Chapter 33: A New Leader PART 2

"Hey Falco, I got that finally got that M.C.D. system ready, so if you want me to send it, just tell me where you want it." There was a long pause, but it was not broken. The toad spoke into the communicator again, with a slightly more nervous tone of voice, "Falco, are you there? Hello…" The toad deactivated the transmission and said while turning to face ROB, "I guess he's not there. Maybe I have the wrong transmission address…" ROB quickly replied in his monotone voice, "Negative, correct input of transmission address has been confirmed. Location of Star Fox leader, Falco Lombardi, is no longer confirmed. Current location: Unknown." Slippy looked up at the robot with surprise, "You mean that our sensors can't find Falco anymore? That might mean that he got captured or something…what do you think ROB?" After a few seconds of quick calculations, ROB answered flatly, "Probability of capture on planet Kharta: 64.8 percent. Probability of error in transmission wavelength: 35.2 percent." Slippy sighed as he heard this, "So it might just have been an error in the transmission system huh? I guess we'll have to try and figure that out before we can send the system down to the planet, huh ROB." The robot replied, "Affirmative, full system check required. Estimated time until completion: 4 hours." Slippy sighed again as he turned back to the computer that sat in front of him, "I guess that will give us something to do for a while. I hope the team's doing ok down there…"

(Falco)

"Khartak? Master, are you awake?"

The avian groaned as he heard these words, his mind seeming to forget about what had happened only a short while ago. He turned over onto his side, pulling the blankets that now laid over his body tightly against himself, in an attempt to prevent himself from being disturbed from his sleep. Shortly after he did this, he felt a soft hand contact his body, a touch so gentle that it actually could have been more detrimental to his waking up than anything. The hand laid on his shoulder for quite some time, and after a while, he had little choice but to turn over in his bed and see who it was. But when he opened his eyes, he was caught completely off guard.

From this reclining position, he could see that he was now sleeping in an unfamiliar bed in the middle of an unfamiliar room. This caused Falco to hesitate slightly before turning to face the figure of which the hand belonged. But he soon slowly rolled over, not exactly sure what to expect, but was again caught by complete surprise to see a young avian girl sitting by his side, he hand slowly retracting as she noticed his conscious activity. She smiled down at him as he stared up into her eyes, commenting in the most soothing voice the blue avian had ever heard, "It's nice to see you awake Khartak, I was beginning to worry that you would not awaken at all."

Falco nodded passively as he sat up against the wall that sat behind this bed. He quickly scanned the room, finding himself in a completely different environment than he had remembered. He was now sitting on a wall of a large, lavishly decorated room, to an extent of which the avian had never seen before. The room was a predominant red in color, which gave off a feeling of warm that Falco did not think could have been found on a planet such as this. There were several comfortable looking couches and carpets spread throughout the enormous room, all of which were also colored red. Windows lined the entire side of one wall, giving the avian a glimpse of the falling snow outside, and there was even a small fire going on the wall opposite of where he was now seated.

The gentle voice that he had heard only moments before spoke again, "You look unwell my master. Are you feeling alright?"

Falco attention was quickly drawn to this voice. His eyes focused squarely on the young avian girl that sat close to his side. She smiled as their eyes met, giving Falco a feeling that he had not felt for some time. She was a beautiful falcon; her feathers being of a light blue in color with the occasional streak of darker blue within the lighter color. Over her colored feathers, she wore an elegant looking white dress. The two straps that supported the dress crossed a short distance below her neck, then expanded slightly to give her chest adequate, but not exactly modest coverage. From here, her dress continued down her delicate body until the hem of the dress stopped just above her ankles.

Falco noticed all this as he looked into her soft green eyes, finding himself, for one of the few times in his life, at a loss for words. He soon answered the young avian's question with a tired and uneasy voice, "No, really, I'm fine, I just don't know where I am…Could to fill me in?" She smiled at both his question and his tone of voice and answered, "Of course master. You are in the Palace of Kharta, the jewel of our beloved planet. This palace has stood for generations in anticipation for the arrival of the Khartak, and now he has finally arrived." Falco ran his fingers through the feathers on his head as he heard these words, not really sure of what to make of them, but quickly replied, "Ok, that helps, but still, why am I here? And what's with all this Khartak stuff you keep talking about?" The female avian sighed as she edged closer to Falco, who really didn't make any effort to resist her approach, and answered, "Ever since the beginning of our planet's history, there have been stories of a grand leader who would come to us from the sky and lead us into a new and grand future. That leader is described as the Khartak, meaning in the earlier forms of the planet's language, "Ruler of the Frozen Sea." You were brought here by my father and his men because you are the chosen one predicted hundreds of centuries ago, you are the new Khartak."

