Chapter 5:Bloodline

Krystal stared into a dark abyss she stood on solid rock; it was green as were her surroundings a waterfall streamed behind her. She wore her armor and held a sword in her right hand and her blaster in the left. She waited for her trial, and so it came a black entity rose from the abyss.

"Ha! Jeicho, you think this one will pass? We shall see, for only those who are pure of heart may be given your power." The entity spoke in a thunderous voice, "So tell me 'Krystal' Are you pure of heart?"

Krystal replied, "Yes I am, I come for your help. My world and friends are in danger against an unstoppable foe." Krystal looked gravely at the entity

It ascended from the abyss and landed on the cliff's edge and took the form of a Cornerian wolf, "I am Titan, guardian of the abyss. I will give you the trial of heart. In this trial you will be put into scenarios with grave consequences based on decisions that will tell me what you are and be forewarned many have come and none have succeeded do not lie to me in this trial. For death is the price of false truths." Titan said

"I will not lie! Give me the tests, I swear to do what's right!" Krystal shouted back.

Titan frowned, "Many have said that but when they enter my realm many reconsider."

Krystal looked around her as the floor beneath fell away and the black abyss turned to space, she found herself in a prison cell. Titan then appeared before her, "Krystal you are in a distant prison, you and another have been captured for false charges but none the less you have several options. The first you may tell the interrogator that you're friend committed the crime and you will be released but he will suffer ten years of punishment and torture. Second you may say you had nothing to do with it and you will get two years of punishment and he will get five. Or you can say nothing and get released in four years along with your friend who also will get the same choices."

"I choose to do nothing not to say anything." Krystal replied

Titan raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? Your comrade could say you did it and subject you to years of torment and beating are you still willing to make this your decision?"

Krystal nodded, "Yes I will." Titan disappeared and her cell door opened a tall guard appeared he dragged Krystal out of her cell and down a series of halls until he came upon a door he pushed it open. The room was full of weapons and various torture devices, the guard threw Krystal down on the ground and picked up a whip and proceeded to beat her. It lasted for twenty minutes, and it was the least painful of what awaited her…

The torture ended and Krystal found herself again in the presence of Titan. "So Krystal how did it turn out?" He asked

Krystal couldn't speak the pain was immense her clothes were ripped and shredded.

Titan frowned, "Now the next scenario." Titan paused, "You are stranded on an Island with a person yet you only have rations for one, again three choices. One you may take all the supplies your self and survive until help comes, or you could try to split the supplies with your friend and both of you will only survive half as long or you can let your friend have them all."

Krystal took a deep breath and put her arm on a severe bruise, "I will let my 'friend' have the supplies." She replied

Titan again frowned, "Are you sure you are weak from the beatings and other tortures without food you will feel great pains."

Krystal didn't waver and so proceeded to starve in pain her wounds bled profusely she barely survived.

And once more she found herself in the presence of Titan, "There is one last task left. You are given two choices, you are forced into battle against someone and you must kill them to win. Say you beat your opponent and they are down. You only have to pierce his throat with your blade. You can kill him and end your suffering or you can spare him and face torture again."

Krystal barely coherent responded, "I will not kill."

Titan sighed, "So be it." He frowned as Krystal was beaten and tortured for ten hours.

Titan ended the trial and brought Krystal to a white room Her wounds gone and her thirst quenched.

"Krystal you have passed my test, you may only use your new power once what is it you desire to do?"

Krystal took a deep breath she thought heavily, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, Krystal it is Phoenix Fox managed to destroy the aparoids on Corneria they are now preparing an assault on an aparoid planet Sorry to tell you this now, Phoenix out.

Krystal startled by the news thought for a while, "I want to be alive again. As long as I'm in the Lylat system and away from the aparoids."

Titan nodded, "So be it." Titan waved his hand and a black cloud come forth and engulfed Krystal and in a flash she was gone.

Fox sat in the cockpit of his Ar-Wing he was sweating bullets but his heart was on fire with rage, he saw the planet grow closer and closer it was Fichina. Once a beautiful ice world with deep blues and pure whites, it was now a purple infected rock in space a highly strategic position from Fichina one could launch repetitive assaults on the inner sphere. Fox looked out his cockpit he watched the rest of the fighters group behind him.

