IV
Krystal was thoroughly enjoying the tour of Katina Base. Fox and Bill had showed her around the hangars, given her an up-close-and-personal view of a hyperlaser turret, and introduced her to several high-ranking officers. The days were short on this world, however, and it soon grew dark. The tour came to a close, and the friends had to part ways.
"So, see you tomorrow? I'm off duty until Monday, and a friend of mine is doing my paperwork as part of a poker bet he lost."
"Works for me. Krys, you want to finish the tour tomorrow? We can head out and take a look at some of the terraforming equipment, if you like. Their working on making the rest of the planet more hospitable to mammals."
"That'd be lovely, Fox." Krystal's eyes went wide. "I've never seen so much new technology in my life - can you get me some schematics? I'd love to just sit down and look through it all." Krystal was intrigued by anything scientific - whether it was biology, engineering, or physics, she loved it. And unlike most, she actually had the intellectual ability to use all the information she learned from her research.
"I believe Slippy will already have them. He always tries to stay up with the tech curve, if not ahead. I'll have him send everything he has down to your room tonight." Krystal beamed, and Fox turned to Bill. "We'll go find Falco and head back to the ship."
"Awesome, dude. I'm gonna go down to the Greyhound and get a drink. See you in the morning!" He waved, and watched as his friends left for the docks. When they left his field of view, he turned and headed for the civilian sector - the bars in the military portion of the base really were second-rate, if that.
It was a quiet night at the Greyhound, the officers were on duty, the tourist season was at an all-time low, and trade had not been overly plentiful - not even freighter pilots stopped in much. That didn't deter Rufus Calloway from opening promptly each day, and staying open until the wee hours of the evening. For this, Bill was eternally grateful.
"Evening, Rufus!" he said with gusto, as he strutted through the door.
"What's put you in such a fine mood, commander? Got yerself a new girlfriend?" Rufus already had Bill's usual seat prepared for him.
"Nah, but some old friends are visiting, and I may be able to take my leave finally. With Peter doing my papers, I can probably con the General into giving me my two weeks leave - I'd like to go to Fortuna, I think. Hunting season is open, and I have a nice rifle lined up for a bargain price. Oh yeah - the usual, please." Bill sat down in the middle of the bar counter, which was uninhabited save for a Rottweiler on the far left end.
From across the room, Bill heard someone call his name. Turning, he saw a tall Avian walking over to him. "Hey, Falco. What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Just thought I'd grab a few 'special' supplies. The stuff back on the ship sucks." The blue Avian made a face.
"I'm not sure you'll find better here, but you're welcome to try." Bill chuckled. "I think Fox and Krystal are looking for you though, so you may want to head back soon."
Falco smirked. "Aw, what's the little foxy gonna do? I'm a full head taller than him!" He was, however, standing at eye level with the grey Canine. "They're probably enjoying the time together, anyway. Ever since he found that vixen on Fortuna, he's been completely head-over-heels for her."
"Don't you think it's about time Fox got a new girlfriend? It's obvious the guy's lonely as all heck - no insult meant to you or the others. And I thought you liked the color blue?" The Canine raised an eyebrow and grinned, and Falco simply glared.
"Yeah, well since they're looking, I'd better be heading back - he does still pay me, after all." Falco rolled his eyes as he turned towards the door. "Nice seeing you again, Bill." The Canine waved, before turned back to his drink.
As Falco was bidding an awkward retreat, he brushed past a motley crew consisting of a Hare, a cute female Avian, and a black Vulpine. They didn't even notice him, but the Avian did give him pause to look. For a brief moment, he seriously considered buying her a drink - until he remembered his late paycheck. He continued back to the ship.
As Bill was finishing his drink, a small, black Vulpine plopped down into the seat next to him and ordered a pint of Everclear. He was about to strike up a conversation with him, when the door slammed open, spaghetti-western style. In walked a burly, tatooed Collie with a mean sneer on his face. Bill quickly turned his attention to his empty glass, hoping he hadn't been spotted.
