A/N: We learn here, that Krystal is giving herself a purpose. Everything here should coincide with the gamecube games, fairly well, but I still managed to add in my own little dash of imagination, to keep things fresh. Lunar Stone hotels? I got that off of the CORNERIA board on SF:Assault. I also got Space Dynamics Co. LTD, the manufacturer of the Arwing, from that board. I try to use the names of Cornerian businesses that were advertised in that level. Krystal's name for her Chi-maneuver, I dreamed up, on my own. That's not in the game, but I explain it in a believable way..or at least I hope I do, heh.

Finally, we see Krystal interact with someone other than Fox, for at least a few minutes, near the end, here. For all of you who gripe at me over the ages? I've looked into it. In SF64, Fox was 18, Falco was 19, Slippy was 18.
SF:Adventures happens EIGHT YEARS LATER. 18+8 equals 26. So, after SF:Adventures, Fox is 26. Deal with it, yes he's getting to be an old man, good grief. In SF:Assault, 2 years later, he's about 28. I know that really ruffles some of your feathers the wrong way, to think that Fox is close to 30, but hey. Do the math. :)

Krystal is 16 in SF:Adventures. She's 18 in SF:Assault. Heck, Sailor Moon was 14, and she was a hero, so we have to keep in mind that Krystal and Fox probably have their relationship start around the closing of "ASSAULT", when she's... you know... legal? That doesn't mean they can't be friends, first. Falco's 29 now, and he's still a huge child at times. :D Heck, the guy's from "TOOL", the band are in their mid 40's. Gwen Stephani is almost 37. You can be a million years old and still be young. So don't everyone get up in arms that I'm blatently putting it in writing that Fox is older than 21. Remember, he wasn't a 12 year old when he fought the Lylat Wars. (Although Slippy's voice kinda sounds 12, haha)

And thank you, everyone who's taken an interest in this story. I actually did it for you guys. I felt no one was reading my other stuff, so I decided to jot something down, that would get attention. I appreciate the feedback, and I appreciate the emails and the IMs. I'm shocked. I'm amazed! I'm astonished! I even saved a bunch of money on my car insurance!

Chapter -4-: Don't Judge a girl by her Color.

Fox opened the door to the lavish hotel's gym. It wasn't the size of a fitness center or anything, but there was a soft pad at the back of the room, large enough for a small group of people to stretch. The mat was rectangular, but there was a large circle in the center, which Fox came to one side of, Krystal coming to the other.

"I can tell you're feeling weird about this," She said, shaking her head slightly, causing those tendrils of azure to bounce about her pretty girlish features. Never fought a woman before?

"Actually, I've never sparred with a minor before," Fox replied. "My flight instructor was a woman and was quite the challenge, so I know not to judge a girl in the ring."

"AH, I see!" Krystal smiled softly, her eyes dancing over the 73 on his shirt, then lifting to his own eyes, a darker shade of green than her own. She looked down at her nails which were painted white, the same color as her hair beads, then smiled. Meanwhile, Fox cracked his knuckles, placing his right paw behind his neck and pressing his fingertips into the top of his spine, then tilted his head, not quite with the bone jarring pop sound that Falco caused, doing the same thing, but a noise all the same. "Ready?" She asked, placing her paws out before herself. She knew Fox was a sure combatant but something about this made her feel as though she had an advantage.

"Do you want me to go easy?" Fox asked. Krystal giggled in reply then walked over to the wall where there was rubberized gear. She plucked a red and blue set off the shelf, strapping the head gear to either side of her face, then pulled on the paw and foot coverings, as well as a shinguard. She tossed the red set over to Fox and returned to the edge of the circle, across from him.

Fox quickly put the gear on, not having even realized that the hotel would carry such amenities. Once he was ready, he lifted his left paw and signaled for the match to begin. They could throw their weight into punches with the safety gear, and not hurt the other, but she seemed ready, confidence in her eye.

"So how many were in your litter, Fox?" Krystal said, as she began strafing to the left, Fox doing the same, so that they walked sideways around the inside of the circle together, facing one another.

"My... litter?" Fox said, making sure that it wasn't a ruse to confuse him, while she gets a strike in.

"Your Parents, Fox. How many siblings were in your Litter?" She said, reaching out with her left paw, shoulder hight, while keeping her right paw across her mid section, to protect from any counter strikes he might try.

