground, holding the calf muscle of her right leg, "It's just a small cramp...it's not..." She stopped and let out a sharp yelp as she felt the muscle in her leg stiffen. Fox commented, "You can't walk if your leg hurts like that...I guess we could wait a little longer..." Krystal cut him off and looked at him with pain in her eyes, "No, I want to keep going...I won't allow myself to hinder our search to find Katt...There has to be some way..." Fox thought for a second, trying to think something. His ears perked up as an idea appeared in his mind, "I think I've got an idea, I'll need you to put on my backpack..." Krystal looked at him with confused eyes, "What are you planning to do Fox?" Fox replied weakly, not knowing how his idea would go over, "Well, if you're carrying that backpack, I could just carry you around the forest on my back..." Krystal nodded and placed the bag over her shoulders. "That sounds reasonable, are you sure you won't mind all the extra weight..." Fox faced his back towards Krystal and leaned over, "Don't worry about it, I just don't want to force you to walk. That injury could get worst if you push it too hard." Krystal walked to his side and placed one leg over his back. She then hopped up squarely on his back using her other foot. Fox quickly stood up, holding Krystal to his back by linking his arms under her knees. She placed her arms around the back of his neck and said, "Ok, let's go." Fox felt awkward about having Krystal ride on his back, but he quickly put the thought out of his mind and replied, "Ya, She shouldn't be to far from here..."
Fox continued the search with Krystal on his back. Fox felt a little strange with her on his back, but he knew that injuries like that could get much worse, and Fox didn't want to see Krystal in avoidable pain. Krystal gently rested her head against his neck and asked, "Do you think Katt will be alright?" Fox confidently answered, "I'm sure she's fine. We'll worry about that when we find her, ok?" Krystal let out a tired sigh and replied, "Your right...We should just focus on locating her first." Fox agreed, "Ya, It's still weird how she just disappeared like that. Whoever...or whatever took her must have been extremely stealthy to be able to abduct her without us noticing. Hopefully, there won't be to many of..." Fox hesitated as he felt Krystal's grip around his neck soften. He stopped walking and quickly strengthened his hold beneath her legs. Fox looked back over his shoulder and noticed Krystal breathing heavily with her eyes closed. Fox thought with a smirk, Heh, I guess she just can't stay awake when I'm talking...
He stared into her face, which was only inches away from his. It wasso smooth and perfect. The small red gem that hung from over her head seemed to somehow enhance her flawless complexion. Just seeing that face made Fox forget the fact that he was in the middle of a highly important mission, and trying to save one of his teammates. Her warm breath hitting the side of his face soothed him; the weight of her body seemed to disappear. He leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes as well. I wish I could tell you everything right now...but... Fox caught himself before he entered deeper thought and lifted his head up. He kept his eyes on Krystal, not wanting to turn away from her face. I've really got to get going...Katt could be in serious danger... Fox hesitantly turned his head away from her and began walking deeper into the forest, but after a few steps, he stopped and turned his head back around towards Krystal. Not fully aware of what he was doing, he slowly crept his muzzle towards Krystal and gave her a gentle kiss on the side of her soft, furry muzzle. Fox kept it there for a short while, enjoying the feeling of the short fur on her muzzle against his lips and nose. He then quickly pulled his head back in surprise as he came to realize what he had just done. Fox felt Krystal's head press tighter against his neck and she muttered in a tired, dreamy voice, "...Fox..." Fox looked at her with soft eyes, Krystal...
