"They are stronger then I had thought…"

"Is there something you need, my lord?"

"If I had needed something, I would have asked. Now, get out of here."

"Forgive me, lord, but there is also news…"

"Is he here yet? No, he isn't… I would know. So then, what is it?"

"Another has arrived, the geomancer."

"Good. Send him in."

IX

In the Great Fox, the team sat in the lounge, discussing what should be done. Krystal and Fox sat on one couch while Falco and Slippy sat opposite. Krystal spoke.

"I have heard of this Hellborne the demon spoke of. It is a jungle world with many windstorms and volcanoes, due to its fast orbit and spin. People colonized it years ago, but just before the Aparoid attacks, we lost contact with them." She sat back in the couch's cushions. "Anything could have happened to it. My best bet is that Hellborne was one of the first planets the Aparoids attacked." The others nodded in agreement.

"Do you know the exact location of the planet?" Fox asked, leaning forward in his seat. Krystal shook her head.

"No. Any ideas?" she asked.

Slippy spoke up. "We'd have to go to Corneria's main library to find the location. They'll have it there." Falco stood up. "So what're we waitin' for! Let's get to Corneria!" He started to walk toward the cockpit. The others got up and followed.

"So, when should we arrive?" Krystal asked Fox when they got there.

"About a day from now. It's not too far," he replied, not looking up from the console. Jumps like this were complicated, and he didn't want to send them into a sun. Krystal nodded. "Ok," she said, and leaned back in her seat. Slippy proceeded to bring the warp gate open.

"Brace yourselves. This isn't going to be smooth," he told them. Without one of the best warp gates, like the one on Corneria, anyone going into a warp gate had to build up a lot of speed.

Silent in space, the Great Fox blasted its engines, leaving behind nothing other than a slight ion trail to mark its presence.

End of Chapter IX. Not very long, but just enough. Review, please.

Quote of the chapter:

"Prepare the ship for light speed!"

"No, no, no, light speed is too slow!"

"Light speed too slow?"

"Yes, we're gonna have to go right to… ludicrous speed!"

Collective gasp from crew

"Ludicrous speed? Sir, we've never gone that fast before. I don't know if the ship can take it!"

"What's the matter, Colonel Sandurz? Chicken?"

-Space Balls

Black Footman342