Fox dodged his head back, and used his paws to connect with her wrist, to keep her at bay, with a slight touch, as they continued to strafe along the circle once more. He gave the question a little thought, and finally answered, "As far as I've ever known, I'm an only child, why do you ask?"

"No reason, really. You have any cousins?" She asked, side stepping an attempt for a grasp, on Fox's behalf. The strafing continued, to the left. Both had their paws extended half way, as they circled about on the mat, poised to strike.

"No, I've not even been to a family function since Mom passed away in the Car bomb that secured Andross's exile from the planet."

"They banish you for murder on Corneria?" Krystal was in shock.

"No, it just happened to add to whatever he was doing, that scared everyone into wanting him out of the system. We did away with Death Sentences, and banishment is usually more harsh than a cell," Fox explained, then went for a lunge, but his strike was blocked by the pads on her wrists. She lifted her left leg, extending it gracefully, in a swift strike at what should be his balancing leg, but it was blocked, as he drew his right leg up, her foot connecting with his shin guard pad.

Fox used his palm, thrusting it forward, at her jaw, to knock her off balance, but she dodged right, and used her hands to grasp his wrist and her other hand to strike the inside of his elbow, causing his arm to unextend, so as to keep him at bay. The momentum of each vulpine's attack, caused him to pass her, and his paws went to her back, to give a gentle shove, to keep her at bay as well, then they turned and faced each other once more. The strafing began once again, as they circled about on the mat, keeping their paws up in a defensive manner.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You haven't heard so much as a word from other family members?" she asked, between another offering of deflected jabs. She'd told him about a chi-maneuver back on the tram, which had a fancy name, but she didn't use it on him yet.

"I bounced around as a kid. Spent some time on Papetoon, spent some time on Katina. Just trying to make ends meet with Peppy and my school-chum, Slippy," Fox explained, as he stepped forward, putting his right paw at the back of her neck, and his left palm at her hip, trying to spin her off balance. Using his feet, and a roll-back technique that, when successful, would put the foe flat on their back, Fox made a quick offensive and at too close of a range for her to do a kippup... the ability to jump to one's feet from flat on their back. It was, however, unsuccessful.

Krystal brought her left knee up into Fox's stomach, as he reached forward, and when he doubled over, she brought her elbow down upon his back, but even with her strength, and all her weight put into the second blow, it wasn't enough to drop him. She followed through with an uppercut, in a three strike combination move, that left Fox only phased for a moment. Her hand connected with the soft head-gear that covered underneath and either side of Fox's jaw and head.

He swiftly retaliated with a smoothly executed roundhouse kick, that Krystal was able to dodge, by pulling her head back. However, that left her prone to the following sweeping move. Fox dropped to the floor, his left leg extended, sweeping around in a circle, taking Krystal's feet out from under her. However she had enough room and the stamina to execute the kippup and landed square upon her feet, in a balanced position, arms half-extended and ready once more.

"Nice moves," Fox started.

"Nice counter," She replied, almost over top of his compliment.

"So where's this Doho duji thing you mentioned?" Fox said, taking another graceful swing, jabbing at empty air, as she dexteriously side stepped the attack.

"Dahn Daju?" She corrected. The term was pronounced "do han - da shu."

"Sure, Dahn Daju," Fox repeated the way she said it, with the accent she used on the words. Krystal put her left paw out before her, raising her left arm slightly, and angling her wrist in an arc, before landing a quick strike, that mimicked his previous jab, and landed the blow on his gut.. But strangely, it was enough of a force, to knock him flat on his tail. He sat on the mat, looking up at her in amazement.

"And that was left handed... You can use it the other way around too, and use the energy harnessed in your mind, to absorb the blow of an attack. In a sense, absorb the passing kinetic energy, that transfers from the attacker, to your body, so that the attacker isn't pushed backwards by the force of the strike. Like I said, it takes a great deal of meditation," Krystal explained.

Fox drew himself up, then lunged at her, placing his shoulder directly into her gut, so that he could lift her in a single motion, following through with the upward flipping of her feet, so that she was flung over his shoulder. Her hands met the mat, and she rolled forward, coming to her feet and whirling around, poised with her paws up once more.

"Clever," She said with a grin.

"You're more resilient than I thought," he mused, turning about for the next round. "So show me how this other form of your art works?"

"Well, it's actually the art of my ... people," She paused, drawing out the last word as the realization of the fact that she was the only member of her people left alive. "Well, I suppose I could eventually teach it to someone else, so it doesn't die out. All right, Fox. I want you to run at me, and try to kick me as hard as you can. Don't hold back, I promise you won't hurt me," She explained.

