Chapter Three
17:00 Hours CST
August 3, 2015
Great Fox: Game Room
Near Sauria
Dean stared at the puzzle board and tried to figure out were he wanted to put the rectangular puzzle piece.
Hmm... If I move the piece here then maybe…
The sound of the door opening behind him made him jump and the puzzle piece fall to the lower right hand corner of the screen. The screen then flashed Final Level Complete.
"Wow, I can't even beat the fifth level let alone the last," came Fox's voice from behind Dean. "You have to be an excellent puzzle solver in order to beat all the levels."
"You came in here for something what was it Fox?" Dean asked.
"Your hunch was right about Sauria," Fox said frowning at Dean's rudeness. "General Pepper just sent me a message about a mission and I want you to come with me since you know the future of the Lylat System. Maybe you can help me get the mission done faster."
"Yeah ok," Dean said. "But whose Arwing am I going to fly since I don't have my own yet?"
"Good point," Fox hit a button on his PDA. "Slippy get one of the spare Arwings out of storage and put Hyper Lasers on it as well as improved shields."
"Roger that Fox." Came Slippy's voice from the PDA. "Is it for Dean?"
"Yes," Fox responded. "Fox out. In the mean time you can borrow Falco's Arwing."
"Cool," Dean said.
Dean walked over to Falco's Arwing and climbed in. As soon as Dean blasted out of the hanger he got a look at Sauria in person for the first time.
"Wow I never realized how much damage Scales and Andross had really done to Sauria." Dean muttered to himself.
"Huh," Fox said over the mike.
"Nothing," Dean replied.
"Well I hope that you know the way because I sure as hell don't." Fox called over the Comm.
"Yeah," Dean replied. "As a matter of fact I do."
Dean turned his Arwing toward Thorntail Hollow and hit the boosters. Fox followed closely behind.
Thorntail Hollow
Day 1
As soon as Dean landed his Arwing and jumped out, he headed over to where Krystal's staff was pocking up in the sand. He didn't even bother to wait on Fox who was being briefed on the locals and the mission while being bitched out for bringing Dean along at the same time.
"But he know the local language fluently General," Dean heard Fox snap at General Pepper. "And he also knows this planet like the back of his hand. So therefore he will be an excellent tactical advantage on this mission."
Dean ignored the rest of the conversation at grasped at Krystal's staff. He gave it a yank and it flew from its resting place. Immediately there was a shock that ran up his arms and Krystal's voice in his head.
"Av oei uho xouhadw kxaj mojjuwo, kxod A um ad whulo tudwoh." Krystal's voice said.
Fox stopped his bickering with General Pepper and cocked his ear to listen along.
"I got the point General," Fox snapped at the pause in Krystal's voice. "Fox out."
Fox jogged over to wear Dean was patiently waiting for Krystal to finish her dialog.
"Who was that voice and what did she say Dean?" Fox asked when he jogged up to Dean.
"If you are hearing this message, then I am in grave danger," Dean translated the Saurian as though it were already in English.
Dean sheathed the staff and headed toward the entrance to the Earthwalker den.
"This is going to be a long day," Fox said when four Sharpclaw ran out and tried to attack Dean and got beat down for their efforts.
Saurian Orbit en route from Walled City to Krazoa Palace
Day 34
"There's no need for you to come down to Krazoa Palace with me Fox," Dean called over the Comm. "I am going to drop off the spirit grab another and send Andross running your way. It won't even take me 30 minutes."
"Yeah," Fox said dreamily through the Comm. "I guess it's your turn. Whoa, Andross. You never mentioned that he was behind this."
"I thought that you figured it out already," Dean replied. "The entire arsenal that the Sharpclaw's were using was Venomarian in design."
Dean heard Fox's snarl and hit the boosters. When he flew through the single gold ring to open the force field around Sauria, he turned toward Krazoa Palace and landed on the roof.
"Make sure that you are stocked up on bombs for the fight with Andross, Fox," Dean called through his throat mike.
Krazoa Palace
Day 34
Krystal smiled to herself when she felt his kind, pure, protective influence appear on the edge of her senses. She listen to his thoughts as he headed toward the lift down inside.
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land
She puzzled a few minutes over the crypto then put them aside to the back of her mind. He soon reappeared and headed over to her right to take a warp panel into the last Krazoa Shrine. He reappeared a few hundred heartbeats later. And she felt his slight pain as the Krazoa Spirit left his body.
Suddenly there was an extreme pain unlike anything she had ever felt before, and then she blacked out.
-
Dean grimaced as the last Krazoa Spirit left his body. He had always hated that feeling. He keyed his Comm.
"Andross is about to be released Fox." Dean said into his throat mike.
"Roger," Fox said.
Dean ran up the ramp to Krystal's hanging spot a split second before the crystal shattered. He extended the staff and thrust the end of it into Krystal's hands as she fell.
-
Krystal screamed as the crystal around her shattered and she felt herself falling. She reached out to grab something, anything. When she felt something wooden she grabbed hold of it and opened her eyes to see his hand extended to help her up. She gazed into his hazel eyes for a second before she took it and stood up on the roof of Krazoa Palace for the first time. She couldn't stop gazing at the mysterious, handsome stranger who had just saved her life twice. She listened as he said something to someone named Fox.
