A/N: Wow! Over 1400 hits, now. Dang. The Curse only has 308, and that's been up since February, lol. Ah, the power and popularity of Krystal, no? THANK you, readers! I really didn't mean to make these Author's Notes so darn long, so I'll keep it shorter in Chapter 11, I just wanted to thank some people in this note and explain where some of these ideas came from.
This was supposed to be a chapter about JUST KRYSTAL. However, I read my feedback remarks like an unconfident, needy, OCD, clingy fanboy. I latch onto every word you people say, to better determine how I should write these stories. I worship the emails that read, "FFBot: REVIEW FOR (story name)" in the subject line. Heh. So, when I saw that one of the readers looks forward to seeing Falco bust out a can of whoopass, I felt it's best to write the chapter about both Krystal and Falco, tonight. I wanna give the readers what they want! Sure, everyone wants a story about JUST Krystal, but if they're so involved in the plot that takes place between Adventures and Assault, that they wanna see what Falco's up to, then I'm only TOO happy to deliver. Seriously, until I saw that reply, I was honestly going to just have Falco show up a chapter or so later, and leave the readers to assume what happened. So, thanks to that review, I added Falco. I took the opportunity to hint at Falco's time with Katt while he was on hiatus away from StarFox, which coincides with the Nintendo Comic that was released right before SF: Adventures was released.
Anyhow, in this chapter, we see that Krystal doesn't take any crap and neither does Falco, but Krystal lets her heart and conscience play a role in her decision making during missions. She gauges who's a threat and who's not then acts accordingly. It's not that Falco doesn't have a conscience, but he certainly doesn't need it in this chapter.
See if you can remember the cameo from StarFox64, who plays as a minor character, here. Also, I end this chapter in a cliff hanger, because I promise I'll have chapter 11 done in record time. I'm so close to finishing this story, I'm trying to deliver the goods before jumping back into my other fan fics, which are progressing well. I've got nearly finished chapters on ALL my other fan fictions, so they'll all have updates, by the end of September as well, if not earlier. Yay'n stuff!
To those of you who have been leaving feedback and expressing their thoughts on the story, good or bad, I APPRECIATE YOU! I hope you all liked how I fixed the issue on her age a few chapters back. I felt so clever, lol.
Remember, Krystal's not a commando; she's a resourceful telepath who wants to prove she's not some damsel in distress to Fox McCloud. You're all about to understand why General Pepper was pretty much seen as the leader of Corneria in SF: Assault. His title is either General or Prime Minister (or president or whatever), and they still call him GENERAL, so I'm writing as if his leadership position is a temporary thing, sorta like a Vice President taking over while the President is not around. The way Namco wrote the dialogue, it really left a lot of room to expose storyline conspiracies, past meetings between some of the characters, recently arranged standoffs and character developed opinions on situations or other characters that we're not let in on.
I hope my version of things is a believable one! If my two MAJOR novel-manuscripts (in the works) are published and wind up New York Times best sellers (after an editor completely rewrites my Faulkner-esque writing style), then I'll have more clout to ask Nintendo to be given the rights to the License so that I can detail the adventures of StarFox between the games. While I highly doubt that will happen, I'm an optimistic dreamer, heh. Please enjoy chapter 10!
-K
Chapter -10- "Tribal Girl Remix"
Krystal sat down at the edge of a clearing. It was a great position, able to see anyone come into the area with ease, giving her a vantage point. She pulled the briefcase into her lap and opened it, looking over the gear. Two days of food rations, two days of bottled water, a first aid kit, a blaster and her staff. It was in its compacted form, diagonally in the case. It barely fit and even worse, it was difficult to pull it out, but once she freed it, she looked it over for a moment, obviously pleased that Slippy thought to add it.
She wrapped her paws around it, willing it to extend with the grip button just behind the fulcrum. It was a massive extension to her natural chi-like ability, but that's what it always was. It had the ability to magnify that internal force ability. Fox was good with it, but she was a professional in comparison.
A shadow cast from something large above captured her attention. Soft green eyes flitted upwards and she gasped in surprise, seeing a ship that was slightly larger than a fighter or shuttle. It passed over the clearing, followed by two more, setting down in the distance. She glanced back down, into the field kit pack and tilted her head. There was a shoulder holster for the blaster, folded up on one side.
She took a moment to put it on, making sure it was secure, then put her blaster into it, shouldering the first aid kit across her other shoulder, crisscrossed over the gun holster; finally, she closed the case and picked it up, stashing the food and water just a few yards from her camp sight. The vantage point at the edge of the clearing was abandoned, to make her way towards the other end of the island, to see what was going on.
It wasn't a tiny island that was for sure. Over six miles long, four and a half miles wide, the Island was a super intelligent place for StarWolf to have staged their plans. It was high enough that the amazing tide didn't envelope the Isle over night and that meant that it may have been high enough above sea level that there could be a network of tunnels beneath the sands.
Krystal knew that for something to be designed this way, it was probably someone's hide out or something. She couldn't decide if she sensed something beneath her, or if it was her feminine instinct, but she knew there had to be caverns or tunnels beneath her feet.
Staying on the outskirts of the clearing, she passed through the trees, staying low. With blue fur, it was difficult to blend into the green foliage but the area was void of people, which made things easier for the time being. Within a few minutes, she traversed to the next section which held another clearing, this one was manmade.
Three troop transport shuttles sat on a bulldozed runway, the Venom troops loading up and setting up a base camp. She knelt down lower, trying to open her mind and listen to their thoughts. Some were indifferent. Some believed that they were only here to hunt down Cornerians. The being in command knew something more.
