Chapter 2: Life or Death

'Damn, these bastards are relentless!' Falco turned his Arwing hard to avoid the Venomians trying to pincer him. It took some fancy flying, but he flipped back around just when the enemy fighters were about to cluster. Falco launched a bomb into their midst. He blew up every single one of the scumbags in a bright flash of death.

"Fox! Watch out!"

Slippy's cry drew Falco to the radar. Their Arwings were all colour coded. Fox's orange blip moved towards the planet. Falco turned towards it just in time to see the smart bomb hit. "Holy shit!"

It took a few seconds for the smoke to clear. Falco pulled against his seatbelt to get a better look. Fortunately, Fox only appeared to have only been caught in the edge of the blast. Unfortunately, his Arwing was damaged and flying dangerously close to Purgatory!

"Fox! Are you alright?" Peppy exclaimed.

"I… ne… Jus…."

"Turn your Arwing around, McCloud!" Falco growled into the microphone. "You're going to fly straight into the planet!'

Fox didn't respond. He didn't change his direction either. Something must be seriously wrong with his ship. Its afterburners were smoking. One of its wings was broken.

"Shit!" Falco gunned it after Fox. Damned Venomians got in his way, though. He shot down anyone stupid enough to fly straight in front of him. A warning buzzed as his thrusters grew close to overheating. Falco ignored all of it. His mind was set on catching Fox before it was too late.

"Hurry, Falco!" Slippy pleaded.

"Be careful!" Peppy cried.

'Pick one!' Falco fumed. His ship started shaking. The engine was nearing its limit. In the corner of his eye, Falco noticed his monitors start to flicker. 'Crap! Got to do this now or I'll be in trouble, too!'

He took a deep breath. Falco lined up his Arwing. Fox's jostled around in the planet's upper atmosphere, making it hard for Falco to get a good lock on him. It was do or die. All or nothing. Falco hit the button that would launch his tether to Fox's ship. It didn't respond.

"No… NO!" Falco jammed the button repeatedly. "Come on, you piece of junk! Save him!" Against his will, his Arwing refused to release the tether. It refused to do anything.

Suddenly, Falco lurched forward. His restraints kept his beak from smashing into the console as the Arwing came to an abrupt halt. He could feel it moving backwards. All the while, Fox became ever smaller until the pink clouds swallowed him entirely.

"No! Fox, no! DAMN IT!" Falco slammed both fists against the dash. The sharp thumps rang for an instant before the deafening silence of his failure took hold.

Whatever had caught Falco pulled him away from the planet. Either Peppy or Slippy had jumped in just in time. With no rear-view camera working, he couldn't see behind him to tell for sure. That meant only the other one was left to fight off the Venomians. Lasers darted all around Falco. The vacuum of space devoured any noise they might have made. His radio still wasn't working, so no news came from his teammates. He looked around what meagre view of the battle his cockpit offered him. He was helpless. He was useless! Nothing but dead, worthless weight!

"Damn it!" Falco punched the lifeless console again and again. "Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!"

Something broke. It wasn't the Arwing. Falco cried out as he clutched his fist, which exploded with pain. Avian bones were delicate. He realised furiously that he must have broken a knuckle or two. Falco took a sharp intake of air.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

He collapsed forward. All the rage and agony he vented through that primal scream left Falco with nothing left inside. Nothing but guilt and grief. "Fox… Fuck… Fox… I'm sorry…"

A sudden push of gravity brought Falco's head up from his soaking palms. He was back in the Great Fox. Slippy's head soon appeared outside Falco's window moments before he disengaged the lock. Cool, recycled air chilled Falco's face.

"Are you okay?" Slippy asked. His voice was soft and gentle, wracked with worry.

"Fox…" Falco shivered. "He's…"

"I know." Tears ran down Slippy's cheeks. "I barely caught you before you fell in too. I thought…" He hung his head, unable to say more.

Peppy's Arwing flew into the hangar. It crashed across the floor. Multiple sparking holes dotted its body. The canopy burst open. Peppy heaved himself out of his seat, nearly collapsing over the side. "ROB! How's that distress call coming along?!"