She raised her hand and placed it gently on the side of Falco's face, slowly beginning to rub her feathered hand against the avian's face. The feeling that accompanied her touch was indescribable, it was so soft and caring, and the warmth it provided him with created a sense of calm that he had not felt for the longest time. She smiled as she saw that he enjoyed her touch, and asked in a quiet voice, "What is your name master?" Falco replied in a calm voice, "Listen, you don't need to call me master, alright? You can just call me Falco." She nodded at this with the same gentle and responded, "That's a nice name, Falco. My name is Liya."

As soon as she said this, the door to the room swung open and a new feathered figure walked into the room. "I see that our new Khartak has finally awoken. How is he feeling daughter?" Liya removed her hand from Falco's face as she saw this new figure enter, which was the same one that Falco had seen before he was put under by the dart, and replied in a happy sounding voice, "He seems to be alright, just a little tired is all." Liya then returned her attention to Falco as she announced, "Falco, this is my father, Kraden. He's been holding the throne for your arrival for many years now." The newly appeared avian bowed in Falco's direction, speaking in a pleased tone of voice as he stood up, "So, your name is Falco. I'm sorry that I took the action I did earlier, but I had to do so in order to get you here, but it appears everything is fine now." Falco nodded and replied with a smirk, "Kraden huh? Ya, I'm fine now, just feeling a little tired, that's all." Kraden let off a slight chuckle as he approached the two seated avians, "Well, that will pass in a short while, but now, we have business to attend to. We must make preparations for the ceremony tonight." Falco gave him a confused look, "Ceremony? For what?" Kraden smiled back, "Why, for your induction as supreme ruler of course. Such a magnificent occasion has to be met with grand festivities, hundreds of animals are eager to see their new leader." Falco gave the avian a hesitant look as he responded, "Ya, about this whole grand ruler thing, I don't think I'm the one you're looking for. I don't think I can…" Kraden smiled and let out a hearty chuckle as he heard Falco's hesitance, approaching the bed and giving the avian a firm pat on the back, "I know it must be hard for you to understand, but destiny is not something you can predict. I have complete faith in you, you will be the greatest ruler in the history of all Kharta." Falco looked away slightly, replying in a quiet voice, "I don't know, it's not really something I can work around…"

Falco quieted himself as he felt a gentle hand running through the feathers on his head. He looked over to see that it was Liya's, who smiled at him as she looked into his eyes, "Would you please listen to my father. You have no idea how long we've waited for your arrival, or for that matter, how long I've waited. Once you see what it is to be the ruler of this planet, I feel you will soon change your mind. Can you please give us a chance?" Falco could not find it in himself to break away from those brilliant green eyes, which were now filled with a hint of sadness. He replied shortly after, with almost no hesitance in his voice, "Alright, I'll do it. I'm not going to let you…I mean, I wouldn't want to let the planet's hopes die just like that." She smiled at him, her eyes immediately taking on a cheerful appearance as she suddenly threw her arms around him. This caught Falco almost completely off guard, but strangely enough, he soon found himself eagerly returning to embrace, as if it was something he had always longed for. The young avian spoke as her head rested on his shoulder, "Thank you Falco, you have no idea what this means to me and the animals of this planet…thank you." Falco smiled as he heard this, but did not respond, merely nodding against Liya's head. Kraden smiled as he heard Falco comply with his wishes and said, "You've made a good decision. I'm sure you will not be disappointed in your new planet. Now, let's head towards the throne room and I will explain everything."

Falco and Liya broke from their embrace and stood from the bed. Falco was slightly disoriented when he first gained his feet, but quickly regained balance and made his way, along with the other two avians out of the room. Kraden took the lead while Liya seemed to drift behind him with Falco at her side. She let off another one of her gentle smiles as she reached for his hand, which he almost subconsciously accepted. Together, they walked out of the room and made their way through the building, feeling content as they felt the contact the hand that now held their own provided.

(Krystal)

The vixen's breathing came with some amount of difficulty, the pain from the dart still greatly present within her body. Her neck and shoulder throbbed with pain, letting out a slight groan as she managed to regain consciousness. Her eyes slowly opened, and she took a few quick blinks after realizing her vision was severely blurred. Once her eyes were clear from any obstruction, she suddenly realized that the ground beneath her and the air around her were greatly warmer than the environment she had previously been venturing through.

