Knight Errant
Part 4
Kirby: I'm hungry.
The young Star Warrior had just woke up. His shipmates were awake as well, unsurprisingly. Sleeping on a crammed star ship was certainly not comfortable, and Kirby aside, morale was low. The lack of food didn't help, either.
Spark: You're hungry? What about us?
Spitfire: Don't even talk about hunger after wolfing down our supplies!
Kirby: But I am!
Marx: Well, you'll have to get used to it. Often we run out of supplies on the way back.
Kirby: Then why not pack more?
Spitfire: I'm not sure. We don't pack our own star ships. I think there's not enough space.
Kirby: Is the food good at the base?
Spark: Can we not talk about food? I'm hungry enough as it is, and you guys aren't helping.
Kirby: I know! Let's play a game!
Spark: That's a good idea; it'll take our minds off our stomachs.
Kirby: We'll go around in a circle. You have to point out a constellation or group of stars and say what you think it looks like! I'll start!
*Kirby points out the window*
Kirby: That one looks like a lollipop! Marx, you go next!
Marx: Okay.
*He pauses, looking out the window for a moment, and points*
Marx: That constellation looks like a boat. Spark?
Spark: There's one that looks like a…a…uh…fork?
*Spitfire points out the window*
Spitfire: I see one that looks like a line.
Kirby: Great! Now you're getting the hang of it! I think that constellation looks like an apple!
Marx: I see one that looks like a pencil.
Spark: That one looks like a zigzag.
Spitfire: That one looks like a cluster or stars.
Hours Later
Kirby: That one looks like a banana! Do you guys have any ideas?
Marx: No, we're all out…still.
Kirby: Okeydokey! More turns for me! That constellation looks like a cookie! That constellation looks like a tomato! That constellation looks like an ice cream cone! That constellation looks like-
Spitfire: *loudly* Let's play a new game. I call it "Shut Up the Newbie".
Spark: *to Kirby* What did I say about not talking about food?
Spitfire: Ugh! Now you're doing it, too! Stop it! Stop it! I don't need reminding!
*the star ship's radar starts beeping*
Marx: Enough! There's an enemy ship on the radar; I think it's pursuing us.
Kirby: Is it that battleship you fought off earlier?
Marx: No, I don't think so. This ship is much smaller.
Spark: It's a lot bigger than our star ship, though!
Spitfire: It's coming in quick! Let's get out of here while we still can!
Spark: Good idea. I don't think we could fight it.
*the star ship picks up speed and zooms off*
Later
Marx: I don't think it's following us any more.
Kirby: Does stuff like this happen often?
Marx: It's fairly common, especially with lone star ships like ours. It doesn't happen too much with patrols.
Kirby: I've been through space on a lone star ship before, and I've never had this problem. Do you think we could've won if we took it on?
Marx: Probably not. Even if we did, our ship would be pretty damaged, which we try to avoid whenever we can.
Spark: There's nothing worse than being stuck in a badly-damaged star ship with no planets around.
Spitfire: I believe there's a Warp Shelter around here. Should we go there?
Marx: Why not? We can stay there for the night and warp back to the main base tomorrow.
Kirby: What's a Warp Shelter? It sounds cool!
Marx: A Warp Shelter is where Star Warriors can stop mid-mission. You can get machines and ships fixed, stay the night or drop by the infirmary if you're injured. There's also a Warp Path leading back to the main base.
Kirby: So it's like a Kabu?
Marx: A what?
Kirby: Meta Knight told me that Kabus are like hospitals for Star Warriors. There was one in Cappy Town, where I used to live.
Marx: I've never heard of them before. They must only be in a couple areas.
Kirby: But Meta Knight said they were all over the galaxy.
Spark: Here we are!
*Kirby looks out the window.*
Kirby: There's nothing there!
Spitfire: You'll see. Marx, do you have a Warp Key?
Marx: Yep.
*he pulls it out and presses a button on it*
All the sudden, a massive black hole opened up right in front of the star ship, and it was pulled into the vortex. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished again.
Shortly After Going Through the Warp
Kirby: Wow! That was cool! *to Marx* Are you okay? You look kinda dizzy.
Marx: I'm fine. I always feel disorientated after going through a black hole.
Spitfire: I'll get us rooms for the night. Spark, you can get Kirby's ship down to the mechanics' workshop.
Spark: Let's fix his ship when we reach the main base. We'd have to stay here for a couple extra days while we wait, and I hate waiting!
Later
Spitfire: Luckily for us, there aren't many Star Warriors here now, so we can get a bigger room. Rooms like that are usually reserved for higher-ups.
