A/N: Wow, these chapters are getting longer and longer, as I get further into the story, leading up to the prequil of StarFox: Assault, the game.
I know everyone wanted a chapter without the rest of the team. It's a story about Krystal after all, and Chapter 10 is going to have it. As far as StarWolf, is O'Donnell really stupid enough to participate in the assassination of a world leader? We'll find out. What about Falco and Slippy? We find out right here. And as far as Krystal's training mission with Peppy? That's going to take a turn for the worst, right down excitement lane. Okay, I know, that was corny to say, but I really plan for this chapter to set the stage for an explosive chapter 10. I've got ideas on just what's going to happen, in 10,and I want it to be so good, that you can't stop in the middle, for a bathroom break ;)
Most of you may not know this, but in ALL my stories, I usually don't know what's going to happen next. I clear my mind, I sit down, put my hands on the keys and type without thinking. My eyes follow a half second beyond the dancing cursor and it's like I'm reading the story for the first time, wondering what is right around the very next corner. If the story, or any of my stories for that matter, are predictable it's because I must be predictable. Then again, I'll sometimes write while I'm in a weird mood and come up with something out of the blue that NO one expects. It's just ... my style, you know? Then I go back, read through it, make a word or sentence change, here and there. That sorta thing. But as far as Chapter 10, I wanted to make it all one big chapter, but I knew I had to stop where I did, tonight, so that I'm not mixing apples and oranges, here. Chapter 9 sets a stage and gives us valuable information on what's going on, and how Panther accomplishes his latest rose petal painted mission. Chapter 10, on the other hand, is going to be Krystal against the world, alone. No backup. It's going to be the thrill of her life and she's only going to survive by the skin of her teeth, if you know what I mean. I promise not to disappoint (and if I do, I won't let you completely down. Unless you're an anti-action junkie. For those of you who are romantics, I've been asked to do a sequal that happens AFTER SF:Assault, that details Fox and Krystal going out, or something. More news on that, later.)
For those of you who read my story, and new readers and those who have been leaving me feedback, I appreciate your insight. I've been told recently that my grammar is really looking pretty shoddy. If you come across a few examples, don't be afraid to point them out in the feedback section. Helping to show me where the grammar mistakes are and what the proper rules are will really help me to become a better writer. Any poor grammar that you find in quotes is most likely done on purpose. Not every character is going to speak like an English professor. The only character that should speak very proper is Peppy. General Pepper, of course, needs to speak properly as well, but we hardly see him as a character in this story. Krystal's wording would be the poorest, because she's learning the Lylat languages still, and only has her ability of telepathy to learn the lexicon from others, as it is.
I set up this chapter so that Krystal has the ENTIRE spotlight in Chapter 10. It should prove exciting. She's from a world where everyone is open and telepathic. Now she comes to a system where deceit and trickery and subterfuge reign supreme. We see, now, how General Pepper becomes, more or less, the leader of Corneria during StarFox Assault. We see how prejudice thrives in parts of Lylat, something else that Krystal had never before experienced.
All in all, she's seeing a great deal of things for the first time and this is, truly, her story. Also, for those of you who are very visual-minded people, I give you a little taste of Krystal on the beach, wearing little or nothing, for just a moment. It's nothing sexual, but for those of you who want to make a drawing of the scene, be my guest ;)
Seriously, though, we now see Krystal as a serious, intelligent woman. She can't ALWAYS be in trouble, after all. She's no commando, but she's certainly interested in proving herself as a competent pilot and ready to learn how to fire a blaster, as she does several times in SF: Assault.
Finally, I touch a little on what people must think of StarFox, after such a long time of not being in the news, then a sudden mission success on Sauria. Everyone's a skeptic just like in the real world. Everybody comes up with their own opinions that deface the hard work a hero has done, making them out to be nothing more than a scam. Hopefully, StarFox will be able to change a few opinions, especially later when the Aparoids attack in the second game, lol.
This chapter is on the edge of action but doesn't actually see any hard core excitement. However, I promise the next chapter will be FULL of thrills. I just had to write this chapter to set the scene for the action packed chapter 10. I promise it will be intense. Krystal has to prove herself and nothing says action like a testosterone filled scene, right? Anyhow, enjoy chapter 9! See if you can figure out what Plan "B" really means!
-ken (or Kit, either way) x x x (Remember, always feel free to IM me, Email me, whatever. ROCKSTARTRAVISTYatAOLdotCOM, or just Instant Message "RockstarTravisty", with an "I". I love to hear input, it helps me give you guys what you want, as the reader and fans of Krystal/the story/starfox/ etc.)
