Chapter 8: Goodbye Halcyon Days
Integration into the Sargasso Station for the new members finally ended. Fox ended up as a group leader for one of the pirate squadrons, Katt found herself as a personal assistant to Miyu, Tyson working in the armory. What was surprising was Ray started helping out Fay in engineering. Apparently he was quite the technological savant, and the two were inseparable after that.
"All right Tyson, we're ready to begin testing" Fay called out from behind her cover.
Tyson hefted the large rifle and looked down the barrel. "All you want me to do, is just fire a single round at the wall? Isn't that a bit dangerous?"
"Don't worry, the walls should be sufficiently thick enough to prevent the round making a hole into space" Ray said, standing next to Fay.
"I can just feel the confidence oozing from you two" Tyson deadpanned before aiming the large gun. "Commencing firing in three. . . two. . . one. Firing!"
Tyson pulled the trigger, a high velocity beam of energy flying from the end of the gun. It crashed straight into the wall, cutting right through as if it were made of paper. A small suction noise filled the air, focusing around the hole.
"Hull breach!" Tyson shouted.
"Everyone out, now!" Fay commanded.
The three ran out of the room and sealed the door behind them as all the air was sucked out into space.
"Next time, let's make sure we test this on a planet instead of a space station" Tyson panted.
"Yeah, whatever" Ray said, holding his knees. "Anyways, results. How did the gun kick when you fired the first shot?"
"If it wasn't for these arms, it would've either shattered them or torn them right off" Tyson said. The kick from the large rifle had still forced him back a few feet from the backlash.
"What would you say about the destructive force behind it?" Fay asked, holding a data pad.
"I would say that this would make an excellent weapon for me since the recoil would be too much for anyone else and it probably could tear through most armor since that wall was several feet thick of some tough metal."
"All right, we'll just need to work on reducing recoil then" Fay said, jotting down some notes.
"Plus we'll need to do something about the ammo and cool down, otherwise it'll only be good for one shot" Ray commented.
"So am I done now?" Tyson sighed, tried of being their lab rat.
"What? Oh sure, you can leave" Fay said absentmindedly, waving him off.
"About damn time" Tyson muttered. He headed towards one of the elevators and called one down. He silently hummed to himself as he waited, wondering what to do next. The elevator gave a small ding and the doors opened, revealing one occupant.
"Oh, it's you" Kursed said.
"Wonderful" Tyson grumbled getting in. He ignored her as he punched in a the number for the workout rooms, not noticing that it was already lit up.
The two silently waited as the elevator quietly hummed while it took them to their intended floor. There was another ding as the doors slid open, and the two walked out. They eyed each other as they headed to the workout area.
"What are you doing here?" Tyson asked, a bit rudely.
"What does it look like you idiot?" Kursed grated out.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Tyson stopped in front of her, crossing his arms.
Kursed bared her teeth and flattened her ears. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do! The ring, now!"
Tyson took a stance as he eyed Kursed standing in front of him in a stance of her own.
"You know this won't solve anything" Tyson commented as they started circling each other.
"On my home planet it was the only way" Kursed growled. "The best way to communicate is with action for there is no deception. Now shut up and fight!"
Kursed lunged forward with a quick few jabs, feinting left and right. Tyson was blocking each having years of experience on the field against much faster and stronger foes. He was having an easier time thanks to Kursed's anger interfering with her telepathy, allowing him to have an easier time blocking her strikes.
Tyson finally had enough and grabbed both of her hands in his fists, holding her still. No matter how hard she struggled, she could break free from his literal iron grip.
"My turn" Tyson said darkly.
Tyson reared his head back and smashed into Kursed's face, blood leaking from her nose and stunning her. He followed up with a quick few jabs to the stomach before jumping in the air with a scissor kick, one leg going for her throat and the other for the back of her knees. He didn't apply full force or he may have crushed her throat along with breaking her legs.
"Do you yield?" Tyson stoically asked, watching her struggle.
Kursed panted and snarled as she tried to break free of his legs holding her in place but was met with the same results from when she tried to break free from his grip.
"If you will not yield, will you tell me why you have a problem with me?"
Kursed started slowing her struggling, settling for the occasional punch to his leg and then finally stopping.
"Fine, let me go" Kursed growled.
Tyson lifted his leg off her throat, allowing her to stand back up. He pushed himself up and sat against the wall.
"So talk, what is your problem?"
"You, you are my problem" Kursed snarled.