Behind them eight massive Cornerian warships followed, Antares, Epimetheus, Scion, Dionysus, Titan, Prometheus, Ragnarok and Defiance. Fox braced himself for atmospheric entry, "All wings sound off." Fox ordered

"Blue wing ready."

"Red wing ready."

"Green wing ready."

"Black wing ready."

"Gold wing ready."

Fox heard the confirmations and replied, "Blue, red and green wings protect the landing forces from air attack. Black stay with the fleet, and Gold with me." Fox gripped his flight controls tightly as fire engulfed his heat shields as he penetrated the atmosphere. Fichina's once icy surface was now covered in aparoid cells nothing remained in sight except the purple blocks and the bright yellow aparoid hatchers.

Fox watched drop ships follow behind him escorted by fighters, "Land on the southern plateau and set flak traps on the eastern flank," flak traps were large clusters of anti-aircraft guns arranged in a pattern in which it would trap enemy fighters between a wall of gunfire and a fleet of fighters. Typically they were effective, "Put snipers on the hill as well. Then send a mechanized division in with three infantry battalions with em." Fox ordered

Fox watched his radar screen fill up with enemy contacts he braced himself, "Gold wing prepare to engage, Green wing stay close to the drop ships with the Acolytes." Fox watched the massive aparoid air wing approach; he fired off several air-to-air missiles striking down aparoids, his wingman repeated this along with most of gold wing. The majority of the enemy spearhead was crushed but there was still a massive fleet to contend with.

Gold wing opened up with laser fire on the aparoid swarms killing a few, Fox shot down three fighters in short order he lost his wingman soon after. The air battle had begun, Fox watched ground forces begin to unload from the drop ships infantry set up base camp and set up the anti-aircraft guns. As soon as the guns were activated the gunners began pounding away at the aparoids slaying them in great number. "Good, Gold wing fall back to the guns." Fox ordered

The next wave of drop ships landed and unloaded one hundred Acolytes, the massive three legged walkers activated. Their main body was arrow like almost, they mounted two huge plasma cannons on the top right and left sides of the body, there were two turrets on each twin triple barreled pulse cannons. And in the back were four concealed 240mm rocket pods; each walker had missile jammers and 4 foot thick armor plating they weighed around 200 tons.

Fox continued leading Gold wing in intense maneuvers to avoid aparoid attacks and keep them in the flak trap, "Red wing pull out and assist in the air battle, hit the enemy formation from the rear we need to clean this up." Fox instructed, he pulled into a dive to dodge an aparoid he somersaulted behind it and shot it down he observed that the majority of the enemy air force attacking had been destroyed. "We've knocked back the first wave, prepare for the next get a beach head established ready the mechanized division."

Falco flew over the infantry formation marching on the aparoid outpost, the Acolytes close behind them and the tanks with them he closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "Delta wing are you ready for launch?" Falco called over the com.

"We're ready to go commander."

Falco nodded, "Launch we're assaulting the main outpost the infantry's gonna need air support." Falco replied, his crackled again with the voice of Capt. Raynor

"Falco, we're detecting a large counter attack force be ready for anything. We have the upper hand the aparoids have never fought against the Acolytes before. Raynor out."

Falco took a moment to think, "Delta wing prepare for attack." He dived to an altitude one thousand feet above the infantry group, the aparoid group came into view in was a combined assault force of air and land fighters. "Delta engage the air group, Beta wing strafe their infantry group and Alpha wing bomb their artillery formation." Falco ascended into the air battle about ensue.

Fox watched from behind he lead Gold wing into air battle, the aparoids and Cornerian forces slammed into each other explosion after explosion cut through the sky aparoids fell in bulk and Ar-Wings exploded in smaller numbers. But the aparoids just kept coming, Fox looked down on the ground forces he saw the Acolytes lobbing missile into the air and raining them down on the aparoid formation blasting large chunks of them away, the snipers that had been placed up on the plateau picked off aparoids.