Chapter -9-: Plan "B"
Each Land Master tank began to waver from its material spot in reality. The first one began to fade, shimmering as the molecules disappeared, one by one. The atmospheric difference began to cause a soft wisp of steam and condensation which resulted in a watery shimmer, as the machine's molecules fell victim of the shifting flux of time-space directly around the hull of the tank. The first one began to resemble a gooey liquid mass, fluttering slightly until it was gone. The second one reacted the same way as the first.
The third and forth swirled into a sparkle of infinity, disappearing. The fifth one, however, was a great show. The Instant Transmission machine was used to sending or receiving one or two objects at a time, but sending a small fleet of tanks up to GreatFox was working the machine hard. The last tank crystallized. An ice-like substance that kept the shape of the tank once the encased object disappeared, leaving a hollow shell of ice that cracked and shattered, leaving tiny little, glass-like fragments on the ground. Slippy's eyes widened, approaching the broken sculpture and kneeling to investigate.
"Is… is it supposed to do that?" He asked the canine who was running the machine.
"It gets hot but it is projecting molecules through space, which is pretty cold, especially directly in the path of Corneria. GreatFox is in orbit but where it's at, its night time, so you're transmitting matter through the core of the planet and then into the cold of space, ultimately into the atmospheric controlled environment of GreatFox's flight deck. After so many objects, in a row, yeah, I'd say that's normal."
Slippy turned to Falco, who in turn, glanced at Slippy both of them stealing a glance at the rambling canine who worked the machine. Falco cracked a light grin, facing the worker once more and asked, "So you beamed a few tanks through Corneria, out the other side, through the atmosphere, and into GreatFox, right?"
"That's what I said, yeah," The scruffy poodle replied.
"You nearly lost both of us around the first time you said, 'molecules' dude. Are you all right?" Falco asked, stuffing his hands into his aviator jacket's pockets.
"Sorry, just nervous." His words were a little awkward sounding, as though he was trying not to laugh-snort. His attempt failed miserably.
"Of what?" Slippy asked, placing his webbed palm on the dog's shoulder.
"You guys are StarFox." The statement immediately caused Slippy and Falco to break out into laughter. It had been literally years since they'd had any fans. Falco fished around in his pocket for a pen, not yet pulling it out. The man swallowed, then finished his sentence. "Every time you guys are on an extended visit to Corneria, it's because someone was killed, a war is about to start, or the whole planet winds up going to hell in a hand basket. So, pardon me for being nervous, I just don't need someone dropping ordinance on this building because you guys are here, right now."
Slippy froze. Falco froze. They both realized quickly that they'd seriously misjudged this guy. He didn't like StarFox, he couldn't stand them. He didn't like mercenaries in general but StarFox was half notorious and completely misunderstood by many. Not everyone completely realized what StarFox's involvement with Sauria was, but during the mission itself, there was minimal coverage in the news on the planet, so as to keep public panic down.
Once Fox repaired the planet and left, the Media was finally allowed to show satellite photographs of the planet in pieces, half leading many to believe that the StarFox squadron personally caused Sauria to nearly be destroyed. No one cared that it was back together now, they just knew that Fox McCloud spent a few days on the planet and the next thing they knew, the television was showing photographs of the planet in chunks.
"I think we're done here," The man said, handing over a receipt ticket and nodding politely.
"Yeah," Falco muttered. "We're done here, let's go, Slippy. Maybe the next time someone or something attacks Corneria, we'll bring a camcorder and play the live feed on the news. I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea," added the avian, turning to walk out of the warehouse. Slippy took a few steps, starting to follow, then stopped to face the dog worker, glancing over his shoulder at the departing Falco and frowned.
"What's wrong with us being here?" Toad simply asked.
"Have you seen your ship? The two massive guns on the front? How many people have a ship like that, military not-withstanding? The Lylat Wars are over, Mister Toad," The man explained. "You guys get to Corneria for a refit and within a few days of your arrival, we're in huge political tensions with Venom, who wants to fight, now. That hasn't happened in years. Where you guys go, trouble follows." He paused for a minute then added, "They hate you for turning them upside down 8 years ago. Their economy is destroyed."
"Didn't you hear? Andrew Oikonni escaped Cornerian federal prison. He's the one starting these t-t-troubles. He's b-bad news and needs to be put away for good," Slippy replied, shaking his head.
"I beg to differ, sir," The dog sighed. "You guys show up, he escapes. He starts a war, you wait until we're getting our tails handed to us, and then jump in and the problem is solved. Then you're filthy rich until you blow your money. How's that supposed to look to the typical Cornerian?"
Slippy gawked. "You think StarFox gets involved in conspiracies like that?"