Fox's focus quickly broke off from Krystal's sleeping face as the sound of rustling leaves surrounded him. He looked around quickly, noticing small figures darting around behind the underbrush of the forest floor. He subconsciously pulled his blaster out from the strap on his right leg and held the weapon out in front of him with one hand, aiming at nothing in particular. The noise stopped suddenly and for a while, nothing more was heard. Nothing moved...Fox knew he was being surrounded, but he couldn't do anything since the strange figures could be hiding behind every bush and tree. He had to place all his trust in his blaster, hoping that would be enough to protect Krystal and himself. He nervously scanned the area, even though the thick foliage obstructed his view of anything over twenty feet away.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a small group of what appeared to be raccoons fell from above him and formed a tight circle around the two foxes. They were about as tall as Fox and they were wielding primitive looking bows and quivers of crooked, wooden arrows were strapped around their backs. Fox quietly nudged Krystal's side with his elbow, trying to get her to wake up. One of the larger raccoons spoke, "You are coming with us...our master demands your immediate audience." Fox hesitated as Krystal lifted her head off of his shoulder. She blinked a few times to regain her focus and said in a half-asleep voice, "Fox...are we..." She stopped mid-speech as she saw that they were surrounded. She let out a yelp in surprise as she quickly slid off Fox's back. Fox stared down the raccoon that spoke and answered evenly, "I might go quietly if you tell me the name of your master." The raccoons that surrounded them broke out into a strange high-pitched laughter. The raccoon that spoke earlier slowly approached Fox and responded, "You are not in any kind of position to ask questions like that. You will come with us and you will do it without resistance." Fox remained unmoved, "You're going to have to fight for the privilege." The raccoon lowered his head with a sigh, "I didn't want to have to do this...the master said he wanted to see you both killed with his own eyes...Oh well..." Just before Fox could pull the trigger on his blaster, a small dart hit him in the neck. He quickly fell to the ground as he felt a sharp pain course through his body. Krystal cried sharply as she saw Fox fall in front of her, "No...Fox! ...What have you done!?" He had to use all the energy he had in his body to keep himself from passing out. He kept his eyes open long enough to see the raccoons begin to swarm around Fox and a few of the others restrain Krystal using some rope to tie around her legs and arms. Just before the pain completely overtook him, he could hear the raccoons speaking to Krystal, "Don't worry, He'll be fine for the moment...Heh, as for you, my pretty vixen, We're going to offer you a deal..." Fox blanked out before he could hear him finish...What are they going to do to you...Krystal...don't give in...I'll find a way to......
(Back at the landing zone)
Falco was arguing inside himself as he leaned on the side of his Arwing. I'm sure Fox can take care of himself on a planet like this...I mean, there's no technology here at all as far as I've seen...He has his blaster with him, so I doubt he'll have any trouble on his own...As for Katt...I don't know...I've pretty much given up on her...why else would I let Fox and the blue girl go out after her on their own...If I really cared, I would've gone with them without hesitation...but I just don't know what to think about her anymore...It just doesn't seem like she cares about anyone but herself...just like me I guess...Maybe...we were just fooling ourselves this whole time...It never could've worked out...and it took me all this time to figure that out... Falco heard the scream again...It seemed to pierce straight through his heart. He took a deep breath...Katt...why can't you just leave me alone...
(In an unknown area)
Fox's breathing was heavy and painful. The throbbing pain from the dart was still present, but slightly less extreme. He slowly opened his eyes and took a few quick blinks to regain his blurry vision. He felt his face against a hard stone floor that felt slightly damp. He turned his head to see a few thick metal bars in front of him. He slowly rose from the ground and leaned up against a cold, stone wall beside him. He slowly looked around the area he had found himself in. He was being held in a small, dark prison chamber. The floor of the room was covered in a light, moist fog and the air he was breathing seemed to be thinner than normal. He stood up from the wall and walked up to the metal bars. He grabbed one in each hand and tried to look as far down the hallway as he could. No one else was being contained in any of the other cells as far as he could tell.
Fox suddenly saw a small beam of light enter into the room from the far end of the hallway as he heard the loud squealing of a door opening. Fox saw one of the raccoons coming down the hallway towards his cell, swinging a small key chain around on his finger. The raccoon stopped in front of Fox's cell and said with a malicious smile, "Well, looks like the fox has finally decided to wake up. Hope you enjoyed your nap, because that was the last one you will ever get the opportunity to take." Fox slammed on the bars and asked angrily, "Where am I!? What have you done with Krystal!?" The raccoon let out a chuckle, "Very good questions, but unfortunately, you won't get any answers from me." A large number of raccoons surrounded Fox's cell and the same raccoon continued, "You'll have to wait and hear it from our master. Don't resist and you will get your answers soon enough." The raccoon turned the key in the small, iron lock and the door swung open. Fox slowly reached down for his blaster, but noticed that it was no longer in its holster. The raccoon laughed in amusement as he tossed Fox's blaster up and down in his hand, "Oh, and don't worry about your weapon, It's in good hands." Fox took a sigh of frustration and allowed himself to be escorted outside the small prison.