She quietly sat up, rubbing the source of pain on her neck while letting off another tired groan. Her attention was soon diverted from this pain as she heard a voice coming from behind her. "Well, looks like you're finally awake, that's good. Too bad I can't say the same about our situation." Krystal turned to see a frustrated looking feline leaning against the far wall of the small room, her head against her chest. The vixen gave her a tired look as she replied, "Yes, I'm alright, but what do you mean by 'our situation'?" Katt responded in an unemotional voice, "Just look behind you." As soon as Krystal heard this, her head rotated a slight distance until her eyes met an opening in the four walls, an opening that was caged off with thick metal bars. Krystal rubbed her head in slight confusion, "We're trapped in this room? But, how did all of this happen? The last thing I can remember, we were outside within that cave…" Katt placed her hand on her neck as she replied, "I don't know exactly, but I think we got knocked out somehow and they took us prisoner. Kind of a cheep shot if you ask me, but it doesn't look like they want to kill us. I mean, we'd be dead by now if they did."

Krystal scanned the small room and quickly noted, "They did not seem to capture all of us, I don't see Falco anywhere, not even in the adjacent holding cells." Katt shook her head and replied with a hint of anger, "If I remember right, they thought he was some kind of chosen leader. If they actually believe that, he's probably in some nice room getting pampered by a couple pretty servants. I don't know what they see in that idiot, but like always, everything has to go his way. You'd think I could get a bone tossed my way once in a while…" Krystal merely nodded at the feline's comment, her attention quickly diverted from the inside of their cell as she heard a door squeaking open from down the hallway that stood in-between the two rows of cells.

Katt stood off the wall as she heard this and walked towards the bars of the cell, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. Shortly after the noise had first been made, a tall avian figure appeared in front of cell. With an evil looking smirk, he said, "Well, looks like the little ladies have finally decided to wake up. Took you long enough." Katt looked at him with an un-amused stare, "Why don't you come in here and say that again?" The avian looked at her with a smirk and a slight chuckle, "Are you kidding me, you'd be no match for me. Besides, with the effects of that dart still in floating around in your body, you wouldn't be able to put up a decent fight anyway." Krystal quickly spoke before Katt had the chance, trying to make the most out of her prison stay by trying to gather information, "Why are you holding us here?" The avian responded, "I'm sure you'd like to know, unfortunately, former master Kraden would like to keep it a surprise. Let's just say that you'll be joining us for a little celebration, and you are the main attraction." Katt scoffed at this remark, responding with crossed arms, "Sorry, if you and your little bird friends are looking for a strip show, you'll have to look somewhere else." The avian guard laughed at this, commenting with a smirk, "Heh, I wish. But don't worry, you won't have to do anything like that once we arrive, but maybe I'd think about letting you go if you gave me a private session…" Katt sneered at him as he said this, returning to the far wall of the room, "You must be out of your mind. Go back to the bird nest you came from and ask someone else." The avian shrugged and said, "Fine, be that way. I'll be back in a few hours. We still have a while until preparations are complete. Enjoy your stay ladies." With that, the guard turned and walked out of sight, the door quietly grinding to a close as he left the two females alone in the holding area.

"So, they do have something planned for us, I guess we'll find out what that is soon enough." Krystal turned to face the voice that came from the far wall of the room and asked, "What do you think they will do to us?" Katt shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, could be good, could be bad. But if all the animals on this planet are like that idiot guard, we'll probably have something on our hands I don't want to have to think about." Krystal thought for a second before commenting, "Well, what about Falco? If he truly is the new leader of this planet, couldn't he stop any of this from happening?"

"You would certainly think that, wouldn't you my dear?"

Both of the female's heads turned as they heard this third voice interrupt their conversation. Their attention quickly focused on a cloaked figure that stood just outside the bars of their holding cell. Krystal gasped as she took a few sudden steps backwards, "It's you, but how did you get…" The figure cut her off with his usual malicious sounding chuckle, "My dear, surely you must know by now that I am always watching you. Every planet you visit, I am only a few steps behind." Katt quickly jumped to Krystal's side, speaking in a suddenly excited voice, "Krystal, is that the guy that I saw on Kaltar? The one that made Fox fight all those raccoons a few days ago?" Krystal nodded and spoke with great emotion in her voice, "Yes, that's him. He's the one that took over Fox's mind on Katina as well, or at least he tried, but failed." He chuckled at this, replying, "But if I do remember correctly, I was able to escape my death on Dinosaur Planet. But this time, Fox McCloud was not so lucky." Krystal replied, taking a small step forward as she spoke, "Unfortunately, Fox is on his way to a full recovery. It seems as though you are the one who is not so lucky. Just like on Dinosaur Planet, Fox has defeated you once again." Katt gave Krystal a confused look as the figure replied, "Is that so? Well then, I shall look forward to facing him again, hopefully he will prove to be more of a challenge." Katt spoke quietly as the figure ended his sentence, "You know this guy from somewhere Krystal? Who is he?"

Krystal nodded quickly responding in the same emotional voice, "He was the one that threatened to take over Dinosaur Planet, but luckily, Fox was able to stop him. He calls himself General Scales, even though he is a coward that cannot face his own problems, making other's do his bidding for him."