"I don't know what to think. I was 17 when the Lylat Wars happened," said the worker. 'Space Dynamics' was written on the patch on his jacket. He glanced down and shrugged slightly. "That was about 8 years ago. I just know you guys haven't really been back except for a day or two, here and there. Yanno, when you come back for an extended time, we have trouble again."
"We've been broke, without jobs to do. We live on the occasional sorties when someone rich needs an escort or something, but that doesn't' give us enough money to buy tanks, clothes and fix our old ship. What do you want from us?" Slippy said. He rarely went off on someone, but he was shocked and dismayed at what half of the public opinion was on StarFox.
"That's another thing. Why don't you guys invest your money? People don't believe you guys are really as broke as you say, unless you're saving up to build weapons that cost a lot or Goddess-knows what," The man argued.
"We're mercenaries and fighter pilots! We're not financial experts, if we were, we'd have gone into business doing that," Came the voice of Falco, reproaching the two of them. "We should have done that, because then you'd really be in trouble when the Corneria Military screws the pooch," He said, making a crappy pun due to the fact that about 75 of the population was canine. It wasn't as diversified as Papetoon, Katina and Eladard. Most of the dogs of Corneria never spread out and settled down throughout Lylat, but the fact of the matter was, Corneria was one of the least racy planets in Lylat.
When someone moved into the area on Corneria, they were usually embraced as a friend where the over populated industrial city-planet of Eladard was the opposite. On the over-sized city-planet, many races segregated themselves without a word about it. There were sections called Little Avia, CanineTown, and a section of felines, known as The Hood. One could drive down the street and one block would be all skunks and a few raccoons, then the next block would be all dogs, followed by a block of nothing but ferrets.
On that planet, everyone worked their tails off to make ends meet. Pregnant, single moms worked in factories, putting in long hard hours to pay for their apartment above a roach-infested super market, and their litter of children, that all had to share a room or two. The fact of the matter was simple. People were too concerned with squeezing enough money out of their wallets to care about compassion and humanity.
The situation was so bad that, during the first Lylat War, Venom retracted their plans to attack the planet, at the last minute. They opted, instead, to leave Eladard out of the battle plan, all together and the planet was forgotten. Even Andross knew that ripping the planet in half would cause the population to snap and the poverty and looting would become so difficult to control that it would act as a thorn in his side.
Instead, Andross had opted to cut off Corneria's ties to the factories located throughout the entire city-planet and ordered them to build for Venom's efforts. Venom's involvement with Eladard hurt its economy further, with nearly-worthless Venomian currency. Lizards and Marmosets with bad attitudes started frequenting the massive planet-sized city and things got worse from there.
Wolf O'Donnell was from Eladard, as well as Falco Lombardi, Katt Monroe, Pigma Dengar, Ruffian and other shady characters. Falco was the only one out of those 5 to have turned his life around by attending a Cornerian flight academy and meeting friends who helped to make a difference. The problem was, having grown up in such a place, Falco wasn't afraid to punch a man in the nose for looking at him wrong.
He cocked his arm back, drawing his feathery fingers into a tight fist, but Slippy quickly reached for his arm, hooking his wrist at Falco's elbow. "N-n-NO! Falco, he just doesn't know what we're like on a day to day basis! That's not his fault!"
Lombardi narrowed his eyes. "He's a puppet of the liberalist media, who go from being your best friend to your worst enemy, behind your back. Some buddy of his will say, "Gee pal, you met StarFox huh? What're they like?" and he'll tell them we're huge buttheads. I don't wanna disappoint anyone!" Falco scowled.
"You want all that hard-earned money from the Sauria job to go into hiring an attorney, Falco?" Slippy tried to reason. Falco finally spun away from the Space Dynamics worker and sighed.
"Look, I don't know what you guys went through," The canine finally admitted, "But all I know is that no one here has ever hindered my opinions of you guys, so it seems like everyone agrees with me on the matter. What am I supposed to think? I was on the GreatFox refit team, the place was a filthy rat hole."
"Racism isn't very fitting in these parts," Slippy sad almost sadly, in reply to the "rat hole" remark.
Falco shut his eyes for a moment and took a slow, deep breath. Slippy stepped back, waiting to see what the bird would do, praying in silence that Falco wouldn't try to pick another fight. The Avian shook his head then frowned. "My two best friends and a hard working, well decorated veteran pilot put their lives on the line because the Cornerian Government wouldn't let us help until they had no choice but to accept help from a non-military source. If they didn't wait as long as they did, we wouldn't have nearly died repeatedly, on every mission from Corneria to Venom.
"Do you know how embarrassing it is, to have two fighters and an idiot chameleon following you, and your team mates are too busy trying to stay alive to help? I've NEVER been chased before that. It was hard and you have no right to act like a jerk to us," Falco snapped.