He or she was a guarded soul, keeping their thoughts locked away, with training. She wanted to know what their mission was and found it difficult to penetrate his mental defenses. Most of the troops were lizards or marmosets but a select few were slightly more exotic races.
Two men were chameleons, one was an iguana, and another was a fierce looking wolverine. The only other non-venom born animal she saw was a Zebra, who wielded a large weapon in his arms. She couldn't tell what it was, having never seen such a weapon before but it was quite impressive.
The equine lowered his Gatling Gun to adjust a few straps that went over his shoulders, then picked it back up, with ease. The weapon appeared to weigh over 60 pounds, but he carried it as if it were only 20.
The Venom language was far different from Cornerian, more difficult to correctly enunciate but based on the same root of use. It was harsh; more aggressive to use and speak. She could sense their intent and allowed her natural use of telepathy to become the coveted link that brought her the ability of communication and understanding. Their words became clear to her as they spoke, as if she'd always known the language, to some extent.
"…Find StarWolf and retrieve not only their ships but their personal effects. It is believed that they are carrying three briefcase-like containers that are filled with Gold and other incredibly expensive metals. These belong to Emperor Oikonni. They're going to be used to repair the Venom Economy and StarWolf stole all three cases from the Emperor. It's our duty to get them back. Any questions?"
Krystal, from her hiding spot, simply blinked. Oikonni paid Panther to assassinate the Prime Minister, then ordered his men to steal the money back and steal the Mercenary Team's ships and their gear? Truly, there were people in Lylat that broke her heart.
The vixen decided that a telepathic community's inability to use subterfuge over their own race kept every one of her people honest. These Venom people were absolute scum, on the other hand. The most manipulative a member of her race could be, was to bat their lashes, think the word, 'please?' and get their way. Here, there was things that were factually said by another, and things that would factually happen, that conflicted with the information garnished. Just because someone made a promise didn't mean they weren't going to keep it, let alone have any intentions to do so.
The captain of the squad leaders, a middle aged man named Camen, approached his commander and they exchanged words quietly for a moment. The troops didn't move, but several of them thought Captain Camen was an idiot.
"Camen, here, has just informed me," Said the Commander, a regal looking ape, who obviously cared about their personal appearance, with a clean shaven face, before adding, "that your objective targets have made base camp two miles from this area. Get with your squad leaders and flank them, as per your plan. If you execute your plans flawlessly, we will be out of here first thing in the morning. I do, however, expect for StarWolf to put up enough resistance that we may have to kill them. I prefer to keep them alive, so remember to keep your weapons on stun!"
Camen nodded to the Commander, then walked through the lines of troops, looking each one over, before stopping to turn and salute. The lines of men fell into their squads, falling out as if they had rehearsed this over and over. They were highly trained military and her job just became a great deal harder. She watched for a moment, noting the way these men moved, the way they grouped themselves and choreographed their actions.
Krystal got down on her belly, making sure to stay in the bushes, then wrapped that thick, furry blue brush up around herself, using said tail to keep the sound of her communicator from being heard. Once Peppy's voice became audible, she whispered in reply, to let him know to keep it down as well, on his end.
"Venom has brought three ships here. There are about 38 men, 2 of which are high ranking, the other 36 are troops. They're in 3 squadrons of 12 which break down into what I can visually see as 6 groups of 6. Those groups split into Alpha and Bravo, three a piece. Each of three has their own call group, from what I can read on most of their minds. How can I go up against 36 armed men?" She asked, before adding an additional inquiry. "Should I take out the two in charge, get proof that StarWolf assassinated the Prime Minister, destroy their ships and have Fox and Falco come and collect them later?"
"Whoa whoa," Peppy replied on the other end, in soft tones. He was able to reduce the volume on her transmitter, from the instrument panel on the GreatFox. "Relax, take a breath, rookie. Don't feel overwhelmed. You've got three things on your side. Also, we need to find out why they're there and work from that point."
"Go on, Peppy, enlighten me," she said with a half grin.
Hare adjusted his glasses, but she didn't have the holo-vid emitters active on the communicator. After his pause, he continued. "First of all, you're a female who's dressed as a primitive native. If they spot you, they'll think you belong there. You won't be interrogated as a spy, and if you are, you should be able to use your telepathy to tell them what they wanna hear and make the situation go in any direction."
Krystal had to agree with him, there. She also knew she could take care of herself, but there was no way the team could send her backup now. The area was too secure to fly an Arwing out to the Island. Unless there was an emergency, in which case they could send help in one at a time, with the Blue Marine Sub.
Peppy continued, "Two, they don't know you're there. You're alone. If they catch you, it's easy to scare them and say that you have a huge team in a submarine, just off the coast, or you could tell them that you are alone and know nothing, but because it's just you, it's unlikely they'll even see you, if you keep your head down. Slippy had a gadget installed in the staff that is programmed to cloak you and change your looks. He recoded it without the knowledge that you would be surrounded by Venom troops, but at least it will make you resemble a camouflage-furred version of yourself. That should help you get around without your blue fur being spotted. It will blend your fur to the color of your surroundings."
Krystal didn't even know they'd set that up and was thankful for it. Her largest worry was that her blue fur would easily be spotted, stalking through a green background. It wasn't quite a jungle, but it was close enough to one, that only laying down kept her completely concealed. Knowing that her staff now cloaked her fur to look like whatever color she was lying upon, she now had the confidence to finish the mission without asking for an extraction.
"And three, you have a good support team," Peppy said with a soft chuckle. "Now, this is a sneaking mission, Krystal. But now that Venom is there, it's up to you to determine a reason. Know anything yet?" The elder Hare asked.
