As Fox looked out into space, a distant flash of light caught his eye. He squinted at the odd flicker as the ship suddenly began to shake. Fox steadied himself against the wall as a ship nearly the size of the Prospect drifted silently past. The ship was unlike any he had seen before, a huge irregular shape resembling a piece of driftwood with circular markings along it's blue and gray hull. He looked again at the ship as it slowly turned and began to approach the Prospect a second time, Fox looked back where Jack was sitting and watching from the captain's chair.
"You don't seem nervous about that ship." Fox said to Jack.
"It's an Acera trade ship." Jack said with a smile. "They've agreed to loan us some power to get the reactor back online in exchange, we're going to jump them to their destination."
"Acera?" Fox said as a soft melodic whistle echoed in the room.
"Understood, we're ready for you to come aboard." Jack spoke into the com as he looked at Fox.
"What was that?"
"That was the Acera. They communicate via tuned whistles, which takes a bit of getting used to. Once you get an ear for it they're easy to understand, I've got a vocalizer you can use that will translate if necessary, it's in the cabinet to the right of the door, just put it in your ear. You can come with me if you want, they're just coming aboard to coordinate the energy charge with their ship. They shouldn't be here more than an hour or so."
Fox decided to follow Jack down to meet the Acera technicians, he was unprepared for what he saw when the airlock door opened. There stood three teal skinned creatures, each just over a meter in height. They walked on four legs, the back two were roughly half the size of the front and seemed to be used only for balance when they were standing still, and had two arms that stopped at the elbow and separated into three segmented tentacles that waved eerily at their side. Their heads had five black, spherical eyes, a central eye that blinked and two each on either side that did not. There was no mouth to speak of, just a small circular hole where the chin would be with several strands of bright yellow hair sticking out.
"Welcome aboard." Jack said as he stepped out of their way. The creatures began walking toward Fox making the same melodic noises he had heard on the bridge. It was then Fox realized he had taken the device Jack mentioned but had not put it in his ear. He fumbled in his pockets as one of the creatures spoke to Jack.
"He's a Cornerian." Jack told the alien. "One of the races we've discovered out in the Becker cluster. They're a very diverse race, much like the humans and have been an interesting study. They're just a few decades from reliable light speed travel. I trust him as well as the others on this ship, we are equals here." The creature whistled, raised a tentacle, and patted Fox on the shoulder before moving on down the hall toward the elevator.
"What did he say?" Fox asked Jack as the three creatures stepped into the elevator and closed the doors.
"He said it was nice to meet you and he wishes you and your people the best."
"Oh." Fox said rubbing his shoulder. "I wasn't expecting that."
"The Acera were almost completely wiped out by a disease on their homeworld. They don't have any kind of jump drive technology and were confined to their star system when we discovered them. Our people were able to isolate the virus that was causing the disease and help the Acera eliminate it, though not without massive loss of life."
"So how did they get here if their ships don't have jump drives?"
"Most of the colonized systems like this one have a jump gate, or a ship dedicated to opening jump portals to other systems in it's range. They pay a toll and go through the portal, we're just helping them bypass paying the toll."
"Oh." Fox said.
"You look pretty rough." Jack told Fox as he walked toward the bridge. "Maybe you should get some rest, I'll let you know when we get back to Io station." Fox nodded and made his way down to the crew quarters, Fara, Falco, and Katt were already in their rooms. Fox decided to turn in for the night, he flopped on the bed and drifted off to sleep.
As he slept, images of Krystal flooded his dreams, he saw her in Panther's arms, running from Wolf, starving and left to die on some barren and forgotten world, and sitting alone in some run-down apartment, crying. When he snapped awake and sat up he could almost hear her voice again, but his room was dark and empty, only the subtle humming of the ship's engines broke the silence. Sitting in the dark with his thoughts, Fox decided to tell Fara how he really felt about Krystal. Their relationship was stalled with Fara wanting Fox to join the Cornerian Defense Force and Fox refusing to give up the ability to do things his own way. Joining the CDF meant conflicting orders, tedious procedures, and following a doctrine that three times over had failed to protect and defend Corneria. Krystal understood that, Fara could not. To Fara, the CDF was the only thing keeping Corneria safe. She couldn't understand the need to hire people like Fox to do the job she had been trained for, Fara saw him as an inferior and the only way he would ever be more to her was to join the CDF.
Fox laid back on the bed and looked at the clock on the nightstand beside it. Every human ship operated on the same time set, apparently based on their homeworld's standard day and every clock displayed it along with a preset local time. This clock displayed Cornerian time, and it was just a bit past mid day. Fox remembered the warm Cornerian summers and the afternoons he spent with Krystal just lying in the shade. Those were some of the best days he had since his father James disappeared and he was going to do whatever he could to get them back. He rolled on his side and went back to sleep.
