Chapter 19
Panther laid in his bed on the Onyx, staring at the dark ceiling overhead. He hadn't slept all night. When his head touched the pillow several hours ago, the weight of his decision to go with Sable had sunk in. He was leaving behind Lylat now, maybe forever, and it was because of the words of a woman he didn't even know. Everything he was saying goodbye to crossed his mind as the hours passed: no more thrill of the chase in evading the CDF with Star Wolf, no more of Corneria City's nightlife, no more walks on the beaches of Zoness.
And no more Krystal…
Granted, even a year ago when he first saw that blue vixen, he knew she was a long shot at best. They fought side by side during the Aparoid Invasion, and sometimes she smiled or even laughed at his compliments, but there was no question her heart belonged to Fox. Nonetheless, Panther liked a challenge, so he'd chased after her anyway. It still hurt when he lost her to Fox though, and now he'd never get another shot.
"Panther…" an alluring voice purred.
He bolted upright from underneath the sheets, jerking his head towards where the voice came from. Sable smiled at him from the hallway's open door, leaning against the frame as though she'd been watching him for some time. While glad she was here, it creeped him out how quiet the doors were on this ship. You pushed a button and a hole appeared without a sound. Sable seemed to understand this well.
"How did you sleep?" She walked over. Her feet were barefoot, the steps near silent.
Panther couldn't reply, shocked by her sudden appearance. Compared to the white dress she'd worn yesterday, her current dress made that look like something you could wear to a funeral. It was colored gold, mimicking the hue of her golden slit eyes, much like Panther's own. The top was little more than a small strap running around the back of her neck, a small piece of fabric covering her breasts which showed off every little curve. The fabric ran down to a small skirt sitting high up on her hips, letting him see acres of her dark, spotted fur. His eyes traced her entire figure, Panther feeling his heart pounding as she sat on the end of his bed.
She liked what she saw too, admiring his bare chest with its well-defined muscles under his own dark fur, although her grin faded when she noticed the look on his face. "Is something on your mind?"
Krystal, of course, but he decided on a different response. "Lylat…" He looked at the wall, as though gazing back to his home system. "I've never left it before."
"You're coming home to Thaljista. Why worry about Lylat anymore?" She laughed, like no further discussion was needed.
"But I've never even been to Thaljista."
She shuffled across the sheets closer to her, leaning on him, letting her body heat wash over his. Panther's tail twitched underneath the covers, as their noses almost touched. It was like when they'd met back on the Retribution…
"Don't worry," she whispered. "With me around, it'll feel like home in no time."
She licked his neck fur, surprising him and sending a ripple of energy through his body. A grin soon followed from him though, as he met her golden eyes. He smiled back and licked her as well, Sable purring at the sensation. Why bother to think of Krystal anymore? Also, when was the last time he got to be with another cat like himself? Felines were difficult to find in Lylat, after all. He leaned in for another lick, but his tongue only met air.
"Well, let's have our morning meal." She jumped off the bed.
Eyes widened, Panther's tongue hung out of his mouth, staring after her. What the—?
She was already at the door, gesturing towards something sitting on a nearby dresser. "I've brought you something to wear as well."
Panther looked there, spotting a pile of burgundy clothes embroidered with gold thread. As he got out of bed and picked up the top garment, it unfurled down to his ankles, resembling some kind of long robe or tunic. She'd also provided him with a matching pair of cloth trousers. It looked odd and antiquated to him, although the fabric was pleasing to the touch. He slipped on the garments, appreciating the extra warmth they gave in the ship's coldness.
"You look good, like a true Thaljistani." Sable smiled at him.
He grinned back, then went to the foot of his bed to collect his flight boots.
"Don't bother with those," she said.
She wanted him to be barefoot too? Strange, but all right. He left the shoes where they lay, meeting her at the door.
"That's better." She turned around, setting off while Panther followed. She swayed her black spotted tail back and forth behind her, drawing attention to her rear.
Panther's heart raced as he watched her tail flick back and forth, like the mesmerizing dance of a charmed snake. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
"We're here." She interrupted his thoughts as she stopped at a door, turning around and waving for him to enter.
Panther rounded the corner, eyes widening at the sight. He'd traveled to every corner of Lylat, seen a diverse array of cultures and customs across all the planets, but before him was something he'd never seen before.