Up in space, Raynor stood waiting watching as the two armies collided, "Fox when you're ready we'll begin the bombardment." Raynor queried,

Fox responded quickly, "Go ahead knock the hell of out em'."

Raynor gave the signal and the fleet began pouring out plasma on the aparoid installations across Fichina, the beams slammed into the facilities with devastating affect. "We've begun, now the aparoids cannot retreat. Send four bomber wings to the surface to support the barrage."

Fox watched with pleasure as the aparoid forces were decimated, the aparoids when they were beaten on Corneria expected for the Cornerians to do what they always do. Fall back rebuild and lick their wounds, and because this they never built defenses they relied on their tremendous numbers to win for them and never developed complex battle plans other than sending waves of various strength and size. For the first time in the war, the Cornerians had launched a successful counter offensive against the aparoids.

Krystal found herself on a planet all she could around her was brown scraggly grass; on a harsh rock or dirt there were buildings in the distance and mountains behind her. A creek flowed beside her and the sky was yellow with bright white clouds, she recognized the planet, Katina. "Katina, thank you Titan." Krystal said aloud, she then focused her telepathic powers, Phoenix I'm on Katina, any ideas?

Phoenix replied, Hmm… Titan has sent you to Katina; well, head for the city get to the spaceport and head to Sauria find Prince Tricky and explore the Krazoa Palace and the force point temples. Look for anything useful; we need an edge over the aparoids. Oh, and the Cornerian army has won a major victory over the aparoids but it will be short lived unless we find a way to help.

All right, that's my plan then. Is Fox still alive?

I believe so, he's currently fighting on Fichina, and the battle goes well. I fear however things will change a massive aparoid wave is coming. They don't know about it.

I've got to go then, to Sauria.

Krystal got up and walked towards the city for 10 minutes she made it to the outskirts of the city, she looked reading the sign that pointed to the spaceport. She got a ride from a taxi and got out at the front gates to the spaceport. Now I just have to get out of here, she thought. Krystal walked into the spaceport main building, the whole spaceport was huge shaped like a large cube almost but it branched of into landing platforms freighters and yachts were constantly landing and taking off. She walked further into the building; there were several desks each with several people behind them.

At either side of the building there were doors that led to corridors that went out to the landing pads, the doors were large maybe 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Krystal walked up to the desk, a short golden haired female cat stood behind it. "Uh, are there any flights headed to Sauria?" Krystal asked the cat.

The cat gestured for Krystal to wait a moment, and she began typing on the computer that sat in front of her, "There are three flights to Sauria, one passenger flight and two freighters."

Krystal thought for a moment, "I'll take the passenger flight. When does it leave?" Krystal asked

The cat waited typing for a few seconds, "In one hour, there are five seats left. Okay here's your ticket have a nice day."

Krystal smiled and walked off down the hall to the right out to the landing pad marked on her ticket, she kept walking until she boarded the ship and took off for Sauria. The flight lasted an hour; the passenger ship's jump drive brought Krystal to Sauria quickly. The ship landed on the back side of the planet, it was a smaller continent on the planet but much more technologically advanced than the more primitive inhabitants that Fox encountered when he set foot on the planet.

Fox pulled back on his flight stick, he flew lazily over the Cornerian Assault force they had won the battle Fichina was theirs for the time being. He flew lower heading back to the plateau where they set up an HQ he landed there and got out of his Ar-Wing, "Rearm my fighter and refuel." Fox ordered, he walked down to the weapons tent and picked up machine gun and four clips of ammo plus eight grenades.

Fox pulled the gun strap over his shoulder and stashed the ammo in his utility belt; he clipped the grenades to the opposite side of belt. He looked down on the valley where the battle had taken place debris littered the ground smoke rose from the destroyed machines and blue blood stained the dirt corpses were strewn everywhere. His com unit began to ring, "Fox here."

Fox's com crackled with Capt. Raynor's voice, "Fox we've detected a huge aparoid fleet headed for Fichina they'll be here in three hours. I've called for reinforcements. I fear our great challenge is going to be holding Fichina. Raynor out." Fox swallowed a lump in his throat when h heard Raynor's words, he ran down the hilly side of the plateau he gave orders to prepare defenses and so the race was on…