"They're here, because they think StarWolf stole this money from Oikonni and that they don't care about the restoration of the Venom Economy. The people in command are here to collect it, take their ships and gear and either kill or capture them," Krystal explained in a whisper, talking into the microphone built into her communicator that was clipped to her ear.
"This could get messy. We can't let them make StarWolf disappear; it's our job to capture or kill StarWolf, ourselves. If they manage to kill StarWolf, see if you can't blow up their ships. We'll get paid for the job credit," Peppy explained. The cold fact was, StarFox was a mercenary outfit and hard work, as well as time, was quite simply, money.
With a war brewing, StarFox needed all the money they could get to have things in order. Krystal finally decided that she was going to attempt to wage a guerilla war with Venom, blame it on StarWolf, then deal with the three mercenaries. She could easily play the manipulation game on a level that wasn't quite so dishonest as people like Oikonni.
Her best bet was to sabotage the Wolfens, the Venom trooper transport shuttles, then help the two sides go to war with one another. From there, it would be up to her to finish whatever was started, get her gear and go home. It was more than she'd ever gone through before, but it would prove to Fox, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she wasn't some damsel in distress.
She wanted to become pretty good at using a Blaster and promised herself that this mission would be as successful as possible with the smallest margin of error. Because no one knew she was here, she had the advantage. Most importantly, she had Peppy and Slippy to help her complete her objective tasks. Then it wouldn't be long before Fox could come by, maybe help her double check the area, then she could go home to a hot bath and try that Chocolate thing that Fox talked about.
Krystal was thankful that she'd gone a day or two without sleep at the beginning of the week because the night before this mission, she had a great rest. She knew it would be a long mission and she couldn't let her guard down and rest was important. She'd slept well enough the night before, that she probably wouldn't feel tired if she tried to stay up over night.
She crept through the grass and bushes, flanking the runway strip until she was parallel to the three ships. Camen and the commander were still there. From here, she could tell that the Commander was actually a female, after all. They spoke for a moment, exchanging meaningless words, then Camen nodded his little green head and began to jog off, after the departing troops.
With only the commander left in the area, Krystal began to creep from out of the bushes, coming up behind the middle shuttle. She quickly opened an access panel that had some sort of cautionary looking decal painted over top. Jackpot; she made quick work of pulling out a bunch of wires and cracked some sort of cylinder that looked important, closing the hatch behind herself. She made the same 'repairs' to the shuttle in the front of the trio, then headed for the one in the back.
She knelt down, peering beneath the shuttle, but didn't see the Commander's feet. The ape was attractive for a gorilla but from what Krystal had saw, a few moments prior, the chick looked as though she could have pulverized just about anyone in a fist fight. Krystal couldn't sense anything in proximity and began working on the last shuttle.
Krystal worked the access panel open, when a shadow moved over her form from above. No sooner did her eyes lift, the massive Commander dropped from the top of the shuttle, pouncing Krystal to the ground. The vixen gawked upwards in horror, her jaw flopping open. The gorilla snatched the primitive looking girl up by her neck and slammed her against the shuttle hull.
Krystal pushed her paw into the access panel, gripping a fistful of wires and holding on tight. The Commander suddenly shifted her weight, pivoting on her left foot in an attempt to throw Krystal, head over heels. The wires ripped but kept Krystal from being launched down the runway. She fell to the dusty ground, on her hands and knees only a few feet away.
"Do you make a habit of sabotage, or is this just vandalism to you?" The female Gorilla demanded.
"You and your ships are not welcome here," Krystal said in a poor dialect. Her Venom was already broken from lack of experience in using it, which helped make her story believable.
"That's cute," The woman said, narrowing her eyes. "I'm Tasha G. Rilla. Your attack on my shuttle makes you an enemy of the Venom Army," She added, pulling a blaster from her hip holster and placing the barrel in against the back of Krystal's head.
Krystal suddenly kicked her leg out, catching Tasha in the shin, but her body weight was so great that it didn't do anything but make the Commander chuckle. Krystal had her staff in the compact form, held against her chest by the holster strap and grinned inwardly.
She slipped it out from the holster strap, beginning to kneel up when the ape suddenly hit Krystal between her shoulders with a massive fist, putting the azure fox flat on her stomach again. Without warning, Krystal's body lurched up into the air, powered by the simultaneous extending of the staff weapon and use of its ability to launch a person high up into the air.
Normally the staff's ability to do this was used to send its user up to a cliff or something, but Krystal used it offensively, causing her to collide with the Gorilla so hard that it knocked the woman over. The vixen tucked her legs beneath herself and forced her body weigh to shift, so that she went end over end, doing a half summersault and landing on her hind paws, on the top of the shuttle.
Krystal then returned the same action Tasha Rilla performed, dropping down in an attack. Young Krys was a bit wiser to her opponent, now. She descended upon her opponent, using its super-earthquake attack, slamming the end into the Commander's shoulder, easily rendering Rilla's right arm useless.
Tasha G. Rilla, Commander in the Venom Army, was far from defeated. She took a backswing with her massive left paw, knocking Krystal's body back, so that the vixen's lithe frame slammed against the side of the shuttle. She slid down, dropping to the ground, landing flat on her tail.
"Does it smart, dear?" Asked Commander Rilla with a sardonic snicker. Krystal pointed the end of her staff at her opponent, unleashing an icy blast but she was exhausted and the wintry attack wasn't concentrated enough to freeze the attacker.
After a short moment of being disoriented, Tasha snatched Krystal up by her neck, held in the ape's left hand, high off the ground. The tiny bodied Cerinian struggled, kicking her legs but it was no use. The Staff was brought against Commander Rilla's ribs as well as another strike against a pressure point but nothing seemed to work.
