Past Time - The Anglar Blitz
The Cornerian Army base on Katina was under heavy attack by the submarine villains from Venom known as the Anglars, which were invading every corner of the Lylat System. In the absence of Star Fox, three pilots from Star Wolf had unexpectedly come to the rescue.
All the months Krystal had spent training with the army came to full fruition here. Her already promising piloting skills had increased exponentially since her days flying with Fox, and she controlled her Cloud Runner without thinking about it, as if it was an extension of her limbs. Unlike in the simulator, she could use her psionic senses to her own and the team's full advantage, and they became an invincible force decimating the appalling Anglars. For all their sophisticated weapons, their opponents Achilles heal was that their ships were mostly made from aluminium to withstand the corroding Venom Sea, where their base was located. But therefore their shields were weak and they were easy pickings for the Star Wolf team.
As soon as the battle had begun, she had instantly slipped into a state of mind she hadn't felt since the Aparoid Home World, although the emotions were evolving even as they were fighting. Or rather, the emotions of hate and loathing were being replaced with indifference and clinical precision. She had fought the Aparoids ferociously because they terrified her, but against the Anglars it was just a job to do, so they became numbers, kill marks to be applied to her fighter ship. The Krystal from only a couple of years ago would have been appalled at what a cold killer she had become, but that Krystal was slowly fading away, without the new Krystal even noticing. Star Wolf had a plan, and she was secretly a little bit proud of her parts in that plan.
And they also worked seamlessly as a team. Leon was being his lunatic self, flying his nimble yet lethal Wolfen in and out of the swarms of Anglar fighters, scattering them so they became easier targets for the heavy artillery of Panther's Black Rose and her own Cloud Runner. Wolf was not present, but that was her contribution to the great plan.
Then to her astonishment, they were being hailed.
"Krystal! Can you hear me? It's me, Fox!"
Surely that couldn't be, she thought and fired another round into an anonymous Anglar. The call must have distracted her just a little bit though, and she cursed as she flew too close to her kill, and the debris scratched a wing on her plane.
"I've come to get you! I want you to rejoin the team!"
Was he serious? She had been waiting for days and weeks that had turned into months for him to come for her, so they could settle their differences between four eyes. And then he turns up here in the middle of a battle and starts pleading? Did he have no sense of timing?
"Krystal! I'm coming to cover you!"
"Save it, loser! I don't need your help!" she replied with a sneer.
"Krystal?"
"Ha, ha, ha! Never get cover from a Fox, when you can run to a panther!" growled Caroso.
"Panther!" came Fox's astounded voice.
"You knew, didn't you, Fox?" said Krystal. "You should go home now!"
"Yeah, run on home! We've got it covered here!" hissed Leon. "There's a lot of Anglars to smash, and I don't want to share! You have no role to play in this story!"
The battle continued, but Fox was still hanging around. Whatever, if it suits him she thought. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing if they finished off this Anglar attack a bit quicker with his help. He wasn't getting in their way, quite contrary he stayed a short distance away from them, but extremely effectively manoeuvred his Arwing around and disposed of the Anglars they missed. She'd nearly forgotten what a phenomenal pilot he was, and seeing him in action stirred up memories that woke her cold heart. Could it really be that she still had feelings for him?
Soon the battle was won, and she overheard an exchange between Fox and ROB.
"It looks like you guys are heading for Venom," she said. "How will you survive those acidic oceans?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he replied. "I suppose."
"Ha! I never thought I'd see the day! The great Fox McCloud at a loss for ideas!" she exclaimed with glee and got no reply. "I guess you thought that you could do everything by yourself, right? "
"That's not true, that's why I came to find you," he said and hesitated. "I wanted to ask for your help."
"The Krystal you once knew is gone," she growled. "She is no longer a part of your world!"
"Krystal, I was a fool! A selfish, rude, arrogant fool. Please come back!"
Her heart and mind was in total turmoil. If he'd come to her in private with these words, she would have listened and probably forgiven.
"Well,... if you apologise to me. In front of everyone," she said, wanting to humiliate him just a little bit for putting her on the spot in front of the team. "Then maybe I'll think about it. Maybe!"
The Fox was quiet.
"Don't let this rogue change your mind, Krystal! Let's get out of here!" came Panther's voice with a slightly worried tone.
"...I'm... sorry..."
"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."
"I'm sorry, Krystal! I'm so sorry!" Fox repeated loud and clear, and in return Leon was imitating and tormenting him over the comms.