The room he had been given was large, though fairly empty. The walls were solid metal and completely bare, which Kirby found a little unnerving. There were a few beds in the corner, a couple tables with chairs and a kitchen. A cabinet nearby housed a variety of dishes, cooking utensils and extra blankets.
Kirby: This is one of the nicer rooms?
Marx: The normal rooms are a tenth this size, and all they have is a few cots.
Spark: Of course, this is only a Warp Shelter room. I imagine the ones at the base are much nicer.
Kirby: Blade said that Meta Knight had a room like that when he was a Star Warrior.
Spitfire: Can you tell us about it?
Kirby: I was never there; that was a long time ago. Besides, I'm hungry now; I wanna eat!
Spark: Kirby, while you're down at the Dining Hall, get Spitfire and I something, too. Consider it part of your punishment for all of our rations.
Marx: I'll go with Kirby and show him where it is. Kirby, let's go!
*the two exit*
Kirby: Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I thought it would be! Is the Dining Hall nearby? I smell food!
*Kirby runs down the hall in the direction of the smell, Marx hurries after him*
Marx: This is it. You get your meals over at that counter. There aren't any seats in here, so everyone eats in their rooms or gets their food to-go.
*the two get in line*
Kirby: So what sort of stuff will we be doing once we get back to the main base? I can't wait!
Marx: We do whatever our superiors assign us to do. Usually, this means patrolling the galaxy or being assigned to stay in certain areas where we're having trouble. Sometimes you might even be called to join battles. We almost never have idle time.
Kirby: That's awesome! How is it decided who gets to do what? I wanna go on patrol with you guys again!
Marx: When you join, you get assigned to a brigade. Spark, Spitfire and I are all in the same brigade, so we get to do things together. Maybe you'll end up in the same brigade as us; it wouldn't hurt to ask. Our patrols and such are determined by each brigade's commander. The current commander of my brigade is Shaughnessy, better known as Essy. I think he's a great leader.
Kirby: Yay! We're at the front of the line! *to the chef distributing the food* Hiiiii! I'm hungry! Give me some of that, please!
Chef: Where's your I.D.?
*Marx takes out his star badge and gives it to the chef*
Marx: He's a friend of mine.
Chef: You should know we don't allow guests.
Kirby: I'm going to become a Star Warrior! I'm coming along with Marx!
Chef: Huh…? Oh, right. Here you go.
*The chef hands both Marx and Kirby a tray*
Marx: We need two more for our roommates.
Chef: One tray per person; they'll have to get their own.
*Marx and Kirby leave*
Marx: It's convenient to have a dining hall in these Warp Bases. They're actually a pretty recent addition.
Kirby: I can't imagine not having one. I would be so hungry now!
Marx: What do you mean by "would"?
*he looks over at Kirby*
Marx: Wow, you already ate your dinner?
Kirby: Yep! I've always been a fast eater! Back in Cappy Town, I was always the first person to finish my dinner, even though everyone else only had one serving!
Marx: The food in the base is better than it is here. I'm sure you'll prefer it, too.
Kirby: I don't mind the food here. I like almost every food I try! I don't remember anything that I've eaten that I didn't like!
Marx: Well, that makes your life a bit easier. It took me some time to get used to the food. Some of the rations are disgusting.
Spark: Hey, where's our dinner?
Marx: You have to get it yourself. I hardly was able to get dinner for Kirby, let alone you two.
Spitfire: Great. We're both really hungry… *under his breath* thanks to Kirby.
Kirby: I'm tired. Good night!
*he gets into one of the cots*
Spark: Funny, it's not that late.
Marx: *quietly* We've had a really busy day. Besides, it takes a long time to adjust to time in space. Of course you two wouldn't know; you've been working here for your whole lives…What? Why are you giving me that look?
*Marx looks back at Kirby, who is now asleep in one of the cots*
Marx: He's asleep, just as I thought.
Spitfire: But still…
Marx: I've never known you to be paranoid like that, Spitfire.
*Spitfire glares at Marx*
Spitfire: I'm not being paranoid! I'm just saying you need to be more cautious.
Spark: Speaking of being cautious, you ought to speak softer. He might wake up.
Last summer, I decided I wanted to challenge myself by writing something COMPLETELY different than anything else I've ever written. I've written other fan fictions before, but this is my first Kirby fan fiction as well as my first time writing in script format. It's fun, but it's very challenging for someone who usually writes the standard way.
Finally, I'm settling on a consistent way of formatting these. I really love it than you can upload Word documents (almost) directly to (though the rest of the uploading process definitely takes some getting used to).
Coming up next:
After many trials, Kirby is just beginning to settle in as a Star Warrior, but the story is just beginning. What new revelations will await us in Knight Errant: Part 5?