Chapter 3: Some Time Alone/The Separatists
The next morning, Fox was up early and so was Falco. Both of them were eager to see the Enterprise. Krystal was also pretty interested, while Slippy wasn't very concerned. The group had heard some reports on the size of the ship, but when they arrived at the docks, they couldn't believe their eyes. Their first look at the USS Enterprise left them speechless. The ship was enormous. It completely dwarfed the Great Fox. It was the length of seven city blocks, ten times the width of the Great Fox and some compartments on the ship were seven stories high, and on the ship's hull, in big black letters, was written NCC-1701-D USS ENTERPRISE.
"That is one big damn ship!" Falco said, eyes wide open.
"I've never seen a ship this big!" Krystal exclaimed. Even Slippy, who at first wasn't very interested, went wide-eyed and speechless.
The team headed toward the docks where they met Jim, who was speaking to the first lieutenant. Standing next to him was a young Cornerian vixen, a little younger than Jim. She was in a Starfleet officer's uniform.
"Ah, you made it." Jim said as he turned and face the Star Fox team.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Fox replied. "So who is this?"
"This is my girlfriend and first officer, Kara Williams. She was at the anniversary last night but I don't think I had a chance to introduce you to her." Jim said. "However, I think she did have a chance to meet Falco."
"Yes, that's right." Kara said. "I was introduced to you while Jim was giving you his background story." Jim smiled at the vixen.
"Oh, yeah. That's right. Jim was telling me about his first battle against the Klingons when he introduced you." Falco recalled.
"Well, what do think of the ship?" asked Jim.
"It's amazing. This has to be the biggest ship I've ever seen." Krystal replied. Jim laughed at the fact that they were all still staring at the enormous vessel.
"Yeah, it's pretty easy to get lost in there." Kara said. Jim smiled and put his arm around her waist.
"Well, you're all here a bit early. We don't head out for another three hours. How about I give you a tour of the bridge?" The team boarded the ship and Jim took them to the command bridge. Once again their eyes opened wide and their jaws dropped. The group had never seen a more advanced ship. After Jim gave them the tour of the bridge, he led them to the ship's recreation hall, where he introduced Kara. Krystal and Fox asked all of the questions.
"So, Jim, where did you two first meet?" asked Fox.
"We first met on the USS Farragut." Kara began. "Jim had come aboard as the new first lieutenant. He and I started out as friends, but our relationship elevated about a month later. From that point on, it's been amazing." Jim smiled at her remark and gave Kara a quick peck on the cheek.
"Kara was transferred to the USS Berlin only a couple of days before my battle against the Klingons." Jim continued. "Looking back, I'm glad that happened. The section that she would normally be working on was completely destroyed."
"And, after the Farragut was destroyed, you were transferred to the Berlin, right?" Krystal said.
"Mm-hmm. Kara was the first lieutenant and I was the first officer. I always seemed to be one rank above her." Kara smiled and gave Jim a light punch on the shoulder. Jim laughed and gave Kara a pull of affection toward him.
"Were you there for Jim's second battle against the Klingons, Kara?" asked Krystal.
"Yes. That had to be one of the scariest moments of my life. We were completely outnumbered and I didn't think we were going to make it. But Jim managed to lead us to victory somehow. He's an amazing commander. However, I'm surprised at how well he can fly an ARC-170." Jim chuckled at the remark.
"So, how'd you manage to get a position on the Enterprise?" asked Fox.
"I'll take responsibility for that." Jim said. "After I assumed command of the ship, I appointed her as first officer. She's one of the best officers in all of Starfleet." Kara then leaned up and kissed Jim. Suddenly, the first lieutenant's voice was heard over the intercom announcing the launch.
"Well, we'll be on our way soon." Jim said. "We'll see you in a few days."
"Alright. Good luck out there, Jim." Fox said as he shook Jim's hand and exited the ship. Jim walked Kara back to the bridge.
"So, that was your friend from the Cornerian Academy, huh?" said Kara.
"Yep. We only just ran into each other yesterday. It's quite nice to see him again." Jim replied.
"His girlfriend is beautiful too." Kara said. "Where is she from again?"