Unfortunately for him, he had. The Collie pushed past an old Hare, and stopped right behind Bill - paying no attention at all to Whiskers, sitting in the next seat. Tapping Bill on the shoulder, he spoke with a thick accent. "Hey Bill, ya still owe me that 20 Liras."
Bill turned as he spoke. "I won that match fair and square. You've still got the bruises to show for it." With that, he turned back to the counter once more, and asked for another round.
The Collie pulled Bill from his barstool by the collar (of his uniform), and went into a verbal frenzy. "You lying son-of-a-bitch!"
"Hey! Don't you bring my mom into this!"
"You were using steroids, and everyone knows it!" The entire bar grew silent, waiting for either one to make a move. Bill stood to his full height, a good six inches over the Collie's head.
"If you still think you can win, why don't we settle this, here and now?"
"SOUNDS GOOD!" And with that, the Collie punched Bill square in the gut, getting doused with the Canine's drink as a reward. The entire bar broke out into a brawl, everyone throwing chairs, knocking over tables, and punching each other out.
At the sound of the commotion, Sparrow rushed into the bar. "Aw heck, Whiskers, what'd ya do?" Dodging a chair, he resigned himself to the brawl and took off towards a German Shephard approaching the Professor, who was straightening his coat out after being so rudely run into by the Collie.
From next to the bar, near Whiskers, Isis sighed. "Males..." And was confronted by an angry Weimaraner brandishing a broken bottle. She deftly kicked it from his grip, sending it hurling into the back of a Canine's head. He fell flat at the Professor's feet, who promptly began apologizing for his friend's accidental, albeit beautiful, blow. "This is gettin' fun." She said, as she made her way to where Whiskers was sitting.
Whiskers was too busy enjoying his drink to even take note of what was going on around him, until he was picked right off his seat by a burly Lupine. Just as he was about to get decked, Bill came from the side and flattened the Wolf in one punch. He never used steroids.
Sparrow had the German Shephard in a headlock, and threw him into a wall. "Guys, we better get outta here before the you-know-who arrive..." He broke for the door, but stopped short when he noticed the Collie trying to sneak out of the bar, unarmed. What a total loser, Sparrow said to himself, as he ran to intercept him. Whiskers, having finished his drink, joined him - Isis had been detained, and was enjoying grappling with a Bloodhound. The Professor was busy taunting the guy who had been KO'ed by Isis' bottle, while staying just out of reach.
As Sparrow blocked the door, Isis dealt a finishing roundhouse kick to the Bloodhound, sending him into a table. Knocking the table over, said Bloodhound inadvertantly slung someone's drink into Whiskers' outstretched hand. He immediately lost interest in the Collie.
Sparrow was now directly between the Collie and the door, which he knew was a dangerous position. He drew his combat knife from its sheath on the back of his belt, and took a defensive pose. The rest of the bar calmed, and formed a circle around the two combatants. Isis and the Professor stood roughly in the middle of the circle, Whiskers on the edge next to the door, and Bill squeezed through to watch from behind Isis.
"Whatcha gonna do now? I've got more fight in me than a pack of wolves and I'll tell you right now that I'm not walking away from here until one of us is down for the count." Sparrow taunted, while deftly tossing his knife from hand to hand. This is going to be fun, just hope word doesn't get back to Pepper.
"Ooh, though birdy. I'm gonna mop the floor with your entrails if you don't get out of my way!" The Collie drew a switchblade from his pocket, and slowly approached the staunch Avian. Whiskers polished off his free drink, and watched intently, waiting for a chance to make a move.
"Don't say I didn't warn ya. I hate having to take down people I don't know." Sparrow winked at Whiskers, who didn't even notice, and lunged for the Collie. The Collie wrestled Sparrow's arm around behind him, and both dropped their knives. Damn, this guy knows his stuff. Sparrow swiftly rolled and flipped the Collie over his back and into a wall. Both returned to their feet in an instant, ready for anything.
The Collie drew another knife, this one military issue, from behind.