Fox was jolted out of bed by the shockwave of a massive explosion, his room was bathed in a dull red light that pulsed in sync with the shreaking alarm that echoed throughout the ship. He walked toward the doorway leading out of his room, the door was already open and bright white lights flashed around the doorframe. Once in the hallway Fox went to check on the others, their doors were open and the rooms empty. A slight haze began to form as Fox followed a trail of strobing lights along the floor toward the central part of the ship. He could hear objects hitting the hull, the elevator was offline and a panel had opened next it, revealing a ladder where the trail of strobing lights ended. He finally caught up to Fara, who was just about to climb to the upper deck.
"What happened?" He asked.
"I don't know." Fara said, shaking her head. "I was going to get that question answered. Have you seen Katt or Falco?"
"No, their doors were open but they weren't inside. I hope they're alright."
"They're probably going the same place we are." Fara climbed the ladder with Fox right behind her, they made their way up to the bridge to look for the others. Katt and Falco were standing on the bridge when Fox and Fara entered the room. The consoles on the bridge showed various parts of the ship blinking red and the screen at the front of the room looked out over the forward part of the ship showing the gaping hole from the explosion. The ship was still under power and moving into a jump portal just ahead. Fara remembered the device Jack had given her and went over to one of the consoles.
"Fox." Falco said. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I was hoping Jack was here and could tell us."
"We haven't seen him." Katt said. "He wasn't in his room."
"Here's what happened, Krystal." Fara said with disgust as she began pressing buttons on one of the communications consoles. A grainy hologram appeared above the console, it was heavily distorted and Fox couldn't make out who it was, a second screen showed a small ship coming out of warp and approaching the Prospect as a recording started to play.
"Fox, it's me." The voice was Krystal's. "They're after me Fox, Wolf and the others, I don't know how much time I have. I'm sending you my coordinates, please get me out of here." Fox looked at the video of the small ship approaching, it suddenly picked up speed as it circled the ship before slamming into the hull and exploding in a white-hot flash. The explosion blasted through the center part of the ship sending a cone of twisted debris and smoldering metal out the other side.
"So, what do you think of Krystal now Fox?" Fara said as she turned away from the console.
"I don't know." Fox said, shaking his head. "She's got alot to answer for."
"What about the ship?" Falco asked. "It looks pretty bad from here."
"Hull integrity is at 34%, forward hangar bays inaccessible due to hull breach, maneuvering thrusters offline, primary defensive systems offline, shield emitters at 28%, life support at 45%, warp core is disabled. Repair drone population is at 70% of optimal, replacements are being assembled, there's a power drain in one..."
"Alright, I get it." Falco interrupted Fara. "The ship's a wreck, I didn't need a full diagnostic."
"I was just repeating what the ship was telling me."
"The ship was talking to you?" Fox asked.
"Not really talking. Jack gave me a device that lets me access the computer and flight systems of a human ship. When I started using this console the ship started giving me information and recommending ways to fix the problems it's having. The best way I can describe it is the ship's computer gets in your head and gives you directions on how to fix its problems, then lets you make the decisions and allocate resources."
"I think I'll pass." Falco said smugly.
"Any luck finding Jack?" Katt asked.
"Not yet." Fara responded.
"Maybe he was at the impact site." Fox began. "He may not be on the ship anymore, he could have been blown..."
"I found him!" Fara jumped up from the console and ran out of the room. Fox and the others looked at screen on the console. Jack was lying still and face down in one of the smoke filled corridors near the explosion site. Fox, Falco, and Katt rushed out of the room and found Fara climbing down the ladder to the lower level. He could just make out her head in the thickening smoke.
"Fara wait!" Fox yelled down to her. "We don't know if we can get to that part of the ship."
"We can get there, it's two levels down and near the rear hangar access on the right side of the ship." Fara said. "I'm going to need help." Fara and the others rushed down to the lower level of the ship, stopping to open a nearby emergency medical cabinet. Fara was puzzling over the unusual equipment inside when she spotted a collapsible backboard. She pulled it out of the cabinet and ran toward the hangar access with the others. They found Jack lying in the hallway, the explosion had thrown him against the wall leaving a dent where he hit. His body was covered in cuts from the flying debris and his clothing and skin were badly burned, Fara tried to wake him up but was unable.
"He's a mess. We need to get these injuries treated." Fara said.
"So, anyone know how to patch up a human?" Falco looked at the others, who stood silent. "I didn't think so."
"Not helping Falco." Fara scolded. "The ship was completing it's last jump back into HSF territory when it was attacked. We can load him on that shuttle I used to get back to the ship after my Airwing was destroyed and take him to the nearest station."
"Wasn't it damaged too?" Fox asked.