"Fox told me that she was born on Cerinia, but lived most of her life on Sauria, the reason being that Cerinia was destroyed. Her parents were killed in the process."
"Oh my God, that's so sad." Kara said.
"I know." Jim said. "I know what it's like to lose your parents, but then on top of that, to lose your home planet? I could never imagine that. It must be very painful." Jim replied as he thought about his own parents.
Back up on the bridge, the rest of the crew was ready to go. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's get this over with." Jim said. "Have you run all of the necessary diagnostics on the ship, Data?"
"Yes sir. Everything is at normal status." Data was the first lieutenant on the Enterprise and served with Jean-Luc Picard nearly 400 years ago, the reason being that Data was an android. He was considered one of the best crew members, in that emotions never got in his way because he did not have them.
"Alright, sounds good. Helmsman, separate from the dock." Jim ordered.
"Aye, sir."
The ship made a jolt as the docking hooks detached from the ship.
"Take her out nice and easy."
The ship rose from the ground and began hovering over the city. The helmsman then spun the ship around and pointed the bow a little above the horizon. The Enterprise began to leave the atmosphere toward the space dock above the planet, which served as a checkpoint for departing ships. There was a loud roar as the Enterprise departed for the space dock. Back on the planet, everyone moved to a large video monitor inside the docks' main terminal. There, they could witness the final departure of the Enterprise. The Star Fox team moved inside to see.
"Space dock, this is NCC-1701-D requesting passage, over." Jim's voice said over the intercom.
"NCC-1701-D, you are cleared for departure. Good luck out there, out."
"Data, maximum warp."
"Aye, sir."
Suddenly the engines of the Enterprise began to glow brighter and brighter, until suddenly the ship disappeared as it entered warp, and the Enterprise was gone. There was applause of good luck from the crowd as they went on their way.
"Well, that was pretty amazing." Falco said.
"Yeah. I tell you what, this has been a pretty interesting opening to our week here on Corneria." Slippy said with a bit of a laugh.
"Yeah, it'll be kinda nice to finally start relaxing." Fox said. "So, what do you guys have planned?"
"We figured we'd just make it up as we go along." Falco said.
"Well, the two of you go ahead and have fun. Krystal and I have our own plans." Fox replied. Falco and Slippy went on their way while Fox took Krystal on a little tour of where he grew up. Krystal smiled and leaned her head against Fox's shoulder.
"So, what do you think they're going Fox?" she asked.
"If I know Falco, he's probably gonna spend his whole day at the gun range." Fox said with a laugh in his voice.
"It'll be nice to see where you grew up." Krystal said.
"Trust me, you're going to love this city." The two walked on hand in hand. Fox showed her all of the places he remembered when he was a kit. He showed Krystal his old house and a small grassy area on the outskirts of town where he and his father would have pretend battles. Near the end of the day, Fox took Krystal to a section of the beach that only he and his parents knew about. It was a secluded are with few rocks and a clear view of the horizon. That evening, the two sat on the beach to watch the sunset.
"Beautiful, isn't it Fox?" Krystal said.
"It sure is." Fox said as he kissed Krystal's head. She then leaned her head on Fox's shoulder and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. The two stayed on the beach until dark. They walked back to the hotel, Fox's arm around Krystal's waist.
"It's so nice to finally be alone, just the two of us." Krystal said. She let out a loud yawn as they got to the hotel.
"Tired?" said Fox.
"Mm-hmm." said Krystal, as she started to doze off. Fox walked Krystal back to her room. Before she went in, she gave Fox one more passionate kiss.
"Thanks for showing me around, Foxie."
"Anytime, Krys." Fox replied. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Goodnight, Fox. I love you." Krystal said in a soft, warm voice.
"I love you too." Fox said with the same tone of warmth and love.
As Fox walked back to his room, his feelings of worry about what the Enterprise was going to investigate returned. He went back to his room, trying to reassure himself that it was nothing. But for some reason, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that the Enterprise was warping into a trap. He went to his computer to do a little research.
"Computer, bring up information on the Parvenian System."
"Affirmative." the computer's voice said. "Parvenian System, Delta Quadrant. Composed of twenty-three planets. Two planets have been admitted into the Federation, Naboo and Tatooine."
