Chapter 16: For Krystal and Kaltar, PART 3
Time itself seemed to freeze as Fox sensed the large blade rushing towards his head. Hundreds of different thoughts began running through his mind, The...end? It can't everyone will suffer...am I giving up? There is no escape...Is there any way out of this...? I can't take the pain...I have failed...or have I...This is not what I had planned...It's too soon...I have to live...and I'm not giving up yet...I can't die...not yet...but what can I do...it really is the end...isn't it? Am I really just going to accept this fate...no...No, I can't...there has to be some way...
Suddenly, a quiet blast came from out of nowhere. Fox heard something hit the Sharpclaw and felt a large amount of blood splash down to the ground. Fox felt the pressure of the Sharpclaw's heavy foot release from his chest. He quickly opened his eyes to see the axe fall inches from his head with the Sharpclaw following shortly after. Fox rolled out of the Sharpclaw's way as it fell onto the ground where Fox had laid seconds before. Fox jumped onto his feet and looked back at the Sharpclaw. He had a large hole in his head that was spewing blood from both ends, creating another large puddle of blood on the dusty arena floor.
How did I get out of that one alive? Looks like someone shot this Sharpclaw with a blaster...but...they don't have blasters on this planet...Wait...
Fox looked back up to the balcony where his other teammates were to see a large fight breaking out. Katt and Krystal were no longer there, but had jumped into the surrounding grandstands and were sprinting down to the arena floor. Fox clumsily ran over to the wall they were approaching and waited as they jumped down into the arena. Fox immediately found himself in the arms of a teary eyed vixen. She worriedly stuttered, "Fox...Fox...You were...I didn't know...I thought it was..." Fox held her slightly tighter and replied, "It's ok Krystal...I'm fine...It's alright now..." Krystal looked up at him with a relieved smile and placed her head firmly against his neck. Katt spoke from behind them in an aggravated voice, "Hey, come on you two, save that for later. This isn't over yet, we've got to help him." Fox looked over Krystal's head and asked, "Who are you talking about?" Katt responded impatiently, "The guy that saved you, who did you think? He's up there fighting the guards that were holding us." Fox nodded and gently removed Krystal from his neck. She also nodded as she wiped the remaining tears in her eyes. They all quickly turned to run back up the grandstands and help Fox's rescuer.
Just as the group climbed over the outer wall of the arena, they heard a voice shouting from above them, "No, get outta here Fox, I can take care of these suckers on my own. I'll meet you outside." Fox hesitated as he identified the voice, "Falco? I thought it was you! What are you doing here!?" The voice yelled back, "What else? Just saving you butt like always Fox! Now get outta here!" Fox replied, "No way, you're going to need help!" Fox saw one of the guards pin Falco against the balcony's hand railing as he responded impatiently, "This is...no problem, just get the heck outta here McCloud!" Fox hesitantly nodded towards Katt and Krystal and they all turned around to leave.
As they jumped back down to the arena floor, they were meet by a wave of raccoons. They all charged at the same time at Fox's small group. Fox quickly looked around the stadium, looking for a way to escape. He knew he would have a hard time fighting after all the strength he had used. Fox turned away from the approaching enemies and saw one of the stone doors behind him. He ran towards it and desperately began searching for a switch to open the large, stony surface. Katt and Krystal joined in, but there was nothing to find. Katt quickly explained, "The switches are up on the balcony...Looks like were gonna have to fight." Fox hesitantly nodded and took a deep breath to concentrate.
Just as the raccoons came within attacking range, the stone door suddenly opened from behind them. A blue figure fell from above them and landed softly on the ground in front of them. He quickly stood up and ran for the newly opened door. The group quickly followed him through to dark tunnels that led outside of the stadium. The sound of the raccoons chasing them gradually began to decrease as they got further from the stadium.
The blue figure stopped and turned around to face the stadium. He took a few long breaths and said, "That was easy. I was...hoping for a little more of a challenge...but I guess I'll take what I can get." Katt rolled her eyes and continued walking down the elevated walkways of the tree lined village. Fox replied in-between breaths, "So...What made you come after us...It's not really something I'm used to seeing you do..." Falco replied with his hands behind his head, "I had Peppy send down that...M.C.D. thing...but it kept sayin' some crap about you being a user or something..." Fox responded, "That's right...I'm the only one that can activate the system..." Falco retorted, "Well that's pretty stupid...Whatever, let's just get back there so we can leave." Fox looked around and realized, "Uhh...How are we supposed to get down?" Falco responded with a smirk, "Man, you are helpless...When I got here they had these elevator things that can get you to the forest floor. It's somewhere down this pathway." The group turned as the sound of fast approaching footsteps reappeared among the trees. They could see the large crowd of raccoon's chasing quickly after them. Katt yelled from a short distance down the pathway, "Hey you three, there's a lift right over here! Are you gonna stand there and let them attack you or are you coming with me?" Falco shrugged and let out a sigh as he ran towards the lift Katt was standing on, while Fox and Krystal followed close behind.