"And what makes me your problem?" Tyson asked raising an eyebrow. "Is it because I beat you back in the pit?"
"No, it's not that. It's what you've caused."
Now Tyson was confused. "What I've caused?""You turned Fox into a criminal with your presence. He was supposed to be a hero!"
"Ah, you mean the death of General Pepper" Tyson said, starting to understand. "Why should a bounty hunter like you care about something like that?"
Kursed sighed and rubbed her face. "It's none of your business."
"It's going to be if this interferes on any missions we go on together in the future" Tyson countered. "It's best to solve this now before it causes a problem."
"I said it's none of your damn business!" Kursed snapped.
"Do I need to kick your ass until you tell me?" Tyson asked.
Kursed bit back a retort. She knew that in her current state that she wouldn't stand a chance against him. She sighed and sat down against the wall next to him.
"Fine, but you might as well get comfortable. It's a long story."
Tyson pulled a carton from his pocket and pulled out a cancer stick. He put it in his mouth and held his hand near the end. He started flicking his thumb against his middle finger tell sparks flew off, lighting the end. He took a quick drag and blew out a cloud of smoke, nodding to her to begin.
"It started many years ago, back before I became Kursed. It was during the time I was actually a part of Star Fox, when I was still Krystal. It was a mistake on my part, being petty and hurt made me into what I am today" Kursed sighed, taking one of Tyson's cancer sticks.
He repeated the process of lighting his with hers. She nodded her head in thanks and took a drag from it.
"We loved each other ever since he rescued me from the Krazoa temple, letting me join his team. Then the war happened. During the war Fox left me behind, not wanting me to get hurt. The stupid idiot" Kursed chuckled.
"Of course at the time I didn't know or understand. All I knew was that it hurt, and I could not find myself to forgive him. So in spite, I joined Star Wolf and started dating one of their members. Panther, I believe you've already met him."
"Oh yeah, that arrogant cat that's always hitting on the women" Tyson said, remembering the panther.
"Yeah him" Kursed laughed as she took another puff on her cancer stick. "Anyways I ran with them for a bit until I came back across Star Fox again. Fox pleaded with me, begged on his knees, for me to come back. And I threw it back into his face, crushing his heart."
Tyson was surprised to see Kursed was actually crying. Tears silently streaked her fur as her body was racked with quiet sobs.
"After that, the war was over. People then heard of what happened, of what I did to Fox. I was shunned from society, everyone whispering behind my back of how I betrayed Fox McCloud. The man who gave me my life back after the Krazoa incident, and I couldn't even give him a second chance."
Kursed, or Krystal, was openly crying now. Tyson honestly didn't know what to do. Being in the military didn't leave much room for romance, especially in the sons of Ares. He heard of a few relationships but they never worked out. He slowly reached arm around the vixen's shoulders, the female fox suddenly burying her face into his chest. He was surprised and didn't move for a second before wrapping his arm around her.
'Damn if I know what I'm supposed to do' Tyson silently thought.
Krystal gave another sniffle before leaning back and wiping her eyes. "Thank you, I needed that."
"Even the toughest people will crack if they hold too much inside themselves" Tyson said.
"Maybe" she agreed. "But you are not to tell anyone of what happened here, got it?"
Tyson was surprised at the sudden mood change from weepy to anger. Even in this time with different species women could do that.
"If you tell anyone, I'll rip your balls off."
"Duly noted" Tyson sighed, taking one last puff.
"All right, you both have been doing well" Miyu started, clasping her hands behind her as she stared out a window into space.
"It's a bit different to be on the other side of the law, helping pirates instead of catching them" Fox said, sitting in a chair.
"Yes, but you have done well regardless. I think it's time for you three to move on however" Miyu said.
"What? Why" Katt asked, shocked.
"There's something about to happen, something big. I can feel it in my fur" Miyu said. "It would be best if you two and your friend left as soon as possible."
"But what could possibly happen?" Fox asked, unaware that he just broke Murphy's Law.
"Ma'am! Disturbance at the edge!" a bull dog shouted, his console lighting up.
"That's what could happen" Miyu growled as she witnessed the arrival of the Cornerian Military.
"How did they find us?" Fox growled, staring at the ships.
"Battle stations now!" Miyu roared. "I want all fighters scrambled and base defenses online! This is going to be one hell of a fight."
"The hell is that?" Tyson shouted over the blare of the alarm.
"That alarm means we've been found!" Fay shouted running up. "We need to get to the ships and prepare to repel boarders. Your bounty says that they're here for you along with Kat and Fox."