At this point, the cloaked figure withdrew the hood that hung loosely from his face, revealing the rugged green face of the dinosaur. "So you have remembered me. I am truly honored Krystal." He paused slightly before continuing, "Too bad that you will have to die so soon, it's a great pity I must say." Krystal took another small step forward as she quietly yelled, "What are you talking about?" Scales smiled slightly as he answered, "Why, did the avian that just paid you a visit not tell you? Well, I have better control over these pathetic creatures than I thought. I suppose that you will find out soon enough." Krystal responded tersely, "If you think that you can destroy us here, you are sorely mistaken. Our friend has been appointed ruler of this planet, as long as he controls our fate, we will remain unscathed." Scales smirked as he replied, "Yes, but there are other ways to control ones so foolish as him. It's a matter of what one would do to make another happy, many animals call this sacrifice, and that is exactly what Falco will do. Right now, I've placed, I must say, a rather beautiful young avian girl with him, if all goes as planed, he would do anything for her benefit, no matter what the cost." Katt seemed taken aback by this, but said nothing. Krystal responded in the same passionate voice, "But he is still in control of this planet, what if this girl is unable to do as you plan?" At this, Scales let out a booming laugh, replied shortly after the echoes of his laughter subsided, "My dear, do you not realize that all these creatures are still under my control? The entire story of him being the chosen, it's all a lie. There never was anything like that on this planet. It's actually quite disappointing that you believed that at all my dear." He paused slightly, a malicious smirk painted on his face as he did so, but soon continued, "Now sadly, I must now depart. There are more important matters that I must attend to. Enjoy your time at the festivities, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time." With those words, the green figure replaced the hood back onto the top of his head and walked down the aisle of the holding area. He had gone just as suddenly as he had come.

(Hallway of the Palace of Kharta)

It was a pretty long walk between the room that the small group of avian's had just departed from to their destination. During this time there was much talk of Falco's future as ruler of Kharta, of all the subjects and territories he would rule over, but many these words that Kraden spoke seemed to hardly penetrate the avian's ears. His focus was far too distracted by the beautiful falcon that walked next to him, feeling her gentle hand around his own. From time to time, he would glance over towards the female avian that walked next to him, studying her seemingly flawless figure as he did so. Every once in a while, she would notice and let off a cheerful smile in his direction, each time filling Falco with a great sense of comfort and calm, qualities that had previously seemed to have forgotten about for some time. As they walked, Falco let his thoughts wander on everything that had come to pass within the last few hours.

What the heck is all this? First we land on this snowy planet and were about ready to set up that M.C.D. system and leave, but now…I don't know, it just did a complete turn around on me. Who would have known that I'm some destined leader of a planet? And this girl, Liya…there's something about her that makes me feel so…I don't know, good. It's something I haven't felt for so long. Weird, it's only been less than an hour and I already feel like…well, almost like we kind of…belong together. She seems to like me a lot, I mean, I sure ain't forcing her to hold my hand, but I'm not exactly arguing either. Maybe this is something I should seriously consider…if I stayed here, I'd really be livin' the good life. That's gotta beat flyin' around in that can of a ship all the time tryin' to make a buck. And who knows, maybe this Liya girl and I really do have something going on here. Who would have guessed that a backwater planet like this could do this to me…

Falco quickly cut himself from his thoughts as he felt his hand shaking slightly. He took a few quick blinks as he returned to his conscious self, noticing that Liya was the one causing his hand to shake. She smiled up at him and said her usual cheerful voice, "We're here Falco, this is your throne room."

Falco looked away from the young avian as he slowly scanned his new surroundings. The room he now found himself standing in was enormous, almost a large as the docking bay that sat in the Great Fox. There were brilliantly colored drapes that hung loosely beneath large transparent windows. The walls that these windows and drapes sat on were of a navy blue color, seeming to represent to snowy atmosphere that existed outside of the building. Hanging from the middle of the ceiling sat a huge chandelier; it's lights easily shining throughout the entire room. The floor of the room was the same color as the walls, but a large picture of a flying avian was emblazoned into the floor in a glorious design. At the far wall of the room there sat a large throne, it's seats covered in comfortable looking cushions, elevated slightly above the blue floor of the room by the use of a few short stairs.