"I'm truly sorry. Please...," continued Fox. "Please come with me. I need you with me."
Krystal was quiet, her head spinning and her heart pounding in her chest.
"This is absurd, Krystal!" Panther exclaimed. "Tell this loser where to stuff his Arwing and let's go!"
Still Krystal said nothing. This was so wrong! What she had dreamt of as a private moment of reconciliation with Fox, had turned into an absurd farce in open space. Well, she had say that maybe she would think about it, and think about it she would. She needed to. Later!
So she broke off from the others and pushed the throttle forwards, wondering who would follow.
Panther and Leon followed. Fox did not, so much for her hero. The last hope her heart had been clinging onto had been broken.
They had hijacked the Great Fox, or 'borrowed' as they put it, for fast transportation to Venom and the final fight, but not before picking up Wolf. That had been her sly contribution to their plan. Wolf had learnt not only that the Anglars were nothing but bioweapons generated from Andross Oikonny's DNA, but he had also acquired intel about a terraforming device that could neutralise the acidic Venom Sea, allowing for an all out attack on the Anglars home base. Krystal had suggested that Wolf 'incidentally' cross paths with Fox, so they could help each other track down the device, and after locating it on Titania, Wolf had deceived Fox and left with it.
They ordered ROB to launch a missile with the neutralising device into the sea, and waited while it did its magic. Panther was relieved to be reunited with their leader, while Leon was doing some sort of crazy war dance, carrying on about how they would become the new heroes of Lylat.
"I'm tired of being saddled with a horrible rep! I want flowers! And a parade!" he cried, while the others stared at him in disbelief.
"My darling Krystal... there is something that Panther must know!" Caroso said and pulled her aside. "This Fox, you still have feelings for him, no? Tell Panther! He can bear it!"
Krystal sighed. Fox was lost, but she wasn't sure about Panther either, so she lied just to buy more time.
"No, Panther, I'm done with him. You are my chosen now."
But Leon had overheard them.
"Whoa, ha, ha, ha! True love! She's got you whipped now, Panther old boy!"
Shut the ... up, Leon! Krystal nearly spat out aloud. What do you know about love anyway?
"Enough! This is no time for romance. We're professionals!" growled the Wolf. "C'mon, you lot! Get to your ships and let's go!"
And then they set to work. The Anglar pilots and their ships should really have had an advantage in their own element under the sea, but both Arwings and Wolfens were nearly as at home under the surface as over it. The Anglars ships were still handicapped by their lack of armour, and although it was slow going under water, they made steady progress. Krystal had become completely devoid of emotion, not even counting kills, just wanting to get the job over and done with. Eventually they were up against the Emperor himself, and after a long fight and a last lunatic attack by Leon, the Anglar forces were defeated and Star Wolf started their return trip.
"Star Wolf has taken on the world and emerged triumphant!" boasted Leon a they broke through the surface of the sea.
"Ah, Wolf! Now we can stride large upon this world with our heads held high!" added Panther.
"It's true that we came out on top, but...," said Wolf but his words trailed off for a moment. "Why don't I feel better about it?"
"It's because we had to cheat Star Fox to do it," said Krystal, who was just glad it was over, but felt no joy.
"Look, a win is a win! No one cares about cheating!" said Leon and that just about summed up his personality. "I think you're getting too close to Fox McCloud!"
"No way! Not in a million years!" replied Wolf.
"Bah! Enough of this! Let's get back to Corneria," continued Leon. "We're going to shed this fugitive label once and for all!"
"Then we can walk down the streets in the light of day like any other citizen!" Panther added.
"O-oh! Right! Right," said Krystal lost in her own thoughts.
"Something bothering you?" Panther inquired.
"No, no! I'm OK! I'm part of Star Wolf and proud of it!" she replied, but what was left of her Cerinian mind told her that it was untrue. She admitted to herself that the main reason she had joined Star Wolf, was because she had wanted to get back at Fox. But now that she had achieved just that, the victory felt hollow, just as her soul was cold and void.
"I can't wait to see the look on that Cornerian general's face!" concluded Wolf. "It's gonna be priceless!"
"I shall set a course for Corneria," called ROB as they reached the Great Fox and prepared to dock. "Engaging now!"