Red curtains covered the walls, their folds curving up to an elaborate brass lantern hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. It gave the impression of being inside a tent, which looked bizarre inside a spaceship. A haphazard arrangement of richly embroidered carpets lined the floor, detailed with elaborate patterns and varied colors. Most of them were earth tones, although red with golden accents appeared to be a common theme as well. He took a step inside the room, the soft texture of the carpets pleasant under his bare feet. He smiled, scrunching up his padded toes on the surface. Now he understood why Sable didn't want him wearing his boots.
A low, small table sat underneath the lantern, with only cushions provided to sit on. Strange setup, but it was interesting. Almost like sitting down for a picnic. They took their seats, but the table was empty. Panther waited to see if a servant would bring in food…but a halo of bluish white light appeared on the table. As the halo rose upwards, food appeared on the table beneath it, until the halo shrunk into a dot and popped out of existence. Panther jumped back, surprised. Sable giggled.
The table held small bread rolls, a pot filled with some type of red bean, and a large plate with small cubed chunks of meat. The meat appeared to be the main course. He sniffed, picking up a rich aroma of seasonings and spices, particularly from the meat chunks. While tantalizing to his senses, they overwhelmed him, his eyes watering as the scent wafted throughout the room.
However, something was missing.
"No forks or knives?" Panther noted there were spoons and bowls for the beans, but that was it.
"We don't eat with them." Sable smirked, as she extended a claw on her finger and speared one of the meat chunks with it, putting the morsel in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. "When all other weapons fail, you still have your claws. Eating with your hands trains dexterity with your claws, so you will be prepared to use them when needed."
What kind of a world was Thaljista if it was necessary to train with your claws every day? Panther held up his hands, extending his own talons. He couldn't remember the last time he'd used these in a fight. A blaster was all he needed about ninety-nine percent of the time. That was why it surprised him so much when Giichi used his own claws earlier to slip out of his grasp.
Sable frowned, eying the tips of Panther's nails. "Why did you file them down?" They were rounded instead of ending in sharp points.
"Well…" Panther turned over his hands, looking at the claws from another angle. "They get in my way more than anything. I do that so I don't scratch things by accident."
"Life in Lylat has pacified you, I see." She smiled, finding it amusing. "But don't worry. That will be fixed soon enough."
Panther frowned. Pacified?
"Anyway, try the food." She gestured towards the meal.
Looking at the meat a second time, his eyebrows raised. He speared one of the chunks on the claw on his pointer finger and stuck it in his mouth, letting his sharp teeth grind it up. The spices were a medley in his mouth, almost overwhelming the meat itself, but even he could recognize the underlying flavor of the cuts he was eating.
"This…" Panther swallowed the chewed-up cube, looking at the rest on the tray. "Is this thoreice meat?"
Sable grinned, liking the expression on his face. "I presume you know how much it sells for in Lylat, yes?"
Panther couldn't say anything, stunned by what was before him.
He was a connoisseur of fine foods, having a few favored cafes and restaurants within Corneria City, and he used them to sample the finest delicacies Lylat had to offer. It impressed women too, when he could tell them about dishes like two-hundred-credits-a-pound khazana crab from Zoness, three-hundred-credits-a-pound shakora steaks from Katina, or albarra ice cream from the finest dairies in Corneria's countryside. They would think him cultured, intelligent, and rich as they dined on such fine things. And why not spend the money? With his old line of work, he could have easily died at any time, so why not live as if every day was his last in Lylat?
This meat however… a small dish of thoreice had a price tag in Corneria City which could feed a family there for a couple of months easily. And here they were eating a massive tray of it like it was something from a cheap buffet.
"It's a local delicacy on Thaljista." Sable continued to eat smaller chunks. "There's a particular House that made its fortune breeding, raising, and slaughtering thoreice cattle along the Thoreice River. Hence the name. Do you know the House?"
Panther shook his head. He didn't even know 'houses' were a thing on Thaljista.
Sable giggled. "You have a lot to learn, young Panther. But you will enjoy your education."
Young Panther? But she looks about as old as me… Nonetheless, he didn't say anything more and kept eating along… Mmm…he found some of Sable's customs odd, but if there were going to be more meals like this later, he could get used to living on Thaljista with her.