Falco could only stare in complete awe of the room's spectacular lay out. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. He finally found himself able to blink as the avian that stood at his side asked in the same happy tone, "So what do you think of this place?" Falco hesitated as he heard this, responding in a quiet voice, "It's unbelievable. I never thought I'd see anything like this on a planet like this." Liya smiled and commented, "You like it then. I'm happy you like it Falco, it took our ancestors generations to erect this building." She paused slightly before continuing, "And now it's purpose will finally be served. The new Khartak has arrived, and we will finally be able to live in peace." Kraden added shortly after her daughter with a smile, "That's right, now that the Khartak has arrived, he can finally take his place on the throne. This is truly a glorious day for the planet of Kharta. All that must take place before it is official is the grand induction ceremony. After that, you will forever be known as the ruler of Kharta." Falco nodded as he asked, "Right, after the ceremony, but what exactly happens during the party? We just cut some cake and toast, or is there something else?" Kraden chuckled at Falco's comment, replying in a jovial voice, "Oh no, it's much more than that. It will be held in this very room and avians from all over the planet will be attending. As for the ceremony itself, you will have to wait and see. But rest assured, it is truly something to look forward to." Liya added in a quiet voice, taking one of Falco's hands in both of her own, "He is right, it is something that is definitely worth waiting for. Now that I see who the chosen is, I could not have been any happier to wait the time I did for his arrival." Falco smirked as he heard this, listening as well as he father chimed in, "I can see that daughter, you already seem to have taken quite a liking to our new Khartak. I think he will make a fine suitor for you."

Falco blinked hard as he heard this, turning to Kraden with a confused glance, "…What did you just say?" He smiled as he answered, "Oh, well it's quite simple. When someone comes to rule on this planet, he must be accompanied with a queen that will steadfastly stand by his side. This ceremony is not only an induction for you to the throne; it is also a wedding for you and my daughter. I may be her father, but I think you can be extremely pleased with my daughter as your new wife, don't you agree?" Liya chimed in before Falco could answer, throwing her arms around him as she did so, "It's just so wonderful, I've been waiting for a lifetime for the Khartak to arrive. It's a true blessing that he is such a kind and handsome falcon, not in all my dreams could I imagine being with anyone else. Isn't it fantastic Falco? We can be together as one forever." Falco hesitated as he felt her arms around him, but no longer needed to worry about it as she pushed away from him slightly, instead replacing the feeling of her arms around his body with the feeling of her beak pressing softly against his own. This, as well as this sudden announcement, caught Falco totally off-guard, but as he felt the young avian's beak against his own, he could not resist to return the gesture, the process continuing for some amount of seconds, before they split apart. She looked up into his eyes and said in a quiet voice, "I love you Falco, and I will be happy to serve as your queen for as long as we live." Whether it be the entire process confusing him, or the fact that he had desired for this exact action to occur, he looked back into her glowing emerald eyes, not able to tear himself away from them, responding almost subconsciously, "Liya…I love you too…"

Kraden let out a jovial laugh as he heard the exchange between the two avians, commenting after Falco had said those words, "Well, it looks as though you two will rule this planet wonderfully together. Now the only matter at hand is the ceremony. Come, there is much to do." The two avians nodded, never looking away from each other as they did so.

It was as if nothing else could possibly matter more to Falco at that time. As he looked into Liya's green eyes, his thoughts of his team, the mission, everything seemed to drift from his mind. The only thing that mattered was this beautiful avian girl, the one that would soon become his wife, and at that moment, he seemed completely content with that decision.

(In the holding area)

The two animals remained quietly in their cell, not having said a word since Scales left them. Krystal sat in a corner of the cell against the metal bars while Katt continued to lean her back gently against the wall as she had almost the entire time they had been held there. Krystal let out a worried sigh as she remembered back to what Scales had said, that their deaths were drawing near. And this time, Fox would not be able to save them. If anyone could pull them out of this situation, it would have to be Falco, but if Scales' plan worked like he predicted it would, that decision would not come easy for the avian. She let out a tired sigh as she continued thinking, finding herself quite hungry and weary. In all the time they had stayed there, they had not been provided a morsel of food. But these thoughts were abruptly cut off as the sound of the squeaking door could be heard once again echoing through the room. Katt raised her head off of her chest for the first time in a great while and said quietly, "Well, this is it. You ready for this?" Krystal hesitated as she heard the quickly approaching steps.

The vixen nodded silently as a familiar voice was heard within the holding area, "Well, I'm back ladies, hope you two enjoyed your stay because now it's time for the ceremony. We've got everything ready for you two, and don't worry, it'll be a pretty painful death, unless either of you still wants to take me up on my offer…" Katt pushed herself away from the wall and replied, "We're better of dead that doing crap like that for a stupid little bird like you." The avian guard shrugged and responded with a smirk, "Whatever works for you, but you might want to reconsider once you figure out what we're gonna do to you." Katt shook her head and replied with obvious frustration, "Just shut up and take us wherever this ceremony is and get it over with, alright?" He let out a slight chuckle, "Alright, calm down. I guess it's a good thing it's a short walk to the throne room, I really don't want to listen to you whining the entire way there." Katt hesitated as she heard these words, immediately thinking of Falco. Her thoughts were quickly cut off however as she heard the cell door opening in front of her. The guard spoke in a now gruff voice, "Now don't try to make any trouble, Kraden doesn't want you dead until we get to the ceremony." The two females walked free from the cell and down the short aisle that lead out of the room, relieved with the fact they could now freely move around, but dismayed by the fact of this impending death that they had been informed of. The three animals silently made their way out of the holding area, leaving the dark and musty room behind the now closed door.