The lift was a small wooden platform with a thick vine that supported the platform from the trees above. The group huddled closely together on the small, wooden lift and waited for its surface to automatically lower. After a few short seconds, they realized that it was not going anywhere by itself. Falco impatiently exclaimed, "What the heck is wrong with this thing!?" Fox calmly responded, "Settle down, there has to be some way to lower this thing." Krystal leaned over and grabbed another vine that was hanging freely on the side of the lift. She gave a curious tug and to her surprise the platform lowered slightly. The group lost their balance slightly as the platform jerked downward. Krystal said, "It appears that we can use this vine to lower the platform." Falco rolled his eyes and replied, "No kidding..." Fox walked over to the vine and began pulling at a steady rate, causing the platform to quickly descend. The raccoons above them began screaming furiously as they saw their target escaping to the forest floor. Falco sighed, "Looks like we made a clean escape..." Katt abruptly responded, "Hang on, looks like their not done yet." The group looked up to see some of the raccoons jumping off the edge of the walkway above, trying to land on the small lift. All of them missed the platform as they fell and were crushed on the forest floor. Fox watched in horror as their bodies seemed to shatter when they hit the ground. Fox thought out loud, "I never knew mind control could be used this way...they are being forced to sacrifice themselves mindlessly...and there's nothing they can do to help it..." His crew seemed to be thinking the same things as they listened to Fox's words in silence, only the noises of the screaming raccoons above could be heard. Fox tried to ignore the scene as the lift slowly continued to approach the ground. The four simultaneously dismounted the platform as it contacted the ground and began sprinting through the forest.
Katt asked dryly while still running, "So Fox...Do you know exactly where we're going?" Fox hesitated and Katt added as she slowed her running to a jog, "Great, so we're lost?" The rest of the team slowed down as Falco commented, "You really don't know where we're going McCloud? We're sitting ducks here in the forest. Those little raccoon guys could be hiding anywhere in here." Fox nodded and replied weakly, "Ya I know but..." Fox paused as he looked up at the top of the trees. He looked up into to sky and thought as he watched the clouds slowly glide past. Suddenly an idea sprung into his mind, "Wait...the sky! The Great Fox!" Katt asked impatiently with a raised eyebrow, "Uhh...okay. How exactly are the sky and the Great Fox gonna help us here Foxboy?" Fox searched through the open spaces in the treetops until he found what he was looking for. He raised his finger up towards the sky and said, "The Great Fox is that way. If we head in that direction, we should be able to find the Arwings somewhere underneath it since the Geo-synchronized orbit keeps the ship above one spot on the planet's surface." Katt replied, "Makes sense to me...I guess it's better than just runnin' around hoping we find..."
Katt cut herself off as a loud rustling noise was heard from the surrounding brush. Katt's ears perked up as she asked quietly, "You hear that? It might be our little friends from the stadium..." Just as she finished her sentence, a group of raccoons jumped from the surrounding brush and created a tight circle around the four of them. Fox looked around for a way out, but they were helplessly outnumbered. One of the raccoons stepped forward and announced with empty eyes, "Our master has requested for your immediate execution. We will not allow you to get away with hindering our master's plans any longer." Falco quietly pulled his blaster and whispered back at Fox, "Don't worry, I can blast our way outta this, just buy me a little more time so I can figure out who to shoot." Fox nodded slightly and began talking with the raccoon, "Your master is powerful, It would be stupid for us to try to escape." The raccoon nodded, "That is correct, so if you don't mind, we will kill you now..." Fox continued speaking, "Can I make one last request?" The raccoon continued firmly, "I'm afraid you've already been given the chance at that. You will be..."
Suddenly a barrage of blaster fire erupted from behind Fox. Falco screamed, "Come on! I've blown open a hole!" Fox turned without hesitation and ran towards the bloody, body-filled gap Falco had created. They carefully stepped between each body as they attempted to break free from the raccoons. The raccoon that had been talking earlier screamed out as he saw the four he had been sent to destroy escaping, "Fire! Don't let them get away!" The raccoons that stood around him revealed the bows and arrows that Fox had seen them carrying earlier. They began to unleash a hail of arrows towards Fox and his teammates.