"So what's your story, my pretty?" Tasha asked with an amused grin.
"You're attacking those men to get money for Venom, when Venom's leader just left here, after giving it to them for services rendered," Krystal said. She cursed herself for telling the truth, but it was just natural to her to do so.
"NO kidding, but no one needs to know that," Tasha sneered. Krystal's eyes narrowed. She hated the manipulative ways of these people. She quickly used the end of her staff to knock the blaster out of the Commander's right paw. While Tasha's right shoulder was crushed, she had never dropped her weapon. With her right paw partially numb, the blaster was easily knocked free of her grip.
"You disgust me," the smaller of the two women said, placing the tip of her staff to Commander Rilla's throat. The ape gripped the center of the staff in her left palm and tried to snap it, but the staff was made of a metal and alloy combination that was the strongest known combination on Cerinia. It didn't even bend.
"What in the heck is this made of?" Tasha mused. Krystal used the moment of distraction to strike again, charging it one last time, with the last of its energy, to boost the two apart. With Krystal's back against the side of the shuttle, the staff did the opposite, throwing the gorilla across the runway.
Several yards away, Tasha knelt up, weakly grumbling, "Who are you?"
Krystal smiled slightly, standing up and approaching the fallen ape. "I'm a member of StarFox, that's all you need to know." She decided she could tell Commander Rilla, it would be the last thing the Gorilla would find out. Krystal hooked the end of her staff in the Venom officer's belt, dragging her back towards the shuttle at the back of the line, then pried open the missile tube mounted on the side and grinned.
"What are you doing, are you crazy?" Commander Tasha shouted. No one was around to hear her plea and Krystal gave a playful shrug.
"I can't let you people start another war, so I'm doing what I can to stop you," the little blue vix explained, picking up Tasha's Venom-issued blaster. She took a few minutes to figure out how to change the settings and maxed them out, setting it to charge. Krystal shoved the charging blaster inside the missile tube and began to walk away.
"Come back here! You don't know what kind of trouble you're in!" shouted the ape. "I am Commander Tasha G. Rilla of the Venom 302nd battalion and you won't get away with this! Not even StarFox can stop Venom from crushing Corneria, this time! Only a Miracle can stop the Empire from finishing off the rest of Lylat!"
Krystal continued walking. She gave her staff a twirl then mashed the button on the shaft that caused it to shrink. The telescoping qualities of the staff did their job and she slipped it beneath the strap of her blaster's holster once more. She continued her leisurely pace into the bushes, anticipating the explosion, keeping her wits ready for the blast.
She appeared stoic when the Blaster burst, causing the stock of missiles to blow, causing the shuttle to detonate in a massive flash that was followed by a thunderous explosion that could surely be heard by everyone on the entire Island. The other two shuttles were knocked over, damaged beyond repair.
The explosive force caused Krystal's fur to take on a wind-blown look, her hair taking on a look of attitude and a slight grin touched her muzzle. It wasn't that she was a killer. She was proud of her ability to fight with the same courage and passion that StarFox fought. She descended from a long line of proud and noble warriors that hailed as a bloodline of Royalty on her world. She felt she was able to make her family proud, had they been watching over her from the heavens.
Krystal of Cerinia made her way clear across the Island and, in a stroke of luck, stumbled across the Wolfens, all of which were covered with bushes and palmetto leaves. She closed her eyes and opened her heart. Her mind's eye couldn't detect anyone nearby and so she decided it was safe to work.
Each of the three canopies were opened and she found the latch to opened the fuel tanks, contacting Slippy for a brief rundown on how to drain the fuel from all three. Once her task was completed, she closed the cockpits of all three fighters, replaced the way the shrubs were laid across the fighters, so they looked undisturbed, and went back into hiding.
A group of three lizards walked into the area, following a dusty trail and talking quietly amongst themselves. Krystal uncapped the bottom of her staff, replacing the fuel cell with the spare that she kept there. It was one Fox didn't know about, because he'd never been trained on using the staff the way it was designed. Once it was fully charged again, she activated the camouflage visual generator that Slippy had added.
She gave the staff a spin, building up momentum, then took a hard swing. The pole came from out of no where, as far as the lizards could tell. The shaft slammed into the lizard that was on point, breaking his nose. A blaster rifle thumped softly to the dirt. The other two lizards got into an evasive position, looking left to right quickly, but couldn't see anyone.
She kicked her left leg out, catching one and simultaneously brought the staff down against the solder on the right, knocking them both back. She spun the staff above her head, then brought it straight down over the first lizard, dispatching him. She then drop kicked the second, landing gracefully in a half crouched position, taking two shots of the staff's fire-blaster weapon, simultaneously taking out the third lizard.
Within a few seconds, all three of them were down. The Camo-ability was dropped. Krystal beamed brightly, opening a channel to Slippy immediately.
"Slippy here, got yourself stuck again, Krystal?" He asked with a grin.
"No, I just wanted to thank you" Krystal said. "Your stealth invention for the staff is amazing. I don't know how you're able to figure out foreign technology so easily, but you're brilliant and don't get enough credit from the rest of StarFox."
"No, Fox gives me tons of credit, but what can I say?" Slippy chuckled. "We were best friends in school, back before his dad passed. Fox is a good friend, he appreciates me, and in return, he saves my butt when I'm in trouble. I saw a huge explosion on the Island, everything all right?"
Krystal beamed again, replying, "I took out their Commander and blew up their ride. They're not going anywhere for quite some time. I'm sure I'm not quite as good as Fox was, when he was fighting on Sauria, but I'm going to see if I can't at least try."