"What kind of education will I get?" Panther asked.
"You'll learn what it means to be a true Thaljistani." Sable smiled.
Panther raised an eyebrow. She was serious when she'd made that same comment earlier, after he'd put on these clothes?
"Thaljista might be alien to you now, but when we get there you'll be pleasantly surprised. It has more to do with you than you think." She reached over, patting him on the leg. "Anyway, eat hearty. Your training begins after breakfast."
Panther was busy picking up the next cube of meat, but turned to her when she mentioned training. "Wait, already?"
"We might as well. It's a long trip to Thaljista."
Good point. After learning Giichi was from Thaljista, Panther had looked up how long it would take to get there from Lylat, and was floored by the distance. Even with the help of the Beltino Gate, a journey to the Diaspora system would last a month. It was a long time to be stuck inside a ship, although he suspected it wouldn't be too bad with Sable around. He smiled. And it would be plenty of time to convince her to come to bed with him. Surely she'd eventually come around, if for no other reason than it would be a good way to pass the time…right?
He ate his food as quickly as he could, wanting to have plenty of energy for whatever training would be thrown at him.
It shouldn't be hard, though. Being a part of Star Wolf has given me plenty of training and experience already. But if I apply myself with enthusiasm, she'll recognize it and reward me accordingly.
Thirty minutes later, Panther found himself inside a training room alongside Sable. The walls and floors here were white, in contrast with the black walls throughout the rest of the ship. It blinded him for a moment as he entered, with his eyes needing some time to adjust. A fighting ring outlined in red sat in the middle of the room, while a small shooting range waited off to one side.
"Take off your robe." Sable held out her hand.
After unbuttoning it, he handed over the garment to her, leaving him in nothing but his new burgundy-colored pants.
"So…" Panther looked around the room. "What exactly am I doing here?"
Sable smirked, nodding towards a doorway on the other side of the room. As if on cue, the two bodyguards Sable had with her on the Retribution—the snow leopard and the puma—entered, still wearing the same gray bodysuits they had before, along with their silver gloves. Both of them stared right at him, their faces hard edged but otherwise expressionless, scanning him as if to detect any hint of weakness. Maybe this training wasn't going to be so easy...
"Jima." Sable nodded towards the snow leopard. "Rihat." She did the same towards the puma. "Let's begin."
Jima picked up a nearby metallic container, unscrewing the top and holding out the opening towards Panther. He knew what was inside, grimacing at it.
"You want me to put it back on?" he turned to Sable.
"Please," she said.
Panther frowned, sticking his hand into the jar. A familiar metallic goo covered it, soon writhing and hardening around his fingers and wrist. He withdrew his hand from the jar, now covered with that silver glove again. Instead of melted like before, it flexed and stretched as he moved his fingers, like an ordinary glove.
"Jima repaired it and upgraded it for you." Sable smiled. "Doesn't it feel good to have it again?"
"Umm…" Panther looked it over. "I didn't actually want it in the first place. It's not even mine." He would have given it back to Ooveh on the Retribution if the damn thing hadn't formed such an attachment to him.
And frankly, he was glad last night when Jima had taken it off. She touched it with her own glove, and immediately it turned into goo and slipped off his hand and into the waiting jar. Well, at least now it was more solid and didn't feel as weird as it did yesterday.
"That bear's loss is your gain, is it not?" She smiled, looking at how it fit to his arm. "Also, I'm surprised the Separatists were able to make something like this. It's a shoddy knockoff of what we already have…" She indicated towards Jima's and Rihat's gloves. "But I'm almost impressed they were this far along in development."
"What?" Panther's eyes widened. On the way back to the Retribution from Fortuna, Ooveh had told stories about how this glove could transform into a sword, claws, an arm cannon, and even a personal defensive shield capable of holding off minigun gunfire. So if that was the knockoff, what was the real thing like? He spared another glance at Jima's and Rihat's gauntlets, not noticing much of a visible difference between his and theirs.
"I'll explain more later." Sable's voice changed to a businesslike tone. "For now, you need to become one with your new weapon." Sable nodded towards Jima. "Start the synchronization."
Jima approached him, still wearing a stony mask of indifference. Considering she was also a large cat, he found her attractive too like Sable, but he got the feeling this snow leopard was not one to be trifled with. A chill ran down Panther's back as she approached. What did this synchronization involve?