"The distress call has been broadcasted on all frequencies. One response was received from NSF fleet vessel, Calypso. Their ETA is 15 minutes."

"Then we're going to have to make a break for it and cut that ETA down!" Peppy growled. "Turn the ship around and get us out of here!"

"What about Fox?!" Falco shouted. "We can't just leave him!"

The anguish on Peppy's face almost crushed Falco again. "There's nothing we can do now, son. He's gone…"

An impact from outside the Great Fox tore them from their misery. The Venomians were hot on their tail. "We're done for if those guys catch us," Falco hissed. "What's our status?"

Peppy slapped his battered starfighter. "That last shot nearly did me in. I'm out, unfortunately."

"My Arwing can still fly, but it took a lot of damage while I was towing Falco," Slippy replied.

"And mine's dead as a doornail." Falco cursed under his breath. "Okay… Great Fox is all we have. Everyone get to the bridge and man the peripheral guns. We're not going out like sitting ducks!"

As they ran, Falco glanced over to Peppy. "So, you called for backup?"

"Had to," Peppy puffed. At nearly fifty years, he could barely keep up with the rest of them. "After your ship broke down and… and Fox…" Peppy choked up too much to speak further.

"Don't worry," Falco said. "I get it. Things are just going to get really complicated when the Balvenish guys ask what we were doing out here."

Peppy nodded. "We'll save that problem for when we're not being shot at."

In agreement, Falco pushed the thoughts of Fox that still lingered to the back of his mind. He had no idea what was going to happen to his friend, but he'd certainly never find out if the rest of their team died out here. Take care of the problem at hand. Everything else can be dealt with later.

'Fox… Whatever the hell happens down there… please be okay,' he begged.

How exactly was this going to end? Several outcomes swam through Fox's head. Many of them scared him. Was he headed straight for an inhospitable wasteland like Venom? Was Purgatory actually a gas planet, and its gravity would keep pulling Fox in until it crushed him at the core? Maybe the planet's surface was bathed completely in boiling lava. Fox couldn't decide which possibility was the worst. How bad did a situation have to get before you began hoping for a peaceful death? This bad, apparently.

The one way that Fox definitely didn't want to go was with his Arwing being ripped apart in the atmosphere. His hands gripped the wheel tightly, pulling up and willing for his Arwing to respond. The ship's descent began to ease out. Fox couldn't see squat through the dust, but he figured he had straightened into a gentler entry angle.

'Okay… Got a little bit of steering in an atmosphere. That's something going for me, at least.' So far, he had managed not to die in a ball of flaming metal. Now Fox just needed to keep not-dying for a little while longer.

The sea of pink seemed to go on for a few miles. It was hard to tell without being able to see in any direction. Fox's body trembled. He struggled to keep his breathing under control. His throat became tight and dry. His clammy fingers clenched around the wheel. Before long, Fox began something he thought he'd never do since the day his father was so cruelly taken from him by the universe. He prayed.

The dust began to thin out. Eventually, it vanished entirely above Fox. Clear skies stretched all around him. White clouds floated below. Rainclouds… Not the sickly, acidic-looking kind he was dreading. As he glided lower, Fox could make out bits of the surface. There were mountains; forests; wide, green fields; and a magenta sea stretching out from the mainland.

'Better than lava pits,' Fox sighed in relief. It was too soon to relax, though. He was still falling fast out of the sky.

None of his instruments were working. Coming out of that dust layer didn't change things there. A pity that the altimeter was busted. Fox would have felt a bit better if he knew exactly how far he was falling and how quickly. It didn't matter in the end. Since he couldn't control the Arwing well, Fox had little chance of landing safely. He'd have to bail. That drove the last nail into the coffin. If his ship crashed, he'd be stranded on Purgatory for certain. 'Better than dead, I suppose.'

Fox opened the compartment that contained a basic survival pack. He latched it securely to his restraints. Since he didn't know what the air quality was going to be like, Fox placed his oxygen helmet over his head. He listened for the light hiss to tell that it was sealed under his chin. Lastly, Fox checked that his blaster was holstered at his hip.

The surface was approaching fast now. Fox took one last look around the cockpit. Memories welled inside of him… of the war… of his academy days… of simpler times flying alongside his friends. Fox stroked the dashboard affectionately.