"So far, so good! Call me if you need me!" Slippy said, closing the channel. Krystal dashed off, heading east. Three lizards lay in her wake. Four down, 34 left, not counting StarWolf.
With Fox injured, Peppy and Slippy running a recon-mission-gone-wrong, and Krystal surrounded by Venom troops up to her ears, Falco was fulfilling a promise. The poodle dropped him off at a brick building with a metal door in a back alley that was locked tightly.
Lombardi pounded on the door for several moments until someone answered it. It was a larger bruiser, tall as could be and mean as hell, itself. The guy was a rat; his tail was longer than his legs, resting on the ground behind himself. He wore studded bracelets and looked like he enjoyed trouble. Falco recognized the guy as one of the old Street King members, who'd been with the gang for at least 15 years.
He looked the same at 34 as he did at 19. Falco, now 27, put his hands on his hips and smirked. He really hoped the guy recognized the Avian, but with huge publicity in StarFox, Lombardi had his wish granted before he even had to make it.
The rat gasped, going for his gun quickly. Falco reached out, placing his hands on the man's wrists and applied enough pressure that he wasn't able to pull the gun out of its holster. The old school raptor quickly head butted the rat in the face, before a quick uppercut was dealt, making short work of a Street King gang member. It was quick, right in the doorway, and Falco knew he was already on a roll. Only three remained, counting the boyfriend who started this whole thing.
On the way over, the poodle described what the ex-boyfriend looked like, so that Falco could refrain from breaking his neck. The poodle wanted the guy to be taken the court and have everything happen legally, but the problem was, Falco didn't make any promises that there would be any survivors. If the guy lived, then it was fate. That's how Falco felt about things, at any rate.
He stepped over the rat's body, picking up two hand guns on a workbench to the left. He gave each one a quick spin, first the left, then the right. Without even checking to see if they were loaded, he pointed them behind himself, pulling the trigger. Both guns went off, quickly putting an end to the fallen gang member.
"Guess they're loaded. Not like the Street Kings to leave unloaded weapons sitting around, I suppose," Falco mused aloud. He lifted the weapons once more, waiting by the wall for a moment. The door swung open and a Setter stepped through. Just as the dog passed through the doorway, Falco used the butt of his right hand gun to hit him in the side of his head.
The Setter flopped forward, having lost balance from the attack. He spilled forward, taking a bullet from the weapon in Lombardi's right hand, right below his left shoulder. A hole in his chest nearly large enough to put a fist through spelled certain doom for the second gang member. The canine crumbled to the floor in silence.
"This is going to be easier than I thought," Lombardi chuckled, giving the two weapons another spin, first the left, then the right. He passed through the next doorway, keeping his guns ready. What he found inside was discouraging.
While it was four Street King gang leaders that roughed up the Poodle's sister, it was obvious that a solid number of gang members used this spot as a hang out. Over 6 armed thugs were standing in the room, their guns drawn and waiting for Falco to step through the archway.
Falco acted before his eyes could even widen, diving backwards, through the door he'd just stepped through. His arms extended, fingers working to depress the triggers as quickly as he could manage. Once his back hit the floor, he used his right foot to kick the door shut, before they had the chance to return fire. The instantaneous scene replayed in his mind, from the point where he began diving back, bullets gushing from the twin pistols like a geyser of death, to where his bullets slammed against a target on the other side, followed by his backside crashing against the ground.
His mind processed the information just a split second after his instincts helped him to act, making the world seem as though it were all happening in slow motion. Once his foot was strategically used to kick the door shut, everything rushed forward and time seemed to speed up into normal speed, once more.
Bullets riddled the door, leaving pockmarks in the surface, none passing completely through. Inside the next room, one of the six men slumped back against the wall, fatally injured. The five remaining were comprised of the same races that most Street King Members seemed to be; mostly lizards, marmosets and a few canine types, made up their ranks, and this group was no different.
Falco kicked his legs out, arching his back, so that the smooth maneuver gracefully brought him to a standing position. He gazed around the ratty looking workshop where two bodies were in the exit and the dim fluorescent lighting gave a twilight sort of feel to the atmosphere.
Lombardi's eyes landed on several important objects on a workbench across from the one where he'd found his guns, a few moments earlier. Not only was there a crate of illegally powered fire crackers, probably used for drunken fun, but there was a pair of foam earplugs sitting on the countertop.
His ears were already ringing so badly from an indoor shoot out, that they were next to useless for the moment, so using earplugs put him at no measure of further disadvantage. He snatched them up quickly, squeezing them between his finger and pinky while using the other three fingers to hold his gun. Once they were pushed into his ears, he picked up the crate of fireworks, stuffing his left pistol into his waistband.
His right gun was wedged into his beak, picking up a wielder's torch. This workshop seemed to have all the important tools. He flipped the flame on, turning the gas nozzle down so that it was now nothing more than a glorified lighter.
The resourceful Avian was usually given credit for rushing into a fight without a plan, but Falco was actually smarter than some cared to notice. He kicked the door at the back of the shop, knocking it right off its hinges. With a hard grunt, Falco heaved half of the crate's worth of fire crackers into the room, unlit.
He then ducked out of the door, waiting for a few seconds while five sets of guns were fired in reply. He took a rocket shaped piece out of the remaining stash of fireworks, quickly scanning over the label. "Danger! Concussive blast! Extreme fire hazard, USE CAUTION!" Lombardi grinned, lighting the end of it. He counted to five then tossed the rocket into the doorway, ducking down around the corner from the door and cupping his hands over his well-plugged ears.
