Author's note:

Yo, what's up with fic-ers killing Krystal in their stories this week? I knew ahead of time what TonyLupo was cooking up with Fear of Love, but a second story featuring her death around the same time is a disturbing coincidence. Is that the trend that's going on right now? Do I need to tweak the plot for my story so that Star Fox swoops in to save Fox from Cerinia and crushes Krystal underneath the Great Fox? Is that what the fandom wants these days?

I don't know about some of you guys, but I prefer my leading ladies to have a pulse until the end of my fics. Well... except for The Strength of Courage, but the final chapter was set in the afterlife and implied lives were long-lived. So, it doesn't count.

Chapter 22: Schemes and Schematics

It was a brighter day than usual. Practically every Cerinian in the city was outside enjoying the sunlight. They cheerfully milled through the streets. Children played in the river. Mates walked hand in hand, admiring the flower gardens in full bloom. This was what many would call a perfect day.

Of course, even sunny days had their downsides. On days like this, some Cerinians got carried away with Fox's accidental status as an angel of the Bright Father. As a result, he was more content to hide out at the barracks after his shift. Fox watched the townspeople go about their lives from the shady roof terrace. Beside him sat Thalse pouring chilled wine into his cup. He refilled Fox's before they raised their cups to another peaceful morning.

"Ilis works hard for us today," Thalse said, blissfully smacking his lips. "It's a shame that we cannot enjoy this weather always. I don't suppose you could put in a good word for us?"

Fox scoffed at the cheeky grin thrown his way. "Please don't start. I come up here to get away from that crap." He washed down his annoyance with a mouthful of fermented red. "I still don't understand why people think I was sent to Cerinia by your gods. I have to be the least mystical person on this whole planet."

Thalse laughed. "Wiser folks would see that. It's not simple to deceive people who can read minds. However, there are those who love to fantasise about the unusual. Believing that an angel walks among them certainly makes life a little more exciting."

Unsatisfied, Fox finished the rest of his cup. He took the bottle from Thalse to pour another. One good thing about this job was that nobody cared if he drank booze with his boss on their headquarters' roof. Try doing that as a cop on Corneria. "Feels like it's only gotten worse since we brought that dust stone back. It's all that people want to ask me about now."

"It's not every day that someone brings home a tear shed by a god either," Thalse replied. "It's an incredible thing. Many of us in the clan are proud of what you and the others did."

Fox felt his ears grow warm. "I'm just trying my best to get home." He averted his gaze. "Andross and I wouldn't have been able to do it without everyone else. I was grateful that Krystal and the others came to help."

"She's been much happier now that you've returned." Thalse rinsed his wine for a moment before swallowing. "Krystal placed a lot of burden onto her shoulders by going to aid you. She's been pushing herself hard to catch up on her studies."

"Catch up? What for?"

A proud smile stretched across Thalse's muzzle. "Krystal will be taking her master's trials very soon. If she succeeds, she'll become a master lythan like her mother."

Guilt formed a knot inside Fox's stomach. He hung his head. Krystal had told him back in Galthumarata that she wasn't missing much at home. If he had known the truth… That must have been why Krystal couldn't join them from the start.

"Shit… I hope she doesn't fail because of me."

"Krystal made her choice alone. Now she's dealing with the consequences. No fault lies with you," Thalse said calmly. "Even if she does fail, there's no need to worry. There will always be other opportunities. In fact, I would be impressed if Krystal did pass on her first try. It would make her the youngest lythan to earn the title of master in this generation."

"What are her odds of passing?"

"Assuming that Krystal continues to train as hard as she is before the trials, she has a good chance. At least, that's what Nomar thinks." Thalse adopted a ponderous expression. "You should come to the celebration afterwards."

Fox cracked a grin. "You sound certain that Krystal will pass."

Thalse nodded. "A good father always believes in his daughter."

"Say, Thalse…? If she does… Would it be appropriate for me to give Krystal a gift?"

Thalse's brows lifted. "Of course! I'm sure she would appreciate that."

"Oh! Great." Fox then faltered. "Um… What do you suppose I should get her?"

Humming, Thalse touched his chin. "I'm afraid that I can't suggest anything. Though I'm sure that Krystal will love whatever you come up with."

"When will the trials be held?"

"At the end of the summer."

"Better start thinking about that gift, then." Fox stood up. A fuzzy sense of balance highlighted how much he had to drink. 'Barely past noon.' Peppy would pop a blood vessel if he saw him. Fox smirked at the thought. He missed that old hare. "It's time I head off. Thanks for the wine, Thalse."