"So, gonna make me work for this one, eh? Didn't they ever tell ya, it's not the size of the knife, it's how you use it?" Sparrow hoped to intimidate the Collie out of what could quickly become a lethal duel. "If you don't want to get hurt, you can put the knife down. Otherwise, I can't promise anything and I certainly won't go easy on you."
"You talk big. People often talk big when they are afraid." He lunged at the Avian, who nimbly dodged to one side and clotheslined him. The Collie returned to his feet quickly, knife still in hand. "Cute trick, but you won't have a chance to try it again." He began twirling his knife as Sparrow had done, just moments before.
This is gonna get ugly if I don't do something fast. Sparrow thought. Then to the Collie, "I'm serious, you don't want to test me..." He slowly reached for the blaster holstered at his hip. "I may not be as skillful in CQC, but I doubt you can block plasma with that."
The Collie's eyes got wide, and he lowered his knife slightly at the prospect of getting shot. This moment of pause gave Whiskers just enough time to grab the Collie's tail and give it a yank for all he was worth. The latter let out an almighty yelp and dropped his knife. This, in turn, bought Sparrow enough time to lunge and grab the Collie in a tight headlock from which he could not escape. After a few seconds of futile struggling, the Collie delivered a sharp blow between Sparrow's legs, and he went down hard. He then turned to face Whiskers, who was standing in his shadow and suddenly looking very small.
Isis had had enough. "Okay boys, game over." She drew her blaster and fired. The Collie turned at the sound of her voice, just in time to take two direct hits to the chest. He was instantly stunned, and fell unconscious to the floor. Isis again holstered her blaster, proud of her victory.
Bill helped Sparrow to his feet as everyone else present returned to their tables. "Nice fighting. Sorry for his hit below the belt, I know how that feels." He remember an incident not long ago, in which he had lost a fight with a Badger. "That guy lost a sparring match to me about two days ago, and I've never seen a more sore loser. Hotheaded, too." Sparrow retrieved his knife as Bill gave a "thumbs-up" to Isis and Whiskers. He then led the four companions outside to the fresh night air.
"Name's Bill Grey, and I'm in charge of the defense squadron for this outpost. Not like all this sand is worth defending, though." He laughed. Pointing to Isis' academy uniform he inquired, "Now, what are you guys doing here? I didn't think Academy students were allowed off Corneria..." He continued walking, and the others followed.
The Professor spoke before enyone else could, to avoid accidentally leaking any information. "We're on...uh...a field trip! We need to charter a spacecraft to Fortuna, do you know of any good pilots?" He inwardly cursed himself for faltering, but Bill didn't seem to notice.
"Fortuna, huh? Funny...I recently got a notice that any vessels from there aren't permitted to land...Somethinig's up. Tell you what, an old friend of mine is here visiting, and he owns a Light Attack Cruiser. I can probably get him to take you guys, if you like. Are you paying, or is it basically a 'do-us-a-favor' sort of thing?"
Sparrow answered this one. "Unfortunately, we're a little low on funds, so it's going to have to be some sort of favor." Then, approaching Bill, he whispered, "Do me a favor and try not to let Pepper catch wind of this. This is a...special mission."
Bill chuckled, nonplussed by the Avian's melodramatic whispering - He hadn't shown it, but he saw clean through the Professor's 'field trip' ruse. "Fear not, my friend; I'm not exactly in Pepper's close confidence, anyway." He stopped, and they realized they had come to a spaceport.
Bill and the Professor showed their IDs, and everyone was admitted. Bill led them through a series of winding corridors and rooms, and they eventually exited onto a dimly lit landing pad. Sitting in the middle was a huge starship, easily large enough to carry several fighter craft. Seeing their awe, Bill explained. "You like it? This is my buddy's ship. Gimme a minute to call him, and he'll let us in.
Bill returned not five minutes later, looking very triumphant. "I spoke with the captain, and managed to finagle our way onboard. I hope you guys don't mind sharing a room?"
Amid a chorus of grumbles and moans, Whiskers chimed in. "What about you? Do you get your own room?" His accusation was wasted.