"Excuse me," The man said, "I work for a living, too. And trust me when I tell you that I cause far less trouble than-"He suddenly found himself interrupted. Falco made another fist, silencing the guy, then continued with his own rant.
"I wasn't finished, dude." He lowered his fist, putting his hands back into the leather jacket pockets, before continuing. "I wasn't asked about a choice in this. I went into the flight academy and my only options were to leave my best friend's side and work for a military that was letting Venom come right in and walk over them, or stand up for my own opinions. Fox McCloud and I both felt that Andross had no right to be banished. He was a murderer and a jerk. We publicly demonstrate the desire to stomp his butt and we're asked to leave? I did what I had to do for SURVIVAL, Fox was more business-minded and asked for compensation."
Falco shook his head, adding, "I made a home on Papetoon and what happens? Imperial scows run amuck over the planet, you've got lizards shooting laser guns at me, you've got Andross' empire stomping the crap out of Papetoon and its economy. After we kicked their tails, we finished GreatFox and used it to put a boot print in Andross' forehead. So quit being ungrateful. Now, c'mon Slippy, we're leaving. I don't like to hang out where we're not wanted."
"Wait," The Dock Master said, holding a paw up in defense. "You can't expect everyone to know your story; you guys never talk about it."
Slippy shook his head, "We're not egomaniacs or something. We might ask that Corneria leaves Venom to the pros, us, but we certainly don't brag about what we did to Corneria. …Or anyone else, for that matter! We don't want trouble, we'll be leaving, Sir."
The guilt-stricken hound shook his floppy-eared head. "Look, how am I supposed to know what you guys go through, and how do you plan to change the minds of half of Corneria. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, for every five minds you change, two are going to hate you for becoming too popular, or whatever other reason. I'm… I'm sorry."
Falco ran his fingers up through the spiky feather tuft upon his head, groaning softly. "All right, good enough. I'm sorry I tried to swing at you. Can we just call it a night now?"
"Yeah," The man said, passing the two members of StarFox something that was in his inside jacket pocket. "They're not out on the market until next month. The brochures, I mean. Nothing I can do beyond that, I guess." He paused for a moment, his cell phone distracting him. "Hold on."
Falco took the paper and opened the flaps, looking at the beautiful display of guns inside, including a shoulder mounted heat seeking rocket launcher. Slippy came up besides him, taking a look as well, letting out a long, slow whistle at the Space Dynamics weapons.
"My sister, are you serious?" Said the poodle, clinching his other fist. "How hurt is she?" Another pause, then he shut his eyes tightly, sealing the tears in. "How many? Four… is… a lot. I understand. Yes, dad I understand. Yes, sir." He listened for a moment longer then closed the phone, taking a long slow breath.
"Four what?" Falco said, tilting his head, looking up from the gun pamphlet. For all Falco could have known, it could have been broken ribs and the poor girl could have been in a car accident.
"It's complicated. Her ex-boyfriend and three of his thugs beat her… very badly," The quiet canine muttered between his teeth. "They're apart of some gang, I don't know… The Street Kings or something."
Falco blinked twice, handing the colorful pamphlet to Slippy then punching his fist into the opposite palm, sneering. "My old gang's rival group. This is illegal, and I usually don't involve myself in that kind of thing, but I hate seeing a girl get hurt and I know the Street Kings do that kind of crap for no reason. I'll make you a deal."
"Anything. I'd love to get them back for her, you name it," the man told Lombardi. Slippy's eyes bounced back and forth like a tennis match, not liking where this was going.
Lombardi cracked his knuckles, asking, "You get me that shiny red rocket launcher, right on the front of that little folder. I want the very first one. Is it heavy?"
"First of its kind. It's designed to be stable to fire yet weighs only nine pounds, empty. I'll get you one if you waste those four thugs, before you leave Corneria next," The poodle promised, keeping his voice hushed, trying to show his resolve. "I know where they like to hang out, too."
"Perfect. Slippy, I want you to go up to GreatFox and see if those tanks showed up, all right," Falco said in a very monotone voice.
"Why? I've got to come along and make sure you stay out of trouble, Falco." Slippy folded his arms and frowned. The thought of getting free weapons directly from the night shift manager was suddenly appealing, but he had to make sure Falco didn't get in over his head.
"Because, Slippy, I need an alibi." He pointed straight up in the air, directing Slippy back to the GreatFox. "We'll catch up as soon as I get done. Just give me a few hours. Maybe less. Besides, I don't like people to see what I used to do to people like the Street Kings. Go on, I'll meet up with you. Do not tell Fox or Peppy about this. Swear to me."