A few seconds went by and an incredible explosion was heard. The fiery blast caused by the rocket shaped firecracker was intense enough to light the rest of the ordinance that was lying on the floor, causing another string of explosions. Shouts were heard, followed by one lizard running through the door, his clothes enveloping him in a fireball.
The lizard stumbled over the two bodies in the exit, landing outside in the alley, rolling around to try and put out the flames. After a moment, the third body in the exit came to a stop. Falco craned his neck, spying the motionless being who was still on fire.
"That guy's goose is cooked," Lombardi joked softly, using his foot to smother the blow torch that had fallen to the floor when he cupped his ears. The remaining crate of firecrackers was forgotten and he spit the blaster out, snatching the weapon with his right hand, pulling the other out of his pants with his left.
Falco strutted into the next room, where the last four guys were either unconscious or fatally wounded, acting like he owned the place….
…Krystal's eyes then widened, surveying the carnage she'd caused. Seven more lizards and apes were down, no one even so much as moving. She skillfully twirled the staff off of her right arm, flipping it about with the muscle of her left wrist, then lifted her paw, simultaneously shrinking it back to its smaller size, sliding it under the strap of her holster and bra, so that it was secure against her back.
She knelt to one knee, using her sense of smell to determine the exact location of those two remaining adversaries. With seven down, there were still two men in the area. They all traveled in groups of 3, which meant there should be nine people on the ground before she could feel safe. Until then, she felt as much like pray as she did like the predator.
Krystal placed her right paw to her heart, lowering her nose just a bit, those soft sea-green eyes fluttering shut. She could sense that she was being watched. She was in someone's crosshairs. Scary thought.
A gasp erupted from her lips as she realized what was about to happen. She could see the thought patterns of the gun toting equine and, as quickly as she'd put the staff away, she pulled it free once more, activating the force field to protect herself. The kneeling vixen was surrounded by an ovular blue light. No sooner did she activate the shield, did her breath catch.
Tiny round marks dotted the liquid-like field directly in front of her nose. Not just a few dozen, but hundreds in a matter of a second. The Gatling Gun spewed nearly a thousand rounds in just a few seconds, all of which were absorbed into the force field as if the now-harmless bullets weren't even there at all.
The zebra stepped out from the bushes, approaching her. He never took his finger off the trigger, simply pounding the soft blue shield with round after round, emptying the magazine of five hundred rounds in approximately twelve seconds. He stopped just inches from her shield, his eyes widening when the gun clicked empty.
"Weapons dry, nothing works on this little blue bi-" His plea for help into the radio was interrupted by Krystal, who used her staff to suddenly take his legs out from underneath him. He hit the ground hard, the Gatling gun tumbling to the dirt. She gave the metallic rod a twirl then placed the tip against his nose.
"Call them off," She ordered. The equine shook his head angrily. Krystal shrugged slightly in reply to his silent refusal to obey her command, then unleashed a fire-blast, taking him out. One left in the immediate area. "I gave you a chance, you should have taken it," She said to the downed foe.
Something spiked in the extra sensory part of her brain. She wrapped her paws around the staff tightly, and stood up and parted her ankles, to get balance, then swung the staff with all of her might, employing the Dahn Daju ability she'd shown Fox. All of her mental energy was transferred into the rod, causing it to shimmer in blue just as it connected with a target.
She didn't even look where she was swinging. She swung at the approaching thought pattern, emanating from the 9th foe. He had dropped from a tree branch, trying to pounce her, but her well timed swing connected with his body so well that the chi-powered homerun swing knocked him clear through the forest. She didn't even know where he landed, or how far she'd sent him. All she knew was that she couldn't sense his thoughts anymore.
Krystal's shoulders heaved softly, panting from exertion. Her body would be aching for days after she wakes up, tomorrow, she just knew it. For now, she had a job to do. If she did a good job, she could worry about achy joints and muscles from the bathtub on GreatFox. The sun was already starting to get low in the sky, creating an orangish-red mass to sit on the horizon.
"Don't you know what it means when the sky turns red like that?" Camen complained.
"No, that's a red sky at sunrise," One of the soldiers said. "Don't argue with me, Captain Camen, my father and grandfathers were sailors. No one's dying, except StarWolf," The marmoset noted.
"What do you know," the chubby green Captain snapped, "You're just a dumb monkey. I have a bad feeling about this, suddenly." Camen lowered his gaze to the sandy trail they were walking down, fidgeting nervously.
"No offense, Captain Camen, but how did you become a Captain? You're an idiot, sir," The monkey mused in reply.
Camen balled his fists up and said, "I'll have you know, in the Lylat War, 8 years ago, I engaged StarFox in Area6. They dispatched my wing commander in one shot, and I narrowly escaped. After regrouping with a larger squadron to hold the last line of defense, they wasted over half a dozen capital ships and I escaped intact." The scene quickly replied in his mind, shouting, 'are you there? Emergency maneuvers!' to another pilot, taking immediate control after his wing commander was destroyed.
"So you were promoted for narrowly surviving. Did you ever wonder if that was luck?" The soldier inquired with a chuckle.
"I'll have you know that I was promoted because my black box recorder showed that I took command without hesitation with a split second decision that saved me and my wing mate. So shut your mouth, mammal," Camen demanded. The marmoset shrugged with a grin, then stretched, offering a yawn.
Suddenly, the chimp stumbled back, landing on his tail. He looked up at Camen with confused eyes, sanguine marks on his uniform shirt glistening like rubies. Whatever knocked him down packed enough of a punch to rip through him before he realized what had even happened.
Camen looked around in confusion; he didn't hear any gun going off and couldn't see anyone. The soldier flopped back, his eyes fluttering shut. He struggled for a moment to keep them open but he was gone only seconds later. "Don't shoot!" the lizard cried.