"Yeah, but it's not onboard. I've gotta stay on the base - I'm in charge of the squadron, remember?"
The Vulpine's ears drooped, and he resumed his place at the back of the group.
As Bill was briefing the group on their new home-away-from-home, something struck the ground at Isis' feet, slinging debris into Whiskers' face and making him cough. Bill turned just in time to duck, as a blaster bolt zinged by his head. He saw a shadowed figure emerging from the spaceport, waving a pistol and yelling obscenities at them. Sparrow was rather fast on the draw, and fired a shot that nearly hit their assailant in the leg.
From the shadows, Bill could discern two more figures joining the first, whom he recognized as the Collie from the bar. He reached for his sidearm, only to remember leaving it in his quarters. Ducking from fire again, he herded the others toward the open cargo ramp of the ship. His companions took a few parting shots, while he dove onboard. Once the others were all safely inside, he punched a panel and the ramp closed.
"Okay, change of plans. Follow me to the bridge, guys." Bill turned and strode off down the wide corridor, and the others followed a few steps behind.
"How do we know we can trust this guy, or his friends?" Isis mused.
The Professor responded. "We know he works for Corneria, for starters, and somehow this ship seems really familiar..." As they walked, he examined the the nameplates on the crew's quarters - "Ensign Falco Lombardi, Tactical Officer"; "Ensign Slippy Toad, Chief Engineer"; "Captain Peppy Hare, Navigation Officer"; "Captain Fox McCloud, Commanding Officer". Underneath the last one was a Stick-It note with a scrawled message: "Soon to include Krystal, Acting Science Officer".
The second-to-last door jogged his memory. "Ah, I remember now! I've stayed here before!" But before he could finish his sentence, they had arrived at the bridge, and the door slid open with a loud hiss.
The four friends surveyed the room, and the motley crew. Up at the front and near the main viewport sat a Toad dressed in a brown leather jacket and blue flight pants, with a red bandana. He was working on an android slung over his lap, and didn't even look up when they entered. In the command chair sat a Vulpine with russet fur, dressed in an olive green jumpsuit and white unzipped vest, with a red bandana similar to the Toad's. He turned and greeted Bill as soon as they made eye contact. On a gantry behind his seat sat a pair of blue-colored creatures. One was an Avian that looked remarkably like Sparrow, minus the scar and red feather highlights, dressed in a tan jumpsuit and vest. The other was a Vulpine like the captain, but somehow...different. Whiskers noticed right away that, apart from her peculiar fur color, her physique was not that of a Cornerian. She was wearing a deep blue, almost violet jumpsuit and a pearl headband with a gem set in it. She was the only member of the crew who was not wearing a computer of some sort, either on her forearm or belt.
She walked up to the group and greeted them with a lovely British accent. "Welcome aboard the Great Fox. My name is Krystal." No comments were made, as the Professor had wisely abstained from pointing out the Stick-It note earlier. "I thought you were staying behind, Bill?" She inquired.
"Due to, uh, circumstances beyond my control-"
"And lots of gunfire," Whiskers interjected. Isis grabbed him by the muzzle and wrestled him to the back of the group once more.
"-I've decided to take my two weeks' leave and come with you guys to Fortuna."
"Uh-HUH. Well then, you can stay on the bridge with Slippy." Krystal motioned towards the Toad, who glanced up and saluted with a wrench before returning to the task at hand. "He's temporarily relinquished his quarters, so you'll all have somewhere to stay."
"Assuming you can find room amid all the scattered gadgets and gizmos, that is." Turning to the source of the statement, they saw a wizened old Hare walking up the corridor towards them. He looked remarkably like the Professor. Seeing the aforementoined professor, he stopped and blinked. "Ah, Salty! How good to see you once again!" He exclaimed.
"EXCUSE me?" Countered Sparrow, who was in front and thought the statement was directed at him.
"Not you, silly." The Professor pushed past him and stood beside the new acquaintance. "Can't you see the family resemblance? This is my cousin, Peppy Hare!"