'Thanks for everything. Goodbye.'

Holding his breath, he then ejected. The Arwing's canopy blew open. Fox braced as his seat launched him upward. He prepared to pull the manual release, but fortunately the seat's parachute opened on its own. The sudden deceleration jostled Fox. Sighing inside his helmet, he turned to watch his Arwing plummet into the trees below. Dust rose in thick billows where it crashed. Trees snapped and fell from the ship's path. A flock of birds fled from the destruction.

Fox took a moment to grieve. He then looked away so that he could study the surrounding landscape. After a few minutes, Fox thought he spotted man-made structures. A city perhaps? It looked too small for any city that he was familiar with. In any case, if it was man-made, that meant there had to be people on this planet. Maybe they could help him. That was assuming they were friendly… A problem for after he touched the ground.

The direction of the wind made it impossible for Fox to glide directly towards the settlement. So, he did all that he could to make the trek later as short as possible. He spied a clearing in the forest. It was small, but it looked safer than drifting into the trees. Fox steered towards it.

He angled his descent as best as he could. With his legs kicked out, Fox braced for the landing. A sudden gust of wind carried him a little further than planned. Fox brought his arms over his head as the thick trunk of a tree came to greet him.

Pain overtook Fox's senses. His parachute tangled in the lower branches, causing him to dangle and swing a couple of feet from the ground. His seat bounced off the trunk another few times. Fox swore with each new beating he took. At long last, he came to a complete halt. Dizzy and disoriented, Fox unbuckled his restraints and dropped face-first into the soft soil.

As they used to say at the Academy: any landing that you could walk away from was a good one. 'Ten out of ten…' he thought sarcastically. Fox groaned as every part of him ached on the way up onto his feet. Nothing felt broken, at least.

Immediately, Fox checked his blaster. The blue light switched on when he powered the sidearm up. Good. It didn't seem like every device with an electrical circuit had died on him. Fox quickly scoured his surroundings. No signs of people or animals anywhere in sight. He relaxed and brought his wrist comm to his mask.

"Fox to Star Fox, can you read me?" Fox looked at the communicator and discovered it was inactive. He hit the power button to no effect. Fox even pulled out his mobile phone as a last resort. That refused to turn on as well. When Fox checked the battery, he thought he could smell burned wiring. The same went with the wrist comm. Even getting its spare battery from the survival pack didn't fix the issue.

'So, we have blasters but no communication. That's not what I was hoping for, but better than it could have been.'

Fox examined the rest of his pack. He had clean water and food. Hopefully, he would be able to find more before he ran out. Fox swore when he checked the spare set of clothes inside. They were all in Slippy's size. Their packs must have gotten switched during the last inspection. He was going to have to rough it out with just his one flight suit for now.

The pack's flashlight lit up for Fox with a bright and stable beam. It seemed that the electronics that were switched off during the crash were all still working normally. Everything else he had running at the time was fried. That still didn't leave Fox much to work with.

"Let's go see if the locals have a radio that they don't mind lending."

He remembered the general direction of the settlement. It stood outside the forest. If he could find his way out from the trees, Fox believed he'd be able to spot it again. He slung his pack over his shoulders. With his blaster held in both hands, Fox began walking eastward.

Above him, the sky was milky pink from the cursed dust layer. It covered the entire planet with virtually no gaps, yet a decent amount of sunlight seemed to pass through to the surface. As a result, the weather was overcast. A little muggy, but not too bad. The wind felt pleasant where Fox's fur was exposed. He felt the temptation to remove his helmet and test the air. After a few minutes, he gave into it. The helmet's filters only had three hours before they stopped converting the carbon dioxide from his breath into oxygen. He highly doubted anyone would rescue him within that time.

'Here's hoping that this doesn't kill me.'

The helmet hissed as Fox pried it off. He took a brave intake of air. It tasted clean. Rich aromas of the vegetation and soil filled his nose. The wind caressed his face. His ears tilted towards the rustling of leaves and distant bird calls. Without a screen of glass over his face, Fox could see the vivid greens and warm browns of the forest around him more clearly. Golden flowers danced in the breeze among thick bushes.