"Okay," Slippy said with a groan. "I promise. But you'd better make Krystal take the same promise. You were with me the entire time," Slippy said, taking the little booklet of weapons and heading for the door. "I'll just… be… on GreatFox, making sure the tanks arrived safely. You were with me the entire time," He repeated.
Falco nodded approvingly, "You do that, bud. Yes, I sure was. See ya there." He then turned back to the canine and folded his arms. "All right. You drive, we're going to where this guy used to hang out with her. You owe me."
"You really did change my mind about you guys," The night shift manager whispered softly. "I was wrong and you guys really do go above and beyond to help people in need. My… car is this way," he said, leading Falco out through the door on the other end of the warehouse.
Panther Caruso directed his gaze from Wolf to Leon, shaking his head softly. "Are you two sure? I realize this is going to get all three of us in deep crap, if we're spotted. You two are easily identified, if I'm caught, they won't link me to either of you."
"Shut up," Leon said, checking the power cell of his blaster. "Let's do this, how do we go about dispatching a world leader?"
Caruso tilted his head, replying,"I've been doing research, talking to one of the ladies that works as a body guard for the big cat. Isn't it ironic? A lion is the Prime Minister of a planet that's nearly three quarters canine? That's a cat for you, running the show, leaving the dogs to do the work. You know," Caruso blathered. Wolf put his paw over Panther's muzzle, narrowing his gaze, placing a pistol against the side of Panther's nose.
"You talk too much," Wolf sneered. "I'm trying to get done before we miss our chance. So, you got yourself into the pants of one of the guards, good job, where's Geoffrey Lionel going to be, when?"
"His motorcade leaves with a group of armed guards, for a newscast in thirty minutes. He won't be on it, it's a decoy," Panther said. "It's a trap meant for Venom's assassin. Yes, they're expecting us. Anyhow, he'll be taking a very plain car with two guards, who will be dressed in tuxedos, he'll be the driver. That's who we take out."
"They KNOW we're coming?" Leon snapped, angrily.
"And we know of their ambush, so this will be easier and worth the triple pay," Wolf reminded his long-time friend. "Let's go. Panther, just this once, since this is what you do, lead the way. This is just another mercenary job for me, but you're the professional in this department. So, get moving."
Panther growled in pleasure, "Sure thing boss. Let's move." The group made their way from the overpass at the edge of town, down to the street and crossed the lane, making their way up to an empty intersection. Panther lifted a paw, "This is the back way to the press conference. They'll be coming through this very intersection in less than ten minutes. One of us have to lay in the street, acting as if you'd been hit by a car, I suggest Leon."
"Why me?" Powalksi groaned.
"Because Wolf has a reflective bionic eye implant patch," Panther explained, "And anyone with good eyes will see the reflective patch and it won't work. Wolf," the feline said, turning to his employer. "Hide in the alley across the street. As soon as I approach the car, you come from the other side. Make sure you don't miss, you'll have to kill both guards; I'll take the Prime Minister and finish the job. Leon, are you ready?"
Wolf shrugged, nodding to Leon and heading for the two old buildings across the street. Leon threw his hands up, in disgust. After a moment, he finally laid down in the middle of the street, curling his tail around himself, trying to get as comfortable as possible, keeping his weapon well concealed.
Panther crouched down in the grassy island that separated the westbound lane from the eastbound one. They didn't have to wait long. As soon as the four door sedan came around the corner, Panther began walking out into the lane, putting his paws up, to stop the car. His eyes scanned the car as it slowed, counting three, the driver was a lion. He grinned.
With a simple nod of his head, Wolf approached from the far left, the car coming to a stop. The Lion opened the door, peering out and Panther was quick to start talking. "I'm sorry, sir. I just saw this man hit by a departing car a moment prior, I couldn't get his tags, and I saw you coming, I didn't want you to accidentally hit him, he's still alive, I'm waiting for the ambulance," Caruso lied. Lionel Geoffrey stepped out of the car, after putting the parking brake on, and approached the fallen body, cautiously.
As soon as he was about three feet from the car door, Wolf opened fire, using armor piercing rounds. The back windows became riddled with holes, but didn't shatter and both guards slumped over. Meanwhile, Panther grabbed the Prime Minister by the back of his neck, pushing him to the ground, pulling a blaster out and putting it to Lionel's head. "There's been a change of plan, Prime Minister Geoffrey. My apologies, but you're worth a fortune."
Peppy and Krystal exchanged gazes, sitting across the street from the location of the press conference. The little café had closed, but they were both sitting at a table outside, relaxing. The Prime Minister was ten minutes late and people were growing antsy.