After a moment, his ears picked up the sound of rustling in the bushes. He turned to face the noise, raising his arms in defeat. After another moment, a tribal looking blue vixen came out of hiding, a wisp of smoke emanating from the half-dozen barrels of the gatling gun. It was much like the one she'd picked up at Space Dynamics a few days ago, that had captured her attention. She'd been far enough away, that with the combined use of her staff's force field, no one even heard the shots.
What really impressed her, was the fact that she only gave the trigger a quick squeeze. Camen glanced down at the soldier and that was the first time that he noticed bullet holes riddled everything from the monkey's chest to the trees they stood near. He looked over his shoulder and gasped.
Bullets had pretty much left holes in everything except Camen. Once again, just like in Area6, he was lucky and unscathed. "I can see you've lucked out in the face of death twice now," Krystal said, sensing his thoughts on the matter. She tapped the gatling gun button playfully, causing the main shaft to rotate, the barrels spinning without firing. They whirred softly, slowing to a halt once more. Had she kept the trigger pressed for just a second longer, they would have spit out six bullets almost simultaneously.
The threatening maneuver caused Camen to drop to his knees, waving his hands above his head, "I'm unarmed! I swear!"
"This is quite a gun. The little barrels mechanically spin in a circle and spit out a lot of ammunition until the box is empty," Krystal said as if she were friends with the guy. "I've only held something like this one other time, the other day. It's nice to fire one, they're so light."
"They used to weigh over 50 pounds and would knock you on your butt," Camen muttered. "But now they're made with lighter metals and composite alloys that make them as strong as old fashion steel without the weight."
"Thank you for the education," Krystal told him through a soft smile. "I can't let you tell your men I'm here. I'm sorry, but I have no means of taking hostages," She added. "You've got to be dealt with," She explained.
"B-but, I don't want to die! C'mon, give me a chance!" Camen said.
"Stop begging, Camen," She said. His eyes widened.
"How do you know my name?" He asked shyly.
"It's a talent of mine," She said, lowering the massive gun to the dirt and pulling out the blaster that was in her shoulder holster. She pointed the barrel at his chest and blew him a kiss. "Any last words?"
"Don't kill me?" Camen asked politely. Krystal pulled the trigger and Camen flopped over in silence. She knelt down besides him, placing her ear near his face. He was still breathing. The blaster was set to its highest stun setting. He would probably be out cold until tomorrow afternoon. She put the blaster back into her holster and lifted the gatling gun once more. She could sense that he was nearly harmless anyhow and someone needed to live through this ordeal to start a horror story about the situation.
Thinking better on the situation, she went knelt down besides him once more, laying the large gun on the ground and searched his uniform pockets for pen and paper. He was prepared with both items. She drew the StarFox logo on a piece of paper, since she was still learning how to read and write in the Lylat languages. Stuffing the paper and pen down the front of his shirt, she stood back up and carried the Gatling Gun down the sandy path.
Twenty-five soldiers left, with no leadership to guide them. It was time to visit StarWolf and bring them into the battle without getting personally involved until the numbers were dramatically reduced. She hurried off in the direction of the assassin's thought patterns. She shuttered involuntarily. She could sense that particular one was a stark womanizer. What a turn off. She had another two miles to cover, before she would be near StarWolf's camp. There was a lot of things to accomplish before the sun set.
Falco couldn't believe his eyes. The gruff looking dog described by the poodle was someone he recognized. His heart beat wildly and anger clouded his judgment, lifting both pistols, which each had one bullet a piece, left in their chambers.
"These last two rounds are for you," the avian snapped. He couldn't believe his eyes. The jerk off used to be a member of The Space Hot Rodders Gang, back when Falco was still a member. Not only that, it was the same chauvinist idiot who started dating Katt, ruining his chances of a relationship with her.
"Well, if it isn't Falco Lombardi. The biggest screw up in the old Gang. Wow. You were almost the most ironic guy," The man said.
"Yeah? Why's that?" Falco said, placing one of the pistols to the canine's forehead, the other to his crotch.
"Because Katherine was totally in love with you, you said you weren't interested in a relationship, so she goes out with me and you trip out with jealousy. You'll always be the guy who missed your chance," The dog said. Falco couldn't remember his name, but he didn't care to know it, either.
"Then you cheat on her, she cries on my shoulder," Falco replied, but the dog finished his sentence.
"…and you're so stupid and brash, you tell her that you could care less what her problems are, because you were stubborn and still jealous that she went out with me instead of you. I'm surprised she put herself in danger to help you out in the War. She probably did it to spite me for cheating on her, but don't worry," The dog chuckled. "She wasn't anything more than just another broad," He added.
Falco, who had just spent the last two years with Katt, before returning to StarFox, lifted his right pistol and whipped the canine across his muzzle, hard. "Don't talk about Katt Monroe. You're a scumbag and on that note, I got wind that you had your way with some poodle girl, then you and your buddies beat her senseless. That's why I'm here."
"She deserved it, Lombardi. She was just another dumb broad, just like Katt," The canine muttered, reaching his paw up to cradle his bloody muzzle, but Falco didn't let him. Lombardi pistol whipped him a second time, burying the second gun in the dog's crotch, un-cocking then re-cocking the hammer with a smirk.
Lombardi placed the barrel of the first pistol to the thug's forehead once more. "I told you not to talk about Katt anymore. Keep trying my patience. The only reason you're not dead yet is because her brother asked me to spare you, so you can sit in jail and really hate life," Falco said in a cool, relaxed tone of voice.