"Take care, Fox."

Upon leaving the barracks, Fox undertook the mildly challenging task of not looking intoxicated on his walk home. As soon as he completed that mission, he napped in his living room for three full hours. Fox felt clear again by the time he woke up. His first thought turned to what he had discussed with Thalse. What sort of gift should he get Krystal?

To help answer that question, Fox took a stroll through the marketplace. He searched high and low but only felt lost. Sadly, his knowledge of Cerinian culture didn't extend to what women liked as presents. He barely knew what women in general liked. Fox's experience in that field was limited to his past relationships, like his one with Fara. However, all the gifts he had ever given were in the context of a man to his then-girlfriends. Fox quashed any idea that came close to that. He wasn't sure if it was right for that wriggly feeling in his stomach to apply to Krystal.

Since Krystal strived to become a master lythan, and lythans were warriors and scholars, Fox figured that maybe he should get something practical. Books didn't feel right. Krystal would probably have had enough of them after studying so hard. A new weapon perhaps? Fox shook his head. There wasn't much that could top a lythan's staff. Maybe armour? Fox grimaced. That was about as lame an idea as buying someone clothes. And much more expensive. How was he even supposed to know Krystal's measurements?

He got so caught up in his thoughts that Fox almost walked into someone. "Sorry!" he yelped. Fox then frowned, recognising Thene in front of him. "Oh. It's you."

She looked down on him with similar contempt. "Yes. It's me."

"Does Andross want something?"

"Not from you," Thene answered coolly. Fox softened by a margin. "Something troubles you."

"Are you reading my mind again?" he accused.

"Your face tells me more than enough."

"Is there any particular reason you're talking to me in Cornerian? I can speak Cerinian just fine these days."

Thene smirked. "No other reason than it amuses me. We stand here on a crowded street. Yet we can have a private conversation that no one else is able to understand." She looked towards the foxes passing by. Some glanced briefly back but continued without slowing.

'Urgh. I don't know what goes on in this woman's head, and I don't want to.' Fox crossed his arms.

"You're searching for something but don't seem to know what," Thene then said. Now she was definitely reading his mind. Fox growled in annoyance.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I'm trying to find a present for Krystal. She's taking her master's trials with the Lythan Jad soon." Thene's posture tightened at the Jad's mention. Her eyes hardened like stones. Touchy subject, Fox noted. "I don't suppose you could tell me what a lythan woman might like? At this point, I'm starting to fall back on getting Krystal some jewellery."

Fox didn't know why he was bothering to ask Thene of all people for advice. He just felt that desperate. "Ah, forget it," he sighed as he walked away.

"For their master's trials," Thene said, causing Fox to pause, "lythans will seek out a crystal for their new staffs."

"What kind of crystal?" he asked.

"The specific type doesn't matter much, so long as the crystal can store and release mana at the user's will."

"Huh…" Fox said. "Thanks for that. I'll think about it."

Thene raised her brow as McCloud walked off. He disappeared quickly into the crowd. His final words were strange to her. She was merely stating fact after he mentioned giving jewellery to a lythan attempting their master's trials. It wasn't meant as a suggestion. Perhaps there had been some form of miscommunication.

There was one more detail that Thene had been about to share. She thought of going after McCloud but quickly discarded the notion. He was already gone. Whatever he did with his time was none of her concern. So, without a further ounce of care, Thene set off in the opposite direction.

On his next day off, Fox left Kezamat carrying a pack laden with mining tools. He borrowed them from a friend, who promised not to tell anyone what he was doing with it all. To make sure that he didn't accidentally bump into Krystal, Fox left the city at dawn. Not a soul saw him who would report back to her.

Fox marched briskly towards the mountains. He remembered seeing gemstones growing at the spring that Krystal took him to last winter. A jeweller told Fox that the crystals were good for crafting magical items. If he could get one for her, she wouldn't need to go looking for a stone herself. That way she'd have more time to train before her trials.

He got briefly lost a few times before finding the spring late in the morning. Lush, green grass grew around the water and surrounding trees. A picturesque improvement over Fox's last memory of the place. He couldn't see any nias yan anywhere. Though with the strong mystical energy in this area, he was willing to bet that at least a few spirits were hiding beneath the pool. Fox hoped that they wouldn't mind if he took part of the gems poking out of the mountain's wall.

Up close, Fox knew he had been right to come here. The crystals were a bright, soft blue in colour, just like Krystal's fur. He spent a few minutes combing through the clusters and veins. Something told him that not just any old stone would do. He had to pick the perfect one for Krystal. Fox eventually settled on one partly buried in the rocks. His gut liked the way it twinkled in the light like Krystal's eyes. He knew that this was the one that he had to get.