People were crowding around the fenced off and temporary landing pad on the square outside Corneria City's impressive parliamentary building, as the shuttle came in for landing. A deafening roar went up from the crowd and confetti was flying in the breeze, as the ramp lowered and out stepped General O'Hare followed by the Star Wolf team. The quintet made their way along the red carpet towards and up the shining white marble steps. First walked the general with a stern look on his face, then Wolf with his head held high and a smug smile on his face, Panther waved and walked with even more swagger than usual, whereas Leon was bouncing around like a child and high-fiving people in the crowd.
Krystal brought up the rear a few steps behind the others, and she was overwhelmed and confused, not just by the tumult and turnout of people, but with what her senses picked up. People were cheering and shouting with glee at the three men of Star Wolf, but few were looking her way, and those who met her gaze quickly turned away. Why? She was part of the team now too! She was scanning for Fox with both her eyes and mind, but could not sense him. He had been neither seen nor heard since Katina, and was probably hiding somewhere licking his wounds.
They reached the top of the steps and the general took place behind a podium full of microphones, which were about to broadcast to the whole Lylat system. A gathering of ministers and other government officials were standing around them. Although Corneria was de-facto run by the army and ultimately by the general himself, the Cornerian Army preferred making important announcements in civil settings to please the people.
"This is General Peppy O'Hare of Corneria!" he started. "As of this moment, I am announcing our total and complete victory! A brave fighter squadron managed to penetrate the Venom Sea! These heroes wiped out all of the enemy ships and bases!"
He paused and the crowd erupted until he had to put his hand and plead for silence.
"To help mark the occasion of this most glorious of days, I have asked the heroic squadron leader to say a few words!"
"Good people of the Lylat system... My name is Wolf O'Donnell. I am the leader of the Star Wolf squadron! We know that many of you have a somewhat negative opinion of us."
He paused to make a point, and then continued.
"This saddens us greatly, for we love all the people of this great system. But we placed our lives in peril with no thought of reward or glory. Perhaps now, you might find it in your hearts to embrace us as equals. For even the coldest of hearts sometimes yearns for friendship."
Krystal allowed herself a quick read of this thoughts, hoping that he'd be too distracted to notice, and found that he was slightly sincere yet not entirely honest. The crowd took it all in though, because they started chanting Wolf, Wolf, Wolf!
"Yeah! And we're not done with the whole peace and love thing, either! We'll keep serving the community! Y'know... aiding weaklings and stuff?" shouted Leon and did a little jiggly dance. That was just the weirdest thing ever, and she wondered if the crazy chameleon had completely lost the plot, but even more bizarre was that the crowd was loving it too. Caroso took over.
"And now, Panther would like to introduce a new team member! We could not have saved you all without her help! A former Star Fox member, and the most beautiful pilot outside of me... Krystal!"
The crowd went quiet as she stepped up to the microphone. She had thought long and hard about what to say.
"Some time ago I was asked to leave team Star Fox. I thought that pain would never end," she began. "But now I have a new team! And a new life... And I couldn't be happier with my fantastic new partners! From now on, I fight with them for the glory of Lylat! With our help, this system will know endless peace and harmony!"
She had wanted to say those words because she really meant it, not to be celebrated, but she got very few cheers anyway. There was even the odd boo from the crowd, so she peered into peoples minds and was bewildered by what she saw. There were thoughts like turncoat, traitor and 'you betrayed Fox'. Poker faced but deflated and heartbroken she stepped down from the microphone.
The atmosphere in the venue was one of high spirits, both figuratively and literally. There were the clinking of glasses, endless chatter of nonsense, punctuated by hearty cries of laughter and accompanied by the pumping bass from the sound system.
Krystal pondered the irony of it. Here she was back in the top floor bar of the Luna Stone Hotel, just like a couple of years ago, but this time with the Wolf pack and the cream of the hotel guests. Star Wolf had been given a generous renumeration for their efforts in the war, with more to come in form of a new facility in Corneria City, and it seemed Wolf himself was spending a fair chunk of it at the bar. He was entertaining everyone with his stories, much to Krystal's amusement as well, and there was a seemingly endless flow of food and more or less alcoholic beverages. Leon was up on the dance floor doing his best disco moves, and Panther was doing his favourite past time, conversing with the patrons and soaking up their admiration for Star Wolf and most importantly himself. Oh! Speak of the devil, here was the Panther again, back from another round of mingling around the room.
"Did you miss me, my space rose?" he said and pulled her closed with his muscular arms, grinding against her right thigh. His black feline face with those intense yellow eyes and the scar on his right cheek leaned into her, and he planted a wet kiss on her muzzle. Then he signalled to the barman for two more beers. He'd managed to get a few drinks into not just himself but her as well, and she was getting in quite a good mood, forgetting about peoples treatment of her the past few days.