The station suddenly rocked as fire from the military struck. Fire broke out on most decks with explosions tossing people around like rag dolls.
"We need to move now!" Kursed shouted.
"Come on, hangars are this way!" Fay said, beckoning them.
Tyson felt his battle instincts kick in and tackled everyone to the ground as an explosion tore the wall behind them, the nose of a ship poking through.
"How the hell are they boarding so fast?" Ray shouted.
"Look at the design, that's not standard Cornerian build!" Fay said. "It still has the Cornerian Military emblem on it but I've never seen this kind of ship before."
The front of the shuttle hissed open and a small squad of white armored soldiers jumped out.
"Piss off!" Tyson shouted, firing his guns. The powerful laser rounds impacted the soldiers, tearing through the armor. "These guys aren't so tough! Their armor is like plastic."
"That's because your guns are meant to tear through most armor!" Kursed shouted, firing a sub-machine gun with the weaker rounds barely inflicting damage.
"Shut up and keep firing!" Ray yelled, his gun blazing.
The last of the soldiers fell with only few injuries to the small group. Tyson had taken a round to the side with the wound cauterizing from the intense heat, Ray had one graze his leg resulting in a slight limp. Kursed and Fay had taken no injury with Tyson and Ray standing in front of them acting as human shields.
"Can you find anything useful from the ship?" Tyson asked, clutching his side.
"Not sure, but I'll give it a shot" Ray said, climbing in.
A few minutes later, he climbed back out. "Nothing but a few coded messages. I could break them but it would take some time which we really can't afford right now."
Fay sighed and rubbed her face. "All right, then we'll need to meet up with Miyu then. She'll be heading for the hangars to get her ship to lead a counter attack."
"It looks like the elevator is out" Kursed said, prying the doors open and finding the cable cut.
"Good thing we have stairs then" Fay said, leading them through a nearby door.
Multiple flights of stairs later, they were in the hangar. When they entered, a pretty gruesome sight greeted them. All around were bodies of the white armored Cornerian military forces, some looking like they had been cut apart while others missing giant pieces of their body. Next to the Ebon Hawk was Atlas and P-Body, playing rock paper scissors.
"Nice work you two" Tyson said.
Both chirped happily and hugged him around the waist before going back to their game."You mean those two are responsible for all of this?" Ray gaped.
"They may not look like it, but both of them are proficient killers" Tyson said as Atlas won a round, pumping its fists.
"But they don't have a speck of blood on them!" Kursed said.
"Very proficient killers" Tyson noted, watching P-Body win a round.
Suddenly a loud humming was heard and everyone looked up to see a large shuttle racing straight towards the hangar. It crashed into the ground and bounced along the ground before crashing into the wall. All was silent when a loud roar was heard and the door on the shuttle flew off.
"The hell is that?" Kursed whispered.
A hand grabbed the edge of the open door and another grabbed the other side before some thing pulled itself out.
"An abomination" Tyson growled in disgust.
It stood at ten feet tall, and could only be described as a Frankenstein of a monster. It had the legs of an elephant, the body of a gorilla, the head of a rhinoceros, and a long tail of a crocodile.
The creature gave another bellow before noticing the group standing there. It snarled at them and charged, intent on ending them.
"Move!" Tyson shouted, pushing everyone out of the way.
The creature barreled past them, running through a docked fighter as if it were paper. It slowly turned around, blinking stupidly as a few fires danced along its body.
"It's strong, tough, but not too bright" Ray said, studying it.
"Then we just need to stay out of its direct path then" Kursed said.
"We won't be able to dodge it forever" Fay said as they jumped out of the abomination's way again. "It'll last longer than we will, and will easily kill us after we tire."
"Then we'll need to lure it to somewhere we can kill it" Tyson said. "You three go find Miyu, I'm the only one who can have a chance against it with my augmentations. Atlas, P-Body, into the ship and prep it for take off. We may need a quick get-away after this."
They nodded their heads in assent, making a break for the door out as the two robots ran into the ship. The beast roared at the fleeing group and charged at them, only to be me with a metallic fist burying itself into the side of its head.
"Oh no you don't, you get stay here with me" Tyson said, cracking his neck.
The creature roared at him as it stood up, charging once more at Tyson. The soldier stood his ground and waited until the beast was upon him. He quickly rolled to the side, one of the blades in his arms slicing out into the abomination's legs.
It gave a pained bellow as it fell to the ground, rolling over itself until sliding to a stop.