This place was magnificent. All the reports he'd read made Fox assume the worst in Purgatory, that it could have been devoid of life. Yet, this world was brimming with it. If only the rest of the system outside could see what he did.

The awe on Fox's lips faded. He started to think about what was going on off-world. His team could still be fighting the Venomians. It aggravated Fox that he was stuck down here, unable to help them. He wished he knew what they were doing. What were they thinking? Had they seen him fly into the planet? How could they know if he was dead or alive? Fox had to find a way to contact them. He hoped they believed he was alright. Of course, they would! They'd never give up on him.

Unless this godforsaken planet didn't give them a choice… How could they hope to rescue him without their Arwings dying like his did?

Fox shook his head angrily. He needed to focus on himself and surviving. Just keep moving forward. Find that settlement. Figure out his next move there. Everything else was beyond his control for the time being. Fox strapped his helmet to his pack and kept walking.

After navigating down a short ridge and crossing a stream, Fox soon arrived at the top of a cliff facing south. From there, he could see miles of untamed nature ahead. If he had a working camera, this sight would make the perfect picture.

When Fox turned back to the path, he caught movement from the trees. Something big walked out into the open on four legs. It looked like a blue bear with long incisors protruding from under its upper lip. The beast locked eyes on him and growled. Fox tried to remember what to do when faced with a feral bear.

'Avoid eye contact. Back away slowly.' Meanwhile, his finger lingered over the trigger. His blaster was aimed low but ready to shoot at any time. The bear followed Fox. He raised his weapon a little higher. 'Bears don't normally attack people unless provoked… or really hungry.' Actually, did his knowledge of feral bears apply to this species? Mysterious alien world. Mysterious animal behaviours.

"Hey there, big guy," Fox said in a calmer voice than he felt. "Let's not turn this into something we'll both regret."

'Oh boy, McCloud… You are not having a good day, are you?'

The bear bellowed. Fox stood his ground. His blaster hung almost level with the beast. Suddenly, agony filled his head out of nowhere. Fox dropped to his knees. He cried out as he clutched his skull in both hands. It felt like it was going to split in two. What the hell was this?!

He failed to hear the footfalls thundering towards him. Next thing that Fox knew, the bear was on top of him. Its paw smashed against his chest. Claws tore across his flight suit. The blow threw Fox onto his back.

He lifted his blaster only to find it gone from his hand. The bear lunged again. Another paw broke Fox's ribs, tearing into more of his flesh. He kicked at the bear's face. It backed off for a second. Fox crawled away but the agony in his chest stopped him from getting back up.

The bear rose onto its hindlegs. Fox barely pulled his own legs out of the way before the beast slammed on top of them. The bear snarled. It rushed forward with its jaws opening. Fox put his left arm between the bear and his head. Its fangs closed forcefully. Fox screamed as his bones were crushed in seconds. He punched the monster with his free hand. All that did was make the bear bite down harder on his forearm, tearing deeper and drawing more blood.

Another sudden headache blinded Fox. Was that this creature's doing? How was it doing it? Fox kicked and struggled, but between the pain and his wounds, he was beginning to lose consciousness. He fought desperately to keep his wits. 'Damn it! I didn't go through everything else just for this to happen!'

He punched the bear once more. It lifted him up by the arm and slammed him back into the ground. Fox hit his head on a rock. The rest of his body went limp. All the pain started to fade. Everything around Fox lost focus, too. His arms and legs felt heavier than lead. It became impossible to keep his thoughts straight.

'Someone… help me...'

It was a beautiful day to be out in the forest. Ilis slipped his light through Arethan's cloak with great success. The flowers and trees flourished from his loving gift, and the animals took joy from its warmth. On days like this, Krystal loved to spend her time outside away from the city. Her ears and thoughts took in the cheerful songs of the birds. She felt her own heart soaring. Cerinia's children were all in high spirits. That was the way the world should always be.

Something did seem off, though. She thought she had imagined it at first, but Krystal's ear picked up a strange sound in the wind. It was like a whine that came from no beast that she recognised. The sound originated from above her. Krystal looked towards the heavens, searching for the source. She extended her thoughts outward. Something was out there beyond her sight. Distress howled within its mind.