"So what if me and my boys had our fun with that dumb girl? There's no proof, we all used protection. The cops won't be able to link us to the crime while you'll be arrested for murder. You shot up all my boys," The dog said, only to get pistol whipped a third time. He reached a paw up to his face, but Falco hit him a fourth time for doing so.
"I didn't say you could move," Lombardi smoothly said. "Lift that paw again, see if I don't whack you again," the raptor added. "And to show just how much you know, I actually told the girl's brother that you probably wouldn't survive. After all, I know vigilante laws keep me from shooting up your pad without some sort of repercussions. I've already thought of that."
"Yeah? Then what're you doing? Procrastinating?" The man snapped.
"No, I'm putting your fate into the hands of someone who hates you a whole heck of a lot more than I do," Falco said with a chuckle. He twirled the left pistol, after pulling it back from between the traitor thug's legs, stowing it into a pocket. Falco then grabbed a piece of rope that was coiled on the table and a pair of handcuffs that were sitting on the same table, chuckling softly.
"What?"
"Handcuffs, dude?" Falco laughed. "What, do you role play cops and robbers when you're with these girls? Handcuffs, man? Really now. Put'em on," the pilot instructed, tossing the metal cuffs into the dog's lap, starting to coil the rope around him, and the backing of the chair he was sitting in.
"Are you serious?" He asked. Falco replied by whipping him with the pistol again. The canine grunted and started putting the handcuffs onto himself, growing angry. Falco wrapped the rope around the guy and his chair several times, then laced the rope through two of the links in the handcuff's short chain, before looping it around the man and his chair two more times, making the knot at the back of the seat, where it would be out of reach. The man finally asked, "What the hell are you going to do, Lombardi? Who are you handing me over to?"
Falco put the other pistol away and pulled out his cellular communicator, dialing a number. After a few rings, someone picked up on the other end. "Hey, yeah, Katt? It's Falco. Get yourself a pen and paper. I want you to take down an address on Corneria and come here tonight. I've gift wrapped a present for you. It's up to you to do whatever you want to him. You didn't have any plans tonight, didja?"
Falco listened to the person on the other end for a moment, before adding, "Great! He'll be here. Don't mind the mess, I rearranged the whole building and don't really have time to clean up after my party. Just watch where ya step, don't want you tripping over the party goers, they're all over the floor. So yeah, write this address down and go all the way to the last room in the building. I left your present gift wrapped in a chair, you'll know it when you see it, babe."
Lombardi took a moment to give her the address, then hung up the phone. "Katt Monroe is on her way to pay you a visit. We got back together, during my hiatus from StarFox, bud. Three years of dating. We're taking a little break, until we've both gotten our party-days out of our systems, but that doesn't mean she's not my girl. She once told me that she would do all sorts of nasty things to you if she ever saw you again. So you've got about an hour to pray your tail off before she gets here."
The canine suddenly started struggling against the ropes, then shouted, "You're not shooting me because you're a coward!" His words were a challenging dare, but Falco ignored them.
"I've gotta jet. I have to apologize to the poodle dude. He really wanted you to go to jail, and who knows, maybe when Katt's done with you, she'll hand you over to the cops for the way you treat women. I imagine you'll be begging to admit to every crime you can think of, just so jail can protect you from her wrath. She's pretty scorned, buddy. Toodles." Falco said the last word, just to remind the dog that the bubbly Katt Monroe was, indeed, on her way. It was something she said from time to time, and everyone who knew her, knew that.
"C'mon, you can't freakin' leave me here, after shooting up my place, take me with you, I'll admit to the cops what I did to that stupid poodle broad!" The man cried.
"Broad? The stupid poodle broad, you say? Really, I think Katt will help you cure your outlook on women," Falco chuckled. "Nah, I'll leave your fate in the paws of Katherine. I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you again," Lombardi said over a smug grin. He turned to walk out of the room, ignoring the pleas and begging that came from the gift-wrapped dog he left for Katt.
Now, to get himself a free Space Dynamics shoulder mounted Rocket Launcher.
The sun dipped into the horizon and slowly sank, where the deep orange sky met the darker waterline, disappearing from view. To someone truly native to this planet, it set with practiced bravado, but to Krystal, who had never been on a tropical island before, the sunsets of Aquias were breathtaking.
The scantly clad azure vixen was lying upon her belly on the edge of a cliff, thirty feet above StarWolf's camp. She spotted four beings sitting around a camp fire on the north beach, not sure who the fourth guy was. She couldn't tell from this angle and would have to get closer. Before she could move the fourth being suddenly stood up and walked to the water, staring out over the endless sea for a moment.
She stole a glance at Panther, then looked to the Chameleon and finally to the Lupine with the object over his eye. They were cold blooded killers with no mercy, but she sensed a sort of honor about them. It was an unspoken code, the three of them shared. Business came first, but there was a special sort of honor among thieves, so to speak. So long as she didn't interfere with their business, she sensed that they would be of little threat to her.
The fourth being turned back towards the group and for the first time, she got a good look at the person's face. Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. She was completely shocked.
"No," She whispered softly, "It's got to be impossible…!" She simply could not believe her eyes. She couldn't believe what she saw. She couldn't believe who was in the company of StarWolf. She was speechless. She would have to sneak in closer when she got the chance and make sure that her eyes weren't betraying her.
NEXT UP: Chapter -11- "What the Venom Empire doesn't know…" … or "Throwing a 'Monkey' Wrench into Andrew's Plans"
A/N: heh, sorry, just saw Rocky and Bullwinkle on TV a little while ago. Couldn't help but do a "duel chapter name" sorta deal, as a joke, to make a dumb pun. ;) I'll probably call it "Plan C", heh.
-ken