The arrows whistled past them as they continued running through the thick underbrush. The group of raccoons seemed to run with them as the arrows kept falling. Luckily, the foliage that surrounded them provided them with sufficient cover. Many of the arrows became lodged in trees or became entwined in the bushes that surrounded them. Fox and the others used this to their advantage as they continued sprinting through the forest, making sure that they were covered by the thick undergrowth that grew around them.
Fox yelled as he finally saw their small, metal Arwings glowing in the sun, "Right over there! The Arwings!" Falco added as the group now sprinted directly towards the Arwings, "I think the...M.C.D. thing is somewhere behind the Arwings. I'll stay back and pick a few more of these raccoons guys off while the rest of you get that system ready!" Fox quickly looked over his shoulder and replied, "There's no way you'll be able to hold them all off! Are you sure you want to do this!?" Falco smirked and replied, "No problem! What's a bow and arrow against my blaster? It'll be a piece of cake!" Fox nodded and returned his focus to the fast approaching Arwings.
They quickly arrived at the Arwings and Fox could see the M.C.D. system set up a few yards behind the landing area. Fox, Krystal, and Katt continued running as they passed the Arwings towards the M.C.D. system, while Falco took cover behind his own Arwing and began picking off the fast approaching raccoons who where still firing a stream of arrows at them.
Fox arrived at the M.C.D. system and found the small screen on the center of the machine. It read, "User Fox McCloud: Hand and eye scan...proceed?" Fox found the hand scanner just to the side of the screen and watched as a small bar on the screen slowly filled showing the completion percentage of the hand scan. Fox could not see behind him, but he could hear the sound of rapid blaster fire and what seemed like an unending hail of arrows clanking off the hull of the Arwing Falco was taking cover behind.
The small bar finally filled and the machine announced, "Hand Next process: Eye scan." Fox hastily found the eye scanner and quickly placed his right eye into the device. A bright red light slowly began to scan back and forth over his eye. He could hear Falco yelling from behind him, "Fox, hurry up! I can't hold these guys off forev...Argh!" Falco let out a deafening scream as one of the arrows pierced into his side. Katt suddenly screamed out, "Falco...No!" She seemed to have surprised herself as she took a step back. Katt now hesitated to help as she saw Falco fall to the ground, moaning in pain. She quickly shook off her mixed thoughts and ran over to help Falco.
Fox breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the machine announce, "Eye scan complete, Activate system now?" Fox quickly withdrew his face from the machine and pressed the flashing green activation button on the small screen. Fox turned to Falco to see him lying on the ground bleeding from his side. Katt had taken his blaster and was furiously firing at the raccoons. He wanted to run over and help them, but knew they would be fine soon enough as he heard the machine announce, "Activation commencing...Mind Control Forcefield now uploading..."
The fighting quickly came to an end as the piercing screech of the M.C.D. system rang loudly through the trees. The raccoon's screaming now came from pain instead of anger. They fell to the ground desperately trying to block out the terrible noise by covering their ears. Fox and the others soon found themselves doing the same.
The agonizing screams from both the M.C.D. system and the raccoons lasted for a few minutes, and the whole time they continued screaming in terrible pain. Fox thought to himself as he tried to block out the screeching sound the M.C.D. system produced, I wonder just how painful it must feel to have your mind freed of mind control... I guess I'm just glad I don't have to put up with it...the stupid noise from the M.C.D. system is enough to drive me insane without it screwin' with my mind...
The raccoons screaming abruptly ended seconds before the M.C.D. system also finished emitting it's high-pitched sound. Fox quickly returned to his feet and jogged over to Krystal who was still lying on the ground with her arms over her head. He leaned over and asked, "Are you ok? The M.C.D. system is set up and we should be fine now..." Krystal flipped over onto her back and sat up straight. She sighed and looked over at Falco, "I am fine, but I don't think I'm the one we need to worry about now." Fox glanced over to the Arwings to see Falco still bleeding slightly from his side, groaning in pain. Katt hovered just above him, trying to do all she could to help with his wound, which was very little. Fox offered Krystal his hand to help her up. She quickly accepted his hand and rose to her feet. Krystal walked over to Falco and placed one of her hands on his side, letting the strange, soft blue light enter into his wound. Katt watched in amazement as the wound seemed to heal over almost instantly. Krystal placed her other hand on his forehead and announced, "He will be fine. He is just unconscious from the pain he has experienced. He should wake up soon." Katt breathed a silent sigh of relief, but tried to hide it as she jumped into the cockpit of her small, pink ship. She yelled back as she activated the fighter's engines, "If we're all finished here, I'm gonna head back to the Great Fox. I really don't want to stick around if I'm just gonna have to listen to that bird whining the whole way back. See ya later!" With that, the cockpit window closed and Katt quickly ascended into the sky above.