Finally, she saw some winged creature fall from the sky. Distance made it seem no larger than a pebble. The creature crashed into the earth. What sounded like thunder echoed over the wind. Panic arose from the wildlife in the vicinity. Yet, the fallen beast's thoughts were silent. Sadness and pity welled inside Krystal's heart.

Krystal ran towards where the animal landed. Curiosity drove her. She had to know what kind of beast it had been and whether it might still be alive. If it wasn't… At least its meat might serve some good for the city.

She jumped and weaved nimbly amidst the tree roots and boulders. Krystal had spent many of her years playing and hunting in the forest and was familiar with its nooks and crannies. Meanwhile, she scanned her surroundings for larger animals. Crossing paths with the wrong kind could result in unwanted trouble.

Fifteen minutes passed with Krystal still not having found the beast. She stopped to catch her breath. Her telepathy continued to touch as many minds as she could within her range. Most of the animals she sensed had forgotten about the falling beast and resulting noise. Her quarry, itself, expressed no thoughts, still. Perhaps it had perished. That would make it more difficult to find.

Suddenly, Krystal felt another distress signal. It was close. 'Strange,' she thought. The call was identical to that of the flying creature's. Yet how could that be when the two were so far apart from one another? That didn't matter right now. The thoughts she heard felt like they belonged to a person, and they were in trouble. A horrible scream hit her ears.

Running as fast as she could, Krystal gripped the silver staff she carried in both hands. The blue gemstone in its broad, pointed head gleamed in Krystal's eye. She had the distinct impression that she would need her weapon shortly.

The person's thoughts were fading. Krystal broke through the trees and found them on the ground. An ordus held their arm in its jaws, mauling them. Krystal heard the beast's thoughts. They were close to its den. The male was defending its territory from an intruder. It would kill to do so.

A warrior's howl tore from Krystal's throat. The ordus looked towards her as she pointed her staff. Its gemstone shone with the magic power building within. Bluish flames sparked to life around it. Those flames became orange as Krystal released a scorching jet from the staff's tip.

The ordus backed away from the flames. Krystal rushed to stand between it and the person lying unconscious on the ground. She snarled at the ordus. It roared at her.

'Leave!' Krystal channelled her will into the ordus's mind. A shock from the beast's telepathy struck her, but Krystal knew what to expect. Her fortitude was mightier. She pushed back the weaker power with her own. The ordus flinched. It took another step back.

'Leave!'

The beast crouched, ready to charge. Krystal projected another stream of flames, waving it between them. All wise animals feared fire. The ordus dared not to approach her. It stood its ground. Krystal looked it dead in the eye and brought her staff over her head.

"Leave!" she roared. The staff slammed into the ground. The tremors that she created unbalanced the ordus. More flames licked the air in front of its fangs. Finally, the ordus turned away from Krystal. Its glare hung on her as it slunk into the trees. She watched until it left her sight.

Krystal turned to the stranger behind her. He was a fox like her. His clothes were strange, though. Underneath his white jerkin, the green garment that covered his full body was made with a material that she did not recognise. The fur of his head was a warm orange, split by a streak of white from his nose to scalp. Claw marks stretched across his torso. His arm was so badly mangled that Krystal's stomach almost turned. He bled heavily from his injuries.

Remaining conscious of the ordus in case it came back, Krystal knelt by the man and reached into her pack. She staunched the bleeding with bandages and splinted the arm. However, this man needed more than the help she could give him now if he were to survive. She needed to take him to the shrine for proper treatment. There was no way, though, for Krystal to carry him there all by herself without agitating his wounds.

She cupped her blue hand against the man's proud muzzle. His breath was laboured but still strong. Krystal closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts. She thrust her mind into the expanse of the world, towards the city. Her thoughts linked with those of her comrades. Through that connection, she called for their help.

End note:

Looks like Krystal bearly made it in time to save Fox from a grizzly fate. Lucky for him, when it came to the crunch, she protected him after he was disarmed.

The lesson that I'll leave here is that even after your protagonist is mauled almost to death by a wild animal, it's still okay to demonstrate a sense of humour. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.