"Relax." Even though the word was meant to calm him, Jima spat it out at him, like scolding a child. "This will feel strange, but only for a moment." She reached forward, touching her glove to his. The two of them melded together at the fingertips, before she withdrew away and stood back.
Panther waited, nothing happening for a moment, but a sharp jolt of pain went through his hand. He gasped, clutching at his arm, his fingers snapped into a fist against his will. The fingers on the glove rippled, liquefying together before becoming individual digits again. His hand was contorted painfully inside by the liquid metal. Panther clutched at the glove, trying to take it off, but couldn't get a solid grip on its slippery surface.
"I told you to relax." Jima folded her arms. "Stand still. It'll be over soon."
Grimacing, Panther did as she said. The glove stopped morphing, Panther holding his hand still. An itchy sensation traveled up his arm, like thousands of ants crawling underneath the glove. He wanted to paw at it, try to soothe the itching, but Jima was still glaring at him. He held still, waiting for it to pass. The itchiness subsided into a tickly feeling, before a ripple moved through the material, putting it in closer contact to his flesh. Then it was over, like she said it would be.
Panther looked at the glove again. For some reason, it didn't feel like he was wearing it anymore. He held it up, examining it, flexing his fingers together. He could feel his fingers touching together when he made a fist, like the glove wasn't there. He moved the glove hand over his other arm, which was bare, and sensed the individual strands of fur.
This glove… It's taken over the sense of touch from my hand. It is my hand. What the hell is this thing? He stared at it in horror, like it was an alien parasite. Did his actual hand even still exist underneath this silver metal anymore?
"Synchronization was successful." Jima said to Sable.
"Good," Sable replied. "Now it's time for the actual training."
Panther looked back at Jima, as she held out her own glove. She formed her fingers into a blade shape, pointing them at the ceiling. The glove on her hand actually did become a blade, a sword-sized one. He jumped back, startled at seeing such a weapon suddenly formed around her hand. Holy crap, all those things Ooveh was saying about the gauntlet were real?
"Put your fingers together like I did." Jima sounded bored, like this was a waste of time.
Nonetheless, he responded without hesitation.
"Now… Imagine them forming into a sword."
He stared at her sword. Was it that simple? Nonetheless, he shut his eyes. Imagining a sword wasn't difficult for him. He did enjoy fencing from time to time. Perhaps he should imagine a rapier. He could feel his fingers narrowing, sharpening, and growing, like it was happening in real time. Bizarre… Like his arm had suddenly doubled in length. His eyes flew open.
Astonished, he saw his arm actually had become a sword, Panther holding it up and examining it. But as quickly as he'd created it, the blade melted away again, forming into his fingers once more. He looked at his hand, turning it over again and again.
Jima let out a sigh of disappointment. "Don't worry." Again, her words were meant to be reassuring, but she sounded like she didn't want to be doing this. Nonetheless she dutifully carried on. "It'll take some time before you're comfortable with the gauntlet's many modes. It does require a fair bit of concentration. But it'll become natural over time… As natural as breathing. Now, try again, this time without closing your eyes."
Panther focused on the fingers under the glove, snapping his arm off to one side away from both of them. He pictured the thin rapier he wanted to form, the blade extending outwards. He looked it over again, impressed by his feat, but it quickly collapsed back into his hand again.
"Try again," Jima repeated.
Panther tried several more times, each time managing to form the sword, but he couldn't maintain it, the weapon disappearing again as fast as it had appeared. He was frustrated, the sword lasting a shorter amount of time each time as he got angrier.
"You're not focusing." Jima frowned.
"What do you mean?" Panther asked. "How can I maintain focus?"
"Let go of your feelings. They're interfering with your concentration. You need to focus." A harsh edge colored her speech. "The sword is the first and most basic form you will learn. There are many more you'll need to learn after this, and they are considerably more complex."
That news daunted Panther. A sword was straightforward to imagine in his head, between its length, width, and whatnot. What about something like a gun?
"Don't worry so much, Panther." This time it was Sable behind him. She gave him a smile. "You'll get there eventually, right?"