Suddenly, Krystal gasped in surprise. Her jaw dropped. Peppy blinked, asking, "What's wrong? What is it?" She pointed at something over his shoulder. The rabbit turned around, seeing a large monitor on the side of a building, turning his chair to face it. On the screen, it showed a sedan that was shot up, two bodies slumped in the back seat, and a rose sitting on the driver seat. There were a few hairs identified as the fur from a lion's mane, and people wailing in the streets.
One of the reporters on site asked a wailing woman what she saw. There was no sound for the monitor on the building, but the closed captions worked just fine. The lady told the reporter, "Three men, they came and they killed the lion and dragged his body down the road. He's dead, oh by the Goddess, they shot him, and he's dead!"
Peppy's jaw dropped. He stood up, his chest burning in pain. They failed their mission and there was nothing to do about this now. The Prime Minister's plan to ambush the assassins had failed and now they were in trouble. "This must have just happened. C'mon, to the Arwings, maybe we can find them and tail them back to their hide out. Let's go."
A short time later, Peppy and Krystal had secured Arwings, heading into the atmosphere. Krystal closed her eyes, searching the depths of her mind to see if she could sense something, anything.
"Please tell me you can find them," Peppy said, still unable to believe that the Prime Minister was assassinated. He flew alongside of her fighter, the two new models handling like a dream.
"I, I sense something, but they're far from here. But they're in a hurry to get away and one of the thought patterns I recognize," She explained, trying to search her heart to understand the distant minds, racing away to the safety of their haven.
"Familiar to you how?" Peppy asked over the radio as the two Arwings raced after the fleeing trio.
"It's the one who attacked me and Fox, back in Meteo. I can sense him, for sure. We have to hurry, I can feel that they're gloating about something to do with monetary collection, I think they're the assassins."
"What else can you sense about the group," Peppy said, engaging his after burners, Krystal doing the same to keep up.
"One of them is the one who slammed into my shuttle. I can't read the rest, although I get a strange image from one of them, but I can't tell how many there are." Krystal paused. It was the strangest image, emanating from the psyche of one of them. "A flower. Corneria calls it a Rose, I believe. I remember that one, because it's quite beautiful and they sell them everywhere as some sort of symbol of love," She explained. "Let's hurry! I can't tell how many there are, but I can sense one thing for sure, they're guilty, because I can sense they just came from Corneria, they're reporting to Venom and they are gloating that they were responsible for the altercation that led to an assassination."
"My Goddess," Peppy said as the Arwings hurried to catch up with the three blips on sensors. "They're Wolfens. The red rose, that's the sign of the assassin who was always on TV last year. If my memory serves me correctly," Peppy groaned, adding, "The hit was a professional one, by a guy named Panther something. Let me check the database."
Peppy opened a channel to the GreatFox, pulling up a visual of Rob. The robot whirred about, facing the view screen. Peppy was almost positive he saw Slippy in the background, but a double check showed that the background behind Rob was empty. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his left paw, then said, "Rob, I want you to run a search on a guy named Panther, who was an assassin, who's trademark sign was a red rose. Can you get me the last name?"
"Panther Caruso, according to the news clips from 7 months ago and several other clips, 9 months ago. It's rumored that he flies with StarWolf now," The robotic being explained.
Peppy groaned, slapping himself on the forehead. "StarWolf is helping their new member to pull jobs? This is insane," He quipped. Krystal glanced out of her canopy at him and frowned. "There were rumors that several other small teams were flying Wolfens now, but it's safe to say that bit of gossip probably didn't mean a great deal."
"I can tell that you're tired, Peppy. Do you want to head back to GreatFox and call it a night?" Krystal asked. The old man was winding down but he really didn't want to let StarWolf get away. The entire scene was a mess.
He knew he couldn't make the entire mission and would have been just as valuable if not more resourceful on the bridge of GreatFox, guiding her from the communicator. There was no way that he was as quick and agile as he was in his hay-day and he would have probably gotten shot down and caused her to be held back more than if she were alone. He wanted to try and send Slippy with her, but he would have been just as burdensome without real help. The only person available was Falco.
The old hare glanced at his watch then frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah, I'll head back to GreatFox and Falco can meet up with you at a nav-point. Continue on, but stay back far enough that they don't know you're following," Peppy explained.
"Roger that, Peppy. You can help me just as well from the bridge, I have faith in you," She said, after reading into his thoughts on the situation. He gave a warm smile and headed back towards GreatFox.
Krystal continued on alone. Something didn't sit right with the situation in which she was now involved. She increased the thrust of her fighter, transferring power from the main guns to her long range sensors, keeping the Wolfens at the very edge of her sensor scope. They weren't heading for Sargasso, but instead, for Aquias. It was an odd choice, for sure.