Taking out a hammer and chisel, Fox carefully broke away the surrounding stone. After ten minutes, he exposed a larger vein deep inside. Fox only needed the little piece that caught his eye. He chiselled off a chunk smaller than his fist. A grin split his muzzle as he held it up in his palms. It was smooth, beautiful, and not too heavy. Fox noticed how the colour's shade seemed to shift when he rolled the crystal over. Yes, he decided. Krystal was going to love this.

Fox heard water dripping behind him. It tore his attention from the crystal to a small spirit bunny at his heel. The nias yan turned its featureless face up at Fox. Droplets sprinkled from its rippling body into a puddle beneath it. Fox smiled as he knelt to meet the spirit.

"Hey there, little fella. I hope you don't mind if I take this home with me." He showed the crystal to the nias yan. It tilted its head curiously. "You see, I want to give this to my friend, Krystal. She needs it for something that she's working very hard towards, and I want to help her succeed as best as I can."

Fox turned his gaze back to the gemstone. "Krystal has done so much for me since I arrived on this planet. I wouldn't be alive today without her. She's the kindest person I know, and she deserves to pass her trials more than anyone." He rolled the crystal over. "I hope that Krystal likes this. I really do hope. Do you think that she will?"

The rabbit stared at him without a sound. Fox smirked and shook his head. What was he doing talking to a spirit? It wasn't like it could talk back to him. He wasn't even sure if it could understand him. "Welp!" Fox stood. "We won't find out unless I give it to her. Wish me luck."

The spirit turned and hopped back towards the spring. It sank into the water without disrupting the surface in the slightest. Smiling, Fox clutched the crystal to his heart. He hurried back to Kezamat with his treasure in tow.

His next order of business was to find the jeweller who showed him the way. The gem in its current shape was jagged and uneven. Fox wanted to get it cut before he presented it to Krystal. Unfortunately, the shop was closed that day. He sought another one until the last person he wanted to run into crossed his path.

"Fox!" Krystal greeted in delight.

"Krystal?!" Fox jolted. Feeling with his hand that the gem was fully concealed within his pouch, he made his best attempt to act natural. "H-hi. How are you today?"

"I'm well, thank you," Krystal smiled. "I'm glad that I found you. Sabre told me that you were off duty today as well, so I thought we could spend it together. But I couldn't find you all morning. Were you outside the city, perhaps?"

"Uh… Yeah! I… uh… I went for a walk," Fox stammered. "I just got back."

"Oh? Where did you go?"

"Nowhere!" Too abrupt! Fox cleared his throat. "N-nowhere… I just walked around the fields. Nowhere special."

Krystal's ear tilted. "Fox? Is something the matter? You're acting strangely right now."

Alarm shot up Fox's spine. "What?! No! Everything's fine. Really." He laughed for effect. It didn't sound convincing at all.

Krystal took a step closer. The space between them caused Fox's nerves to crackle. Her eyes scrutinised him. "Fox, you're hiding something. What is it?"

'Crap.' Fox realised he was busted. He had to come clean. If he kept up with the white lies any longer, they would hurt Krystal's feelings more than it was worth. Fox pulled the gemstone out and showed it to her. "Okay," he mumbled. "I went out to the spring in the mountains to find this for you. I thought you could use it for your new staff. Your dad told me about your trials coming up."

Eyes widening, Krystal touched her hand to her chest. "Oh, Fox…"

"I was going to get this polished before I gave it to you, but you found me out first." Fox then saw the troubled look on Krystal's face. It sank his heart. "You don't like it."

"No! No. I do," she jolted. "It's lovely, Fox. Thank you." Still, Krystal bit her lip. "It's just that… When lythans look for crystals for our masters' staffs, we're supposed to find them ourselves. The crystals we choose should hold a special meaning for us. It helps the staffs to channel greater magical power."

If the word 'dumbass' were carved into a boulder, it would have crashed on top of Fox's head. "Oh, crap… I didn't know that." Sighing heavily, he ran his hand across his face. "I'm so sorry, Krystal…"

"No! Please don't apologise," Krystal quickly said. She gave him a smile. "You were trying to help. I'm grateful. It was very sweet of you."

Fox stared glumly at the gemstone. "Well, I hope you don't mind me making this into something else for you. I was originally trying to find you a present for when you pass your trials. You've done so much to help me, so I wanted to give you something back as thanks."

