Chapter 3: Calm Before the Storm

Fox and Fara both spun around, their mouths agape.

"Krystal…! How long have you… been standing there?" Fox struggled to get out the words and felt his mouth go severely dry. He searched and searched for something, ANYTHING to say, but there was nothing. Krystal had caught him and he had to face the consequences. However, was that so bad? Perhaps somewhere in his heart he never did love Krystal… or was this Fara's doing? She was a forceful vixen and had many times before swayed Fox's actions. This meant nothing to Krystal, however. Her agonized and melancholy expression had altered to a seething anger. She had her fists clenched, hard, waiting for a moment to attack either of them but at the same time resisting her urges.

"The whole kiss… but I'm sure neither of you even noticed me!" She began to screech and tear up once more, completely shattered.

Fox swallowed and took a step back, suddenly blocked by the sharp feeling of Fara's outstretched claws. He winced and looked to the side at Fara, who was just as livid.

"No… this isn't your call, Miss Krystal… Fox chose this himself. And it was, by far, the better choice." She almost giggled, smiling with an angry glower.

"Whose morals do you go by to say who is wrong or right?" Krystal took a step forward and gazed furiously into Fara's eyes. "You have no right to argue that what you did was the 'Right thing'!"

Fara responded with a small and sincere smile and took a step forward as well, her claws out and her teeth clenched.

"Depends on whose standards you go by… you know… ever thought that you were just incompetent…? That Fox used to just… dream of a real vixen to take your place…? While you were clueless, lying beside him? Hm?"

"Shut up…" Krystal backed away slowly and Fara advanced, nearly pinning Krystal against the wall.

"… Just brooding in your own way how you will never be able to become what I am… to never come close to… even holding Fox's interest. Ha."

Fox grasped Fara by the arm. "Stop! There's no point in this… we have to hold it together… all of us… we're a team, remember?" He had no clue what to do. Fara's side? Or Krystal's? Either way, he would lose somehow…

Krystal was in tears once again, sobbing deeply whilst trying to hide it, pitifully. "Y-you don't understand… he loved me…"

"Loved…" Fara grins cruelly and takes yet another stop toward Krystal. "Loved… as in… did once, but not any more, you see. He loves me now, no need to squander your time with a wasted effort."

Krystal had no will to fight any longer and ran off, bursting into constant, grieving tears of indignation.

"Fara… why? I mean…"

"I was simply defending what I had." Fara responded coldly. "You. I'm am not about to lose you, Fox… I'm not about to lose my one chance of happiness that I've for years searched for… I've missed you, Fox…"

Fox tried to smile, but barely could. He loved Fara; this was true. Nevertheless, was he going to let Fara crush Krystal like this? He still cared for Krystal… even if it was just a worker-worker relationship. He did not want to have to see her in tears again…

"I… I've missed you, too…" He gave a long sigh and rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired…"

He silently got into bed, followed by Fara, who snuggled against his back, somewhat to his dismay after the skirmish. Meanwhile, Skye was sitting in the control room, still eager for something to occupy his time.

"Ooh, look. Seismic report. Sector P-42… Alpha structure of the Lylat System? Wow… P-42 isn't too far off. But I've no time for some stupid earthquake. I've gotta crash… I don't think I've had any decent sleep in… two… days…" A bout of sudden lulling exhaustion hit him and he was asleep in seconds.

"Incredible! This guy has got some serious talents."

"Thanks, sir. Can I move on now?"

"And quite the tongue to go with it… Skye, is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"You seem a bit young to be in the military… even more so without a draft being in effect. Sure you weren't expecting Hollywood?" The general snickered.

"Yes… I am quite sure I want to be here. Isn't your place to tell me what I can and can't do…" The young Skye snapped in response.

"Well, well… you may have talent, but you'll get nowhere if you keep acting like that… give respect to those more important than you." The general's tone got meaner.

"Well, I think perhaps the respect should go to those more deserving in skill than those lacking in brain… like yourself." Skye gave a swift punch to the general's stomach, knocking him multiple feet back and straight to the ground. "Give respect to those more important than you, pal…"

Skye awoke with a yawn and a beaming smile. "I love putting up with idiots… and I remember that guy so very well… then again, most people DO hate me. O'Donnell, Tigereye… why is that? I am, after all, a very likable guy." He sneered and looked back at the seismograph. "Wait… what is this?" He saw the line on the graph for the P-42 region rise incredibly high, then flatline completely. "This… this isn't a normal earthquake. Heck, I have never seen any earthquake go that high… I'm gonna check up with the Federation…"

The entire Great Fox was quiet, Skye had left and everyone else was asleep, Krystal included, who had cried herself to sleep but was somberly slumbering.

"Yo!" Skye rushes into the front door of the headquarters, fifty or so feet off where the Great Fox had been docked and scratched his head.

"Hey, Skye. What you got for us today? More vandalisms?" The fox at the front desk asked casually, slightly joking.

"Nah, somethin' else. The weirdest thing happened in sector… P-42 this morning! Look." He messed with a nearby seismograph and looked up the history until he found the spike. "There."

"Whoa… that's, like, enough energy to destroy a planet! And then some… we're going to go check it out, go and get some sleep, pal. Oh… and lay off the coffee." The fox grinned and typed away at the computer, oblivious to what was truly about to happen.

Skye ran back to the Great Fox and fell asleep again at his desk, the screen of his monitor glaring onto his drooling face, as the dark clouds began to build and loom around the atmosphere of Sauria and the rest of Lylat.