"Wha...What the heck? What happened..." The two vulpines looked down in unison as Falco spoke. Fox smirked and replied, "You took an arrow to the side and passed out..." Falco looked over at Fox and replied, "Me? Pass out? I don't think so McCloud." Falco slowly rose onto his arms and looked around the forest floor. "So are all those raccoons...dead?" Fox shook his head and responded, "No, They should all just be unconscious..." Falco replied weakly as he felt the healed over gash on his side, "So we can get outta here right? We completed the mission?" Fox nodded and replied, "Ya, you can get back to the Great Fox if you want. I need to stay down here for a while and try to get some information about this cloaked guy..." Falco stood up slowly and walked over to his Arwing, "You're gonna be ok on your own? I'd hate it if I had to come back down here and rescue you again McCloud." Fox flippantly waved his hand and relied, "Just get outta here..." Falco saluted from the cockpit of his Arwing and slowly climbed through the trees and out of sight.
Fox took his attention away from the tops of the trees and returned them to the forest floor. He looked around and saw what must have been hundreds of the raccoons lying stiffly on the ground. Krystal walked next to him silently and said, "Actually, I'm really more worried about you. You received quite a bad cut during your battle. Is it still bleeding?" Fox looked over at his shoulder and felt the new skin that was beginning to cover it. "It looks like it's going to heal on its own. It doesn't hurt too bad, I'll be fine..." Krystal took a sigh of relief and replied, "That's good to hear." Krystal paused for a moment and gently continued, "You seem to fight with such courage...even against such overwhelming odds...Weren't you at all worried that you might be defeated?" Fox turned his eyes to her and responded, "It's impossible not to think about that...I just try to keep those negative thoughts out of my mind and concentrate on what I can do to succeed." Fox hesitated and continued weakly, "But when the Sharpclaw had me pinned to the ground...I knew it would require a miracle...Luckily for me, Falco came along at just the right time." Krystal took his hand and replied, "You have a strong will Fox...stronger than I could ever imagine having myself..." Fox responded, "I don't know if I would've been able to fight like I did without you...I could hear you cheering over every other voice in the stadium...Hearing your few words of encouragement among all those insults may have been what gave me the strength to fight..." Krystal gave him a gentle smile as she took his other hand and replied, "I'm glad I could be of help. I felt so powerless watching you fight alone...I wanted to do everything I could..." Fox replied with a smile, "Don't worry, you did more than enough. And besides, we've managed to free another planet..." Krystal gently leaned her head against Fox's shoulder and responded, "I wonder just how many there are that we have yet to..."
Krystal cut herself off as the sound of a painful moan arose from behind them. They quickly turned to see one of the larger raccoons slowly moving on the ground. He stood up off the forest floor and mumbled in a confused tone of voice, "...What...Where are we...what has happened? My tribe...How could this happen...?" He turned to the two foxes and took a surprised step back. His eyes became filled with anger as he asked, "Who are you...Where did you come from? Did you two...cause all of this!? Tell me...what have you done to my tribe!" Fox hesitated and stepped forward to face the raccoon. "I am Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team. My team and I were sent here on a mission to save the planet from..." The raccoon cut him off and retorted, "Save the planet!? You have destroyed my entire tribe! Can you not see their motionless bodies in front of your very eyes!? This is not..." Fox took back control of the conversation, "They aren't dead, they are just unconscious! They'll be fine in a little while." The raccoon walked over to one of his tribe members and placed his hand on its chest. He lowered his head as he felt the creature's heart still beating. He stood up again and lost the anger in his eyes, "I am sorry. It seems as though you are correct. They are still alive. But, may I ask...what exactly was your business on this planet?" Fox replied, "We were sent here by order of General Pepper to liberate this planet from what is known as mass mind control." The raccoon placed his hand under his nose and responded inquisitively, "Mind control you say?" Fox nodded, "Ya, It's where your mind is taken over by an outside force, causing you to lose all ability to act on your own." The raccoon stroked the gray hair on the end of his chin, "I see, well in that case, I am glad you came to our assistance. Judging by what I see in front of me, I believe there was quite a large battle that has taken place, and I am sorry for any damage we have caused to you." Fox placed his hand behind his head and smirked, "It's no problem, we suffered one minor injury and that's about it. It's all part of the job."