"Huh, you're not so tough are you?" Tyson grinned.
It got back up and turned around, the cuts on its legs stitching itself back together.
Tyson's face paled at this. "Oh shit."
"Fox come on! The elevator is this way!" Miyu shouted over the gunfire.
The Cornerian soldiers were slowly advancing on them, their superior training making quick work of the pirates. They were disorganized and confused, the sudden attack ruining their coordination of a counter-attack.
"We need to call a retreat Miyu, we can't win here" Fox said, firing back at the soldiers. While still with the pirates, he still refused to kill the attacking men and women.
"I will not give up this station!" Miyu snarled.
"It's giving up the station, or giving up your life" Katt growled.
Miyu panted for several seconds, looking at the Cornerian soldiers and the bodies of the pirates laying around her. "All right" she said quietly. "Sound the evacuation. Abandon the Sargasso."
"Just die already!" Tyson shouted driving his two arm blades deeper into the abominations back.
It gave another roar, trying to reach around and grab him. Thankfully, its arms were too large for it to make the necessary bend to grab him. It ran about in a circle, trying to dislodge him by either reaching or bucking like a bronco. Finally, it had an idea flash through its tiny brain.
Tyson felt wing rush by as the monster jumped into the air with its powerful legs, then flip itself over to where he was now between its back and the floor.
"To hell if you think you can crush me!" Tyson roared, throwing his entire weight to the left as they fell back down.
The momentary shift was enough to turn the creature to its side so it didn't crush him. However, the beast's weight was so great that when they hit the ground, it tore a hole through the floor. For multiple floors they fell, through several halls and open rooms.
"This freakin' sucks!" Tyson grunted as they continued to crash through the floors. "How heavy are you?"
The beast merely roared at him. Finally, they crashed to a stop in a large room.
Pain laced through Tyson as he coughed up a healthy amount of blood. "The hell are we?" he groaned. Looking around, he found himself in a very familiar room.
The Frankenstein monster gave a small bellow of pain as it felt its bones re-knit themselves back together. It heard a small whistle and turned to find the one who had been causing it so much pain standing there with a long metal stick in its hands.
"Say hello to my little friend!" Tyson grinned maniacally, hefting the large rifle. He pulled the trigger and slid back a few feet as the kick from the large laser round tore through the air and straight through the abomination's chest.
The beast gave one last bellow as the lack of a beating heart meant no blood pumping, and even its tiny brain couldn't run without the life fluid.
"Say night-night" Tyson panted as the giant beast fell back with a mighty thud, the floor trembling for the force.
"Tyson, this is Ray! Answer my Tyson!" Ray shouted.
Tyson sighed as he pulled out his communicator. "Tyson here, go ahead."
"You take care of our mix and match friend?"
Tyson gave another look at the monster. "Oh yeah, it's done. I'm heading back up now."
"Meet us at your ship, but hurry! The Cornerians are tired of losing men and are about to open fire."
"Shit" Tyson swore as he tore through the hall. He pried open the elevator and grabbed the swinging cable. With a hard pull, he launched himself up. He repeated the process of grabbing the cable and with another hard pull, would launch himself up. Finally, he reached the hangar floor.
"Come on Tyson! Hurry!" Kursed shouted from the bottom of the Ebon Hawk's ramp.
The ship was slowly taking off, turning about. Tyson put on a quick burst of speed, running for the ramp. Making a jump, he grabbed Kursed's outstretched hand and was pulled in.
"Hit it!" Kursed shouted as the ramp closed.
"Hang on, this is going to be close!" Ray and Fay shouted from the cockpit.
The Ebon Hawk's engines lit up as it roared out of the hangar, suddenly turning silent as they entered space. Climbing up to one of the turrets, Tyson watched the final moments of the Sargasso Station. The Cornerian ships pulled in closer, the large turrets on the ships glowing as they discharged their devastating payload.
"And there it goes" Tyson said grimly as the Station lit up and exploded.
"So what do we do now?" Katt asked.
"We head for Aquas, and find Slippy" Fox said. "Then we go find the bastard General Leo, and we kill him."
End of Chapter. That makes eight chapters done, hooray! Now I have some unfortunate news. I just took a visit to the doctor and found I have a very rare disease. It's called lack of review-itus. It only occurs when a story has very few reviews but has plenty of favorites and alerts. The only cure is more reviews, so please people, help me. And for those of you who are thinking of saying something about this being wrong, stuff it. I already know what it's like and this is just a way of dealing with it.