Sighing, Jima said, "If you can master creating the sword and holding its form indefinitely, you are about ninety percent of the way towards mastering other forms." At least while Jima was stern, she appeared patient, but that might be due to Sable's influence. "Now, try to make the sword again. Think about holding its form. Nothing else. Think of it like you might concentrate on breathing when you want to relax."
Panther nodded, forming his hands into a blade shape once more. The sword appeared this time again, Panther not thinking about how incredible it was he was making a sword with only this crazy glove and his imagination. No. He just needed to imagine holding the shape. The sword stuck this time, Panther turning it over and over again to examine it. No thoughts on how cool this was or anything. No. The sword stuck as it was. After a while, he discovered he didn't even need to think consciously about it anymore. As soon as he decided he wanted his hand back…the sword complied, slipping back into his fingers.
"Good," Jima nodded. "Now I'll train you with some other forms…"
A few hours passed, Panther experimenting with his new weapon as Jima guided his progression, making sure he understood what he was doing with one form before moving onto the next. He created many other things, including a shield, a mace, and even towards the end of their time he'd managed to form a gun-like projectile weapon, although he hadn't been able to figure out how to shoot it yet. Jima said that was advanced compared to what they had been doing, but they'd get there in the coming days.
"That's enough for now," Sable said, smiling as she walked up next to Panther. "It's almost midday now. Time for another meal."
Panther didn't mind by this point. While it was cool he was able to make all of those things, he was never one to enjoy tasks which required intense mental concentration, and having done all of those forms for hours wore on him. He didn't particularly like working with Jima either…
After he slipped his robe back on, they returned to the strange tent-like dining room where they'd taken breakfast. This time there was a tray of what appeared to be raw meat in front of them, still bleeding even as it laid on the tray. It wasn't unheard of for there to be meals of raw meat for carnivore species in Lylat, although it was frowned upon. Concerns about diseases and whatnot being in the uncooked meat. Looked like the Thaljistanis didn't care about that. Without so much as any hesitation, immediately after Sable sat she picked up one giant hunk of the meat and chewed on it like it was nothing, her sharp teeth making quick work of it as blood dripped from her mouth.
Panther eyed the meat with a little more hesitance, picking up a chunk and biting into it, but being careful to not get himself too sloppy. It'd been a long time since he'd eaten raw meat like this. He'd mostly forgotten the flavor. Didn't exactly like how it was cold either. He preferred his meals warm and spicy.
Nonetheless, as they continued, he couldn't help but wonder about the thing still attached to his arm.
"How do you even make something like this?" Panther rolled the sleeve back on his robe, as he turned his gloved hand over, fanning his fingers out. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Oh, it's one of many wonderful creations brought to us by the House of Azer."
"House of Azer?" Panther narrowed his eyes.
"Of course! They're the rulers of the Azerian Kingdom, the rightful rulers of Thaljista."
They ruled the planet too? He'd never heard of an arrangement like this before in Lylat. Well, aside from Andross he supposed… "So they're scientists on top of ruling the planet?"
"So much more than that. Their knowledge comes directly from Thaal-Ja himself. The gloves are divinely inspired."
Panther looked at the glove again. So supposedly this wasn't created through scientific research, but because some god had beamed the knowledge to make it directly into the heads of whoever did. He had a hard time believing it, although with how weird this thing was and everything else about this ship, for all he knew it could be true.
"I see the way you look at my ship, the Onyx." Sable seemed to pick up on his thoughts. She gestured to the room around her. "How the walls morph and change shape. How this food is placed before us and then taken away as if by magic. Are you not curious about where this technology came from?"
Panther gazed around the room. It wasn't just those things. Something else was bothering him too. Space tended to be at a premium within starships, but Sable's personal quarters were massive for one person, as was Panther's own quarters. They dined alone in this huge, fancy dining room, and there was the giant-sized training room too. For a starship, these rooms were horribly inefficient wastes of space, and in fact if Panther remembered right, the dimensions of it all relative to the ship's exterior didn't make sense. The space occupied by the parts of the ship he'd seen would have to have been like ninety percent of the craft, leaving almost no room for any of the other parts of the ship to exist, like a bridge or an engine room, or space for the other passengers, or even the docking bay they used to first enter the ship, or even where they'd kept his Black Rose and his Hyoodin stored… He looked around the white room. Where the hell was all of this extra space coming from?