"I had some monetary business to settle," he explained and raised his glass. She took a generous mouthful from her drink, and used her telepathy to have a quick look in his mind, and saw that he'd been past the card table and won a few credits. He had an amazing winning streak there. Then she caught a glimpse of another thought. Was he really hoping that getting her a bit under the influence would get her into his bedroom? How low could one cat go? But she had an unexpected ally in Leon, who had just shown up on Krystal's left and started chanting.
"Chug, chug, chug!"
The big cat obeyed and started draining his glass. Krystal just put hers down on the counter top, but deliberately a little bit too far to the left. In the corner of here eye she could see the tip of the chameleon's tongue wrapping itself around her beer glass and in the blink of an eye it was gone. A second later the now empty glass was returned, and not a single drop of its contents had been spilled. It was truly amazing what that tongue could do. More than one of the drinks the Panther had paid for had gone that way.
"Beat you!" she said triumphantly and held up the empty glass as Panther finished his.
"What the...?"
"I love this song. Let's dance!" Leon suddenly exclaimed and grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the dance floor. What was the nutty lizard up to this time? The chameleons limbs were all over the place, doing all sorts of moves, but it was all perfectly choreographed to the rhythm. Maybe this was a secret talent of his, but she was athletic and had balance too. She started pretending it was combat training without the staff, and did a couple of moves herself. Then she linked into his mind to see what he was going to do, mimicking his moves and mirroring them. He grabbed her hands, pulled her closed, separated, then in again and spinning her around. She saw every move before he made it, so could follow his lead perfectly, and she was really having an absolute blast! She was all panting and sweating when the song was over, and the people in the bar were cheering, mostly at him of course, but she didn't care. That was so fun!
As the next song started and he commenced another solo performance, she blew him a kiss in jest as thanks and left the dance floor looking for her partner. Where was the panther? She found him in a corner chatting to some people, so she put her arms around him and snuggled up close. That's when she saw that the he was taking to two girls, a ginger haired feline and a canine with long, curly, blond hair, and they were flirting quite openly with him. To Krystal's shock, they didn't stop in front of her, on the contrary they seemed to completely ignore her and so did Panther, apart from grabbing her backside. The feline's thoughts were not nice either.
I can knock that traitor from her pedestal!
Then they wanted selfies with the panther, who was only too happy to oblige, so while he was distracted she slipped out of the bar. She found herself by the window in that alcove again, looking out into the night at the Cornerian skyline, which now was in its full illuminated glory. The memories of Fox came crashing back in full force. Why, oh why had he thrown it all away? She realised that the main reason for her joining Star Wolf, was to make Fox come begging for her to return to him, and she would have made him crawl in the dirt, just so that she could pick him up, dust him off and take him back. But it hadn't panned out that way.
She was too distracted, and probably a bit more intoxicated than she had though, because she didn't notice the panther until he was upon her.
"Why are you sneaking off like that, naughty girl? You'd better make it up to Panther," he purred, grabbing her from behind and running his hands over her body all the way to her bosom, squeezing just a little bit too hard for comfort. Sure, they were cuddling and smooching all the time, but she knew it annoyed the proverbial out of him that she didn't want to go further, and it was behaviour like this that stopped her. He was all flirty and physical, getting more and more amorous and persistent with every passing day, and his thoughts were full of sweaty fur. But she wanted a compassionate companion, not a confident conquerer, and she was wasn't going to let him ruin that memory of magical intimacy with Fox that first time in a room on this very floor. Would she ever find love like that again?
"I'm sorry, I've got a migraine," she said and wriggled out of his hold. She turned to look at him and he had a scowl on his face.
"How much longer will I have to wait?" he said, while trying to mask the anger in his mind. She wondered whether one day he might not take no for an answer. That could get ugly.
"As long as I need," she said and defiantly held his gaze. He flinched first, turned on his heel and walked back towards the bar with his mind set on a female feline with ginger hair.
Krystal made her way back to her room, locked the door carefully, unceremoniously tossed her clothes on the floor and slipped in between the clean and comfortable sheets.
"Lights off," she mumbled to the voice control, pulled up the blankets, and as the lights dimmed, she drifted off to a restless sleep. In-between dreams pondering transformed into plan, and procrastination into resolve.