Fox watched as all the raccoons behind their leader began to rise from the ground as well. They all circled around their leader and fearfully asked, "What has happened?" "Who are these creatures?" "What are we to do great leader?" The large raccoon let out a jovial laugh, "Do not worry my tribe members, we are perfectly safe!" One of the raccoon questioned, "What do you mean, were we ever in danger?" The large raccoon glanced over at Fox and said, "My friend Fox McCloud can explain it to you all much better than I could. Would you please?" Fox nodded and began explaining to the tribe how mind control worked and how they had attacked Fox's team. Fox had to keep it as simple as possible since the raccoon's knowledge of technology was very low. He also tried to find out if they had any other information on the cloaked figure, but they gave Fox the exact same response as the Kymachians had.
As Fox finished with his explanation, the leader cheerfully spoke, "Fox my boy, What you have done for my tribe and I is far beyond anything a simple thank you could truly express how much we appreciate you risking your lives for the safety of this planet. I only wish I had something to give you besides my worthless thanks..." Fox cut him off and replied with a smile, "Don't worry! We're not used to getting any kind of a reward after missions anyway." The leader replied with a chuckle, "Well if you're sure you won't be needing anything...Feel free to leave at anytime. I don't want to hinder you from your journey. We can take care of any damage that was taken in our village." Fox nodded and replied, "Thanks for understanding...We will continue our journey...and hopefully we will be able to save the Lylat system." The leader smiled, "I can see you have a strong resolve within you. There is no doubt in my mind that you will save us. My tribe and I wish you the best of luck my friend..." Krystal walked up from behind Fox and replied, "We greatly appreciate your kind words. We will keep them in mind as we continue on our journey." Fox nodded and finished, "And good luck to you too. Hope you can get your village back to the way it was." The leader nodded with a laugh, "It is nothing compared to the task that is ahead of you and your team. Now go, you mustn't stall here any longer. The fate of many worlds rests squarely on your shoulders." Fox and Krystal nodded in unison and mounted their Arwings. They both fired up the engines on their small ships and quickly soared through the trees and out of the forest.
The comm system in Fox's Arwing began to blink a light blue, informing him of an incoming signal. Fox activated the small plasma screen in the Arwing's consol and Slippy's face appeared on the screen. Fox kept his attention outside his cockpit as he replied, "Fox here, what is it Slippy?" Slippy replied enthusiastically, "Hey Fox, Falco and Katt told me that you freed Kaltar. That's great!" There was a momentary silence until Fox replied, "Was that all you wanted to say? Why don't you get the ship ready to depart for the next planet?" Slippy responded hesitantly, "Well...actually Fox, there was something else I should tell you about..." Fox turned his attention to the screen and replied with a sigh, "What did you screw up this time Slippy?" Slippy let out an embarrassed chuckle and responded, "Well...uh...I don't think we can...make it to the next planet..." Fox replied, "Why not Slippy, what's wrong with the Great Fox?" Slippy responded uncomfortably, "Well...There's nothing wrong with the ship...it's just that we're running really low on fuel cells..." Fox sighed, "You're kidding...well, is there some kind of docking colony in the area where we can re-fuel?" Slippy let out another weak chuckle, "Actually...our long and short range sensors don't seem to be working...I really wouldn't even know Kaltar was below us if I couldn't see it out the bridge window..." Fox slumped back in his cockpit seat in frustration, "So where just stuck out here? Isn't there anyway to fix the sensors at least?" Slippy quickly responded, "I've already run a full-ship scan for the problem. The sensor plates on the outside of the ship are damaged and won't give me any kinda readout, and I can't fix it unless I get some better equipment. But even if I did have the right equipment, The ship would have to be docked somewhere so I could work on it..." Fox thought for a moment and responded, "I don't know what we can do about the fuel cells, but when we contact General Pepper, he could probably give us the location of a couple docking colonies in the area." Slippy nodded, "So you want me to send a transmission to General Pepper, right?" Fox replied, "Ya, as soon as possible, we don't want to waste any more fuel cells than we have to." Slippy responded, "Ok, me and Peppy will get on it right now, Slippy out."
Fox let out frustrated sigh as he deactivated his in-ship comm system and refocused his attention on the fast approaching Great Fox. We could be stuck out here forever if we don't find a docking colony where we can refuel...and without our sensors, we'll be flying blind...but if Pepper can give us exact coordinates of a docking colony within the range of our remaining fuel cells, we should be fine. Fox let out another sigh as he guided his Arwing into the docking bay. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...