Fox tilted his head, then made a running start, jumping into the air and putting his feet out. Doing a jump kick was something anyone could do, but landing on one's feet was the hard part. Either way, she ran at her and leapt forth, burring her foot into her chest. Instead of the energy of the motion being transfered, her body was like an anchored temple and he bounced off of her, being knocked backwards several feet, onto his tail.

She had shut her eyes and jutted her chest out, arching her back in a state of light meditation, when his kick collided with her body, and even her clothes looked unwrinkled. Fox was shocked. He sat up, gathering himself and coming to his feet, just gawking at her.

"How is that possible?" he asked.

Krystal smiled. She offered another jab but he was able to block it, while saying, "Our people feel it's the best defense. You've seen it in action already, I'm sure. We built the staff with those abilities. The glowing blue defense barrier built into the staff? any physical object merely bounced off or dissipated, did it not? That is the same thing, but the staff uses a rechargeable power cell to emulate what the mind's natural abilities are, in that respect."

"I didn't know it was a rechargeable power cell, I was using the solid, jewel like nectar from planets on Sauria to repower it," he said.

"Yes, I noticed that, too." Krystal tilted her head and added, "The hardened nectar from those plants on that planet seemed to act as high-powered lemons, recharging the battery pack in the staff quite easily. I imagine, had we actually tried it, they would have worked on field-gear as well. I actually used them to power my damaged ship just enough to break orbit and board the GreatFox when your fight with Andross had concluded."

"Resourceful girl," Fox complimented, his next set of kicks being blocked by her shin-pads. "So how did the staff work? I noticed that when it wasn't in use, it could shorten in size, for easy storage."

The blue vixen shrugged, following through with a quick jab to Fox's face guard. "It's telescopic design allows it to fold into itself when not used. It's made of a metal polymer composite that was plentiful on Cerinia. The only way to turn that metal into liquid in order to shape fighter hulls and weapons with it, is to use another liquid element from our world, at boiling temperatures. But once you put the metal into the shape you want it to stay in, you've got to extract the heated liquid of the other element. To be honest, I was never a geologist or expert in that field. I can tell you that they did it, but I don't know all the details of how," She explained, taking a quick jab back, from his paw.

"That's amazing. I could use that Staff to knock a Sharpclaw through the wall and it didn't even bend, yet it's so light. Cerinia must have been an amazing planet," He said.

"Yes, but Andross was quick to take what resources he could, ruin us and leave," She scowled softly. "I know the General paid another group to find the nephew of Andross, but I know I could find him."

"Why, did you want to?" Fox asked. Okay, so she was telepathic. She probably could track him. But would they get paid? And worse yet, would they start a turf-war between the two mercenary groups if they got in on HellCat Alpha's mission? He didn't want to find out.

"If he knows where his Uncle is, I would want to stomp Andross into the dirt and ask him if the bioweapon he created caused our sun to collapse."

"And if Andy Oikonni doesn't know?" Fox posed the question in soft tones, regardless of ducking her next strike.

"We hand him to the other mercenary team?" She asked in return. "I know I could find him," She said.

"If you could track him down that easily, I would want you to join StarFox," Fox replied, using his paw guards to fend off her next set of quick strikes, before replying with a jab and kick of his own.

"I would accept, but need to learn how to fly an Arwing," She said. "But I'll stay, unless I learn that my quest for answers takes me in a different direction. Right now, I have nowhere else to go," She admitted sourly. She confided this to Fox, following a graceful back roll, to avoid his offensive maneuver.

"I'll train you to fly an Arwing, and you find Andrew for us. I'll give you a place to belong and family, and you fly for the team. Sounds like a deal," Fox said, offering a paw to shake. She took it. After the shake, he pulled her forward, sweeping her to the floor, causing her to grin up at him. She suddenly reached a single paw out, touching his hip. With her chi-like practice, Fox suddenly found an extraordinary amount of energy transfered into his body, throwing him to the mat, as well.

The two couldn't help but laugh about it, sitting on the mat for a few minutes, just relaxing after their sparring conversation. Both were amused, what could the other say? Fox glanced down at the mat quietly, trying not to fidget. She was more intelligent than most girls her age, that was for sure.

"So how old were you, when you lost your father?" She asked, keeping her tone reverent and polite.