(A seating room in the Palace of Kharta)

It had been a few hours since Falco had first been introduced to the throne room, but shortly after that he had been requested to wait in a small seating room that sat adjacent to the room where they were busily preparing for the festival. Usually, Falco would hate such long waits like this, but in this instance, there was something that managed to take his mind of the wait. He and Liya were both patiently sitting close together on a small red couch that sat near the middle of the small room. They had both been chatting about their pasts, each gaining a better understanding and greater appreciation for the other as time slowly went on. They both seemed to greatly enjoy each other's presence, both taking the utmost interest of what the other was saying.

"So Falco, what do you think of what has just happened? It must seem so sudden for you." Falco smiled, replying shortly after, "Well, it's pretty good luck on my part that I happened to come across this planet in the first place. But ya, I'm glad I did, who would have known that all this was waiting for me?" She smiled back at him, rubbing her head into the avian's chest, "Fate is one of those things that are impossible to comprehend Falco. Sometimes it brings us great fortune, and sometimes it can bring us to our greatest downfalls. But I want you to know, it was not by luck that you were sent here. You are destined to rule this planet, and I will be by your side for as long as I live." She paused as she looked up into his face, "Destiny has truly blessed me with a wonderful partner." Falco let off a small smile, placing his feathered arms around the young avian's soft head, rocking her back and forth as he did so.

This gentle display of affection lasted for a short while, but slowly came to a halt as the sound of an opening door could be heard opening from behind them. Falco rotated his head slightly to see Kraden slowly walking through the now open threshold. He approached the couple with a smile and announced, "Falco, Liya, preparations for the ceremony are complete. I would like you to lead you both into the throne room." He paused as he looked down specifically at Falco, "Hundreds of animals eagerly await your arrival Khartak Falco, are you ready to take your place on the throne?" The avian looked down at the female falcon that still rested her head gently against his chest and responded, "Ya, I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He gave Liya a slight shake, causing her to lift her head free of the avian's chest. She looked over towards her father as they both stood from the couch and said with excitement in her voice, "Father…I cannot believe this day has finally come." She walked quickly in Kraden's direction and hugged him tightly. Her father joined her in the embrace, speaking in a gentle voice, "I completely understand Liya, it seems like only yesterday you were that small mischievous avian that you proved to be so many years ago. But now you're grown, and I can see that you and Falco will be the greatest this planet has ever seen." She nodded as she departed from her father's arms, looking back at Falco as she replied with tears forming in her eyes, "And I wouldn't possibly have it any other way." Kraden smiled at his daughters comment and motioned for the two falcons to follow him out of the room, "Now, we must head to the throne, many eagerly await your arrival Khartak." Falco nodded, taking Liya's hand in his own, "Alright Kraden, let's go." With those words, the three avian's walked through the doors of the seating room and made their way back into the throne room.

As soon as they exited through the small doorway, they immediately found themselves surrounded by hundreds of falcons, each letting out a cheer as they saw the three avians walk free from the door of the seating room. Falco could only stand in awe as he looked over the crowd, each one of them were cheering for him, chanting his name over and over as loudly as their lungs would allow. He did not stand in that spot for long however, as Kraden slowly led the avian couple through the dense crowd up towards the throne that sat on the far wall of the room. Each of the avians in the room respectfully cleared the way as the Falco walked by, each yelling his name excitedly as he passed. It took some time to reach the throne, but once they did, Falco took his seat on the large throne and Liya stood by his side. Once Kraden saw that the two avians had taken their respective spots on the throne, he raised his hands in a gesture to quiet the roaring crowd. It took a short while for them to comply, but soon, there was nothing but the occasional whisper that could be heard throughout the entire room.

Kraden's raised hands lowered as the noise that echoed through the large room had come to a stop. Almost immediately after doing this, he spoke over the crowd in a clear and powerful voice, "My fellow Khartans, we have gathered here today to witness the induction of our new Khartak, fulfilling the prophecy that was made at the beginning of our ancestor's history." Again, there came a loud roar, which gradually subsided as Kraden continued, "It is also today that you will witness the bond of my daughter, Liya, and Khartak Falco in marriage." A third loud cheer arose from the crowd, one that also included a few exuberant whistles. Once again, the crowd noise settled as Kraden once again spoke over the crowd, "We will begin this grand ceremony with an ancient ritual that has been passed down for centuries of our kind. And for this ritual, the gods have provided us a pair of strange animals, of which none of you have ever seen before."