With a finger to her lip, Krystal appraised the stone. She hummed. "Maybe I could use it for my staff after all." Fox looked at her in surprise. "A lythan's duty is to help people. Since we met, I've helped you through your time of greatest need. Because of that, you were grateful enough to find this crystal for me. So, in a way, I obtained the crystal by performing my duty. And since the stone represents the bond that we've formed together, that makes it special to me."

Krystal met Fox's gaze. "In that sense, the conditions of the trials would be met. So, I accept your gift, Fox. And I'll use this crystal for my staff."

Fox's ears pricked. "Really?! You will?" Krystal nodded. She then took the gemstone from his hand.

"There's no other stone that I would rather use for my master's staff." Krystal cradled the gem in her palms. Her smile grew warm towards it. "Thank you, Fox. I'm grateful to you."

Fox smiled as well. His heart skipped a beat to see Krystal so happy. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

Before he knew it, Krystal threw both her arms around Fox. She nuzzled into his neck, causing his hairs to stand on end. Fox recovered and hugged her back. Krystal's beautiful, plush tail wagged behind her. His own swayed in response.

"Good luck with your trials, Krystal," he said. "I know you'll do great."

She nestled deeper into his pelt. "Thank you, Fox. I'll do my best."

It was quiet around the Great Fox. Most of the team were out on a job. Nothing spectacular. The client was a small trader of precious jewels whose security team was recently ravaged by a flu outbreak. According to Falco, the work was so easy he was already bored. Sadly, contracts were getting scarce, and the client offered to pay for a few weeks of service. So, Star Fox accepted the job.

The team's absence gave Slippy plenty of time to sift through the data that Dash sent over from Fortuna. As he sat in front of his computer, Slippy felt like an intelligence analyst in a spy movie. A lot of the files contained the fruits of Andross's mind, so it was certainly the right material for that. Reading through it all wasn't nearly as cool as he thought it would be. In reality, it felt quite scary looking into what Andross came up with inside his head.

The documents that Slippy read varied between benign to disturbing. There were energy shield schematics, starship blueprints, drone designs, studies on bacteria cultures, several notes relating to ancient temples across the Lylat System, and emails describing an outbreak of fungal rashes among the Androssian troops. Slippy squirmed uncomfortably at the last one. He hoped Dash was washing enough whenever he went to Fortuna.

For weeks, Slippy had gone through hundreds of stolen files. However, not one of them seemed useful for rescuing Fox. Slippy refused to lose hope though. Plenty of the files were encrypted. There was a strong chance that one of those hid something that could help. Slippy passed them on to the Cornerian Army along with everything else. Their labs would have better equipment to crack the safeguards than he had.

"Any luck on your end, Doctor Reinard?" Slippy turned to where Vixy sat at the rec room table behind him.

She stared into her laptop and sighed sullenly. "No… Nothing here."

Slippy's face fell. "Yeah… Same." Even when they divided the work between them, it felt twice as disappointing to come up empty. "I hope Dash was able to send something that can help us."

Vixy nodded wordlessly. Her expression deepened in melancholy. Slippy wondered whether it would have been better if he hadn't said anything at all. She didn't speak against the plan for Dash to go undercover among Oikonny's rebels, but Slippy could tell she was unhappy about it. He never felt brave enough to ask what her true thoughts were though. Slippy began to think that maybe he made a mistake in asking for Vixy's to go through Andross's research. It would have been kinder on her to wait for Peppy to get back instead.

Slippy's tummy rumbled. It was around about time for dinner. However, he wasn't all that inclined to go and eat yet. He could squeeze in one last file. Just one more and that would be it for the night. Then he could kick back, relax, and stream online until bedtime.

The filename read 'Project: Glass Noodle.' Slippy frowned at the less than enlightening jargon the Androssian scientists used. When he opened it, he then understood the silly name. The original title that Andross came up with was so long and technical that it made Slippy's tired head spin.

One of the introductory paragraphs described the use of fibre optic cables in communication and computer networks. It listed their strengths and weaknesses, emphasising on the issue with how fragile the glass strands were. The paper went on to propose a solution: a medium that used the same principle as fibre optics but substituted with a more flexible material.

The document included a few diagrams to illustrate the concept. Slippy's eyes widened at one that looked like a firehose reel. The idea was that the new cable type could twist far enough to loop around itself, while still being able to transmit light signals from one node to another. It would be like twirling a wet glass noodle, hence the filename. If something like that existed, every tech expert in the Lylat System would call it a miracle.