"I was 17 when he showed up as missing in action. He and Peppy were both listed as Missing in Action. It was supposed to be Peppy's last year in the military. He managed to Escape Venom and reported in, then he told me what happened, personally."

Krystal placed her hand over her muzzle. "I'm - I'm so sorry. I completely understand how you feel to lose your parents at that age." To this, Fox felt guilty, because she was just about to turn 17 now, and lost both her parents at the same time. Plus all her friends and family. Her entire home world. "What happened after that?" She asked.

"Well, I was still a minor by Corneria standards, and my parents home and stocks and the whole will brought me enough to survive, plus dad had just purchased GreatFox, so that was left to me. Also, the military pays a the family of the dead soldier, plus life insurance, so I had enough money that, on my 18th birthday, I purchased Arwings, two LandMaster Tanks and the parts for Slippy and Mister Beltino to construct the Blue Marine. I was gearing up for a war with Venom, it just so happened that Peppy retired from the military and came to live with me, Slippy and Falco, who had just turned 19.

Fox continued, "The Cornerian government was overrun, trying to spread themselves thin. They wanted to help Katina, fight on several other fronts, and protect their own planet, but Andross had enacted a draft on Venom and had more militia troops than Corneria could manage. Pepper put out the word that Mercenaries would be paid but they, too, found themselves pinned down. StarFox was staying out of the way, while we trained our tails off. I wanted to be the best."

"You stayed out of the war at first?" She asked.

"I wanted to hunt down Andross personally. I had to prepare. I didn't want Slippy to die or Falco to get killed, we had to be the best and these were new Arwings. We only had about 3 months of use in these machines, at the time," he explained. "We were the last mercenary squadron still in operation, so Pepper sent an encoded message for us, begging. Something about how Corneria's army alone can't do the job, and to please come help them. I felt torn, because we weren't ready just yet, but I couldn't let Pepper down, he was a friend of my father."

"You were only 18, and fighting a full scale war?" She asked, looking him over quietly. He was quite a man, intelligent, mature and resourceful.

"Yeah," Fox said with a dry chuckle. "We did rush into the war. I mean, as soon as we got to Corneria, Falco had problems with his G-Diffuser system, Peppy was still teaching us to do loops in these machines and reminding us when to do barrel rolls to keep ourselves from getting pummeled. He would remind me that I was getting better as a leader and getting almost as good as my father. If Pigma Dengar didn't betray dad, over Venom, Dad would have ended the war before it got out of control."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Pigma Dengar sounds like a dishonorable man," She said softly. She remembered seeing a photograph on the GreatFox of James, Peppy and Pigma, with marker scribble covering Pigma's face. She knew Fox was still hurt by it, after all this time.

"Yeah, so. We got lucky, we ripped through Lylat, taking out the commander of each battlefield, leaving a few fighters without their leaders. I figured Corneria's army could handle the leftovers. Then we headed for Venom and after a scrap with StarWolf, we went straight for the Jackpot," Fox explained. There was no use telling her about the hallucination of his Father helping him escape the base. It was too weird, even for himself.

"How long ago was that?" She asked.

"Well, 8 years after the War ended, we were broke and in need of money. The thing with Sauria came about and Pepper knew we needed the cash. So, I'm 26 now. It was a long time to go without a great deal of money. GreatFox was getting old and was in desperate need of a re-fit, the Arwings needed replacing... Sauria turned into a bigger job than we anticipated. The Fact that Andross was involved made Pepper agree to pay us a bonus, so we're feeling pretty rich, again. I just hope it stays that way."

Krystal stood up, offering a paw. Fox grinned up at her, then finally took the offered hand, coming to his feet. She leaned up and kissed the cheek of his muzzle softly, causing him to blush slightly, then told him, "We have a lot in common. I'm sure we'll make wonderful friends."

"I'm glad," he replied, adding, "I'd like that. You aren't from Lylat, and without a home, you're automatically emancipated, so you're an adult by Corneria's terms. But we've got to get you an ID. Maybe tomorrow I can take you by the Department of Identification Registry and make you an official citizen. Everyone deserves to belong."

She smiled in reply. "You're sweet." Then began to remove the sparring gear, putting it back on the shelf. Fox did the same, putting the red pads next to her blue ones, then opened the glass doors for her, leading her out of the gym and back to their suite. She took to her room and shut the door behind herself, while Fox went into his room to crash out.

