Conspiracy 6

PART TWO: THE ABANDONED

Chapter 7: Crash

Author's Note: I just have something to say before I get on with the next chapter. This could be my last fic for quite some time but I do have an idea floating around in my head called Shattered. I might write it. School is rapidly approaching and sad to say, I'm running out of ideas. I don't know if Freelancer will be continued but unfortunately it won't; it was just an idea I thought could be cool. This is not the last fic I'll ever write but it could be for a bit, so if you have any ideas give me shout. Now, onto the chapter.

Fox stepped onto the bridge with Krystal and he sat down on the command chair as ROB reported their status.

"Fox, we're an hour to the station but they are not responding to our hails." The robot mechanically intoned and Fox nodded.

"Keep trying, maybe they're having equipment problems." Fox said and he rubbed his muzzle. "Did you send Slippy down to check out the warp core?"

"Yes Fox, he went down a few minutes ago." ROB replied and Fox's Comm buzzed. He opened it and Slippy had a worried look on his face as a blue glow illuminated him.

"Fox, we have a problem. The warp core is fluctuating and the internal crystals are weakening, some of them are already shattered and I am very worried." Slippy responded.

"So what does that mean?"

"It means if we can't fix the core, the Great Fox is going to detonate." Krystal looked over and Fox sighed.

"How long do we have?" Fox asked and Slippy paused for a moment.

"I'd say a good fifteen hours but I could be wrong. I'll run the diagnostics again but we need get to space dock."

"Alright, give me an update." Slippy nodded and Fox shut off his Comm as he rubbed his muzzle. "Damn, my ship is going to Hell." He sighed and rose off the chair.

"Fox, this ship was your father's." Peppy suddenly added and Fox looked at him.

"Yes I know and I can't let it be destroyed." He walked to the elevator and Krystal was beside him.

"Fox, is there anything I can do?" She asked and he shook his head.

"No, it just seems that everything is falling apart. Everything; my life, my ship…" He walked into the elevator and Krystal walked in as well. He took a deep breath but did not hit a button as he tried to suppress his feelings. Krystal could sense the heartache and she decided to tell him her secret.

"Fox, I have a gift that all Cerinians are born with. Do you know what psi is?" Fox shook his head. "It's telekinesis, ESP, TK, whatever you want to call it. Mind reading in layman's terms."

"So you read animal's minds?" Fox asked and Krystal nodded. "So that means…" Fox trailed off at the realization of what she could do. "Uh, heh…."

"Its ok Fox, you can be honest with me about your feelings." She said. "I know you like me." Fox coughed and he laughed nervously.

"Uh, heh, well um…" Fox scratched his head and she smiled.

"Now where were we headed?" The elevator had not moved and Fox pressed a button.

"Well I was going to the engine room to check on Slippy, you want to come along?" She nodded and a few moments later the doors opened, they walked into the room and Slippy was there.

"Hey Fox, Krystal." She nodded to him and the core was partially shut down as it sparked. "There goes another crystal." Slippy despondently announced and Fox shook his head.

"You have an update?"

"Yeah, it was worse than I thought, we have ten hours tops." The frog replied and he shut down the diagnostic. "If the station can't help us, we'll have to leave the Great Fox."

"I can't let that happen, I can't lose this ship." Fox said and his Comm buzzed. "Fox here."

"Fox, we are at the station. I've done a full scan and the damage was worse than we had expected. We cannot help them and they cannot help us since they are so badly damaged."

"What attacked them ROB?"

"By the scarring on the hull it looks like a group of fighters, probably Venomian." The robot responded. There was silence on the radio and then the sounding of an alarm as ROB came back on. "Sir, we are being engaged by a group of Venomian scouts."

"We are! Be in the Arwings in a moment." Fox said and the elevator rose to the docking bay. He ran to his Arwing and Krystal ran to her fighter, they jumped in and Fox switched on his craft, it powered up with a whirr and Krystal placed a telekinetic helmet on. Both crafts exited the bay and a group of ten scout fighters shot over the Great Fox; Krystal's ship did a U-Turn and she loosed off a few red hot bolts, they passed through the scout ship's hull like paper and two were dusted.

Damn, what kind of energy is she firing? Fox thought and he banked left on the joystick, the Arwing shot left and Fox fired a charged shot into the group. It locked on and it sailed into the group as they vaporized in a massive explosion.

"Fox to Peppy." He said into the Comm.

"Peppy here."

"Scout ship neutralized; any other contacts on the radar?" Fox asked and Krystal chimed in.

"Fox, my radar is picking up a large contingent of fighters, maybe a Venomian Legion." A Legion consisted of about 200 or so ships.

"Shit, Peppy, can the Great Fox handle that?"

"Fox, we can barely get the warp core to half power. We have to find a place to land." Peppy responded.

"Yes but the only planet close to us is an abandoned ice planet, and right now there is a serious storm blowing over the planet." The old hare responded.

"It's our only chance; we'll have to brave the storm and land." Fox said and the two Arwings landed in the hangar as Fox stepped out. "Land us Peppy or we die at Venomian paws." The hare nodded on the Comm and the Great Fox turned to the planet; the two vulpine walked into the control room and the mammoth craft broke the atmosphere. It shot over the barren icescape and ROB lit up.

"Sir, I am broadcasting our distress signal but there is no response. I am also detecting a high energy sequence in the distance, it resembles artillery signatures." Fox was about to reply when there was a loud crash and a siren sounded.

"Fighters off our bow, artillery firing." Slippy announced and Fox looked over.

"ROB, get on the emergency band, try to raise some assistance.

"Great Fox going down, I repeat, Great Fox going down. Assistance is required to any craft that can hear us." The metallic voice asked and the Great Fox leaned to the left, there was another shattering sound and the nose slammed into the snow as everything went black.

END OF PART II