With those words, two animals were sent in through the large doors that served as they main entrance to the throne room. One was a young vixen, whose fur was completely blue in color; the other was a young feline whose fur was completely pink in color. Both of them staggered into the room as a few guards prodded them from behind. Their hands were tied securely behind their backs as they walked towards the middle of the room, where a large pit was now located. As they approached, the seated avian looked at them in surprise, realizing that he had forgotten about them completely. Both of the animals looked up at him with surprise, the feline yelling up at him, "Nice to see you again Falco, glad to see you're comfortable up there." Falco wanted to reply, but he could not find the words to speak. The feline looked away from him with frustration as they were led up a small platform above the pit that sat in the middle of the room.

When Kraden saw that the two animals were in position, we announced over the crowd, "These two strange creatures are a blessing from the gods, they have been sent to us for the sole purpose of this ritual." As soon as Kraden finished this sentence, one of the avians that stood next to pit struck two rocks solidly together, the sparks of which sent the contents of the pit to flames, causing the entire pit to fill with a massive amount of fire. Kraden spoke again as the crowd settled, "These creatures will be sacrificed to the gods. Their ashes will bless our planet as well as our new Khartak with peace and prosperity. With this ritual completed, we will be under the new and glorious rule of Khartak Falco and his soon to be wife, Liya."

The crowd erupted in cheers once again and Liya spoke from above Falco in her usual tone of voice, "Isn't this wonderful Falco? Once they are sacrificed, you will finally take your true place among out kind. And not long after that, I will make my vow to stay with you forever." Falco hesitated as he heard this, his attention clearly averted towards the two helpless animals that stood above the fire. Liya asked in a slightly hesitant voice after noticing his silence, "…Falco, are you alright?" Falco didn't seem to hear her at all, his thoughts were centered on the two animals that were now staring desperately towards him.

Oh man, I knew this was too good to be true. Everything was going so well, but now I've gotta watch these two die? Man, I can't just let them go like this, but Liya…she's looking forward to this so much, I can't just let her down either. Man, this is tight; I gotta find a way out of this, but how. Jeez, of all the times I needed Fox, why the heck did he pick now to be off at some hospital? I don't have time to make a decision, I gotta make a choice here and I have to do it now. It'd be great to have this all work out in my favor, but that could take too much time…come on, there has to be something, some why to keep the best of both worlds, but how?

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Ok, that was like, the weirdest thing I've ever typed. So much stuff happened in that chapter, except any sort of action of course, but you must know by now that's just how I roll. This was the longest chapter ever, so yay for that I guess. And it only took like…three days to type it all, coolness. I don't really have anything cool to say, like usual, so I guess I'm outta here.

(A New Leader PART 3)
Yep, last part of this little adventure; what the heck is a blue falcon to do? Go with the hot chick? (Heh, that was punny…) Or will he save his team from falling to their doom? And there is also something that you won't expect at all. So think of what you don't expect to happen, and expect it. You probably could guess right, but you'd have to be pretty cool for that to happen…

EDITOR'S NOTES: Well, this is really something, it seems like my editor has a little something planned for you and only you, the blessed reader. Happy Birthday!

"Hey! Guess who's back, back again? Nick's editor is back, back again. lol Well anyway, I am going to, you guessed it, bore you with, oh my god, it's true, yes it is, more of my notes. Your guy's most favorite part of the story. Well anyway, I am going to shut up and talk about this chapter now... OK Falco, leader, damn that is messed up and he is soon to be wed. Damn, well I hope he can overcome the power of Scales and save his team and stop the mind control. lol, were is fox when u need him... Well I am done boring you with my editor notes, thank u for taking the time to read them and now please read the rest of the story, good-bye. Oh yeah and one more thing check out my story Stained Black Heart. Thank you and good-bye form Justin Alan Haibon."

Could you actually understand that? Ya, it's different than what you're used to, that's for sure. This probably only took him about six hours to type, but whatever works I guess…

MAIL CALL:
BlueWolf419
Oh boy... Falco as leader...
This won't end well...
I have to ask: Why exactly did you start writing this story? Not to be rude but I'm just wondering where your inspiration came from...
Anyway, I love the descriptions in your story and I also love the thoughts of all the characters. The only drawback is that the action is so sparse. Oh well! I'm enjoying the story anyway!