Krystal decided that she adored the Cornerian clothing. She was thankful that Fox bought it all for her, and even more, that she had friends again. It made the pain of coping more easy. The suit was hung up on a hanger and she opened a tinted glass door to the shower that was installed in her room.

The lithe blue vixen perused the touch screen controls for the water and tilted her head. She'd not been in Lylat long enough to have learned how to read the language and so she had to figure it out on her own. There was a set of numbers in the center of the touchscreen, with a blue arrow pointing down and a red arrow pointing up. It was obvious that this was the temperature controls, but how to get the faucet to activate was what she needed to figure out.

She tried various buttons, one of which caused the wrong faucet to activate, filling the tub, instead of turning on the shower spicket. Another button dimmed the lights, then made it brighter, and on the third push, turned them off, all together. She kept pushing it until the lights were back to what they were before. Yet another button opened and closed the tub drain.

If she didn't get a shower soon, after that spar, she was going to shrivel up from sweating. She hated that feeling and continued her search of the touch screen panel, trying to figure out the little icons on the screen, since the words meant nothing to her. Finally, she opened a menu that displayed an icon of what looked like a shower faucet, and pressed it. To her delight, the shower hissed to life, and she put her paw under the water.

After only a few seconds, the water heated to the temperature displayed on the wall. It was still too cold and she pressed the red arrow, pointing up, causing the numbers to raise. Once the water was a temperature she liked, she turned to the linen closet, grabbed a towel off one of the shelves and put it on the metal bar besides the sink.

The bathroom had become an adventure, all it's own. She finally slipped into the shower, pulling the glass door shut and hunted for the soap. Corneria was a fancy world with fancy amenities, she wasn't yet used to. The dispenser was built into the wall and ejected a soap bar at the mere touch of a wall tile. To her delight, the soap popped up, from the tray, along with a shampoo dispenser that worked at the touch of a button.

"What was wrong with having a soap tray and a shampoo bottle sitting on a shelf?" She wondered allowed. But the truth was, she felt fascinated by all this high-tech sleek shower stall. It was, after all, a high-dollar hotel in the largest City on Corneria.

She lathered the soap up, caressingly working it into her fur, then she stepped beneath the shower faucet, sorta just melting under the heat of the water. It felt good on her neck and shoulders, just hot and the tingling clean sensation. "A woman could get awfully used to such a luxurious bath," she said aloud. That was the second time she spoke out loud and this time, she realized it.

"If you don't stop talking to yourself, people are going to think you're crazy," She said, more for her amusement, than anything. She was so used to sharing her thoughts with everyone around her, that even talking out loud seemed more private on this planet, than what she was used to.

For now, it was just her, the hot water and the peaceful silence. She could sense Fox's thoughts but he was in a state of relaxation, clearing his mind, to help himself sleep. His calm vibes were a soothing balm on her soul. It kept her from thinking about her parents or other family members. It kept her from dwelling on the deaths of her friends, or her people. What no one knew was the fact that her jewelry was really symbolic. She was royalty.

Most of the scientific minds of her people and certain qualified telepathic explorers and researches had been given the right to leave the planet when it was freezing over, but her parents sent the ever-young Krystal because they felt it was her birth-right, as a Princess, to try and save her people.

Krystal felt awful. She'd not even made it to the edge of her star system when the sun collapsed and destroyed Cerinia and it's surrounding heavenly bodies. She failed at her task and, although it wasn't her fault, she felt as though it was. It was her nature to help others. But she couldn't even help her own people. Her quest for answers was all she could do for them now.

She placed a paw over the cardinal-sun tattoo on her thigh. A crest of her mother and father, the monarch of the largest continent on the upper hemisphere of her planet. The Kings and Queens of each nation came together as the governing body for the entire planet, and Krystal would have been part of that Government if Andross never interfered with her world, she just knew it.

Those soft, blue fingertips traced over the branded marking that was inked in white, on her upper left leg. It was all that survived of her family's heritage. After a moment, she placed her hand on her bicep, rolling her thumb over the design that stood as a crest for her paternal family. The markings that were branded and inked into the females of the entire bloodline. They were all gone. Their markings survived through her life. She was all that was left of her world. It was a saddening, bitter thought.

She allowed her mind to focus on Fox's relaxing thought patterns to calm herself. He was strong of will and had a mature mental process. She could feel his strong, pure heart radiating from the other room. She placed her paws against the shower tiles, resting her head against the wall, just slumping under that hot water. She knew they were dead. They would have wanted her to have a higher purpose and do something good in her life. Was helping StarFox the right call to make?