"Yeah, but the Prospect is so badly damaged it can't warp and there's no other ship on board that could carry him in the condition he's in. I can fly the shuttle, I just need help getting Jack on board." The group carefully lifted Jack off the floor and placed him on the backboard. They carried him through the flickering lights of the smoke filled ship to the rear hangar where Fara had docked the shuttle. The Prospect's drones had made a good bit of progress repairing the shuttle though the hull was still covered in scorch marks from the mining drones lasers. Jack was carried onto the shuttle and carefully strapped down to the floor of the cargo hold, once he was secure, Fara took off and headed for Io station. Fox, Falco, and Katt went back to the bridge to continue overseeing the Prospect's repairs and stabilize the stricken ship. Katt looked at a nearby console that gave an overview of the ship, after nearly three hours of struggling with the ship's failing systems they managed to repair 1% of the damage to the hull. Katt stepped back, turned around and looked at the others. Fox was staring intently at a screen near the captain's chair, his hands racing over the flashing buttons on the touchscreen. Falco was looking out over the forward part of the ship, occasionally pressing a button on a nearby console to look busy.
"Well, now what do we do?" Katt asked. "We'll never get out of here at this rate."
"I've got an idea." Fox told her. "I'm going back to Lylat to get ROB. He can oversee the repairs, work faster than the three of us combined, and act as pilot while Jack's away."
"You assume he's coming back." Falco said. "He might not survive the trip back to the station. Besides, we're done here."
"What do you mean we're done?" Fox asked.
"Krystal's gone, Jack's half dead, that Miri girl's gone nuts and is out to kill us." Falco continued. "We've got nothing left to fight with, this ship is trashed, and we don't even know who we're fighting or why. I say we ditch this wreck and go find some action that pays back in Lylat."
"So you're just walking out again?"
"There's nothing left here Fox. If you stay here, it's going to be you and ROB, just like before." A nearby console started beeping, interrupting Falco. Fox walked over and pressed the flashing button on the panel, it was call from Io station.
"Fox, it's Fara."
"I'm here Fara."
"Jack's in pretty bad shape, the doctors here told me what was wrong but I really didn't understand much of it. Anyway, I've decided to stay here until Jack's back on his feet, it might be awhile. He saved my life Fox, I owe him. I hope you understand."
"I understand Fara, keep us posted if anything happens, we'll do the same. Fox out." He switched off the console with a deep sigh and stood staring at the darkened screen. Falco used the opportunity to make his way to the door, grabbing Katt on the way out. He hurried down the hall the ladder next to the elevator, leaving Fox standing alone on the bridge.
"Where are we going Falco?" Katt asked.
"Shh." Falco said. "We're going back to Lylat, this whole thing is more trouble than it's worth. We're getting out of here while we can still get to our Airwings."
"Yeah but we can't get back to Lylat, it's too far away." Katt pleaded with Falco. "We really should stay and help Fox."
"I'm not going to stop you if you want to quit Falco." Fox said as he walked up behind Falco. "I need you to do me one favor before you go. Stay here until I get back with ROB, then I can jump you and Katt back to Lylat, you can't make it back any other way."
"Fine." Falco said. "You want to stay out here and fix this wreck, you do it alone. When you get back, I'm gone." Fox pushed past Falco and climbed down the ladder to the hangar deck. Falco went back up to the bridge and watched Fox and his Airwing pass into a jump portal directly infront of the ship. About an hour had passed when Fox requested a return portal, Katt followed his instructions and Fox was back onboard in a matter of minutes. Falco wasted no time and passed Fox docking his Airwing, then demanded to be jumped back to Lylat as soon as he was in space. Fox used the opportunity to show ROB how to open a portal and watched with clenched teeth as Falco and Katt raced through.
"Bye Fox." Katt said as she followed Falco into the portal. "I'm sorry." Fox turned around without saying a word and went back to repairing the ship.
Fara sat silently in one of the waiting lounges of Io station, the doctors had asked her to wait outside while they operated. As she looked around she caught some of the humans in the room looking at her. There was no hostility in their eyes, only curiosity, some even offered her something to drink or eat. After surveying the room she realized she was the only Cornerian there and the more she thought about it, despite seeing them all over the docking bays, she hadn't seen another Cornerian in this part of the station. The medical wing on Io station was completely white with polished floors and satin walls that bleached out any other color giving the area a dull and sterile look Fara found depressing. The echo of hushed voices and the occasional beep of the medical equipment broke what was an eerie silence, Fara could hear the shuffle of boots coming down the hall, some of the humans sitting in the lounge stood at attention as a group of what looked to be military officers approached the receptionist desk nearby. The receptionist pointed in Fara's direction and group of officers looked at her in unison. A human woman, the most decorated of the group began walking toward her, she stopped infront of Fara's chair and introduced herself.