Up ahead, the planet was a tiny dot, the size of her thumbnail. The three fighters descended upon the planet, leaving her to hang back and handle this mission on her own. She didn't realize that she'd already impressed Fox enough to want her on the team. She never read that thought from his mind. She felt that if she could have a large hand in stopping the assassins, she would truly prove herself.
Once the Wolfens had landed, she approached the orbital pattern from the other side of the planet. What she saw took her breath away. A massive red ship with silver and white trim; it boasted four huge engine boosters and the symbol for Andross' Army, which was on those stupid machines back on Meteo.
"This is Krystal, checking in," She said into her radio, after dialing in the frequency for GreatFox. "They're on Aquias and I believe Oikonni is here, as well. Where's Falco?"
"You're going to have to return to base," Peppy said with a sigh, from his position on the bridge. "I can't get a hold of Falco, his radio is off. Slippy was on the flight deck and he looked surprised to see me, then blabbered some story about Falco going on a date while he got things ready. I have no idea what these silly kids are up to, Fox told them to train."
"I hate to be a silly kid, too, Peppy but I'm going to investigate further. I'll call for backup if we come to that bridge." Her use of the old Cornerian phrase was slightly incorrect but Peppy didn't hinder her, let alone correct her. If she felt the situation was safe, who was he to argue?
Normally, he wouldn't let someone who was untrained go solo but with her ability to sense others thoughts, she would know if she was or wasn't detected before anyone else, and so for Krystal, he made a rare exception. "Please, be careful. I'll contact General Pepper and see if we can't get a bounty price set up, incase you manage the capture or execution of these guys. Remember to use extreme caution, this is very serious."
"Understood. And…," She trailed off then added, "Thank you for the opportunity. I probably wouldn't be needing Falco anyhow. It looks like this will turn into a ground mission. Any gadgets that Slippy can manage would be appreciated, however."
"Understood. I'll have him whip something up, for you. We'll get a field kit together and have it air dropped to your location, using a long-range probe," Peppy told her, pressing a button on his control panel to call Slippy up to the bridge. He was still a little upset that Falco suddenly wasn't available to help, but the fact of the matter was that Slippy was now more important.
Andrew Oikonni hooked his thumbs into the belt of his red uniform. It was fitting, he felt, to have a red and yellow uniform, but it needed a cape or something. His plan was working. Without the Prime Minister, Corneria was leaderless and if everything went according to plan, they might give up by dawn.
Panther was alone. It was assumed that he had no help in this job and the two nodded to one another, meeting on an Island in the midst of the Seventh Sea. The exchange was brief and Andrew was easily able to provide the payment in actual Gold and Platinum, so that there was no worry over the worthlessness of Venom credits verses the credits of anywhere else. Every planet accepted Gold and Platinum as currency. Oikonni even kept his promise of a triple payment, handing over three briefcases full of heavy precious metal.
The delighted charcoal furred panther exchanged a firm handshake with Oikonni, adding, "It was a pleasure to do business with you. Don't destroy Corneria city so badly that I can't find a first class restaurant still open. Good luck with your little war."
"Just remember, I am the one true heir to Emperor Andross," young Oikonni said, releasing the handshake, "And I will bring back power to the family name and my Empire will crush Corneria into the dust!"
Panther Caruso nodded in a half jaded fashion, patting Oikonni's shoulder grinned. He pulled a high endurance strap from his pocket, hooking it to either end of one briefcase and shouldering the strap comfortably, then picked the other two cases up in his left and right paws. "This never happened. I rarely meet with an employer. Consider yourself lucky. Be seeing you," Panther mused, turning to walk away. The beach was endless in either direction and he simply began to walk down the shoreline, alone.
Oikonni frowned thoughtfully, beginning to walk away from the water, back to his small travel capsule, hidden in the brush, that was up off the beach, about thirty yards. Once he left the scene, another craft flew into the area, staying so low that it nearly touched the ocean.
The Arwing, waxed and shiny, landed on the far end of the island. The canopy opened and Krystal climbed out of it, opening a communications frequency with GreatFox.
"This is Krystal. Oikonni has left and Panther is just beyond visual range of my location, over?"
Her reply was met with Peppy's image on the screen. "So visual confirmation was established? They already met, exchanged payment, and Oikonni is leaving?"
"Yes, he's gone. Panther was paid and is now leaving the area on foot. I'm going to leave the Arwing on a sandbar and anchor it. It seems as though the tide is coming in quickly, so having it under water will guarantee that it won't be found."
"Clever, but if you need to make an escape, you'll have to wait until the next low tide, tomorrow morning," Peppy said, advising against the idea.