They were war heroes, who only accepted mercenary missions that created a better good. They didn't take assassination jobs, or anything like that. They took escort jobs, security details, saving innocent bystanders, things that one could do and look at themselves in the mirror without shame. She decided then, that she was secretly in love. Not just with her new lifestyle and new friends and new home, but with the man in the next room over.

Sure, they had only just become friends and there was no use rushing into things so early, but if she played her cards right, they had forever to evolve into something more. She still had a great deal to learn about Fox, so for now she decided it was best to keep her crush in her heart. No need rushing into Romance. She had to get her life back together first. She had a lot to learn, from how to read Cornerian, to how to fit into her new role as the only female on board GreatFox.

x-

The next morning...

A knock at the door was just loud enough to cause Krystal's eyes to flutter open. She arched her back, stretching and yawned. That cute little pink tongue curled, and she inhaled deeply, then licked her dry lips, smacking them together for a moment.

"Come in?" She called, pulling the edge of her blanket up, so that it was even with her shoulders. Fox was already dressed and stood in the doorway with a brilliant smile. She was so beautiful, her hair was every-which-way, and her delicate frame was portrayed as a shapely figure beneath the blanket. Something innocent about her waking up fresh, she just looked ... lovely. Behind him, Falco was milling through the living room of the suite, the smell of coffee waifed over her senses, something she'd never had before. Whatever the aroma was, it was inviting and ever so invigorating.

Fox could see her cute little nose twitching and grinned. "It's coffee. It's made out of a bean, we grow it, like Chocolate."

"Chocolate?" She asked.

Falco stuck his head in the doorway, a shocked look over his features. "You've never heard of Chocolate?"

"Should I have?" she asked.

Fox continued, "Another planet we make a sugary sweet candy out of it. Then if you use the cane of the planet, you can also get a healing powder called cocaine, that you use to heal cuts and wounds. But the other part of the coco plant grinds down and we use it to make chocolate," he explained.

"Yeah, the fact that we have chocolate is how we know God really exists," Falco said, walking back towards the kitchenette to get a cup of coffee. He brought it back and handed it to Fox. "Here, let her try some of this, it'll knock her socks off."

Fox took the ceramic mug and brought it to her bedside, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. She took her paws out from under the blanket and captured the coffee mug by it's handle. "It's hot," She mused. She wasn't expecting it to be any particular extreme of temperature. She took a taste and blinked.

"It's an acquired taste, but once you drink it, you really come to live for it, if you're like Falco, over there," Fox told her. "Be careful, though. If you drink a lot of it, well. It can make you quite hyper. That's what it's supposed to do, wake you up. The beans have a coating of something we call caffeine. It's a natural substance that makes you wired, if you have enough of it."

Krystal decided to embrace their apparent morning liquid ritual and drank the coffee down until it was gone. She offered a smile and handed the mug back. "Maybe later, we can try this chocolate substance. It sounds like you both hold it in a measure of affection."

"If Chocolate was a woman," Falco said from behind Fox, "I would not only date her, but I would worship her as a goddess."

"And that's saying a lot," Fox chuckled. "If Katt Monroe heard you talk that way, she would probably try and turn herself into a candy bar, dude." Fox turned back to Krystal and smiled, taking the mug back and tossing it to Falco, who was standing in the doorway. "I was thinking we could go by Space Dynamics' and look over our future order. Falco's going to go with us, and they have really excellent combat simulators," He said, standing from the bed and approaching the group of clothes she bought the day before.

He picked out a cute little number, that included a blouse and skirt and brought it back to her bed, laying it over the covers. After that, he gave her a smile and stepped back out into the main section of the suite, closing the door behind himself, so she could get ready.

x- two hours later. -x

Space Dynamics Co. LTD. was massive. The main building had old M-Class fighters and Arwings suspended from the ceiling, and the floor was marble. In the center of the room was a flap from a wing stabilizer, on display. The plaque beneath read, "Part of an Arwing from Fox J. McCloud's fighter, used in the Lylat War, over Venom. This piece belonged to the Arwing, with which Fox McCloud used on an offensive against Andross Oikonni." There was a plaque on the wall with Slippy's father's picture on it, and another with General Pepper's picture.