"Andross is on his way, ETA damn quick Fox."
-
"Andross is on his way, ETA damn quick Fox," Dean said into his throat mike.
"Roger that," Fox called back over the Comm.
"I am reborn the mighty Krazoa God. Wuhahaha," Andross called from his hiding place behind the head of the Krazoa Statue. "Kneel all those who stand before me. Wuhahaha."
Dean flipped him off and then he heard Krystal behind him say…
-
"We will never kneel to you," she shouted at the Krazoa Head oblivious to the fact that it was the Andross that her savior had spoke about. She suppressed giggles when her savior made a rude hand gesture at the Krazoa Head. She reached out and yanked her staff off of her saviors back and shouted. "Give me that."
-
Dean felt her staff get yanked off his back and started to run toward Falco's Arwing. He was stopped by Krystal's hand on his upper arm.
"What is oeih dumo?" she asked him in half English, half Saurian.
"Dean," he told her. "Dean Williams."
He shrugged off her hand and sprinted toward Falco's Arwing. He climbed in the cockpit set the Shields, G-Diffusers and Boosters to maximum and took off after Andross. He arrived just as Fox finished off Andross, so he wound up pulling a U-Turn and boosting away from the explosion. He followed Fox back to the Great Fox, and landed Falco's Arwing right beside a shiny new one.
Must be my new one.
Dean got out of Falco's Arwing to see the bird come running up to give his Arwing a kiss. He started walking around it looking at every square inch and stopped cold when he saw the long scratch that a Sharpclaw's mace had made. As soon as he opened his beak Dean cut him off.
"Shut it bird," Dean snapped at him. "I haven't slept in a bed in 34 days, so I'm really not in the mood for your shit right now. Start bitching and you and I are going to scrap right here, right now."
Falco looked at him with a look of surprise and watched stupidly as Dean headed toward the bridge to wait on Krystal to show up.
Dean pulled out his MP3 player and turned on Chevelle-The Red
Her message showed up and then she did.
They say freak,
When you're singled out,
The red, well it filters through.
So lay down, the threat is real,
When his sight goes red again.
Seeing red again,
Seeing red again.
Wow she's more beautiful in person then she is in the games. That Crystal distorted her image quite a bit...DAMN. Dean thought as she approached him. She winced and smiled rreally big at his thought. Although she looked slightly nervous, he couldn't figure out why though. He pulled out his headphones. I think that my music was a little to heavy for her.
-
Krystal was shocked when she saw all the people in the room that Dean was in. She had hoped to speak to him in private.
Just then she picked up a headache worth of noise from him.
They say freak,
When you're singled out,
The red, well it filters through.
So lay down, the threat is real,
When his sight goes red again.
Seeing red again,
Seeing red again.
Wow she's more beautiful in person then she is in the games. That Crystal distorted her image quite a bit...DAMN. I think that my music was a little to heavy for her.
That confused her a little bit and she decided to ask him about it later. She felt his reassurance wash over her when she approached him. He pulled something out of his ears. It was as though he was also a telepath and could sense her feelings. She could also feel his shyness, nervousness and something else thrown in there. He scratched the back of his head and blushed when she stepped a little close to him.
"Can they understand Saurian?" she asked him in Saurian.
"No," he responded. "Good," she said. "So I came up here to thank you so here it is…
She reached up and as per her customs, kissed him on the cheek and whispered "thank you" in his ear, before turning around and walking toward the door back to her ship. Swishing her tail as she went.
Damn, I wish I could smack…that…ass. She heard Dean think. She almost gasped in surprise and pleasure. Almost as soon as he was done thinking it she felt him start to beat himself up mentally. Damn it! What's fucking wrong with me? She has Telepathic abilities you idiot. She can read your thoughts and emotions fool! And that is just wrong to think! You just met her not even 3 hours ago!
"I'm so sorry about that," he said in turned around and trying to hide her blush unsuccessfully and said…
"It's okay," she tried to hide a giggle, and failed miserably.
She felt his mood lighten as she giggled. "I'll be on the surface if you need anything," She told him.
Dean watched her leave as he felt like he should do something.
"Hey Fox is there anyway that we could take her to Corneria with us?" Dean asked Fox pleadingly. "She doesn't have a home planet that she can go back to, as Andross destroyed hers."
"Yeah sure," Fox said. "I still need one more person for the team so maybe you can test her and tell me how she does."
"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure." Dean said as he dashed for the turbo lift hoping to catch her.
Hey Krystal wait up! Come to Corneria with me.
Yes I'd love to!
-
Krystal was just about to take off when his thought reached her.
Hey Krystal wait up! Come to Corneria with me.
She felt nothing but pleasure at his thoughts and suggestion.
Yes I'd love to! She thought back.
She felt his satisfaction and shut down the main engine.
Sorry that it took me so long to get the next chapter up for everybody. I'm going to have a buddy of mine co-write Chapter 5 with me.
Halo Fan 4256