"What is the current military condition of the system?"
"Recent reports from Naboo suggest possible conflicts. Aggressors are a group known as the CIS, Confederacy of Independent Systems."
"Bring up information on the Confederacy of Independent Systems."
" One moment…Confederacy of Independent Systems. Government: Separatist Confederacy. Constitution: Articles of Secession. Commander-in-Chief: Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies. Head of State: Unknown. De facto Leader: Unknown. Head of Government: Separatist Council. Founded in the year 2453. Relationship with the United Federation of Planets: Hostile."
At those words, Fox's heart sank. He knew that the Separatists were waiting for Jim. I've gotta find out more. Maybe if I could access the Federation's memory banks.
"Computer access Federation Memory Alpha."
"Access requires Federation Level 1 clearance."
"Damn." Fox thought. Then he got an idea. "James Patrick Kavannagh, Admiral, USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D, 23rd Fleet, Starfleet, United Federation of Planets." Fox said.
"Access granted." the computer replied.
Thank God, Fox thought.
"Access current military actions of the Confederacy of Independent Systems."
"Current condition of Separatist forces: Active."
Oh, no, Fox thought. The computer continued. "Recent Separatist attacks: Kashyyyk, Felucia, Mustafar, Hoth, Naboo, Kamino, Utapau, Tatooine, Mygeeto, Yavin 4, Endor."
Fox fell back in his chair. He felt like he could barely breathe, knowing that his friend was about to enter a system that was mostly controlled by the Separatists. Oh, God. This is bad. This is very, very bad, he thought.
"Fox, are you alright?" a voice said behind him. Fox jumped and whirled around to see Krystal standing in the doorway. She had a concerned look on her face as she stared at Fox.
"Wh-What are you doing here, Krystal? Is everything okay?" Fox asked with a near breathless voice. He then remembered that she was telepathic. She must have heard Fox's thoughts as he was doing his research.
"I felt a strange feeling coming from this room. It felt like you were in distress." Fox turned around and buried his face in his hands. Krystal went up and put her arms around Fox's shoulders.
"Fox, what's wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.
"Jim's warping into a trap." Fox said.
"What do you mean?" asked Krystal with a bit of shock. Then she looked over to the computer screen and read exactly what Fox had. She gasped as she realized what was going on.
"This is bad." Fox said. "It's like fishing. The Separatists created that signal intentionally to lure the Federation in and now they've got the Enterprise on the line. We've got to find some way to contact Jim and warn him."
Krystal gave Fox a tight hug to try to calm him down. She looked up into his eyes and Fox into hers.
"Fox, it will be alright. Didn't you see how advanced the Enterprise was? And moreover, didn't you see how big it was? And if James can get through two battles against the Klingons and make it out with his life on both occasions, I think he can handle these Separatists." Krystal said. Fox was still concerned. Krystal didn't know how Fox did it, but he managed to break his gaze into Krystal's eyes. She brought his gaze back and gave him a deep kiss. "Stop worrying." she said. "He'll be fine."
Fox smiled and returned her kiss. "Alright, Krystal. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just getting a bit worked up. You have a good point. If Jim can defeat the Klingons, he can defeat the Separatists."
Krystal smiled and hugged Fox again, resting her head on his shoulder. Fox sighed deeply as he felt a wave of relief surge over him.
"It'll be fine. Your friend isn't going to die." Krystal said as she stroked her hand through the fur on Fox's forehead.
"Thanks, Krys. I can't imagine what it would be like if I hadn't met you." Fox said. Krystal blushed and leaned in to give Fox a tender kiss.
"I should let you get some rest, and let you calm down a bit." Krystal said.
"Alright. Goodnight Krystal." Fox said.
"Goodnight. I love you, Foxie." Krystal said as she smiled and gave fox one last kiss.
"I love you too, Krystal." Fox said. She smiled and walked out the door. Fox looked over at the computer screen, which still displayed the details of the CIS and all of the planets they had attacked. Fox shook his head and shut off the computer. Jim's gonna be fine. Krystal's right. I just need to calm down and stop worrying, he thought as he lay down on the bed and began to doze off into a peaceful sleep.