Falco placed a winged hand upon Krystal's shoulder and whispered, "They have the most awesome flight simulators here. It's like a free arcade. You wanna try it out, while Fox goes and does all the boring order form crap?"

"I certainly would," She whispered back, then turned to Fox and said, "I'm going to have Falco show me this combat simulator. If you enjoy shopping for fighters as much as I enjoyed shopping for clothes yesterday, be careful not to enjoy yourself too much," She said playfully, flipping her skirt with her paw, before pivoting on her heel and beginning to follow Falco towards the simulation epi-plex, which was a massive 2 story building that could be reached via a hallway on the side of the lobby.

"You won't be able to handle me, anyhow," Falco said, shaking his head. "I'll go easy on you, but if you'd rather, we can go cooperative against the computer fighters. You wanna compete for kill score?" He asked, waggling his feathery eyebrows.

"Don't Judge me, because I'm a girl," She said with a grin of her own.

"Are you kidding? You've never seen Katt Monroe fly, or our old Arwing Instructor, Fara Phoenix, or Miyu Lynx, or her buddy Fay. All classy gals, all good pilots," He said, before adding, "But none of them can touch me, I'm just saying they're really good. And besides, I'm the only blue pilot in Lylat, so be careful you don't try and steal my style."

"Now, now Falco," Krystal chided playfully, "Don't judge a girl by her color." She batted at his shoulder with a grin then patted her rump and said, "I'll make sure I give you your moneys worth in that simulator. If you wanna go easy on me? Do it during the first round, but I won't hold back once I get used to where the controls are."

"You're on," Falco said, opening the door to the simulator room for her. Falco flashed his ID to the guy at the desk, who seemed absolutely floored to have a local celebrity in the building this morning, and handed them each a computer key card two a pair of simulator booths. Falco handed her one of the keys then grinned and boasted, "I'll show you, real soon, why my friends tolerate my ego." It was unlike him to explain his ego to anyone, but Krystal was new to the culture, to the team, to the Arwing. In this respect, he offered such an explanation, opening up the simulator for her.

It was shaped sort of like an egg. The top lifted, like a cockpit canopy, on hinges. The sleek layout of the simulator was as realistic as one could expect for the designer and manufacturer of the SFX and DFX Arwing. The illuminated panels and colorful buttons were offset by the holographic screen display that was designed into the top part of the simulator.

Krystal slid into the seat and Falco lowered the top half of the canopy over her. Inside, the cockpit top fluttered to life and it looked as though she was really sitting inside of a fighter, looking out the glass cover, at the world around her. She took a moment to find each control, making a mental note as to where each one was located. Falco, on the other paw, was climbing into the adjacent simulator machine. He knew Fox would join them soon enough and then he could pair them together and shoot'em both down without feeling guilty.

After a few minutes, a menu came up over the dash monitor, but an audio guide was able to explain everything. Falco set up the first board, putting them as a cooperative team, against 25 bogie's. His voice was heard over the speaker built into her dashboard.

"Remember, Krystal. We're going for score here. Shoot down as many as you can, I know you're a first timer at the controls of an Arwing, so I'll leave you enough targets to learn with. Then, I'll reset the board, and we'll go all out, to see who gets the most. Whenever Fox joins us, we'll pair off and it'll be you two against me. I won't go easy, either," He warned. She could tell he was wearing that cocky grin, from the way he was speaking. She sensed his ego and the incredibly confidence he felt at the controls of the Arwing Fighter. He felt truly at home.

The first round, Falco took his time, toying with targets by shooting the wings off his pray, before destroying them. Krystal took her time, getting intimate with the controls of the fighter, before chasing down the bogeys. With her telepathic powers, she would be able to fight off a living target better than a computer simulation, who's thought patterns and combat tactics were a secret. But she still managed to hold her own, completing the first round without taking more than two hits from the enemy.

"You're pretty good," Falco noted. "For a girl," He added, trying to flair up Krystal's competitive side. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not impressed or anything, I'm just saying you're not half bad for your average babe."

"Excuse ME?" Krystal said, astonished and yet giving in to his taunts, allowing her competitive nature to get stronger. "An average ...babe? I will certainly show you piloting, Mister Lombardi!" She cried in reply. It was obvious, by now, that the coffee from earlier that morning, was kicking in. She quickly drew up a repeat of the first round and called back at him, "You're on, bird! I'll show you that we ladies can easily keep up with the birdbrain boys, bring it on!"

Next: Chapter -5-: "Krystal Unleashed"