Except… Slippy read further. The Glass Noodle technology did exist! Andross's paper contained test results that said the cables were fully functional. Slippy's geeky, little heart nearly flatlined from overexcitement. He almost couldn't believe it, but Andross was not someone who made up science-fiction. He was a genius who made science-fiction into reality.

If word about this Glass Noodle stuff got out to the public, every major corporation and government agency would trample each other just to get a hold of it. This technology would create fast and secure digital communication networks without the key restrictions of any wired medium.

And, perhaps more relevantly, it could create a way to transmit data through a thick cloud of Purgatory dust!

Through their experiments with the samples they collected, Slippy and Vixy discovered that the pink dust only had a debilitating effect on electricity and low-energy radiation. Light, however, could pass through the dust's energy field without stopping or warping. On one test, they were able to successfully send data through a fibre optic cable buried in pink dust. Unfortunately, Slippy never thought to use fibre optics to find Fox because of how brittle the cables were. They wouldn't have withstood the conditions of being suspended through a planet's outer atmosphere from orbit. But with this more malleable alternative, it might just be possible!

"Doctor Reinard! Come here!" The excitement in Slippy's voice drew Vixy to his side. She moved so quickly that her chair teetered on its legs as she pushed it from the table. Slippy gave her a quick rundown of what he had found.

Vixy skimmed the report for herself. Her eyes pierced Slippy's computer screen with deep concentration. "If we could run one of these cables far enough into Purgatory's atmosphere, we might be able to send a signal through it." Slippy nodded in agreement. "But how do we put it into practice?"

Slippy pulled out his phone and opened a memo application. He drew across the screen with his finger. "I've got one idea. If we hook a camera to one end of the cable, we could feed it through the atmosphere from a satellite. Assuming everything works out, we can then scan the planet's surface to locate Fox."

Slippy saw conflict in Vixy's eyes, like she was fighting against becoming too hopeful. "How much cable would we need?"

"It's going to take some trial and error to find out how thick the dust layer is." Slippy shifted uncomfortably. "I'll have to think about that problem some more. But the safe bet would be at least a few miles."

Vixy scrolled to the report's passage about the Glass Noodle's construction. "How are we going to get our hands on that much though?" Doubt and worry crept into her voice.

"Let me see…" Slippy searched through the folder that Dash sent using the cable's name as a keyword. Strangely, but unsurprisingly, the first hit was someone's recipe for chicken noodle soup. Slippy skimmed the list and found a few emails that appeared more relevant.

"It looks like Oikonny's bunch have been manufacturing Glass Noodles on MacBeth," Slippy commented. "If we can seize control of their production line, we can make as much cable as we need."

"Then we can finally start searching for Fox on Purgatory!" Vixy concluded. A true smile pulled wide across her face. Seeing it overfilled Slippy with joy. Caught up in the moment, he through his arms around Vixy. She hugged him back tightly, laughing alongside Slippy in bliss. This was it! This was their key! The one that they'd been searching for so long to find!

When they separated, Slippy dug deeper through the files to find where exactly the cables were being made. "If Andross's old cronies are still active on MacBeth, we might need some help to get their tech."

"Let's contact the team and see what Peppy thinks we should do," Vixy advised.

"I'm on it." Slippy swivelled in his chair to face her. "This is awesome! We're one step closer to finding Fox! Man, Dash really came through for us, didn't he?"

His careless words struck Vixy, stunning her for a few seconds. Slippy realised too late and prepared to apologise. However, Vixy's expression suddenly turned into a small smile. "Yes," she said. "I suppose he did."

"I'll get a hold of the others and tell them what we've found," Slippy told her, trying to hold his face straight. "Tomorrow, I'll go through the data and see what else I can dig up about Oikonny's manufacturing plant."

Vixy's smile became more serene. "Thank you, Slippy. While you work on that, I'll get a start on dinner. Does grasshopper curry sound good to you?"

"Always!" Slippy beamed. Since half of the team were turned off by insects, getting to eat a meal with them was a rare treat onboard the Great Fox.

Vixy left the room with a wag in her tail. Slippy turned back to his computer and adjusted his cap. His fingers wiggled over the keyboard. There were so many reasons to feel giddy over. Slippy could barely contain himself. Streaming the latest episode of Amphibian Samurai was going to have to wait. As soon as dinner was finished, he was going to get a head start on designing that satellite setup. Slippy's mind was already churning ideas at full capacity. There'd be no sleeping tonight. His brain wouldn't rest until he dumped everything onto paper. It was time to break out the energy drinks. Slippy couldn't remember when he last expected to have this much fun.