FoxMC: Ok children, time for story time with FoxMC! Are you ready for an extraneously long and pointless sermon on this reviews question? Alright, get some popcorn or something…here we go.
Once upon a time a few years ago, FoxMC took part in a Nintendo service called, "Nintendo chat." It was a grand old time, FoxMC soon found himself among the most well known names on the website. Then one day, he met a user named Cucco. He and Cucco, who were both very enthusiastic Star Fox fans, got together and started a story of their own, titled, "Legend of the Seven Stones." It was an ambitious project, spanning many chapters and sporting an impressive story line. But then one day, Cucco stopped sending his side of the stories to FoxMC, which was not completely uncommon, but this inactive state continued for months, leaving poor FoxMC with the desire to type still fresh in his mind. So then one day, he stumbled upon a website were he could share his fanfictions with the rest of the world. He began his fanfiction, "Echoes of the Future," having absolutely no idea of what the plot line would be. Around chapter 4, he realized that he needed an actual storyline, so he figured that mind control would be an interesting topic. After adding this, he also gave Krystal special powers. This came about from a Nintendo Power issue he received before Star Fox Adventures was released for the Gamecube. In a caption it had under a picture of Krystal, it said, "Here you can see a new character to the Star Fox series. Although little is known about the mysterious, Krystal, from this screenshot, it appears that she may have a special healing power, we'll just have to wait and see." FoxMC saw a great opportunity in exploiting this strange power and used it in his story, and because Krystal really did not turn out to have any healing powers, his idea looked pretty original. Now the story line is solid in his head, no longer does he devise a plot line as he types, unlike chapters 1-7. His love for the Star Fox series, along with his apparent need to wake up around 4:30 in the morning has kept his going for almost an entire year. But as his story slowly comes to a close, we are left to wonder, what will he do next? What indeed my friends, what indeed. Fin
If you insist, I can explain why I insist on storyline over action, but I don't want to take up any more space. Por supuesto

shadowshock12
me again and I have two things to say, First is great chapter and second is that I don't mind you not lieing to make others (especially me) happy. In fact I would rather you didn't what you write should be from what you think and no one else.
Wishing you good fortune in the future
SS12
P.S. Falco is one of my favorite characters, but I just can't stand the way he acts around Katt, and now he just ruined his (and her)only chance at love, man he's stupid.

FoxMC: Cool, then I'll say that Fara Phoenix is ugly, yay! Anyway, I guess it's nice to see a Falco fan, even though I am not one. And ya, it's pretty much over between them, but who knows, maybe something will happen…Uhh…if there is, I have no idea how it'll happen…

Black Phoenix
Falco's a chosen one. Holy sh-. That was the absolute last thing I expected. Got any more unexpected twists planned, dude?

FoxMC: Umm…yes, there will be more tricky plot line stuff happening in the near future. This story is coming to a close, so ya, there will be big stuff happening, like, not far from now. Ya…

Tie
Falco a chosen one? I did not expect that coming. Anyway great chapter, this chapter made me very excited to see what happens in the next chapter.

FoxMC: Ya, I didn't think many people would. First he takes over the Great Fox, now he's ruler of this planet…what's next? Sequence milkshakes? Bowtie french-fries? Pretty Patties? …sorry, I saw that Spongebob episode today…heh…ya

Tom
Ack!Bring back Peppy!1
Otherwise, great fanfic.

FoxMC: Well, don't think Peppy's coming back anytime soon. More like, never. The guys like, older than trees and stuff, he needs some retirement time, besides, he can enjoy his time on Xavix-Yuan a lot more than he could on the Great Fox. Well, you might see him later, but like…not soon, sorry.

Fox McCloudSaviour of Lylat
Wow, Falco had trouble leading team Star Fox, but a whole planet? How will he manage? Anyways, finally got my story up. Check it out if u wanna... It's good that Fox is back too. Krystal probably would've had a nervous breakdown if he hadn't come back soon. Well thats all 4 now. Keep it up (No one really wants to see it end, right?).

FoxMC: Ya, I'm sure she would probably lose it if Fox would have died, but good think it was only Falco lying to everybody! Well, good thing that he ended up being right even though it made Katt really mad at him…uhh, ya.

DragonOTDarkFlame
Yes I am now looking forward to how Katt is going to take all this "Falco God" WOH...crap. Great Ch. FoxMC! By the way, If you get a chance, please take a look at my Teen Titans fanfic if you get the chance. I would REALLY like to have reviews from more than one person. I'm...possesive that way. Thank You!

FoxMC: I guess from this chapter you can tell that she really won't have much of a say in what she thinks…too bad, since he'd probably get slugged across the face again, but whatever…

Ben Stylin
Interesting.
I was expecting the cloaked creatures would be humans.
Heh... Katt thinks Falco might do something to Krystal that Fox wouldn't like? She's kind of a little out there.

FoxMC: Well, when you get to the state she's in now, you'd probably look at the worst in everybody too, but you're right about her being out there, she's like, past left field and in the stands somewhere…