Fox gasped in amazement as he realized where he was as he exited the prison building. He and his escorts were walking on top of a wide platform that was elevated high above the forest floor. Several modest, wooden huts, lighted with small torches, were scattered throughout the tree's branches along with many other small platforms that extended over the forest. Fox had never seen or heard of villages like this one. It seemed to almost blend in with the trees themselves. One of the escorts gave Fox and forceful shove against his back, which broke his gaze, and said angrily, "Let's get moving, you wouldn't want to keep the master waiting." Fox shrugged and continued walking along the elevated walkways.
They continued walking among the trees for a while until Fox noticed a large stadium that was also built right into the trees. As the escort got closer to the stadium, Fox could see a mass of the raccoons seated in the grandstands, cheering along with a voice that roared from within the stadium. Fox couldn't understand what the speaker was saying because of the loud echo the voice created among the trees. When they arrived at the front of the huge, wooded stadium, they went to the left of the main entrance and entered in through small open archway. The passage led through a few dusty and cobweb filled tunnels and ended at a large, stone door. The main escort left Fox at the door, while two of the guards stayed behind. The raccoon that had Fox's blaster said as he turned to exit the tunnel, "I hope you can put up a good fight, most of the contestants can't get past the first round...hopefully you prove to be good enough to actually give us a show." Fox turned towards the door and thought to himself, Great, I'm gonna have to fight? Without a weapon? This could be bad...
Fox's thoughts were disrupted as he heard the speaker's words leaking through the door in front of him, "...Today, I will bring these fools to the end of their futile journey. They have come to deprive you of the gift I have given to you, but that is something none of you want to lose, correct?" The crowd enthusiastically yelled in harmony, "Ya!" The speaker continued, "Of course! You are willing to work under me for a greater cause. By allowing me to control your minds, you are able to see the glory of my plan to overthrow Corneria to bring about a new age of prosperity." The crowd went crazy as he finished his sentence. Take over Corneria? What the... He continued, "Now, without any further delays, I bring to you the members of the rebellious group that wish to stop us. I give you the leader of the accursed Star Fox team, Fox McCloud." Fox quickly stepped back as the stone door in front of him gradually rumbled open. He hesitated to enter the arena, but was helped along with a hard push by one of the guards behind him. He stumbled out into the dusty arena floor to be welcomed by wild booing and mocking comments from the crowd. Fox raised his sight to where the speaker was standing to see a very familiar cloaked figure standing atop a high, stone balcony. Fox yelled, "It's you! The one from the...What are you doing here!? Where is Krystal!?" The speaker ignored Fox and continued, "Fox McCloud will be fighting for his life against a few of your greatest warriors. The winner shall receive a prize beyond comparison!"
The figure motioned for the guards behind him to reveal two prisoners that had been captured. Fox focused his eyes as he tried to recognize the silhouettes being forced out of the shadows by the guards. The cloaked figure continued, "The warrior who puts Fox McCloud to his death will receive the hand of one of these lovely females." The crowd went wild with whistles and whooping as the two girls where revealed to the crowd. Fox's ears fell flat against the side of his head as he yelled desperately, "Krystal! Katt! You...Give them back right now before I..." The figure cut him off and retorted, "Before you what? You'll soon find that you do not have much time to do anything after I unleash our first challenger." Fox turned as a large raccoon exited from one of the large doors on the inside of the arena floor. The speaker happily announced, "Let the battle commence!"
Fox quickly took a defensive position as he studied his opponent. The raccoon seemed slightly taller than the ones he had seen earlier and a little more muscular. He wore a light piece body armor around his chest and neck and was wielding a large, wooden club with several metal shards protruding from the top. Fox knew that this may be a tough battle with no weapon, but he had to live. He had to stay alive so he could save Krystal and Katt. It may have seemed impossible, but there was no way he was going to just give up. Fox closed his eyes and focused as hard as he could on what he had to do...
The whole mission could end here if I am defeated...One of the girls will be killed...the other be forced to live with the one that defeats me...and the entire Lylat system may be overtaken...There's no way I could lose a battle this important...so much rests in the balance...I have to win...failure...is not an option...