Krystal was making her way through the largest department store in Corneria. There were times when just looking at stuff didn't quite cut it, and when it was essential to inspect your purchases, feel the materials and try to judge the quality. She wasn't going through the fashion shops either, no she was looking for functional sports and adventure gear. And whatever she bought had to last for a while, since she had plan. She made her choices carefully, and then headed for the checkout.
"We don't like traitors here," sneered the canine woman at the counter.
"So you don't want my credits then?" Krystal asked sweetly. The shop attendant reluctantly pushed the POS device towards Krystal, who put her fingers in the hologram to have them scanned. The device bleeped and green letters appeared on its display.
PURCHASE APPROVED, THANK YOU
"I thought you might," said Krystal dryly, grabbed her shopping bags, turned on her heal and left. B-tch, she added to herself. She made her way out of the store, down the busy escalators and out on the street. Some people avoided her, making unnecessary detours, some glared at her, and others hissed or dropped words like daggers.
It was a cool autumn day, leaves were falling from the trees, and you could feel that winter was slowly coming. But the skies were clear, so Krystal filled her lungs with the fresh air and felt the warm rays of Lylat Prime on her face. She loved Corneria. Shame that the citizens were so cruel to her. She had been trying to hide and cover from their slings and arrows, but not today. She was walking with her head held high, because she knew what to do.
She hailed a cab, and then another because the first didn't stop for her.
"Star Wolf Centre, please," she said and leaned back in the seat as the cab took off. She looked out the window, watching buildings she knew well drifting by. There were buildings that had been destroyed by the Aparoids, rebuilt, destroyed by the Anglars, and now being rebuilt again. She found herself going over everything in her head one more time, what Falco had told her about his adventures, other details she'd picked out of his mind, and complemented by researching the Cornerian archives. She went through her calculations and every little detail of her plan.
The cab stopped in front of Star Wolf's brand new head quarters in a recently built complex on the outskirts of the city, and she gave the driver a generous tip, since her credits would soon be useless anyway. Instead of heading into the main building, she made her way over to their private hangar and into the women's change room. Well, since she was the only girl, she had it to herself of course. That suited her well and she took her time enjoying a long and hot shower. She wanted to be really fresh and clean for the last time in who knows how long, and then she dried herself carefully, before getting dressed in comfortable underwear and her pretty pink and purple flight suit. Too pretty for her liking, but she would work that out later. Then she packed her latest purchases into a bag, and checked it a final time, before heading out of the change rooms and into the hangar.
She took her time going over her Cloud Runner as well, making sure that everything was fuelled up, charged and ready for flight. It had recently been rebuilt with a storage compartment, which was accessible from the cockpit and just big enough to serve a sleeper cab on extended missions. Wolf's idea was that she would be running errands between Corneria, Sargasso and Venom, since she'd be less noticed than the men of the team. She had other plans, and had bit by bit packed it full of various necessities. She had stowed away the last bag with everything else, and was just about to climb into the cockpit when she heard a voice behind her.
"My beautiful rose!"
Dang, she had wanted to slip out without running into anyone. But anyway, she had a cover.
"Are you leaving Panther, my love?"
"You know about it," she said as he put his arms around her. "I need to take my ship for a decent spin around Lylat to evaluate the enhancements."
"I can help you check out that sleeper cab," purred Panther and pulled her close. She could feel his ruse through her clothes.
"We won't both fit in there, you crazy cat," she said and broke free of his embrace. She went to climb into her plane, but stopped, thought long and hard, and then turned to him.
"That's the thing, isn't it?" she said. "You love seducing me. You love showing me off. You love my body. But your love doesn't go deeper than that."
He pretended to be hurt, but his eyes narrowed and he just looked annoyed instead.
"I need someone who loves my soul. I'm truly grateful for everything you and Wolf and even Leon have done for me, because it's been a difficult time in my life. And I have tried, I really have, but I just can't make myself love you the way I loved Fox."
She stroke his cheek and gave him a kiss, the way she liked to be kissed.
"Farewell my beloved Panther," she said, started climbing into the plane, took a peek into his mind, and found that he was checking her bum out. Typical!
She knew the startup sequence by heart, called air space control and got clearance. The ship took off up through that clear autumn sky, heading for a secret destination. She had researched and done her homework as best as she could. As the ship left the atmosphere, she adjusted the gravity diffusor and pushed the throttle all the way forward, soon reaching escape velocity.
And she didn't even look back.