"Fara Phoenix." She said. "I'm Admiral Constance Miller of the HSF Third Fleet." Fara looked up at the Admiral, she was an older woman, probably in the last third of her life, wearing a cylindrical hat decorated with golden rope. Her uniform was neatly pressed and decorated with various bars and medals. She leaned forward and whispered with a smile.
"This is where you stand up hun."
"I'm sorry Admiral." Fara said as she stood at attention.
"At ease." The Admiral replied again with a smile. "Don't worry about it too much, it's just a formality. The brass behind me gets uppity if I don't follow procedure. I'd like you to take a walk with me, my associates here will let us know if anything changes with our mutual acquaintance." Fara nodded and followed the Admiral down the hall to a door with a coded lock. The Admiral entered a code on the keypad, opened the door, and gestured with her hand for Fara to go inside. Fara nervously stepped through the doorway and blinked as the automated lights came on. The room was like the rest of the medical wing, plain white and sterile. There was a small table with an ornately decorated box sitting in the center and a chair on either side.
"I'm not sure how they do things in the CDF." The Admiral said as she closed the door. "But I'd like to present you with a gift."
"A gift?" Fara said, looking at the box on the table.
"Yes, a medal for your actions on your most recent mission."
"I wasn't aware I did anything worthy of a medal."
"Nonsense, you completed your objective, escaped Interstellar Iridium's little trap, and helped get one of our own back to get patched up. Humans have a rule about leaving their comrades behind, we don't do it." The Admiral opened the box and handed it to Fara, inside was a small golden medal in the shape of a five pointed star. There was an inscription above the star Fara couldn't read, but she felt a knot in her throat as she looked at it.
"Now, with interplanetary politics being what they are, I can't formally give this to you. But I think you deserve to know what your efforts mean to us. There are forces at work on both sides that are trying to take advantage of our situation with the Lylat system, it may not look like it, but you're helping to stop them."
"What forces?" Fara looked up at the Admiral.
"You've already met one, Interstellar Iridium. The other we don't have much information on, we're not sure if it's an active part of the CDF or just an entity posing as part of the CDF. They wield quite a bit of influence within your government whoever they are."
"So what is Interstellar Iridium?" Fara asked.
"Well, most of that information is classified, there's alot we don't know." The Admiral began. "I will tell you what we do know. Interstellar Iridium started as an Earth based manufacturer of military hardware, we don't know which country it originated from or what company it was. We do know they were involved in the early stages of space exploration, possibly as far back as the first landings on Earth's moon over 1,000 years ago. During the expansion into our star system, they developed a particle beam for mining asteroids that could extract minerals without destroying the asteroid itself and could be set to extract different minerals by varying its frequency."
"What's so special about that? We've been using mining beams as long as I can remember."
"Before the invention of mining beams, miners had to break asteroids into smaller pieces that could be carried in a cargo bay and brought to a refinery where the valuable minerals were extracted. It was time consuming and wasteful since only a small fraction of the asteroid contained usable minerals, the rest just took up space. There was also the danger of rogue asteroid fragments drifting away and colliding with other ships in the area. The mining beam removes the minerals and deposits them in the cargo hold of a ship leaving the asteroid looking like pumice but otherwise completely intact."
"How did they take control of all these other systems?"
"The way all corporations do, litigation. They sued us off our homeworld. Since they had the market cornered on mineral extraction they built up wealth very quickly and were able to convince the HSF command counsel to allow a buffer zone around the home system to prevent hostile alien civilizations from finding it. Then they simply setup a defensive grid around the home system and conveniently forgot to allow us access to it. No member of the HSF has been allowed to freely travel to Earth in over 400 years."
"So you can't even go to your own homeworld?"
"To preserve the environment on the planet, Earth's population was capped at 4.5billion. Pregnancy is forbidden on the planet and no one is allowed to visit unless someone else leaves. Residents of Earth often sell time on the planet for massive amounts of credits. Even if you purchase time you still have to find a way to get to the planet, and it's location is very closely guarded. We defend with our lives a planet we can't set foot on. But enough about Earth, if I continue I'll start yelling."
"I'm sorry." Fara said looking at the box in her hands. "Thank you for this, I can't put into words what this means." The Admiral stood up and walked to the, she spoke as she opened it.
"Just be careful who you show that too, the CDF does not like their own helping us out."
"I understand." Fara said. One of the officers that accompanied the Admiral came running down the hall with a small datapad in his hand. He stopped infront of the Admiral and saluted.
"Admiral, I have information on Jack Roberts, the CSU that was recently admitted here."
"What's his status?" The Admiral barked at the officer.
"Missing." The officer replied with a worried look on his face.
"What do you mean missing?" The Admiral yelled and began stomping down the hall toward the recovery rooms.