Krystal shrugged with an air of indifference. "But if they come across me, they won't have proof that I'm flying recon for StarFox, let alone just flew in to spy on them. I can persuade them to believe I am a native of the Island, if I have to. Have Slippy send my cloth and sea-shell outfit that I got from the Light Foot tribe on Sauria. If spotted, I can really look the part of an Island native."
Peppy thought for a moment, then nodded and told her, "That's pretty resourceful. The field kit will be sent to your location, but it's going to take thirty-five minutes to arrive. Stay low until then. Remember, StarWolf is dangerous. Don't offer to get too close. They've already murdered the Prime Minister. They're armed and they're obviously deadly."
"Thank you for the advice, Mister Hare. I've got to hurry before the tide comes in. Krystal out." She closed the transmission and hopped up onto the hull. Within the short period of time since her landing, the sandbar was already under water and the waves were lapping at the backside of her fighter. She knelt down on the fuselage and closed the canopy tightly. With every incoming wave, the water rose higher.
She walked to the nose of the fighter, standing on the tip. It was only fifteen feet from the beach and she didn't want to get her clothing wet. Finally she shrugged the problem off and began to undress. Krystal took off the suit, now scantly clad in simple undergarment. She balled up the clothing and walked back to the cockpit. If they found the Arwing, a woman's outfit in her size would link the craft to her, so she decided against stashing the bodysuit there.
After a moment of thought, she walked back to the nose of the fighter and laid it flat on the hull. Dropping down to the water, which was now waist deep, the little blue vixen opened a compartment in the exposed belly and pulled out a cable used as a multipurpose harpoon and tow line.
That done, she opened up another compartment, in the belly of the fighter, up by the nose cone and manually released a massive, heavy bomb from the track. It slid off the rails and splashed into the water, soaking her from head to toe. She tied the line around it, then used her paws to dig the sand out from underneath the Nova Bomb. It took several minutes, the tide coming in quickly around her, but she managed to half the bomb half buried in the sand, within about twenty minutes.
With that accomplished, she closed both the compartments on the Arwing's belly and grabbed her uniform that still lay atop the fighter. She lifted the bodysuit above her head, to keep her dry, and walked back towards the beach, wading through the water that was now nearly up to her shoulders.
Using her wet tail, she made sure to cover the paw prints in the sand, waving the thick blue brush behind her and making her way up into the foliage ahead. Within minutes there was a soft hiss followed by a crushing sound of nearby trees. The field kit had arrived.
She dashed through the palmetto trees and bushes until she found the probe sitting snugly against a large rock, surrounded by several trees and tiny little brown rocks with hair on them. Laying her clothes on the large rock, she picked up one of the little brown fuzzy stones and shook it.
Something inside sloshed like water. Krystal blinked twice and smashed the brown object against the large boulder and it shattered, splashing a milky substance on her paws and stomach. After a moment, the curious vixen lifted her paw to her muzzle, licking her fingers. It was a bland tasting sort of milk. The chalky white coconut fragment on her fingertips was a bit sweeter, to her. "Interesting," She mused softly.
Wasting no more time, she pried open the Probe and retrieved the seashells and dry cloth fabric. She put her other uniform in the attaché case that was inside the probe's cargo compartment, knowing she'd come back for it to hide it later. The probe could be thrown in the water, when she had time to do so. Right now, she had to go back down to the beach and wash off the sticky coconut cream before it matted her fur and became cumbersome.
Once down at the beach, she stripped off the undergarments, tossing them to the ground with a wet slapping sound. She knelt down in the water, making sure every remnant of sticky cream was washed of her fur then walked back up onto the sand, getting the sea shell bra attached, followed by the cloth around her hips. It was sewn with a crotch piece that she pinned to the simple skirt, adjusting it on her hips, so that it wouldn't come loose.
After she was dressed, she slipped her paws into the sandals that came with the cloth and shell clothing, securing the leather straps around her ankles and tied them tightly, securing them to her hind paws. Krystal picked up the wet bra and panties, taking them back up to where the probe was, ringing them out tightly, so they were now simply damp. She hid them in the front compartment of the brief-case like container, then pulled it out of the probe, laying it in the brush.
Finally, she carried the metallic remains of the probe down to the beach and pushed it into the water, letting the backtow of the current carry it out a few hundred feet before it began to sink. By the time she was finished, the Arwing was now under water and she was ready to make camp.
Fox would have probably worried himself to death if he knew she was doing a solo mission, but backup was something she could worry about later, when she had things in order. Now to hide the field kit, make a primitive looking camp and start her recon mission. It was exciting to think about, but she knew she had to be careful.
Next:
Chapter -10- "Tribal Girl Remix"