"You are impressed by it, are you not?" Sable smiled. "It is a perfect example of the things the Queen and her ancestors have created for our people. When the Queen summons Thaal-Ja after we return with the case, he will smile upon everything we have created from his knowledge, and he will allow us to join his empire amongst the stars."
"Sounds…great." Panther looked around the room, so she didn't have to see his uncertain face.
"Do you doubt me?" He could tell she'd picked up on his uncertain tone.
"Well, no…" Panther lied, scratching the back of his head. Worst part was he knew he didn't sound convincing.
Sable seemed to take it in stride however, still smiling at him. "Don't worry. When we return to our home, you will see his ascension yourself. You shall see and believe."
Again, there was that thing about calling Thaljista their home even though he'd never been there, like it was already assured. Why did she keep talking that way?
Also, was she going to be like this all of the time? A religious fanatic? Panther himself was never a religious or spiritual person, because almost every religious order in Lylat would condemn his hedonistic ways. But here, now…he found himself stuck in close proximity to somebody who spoke of creating paradise, about a chosen people, about a god returning to raise their civilization to something better than he could ever dream of. This whole talk sounded bizarre to him, since he'd never spoken to people like this before. And she sounded so sure of it, as if she had personally seen this god performing miracles. Was it a far stretch though, with what he had seen on this ship?
He supposed he would eventually find out one way or the other, although what happened next if Thaal-Ja was real?
~X~
A week later, Panther found himself in bed again, not wanting to get out. Jima had been running him ragged training him how to form shapes out of that damned glove, which was still attached to him. Jima wouldn't tell him how to remove it, saying he had to keep it on so it could better bond with him and learn how to work with him. And there were still three more weeks on this ship before they got to Thaljista…
And also, he still hadn't taken Sable to bed yet… Stubborn, she was. Why couldn't they mate already? He knew she wanted to do it, with how there'd been several times when they'd been alone, all over each other, and scarcely able to contain themselves, but at the last instant she'd always back off, saying she had something else to do on the ship, or he had to go to training, or he had to go to bed, or any other excuse. Goddamnit, what did he have to do to take her to bed?
Maybe it was a mistake to have taken Sable up on her offer. Was he being played here or something?
"Good morning Panther," Sable said from the doorway.
"Morning," Panther mumbled. By this point he'd gotten used to her showing up unannounced in his room to wake him.
"Ready for morning meal?"
"Sure…" He sighed, rolling out of bed, tail curling up behind him as he stretched and scratched himself with his claws, being a little more careful now about how he usually did that considering Sable wouldn't let him trim them now.
"Is something the matter?" Sable asked. "You don't sound as enthusiastic today."
You know what's the matter. Panther glared at her. Stop pretending you don't. "It's nothing."
Again, like many other times, Sable didn't seem to mind his gruff mood. "I have a surprise for you." She tilted her head, smirking.
A surprise? Maybe they'd finally mate? He grinned, looking up with interest. "What is it?"
"I'll show you after breakfast. Follow me?"
Panther threw on his clothes in a hurry, resisting the urge to sprint past her to their dining room. Once there, he quickly scarfed down breakfast. He couldn't wait to see what she was about to give him.
"So..." Sable clasped her fingers together.
Panther looked up from his meal, waiting for what she would say.
"Once you finish your meal, we're going to head to the bridge."
"Bridge?" Panther asked. Why there? He'd never once visited that place since he'd boarded.
"It won't be long before we drop out of warp. I want you to get a good look at Thaljista from above. You'll love it."
Startled, Panther dropped the morsel he was about to eat. "Already? It's only been a week!"
"But of course!" Sable laughed. "You don't doubt me, do you? Not after all the other things I have shown you?"
If she wasn't lying, that meant the Onyx's speed outclassed everything in Lylat by a huge margin, even taking the new Beltino Orbital Gate into account. Space Dynamics engineers in Lylat would have wet dreams about achieving this kind of speed. And so far as he could tell, this wasn't even a military vessel; it felt more like Sable's personal pleasure craft than anything.
She smirked. "You'll soon find out if I'm telling the truth. What do you say we head up now?"
Her claim sounded ridiculous in his head, but intriguing. He gulped the last few things on his plate and wiped his face on the sleeve of his new outfit, not caring about the stains.
She guided him to the bridge afterwards. Everyone here was a cat. Panther still wasn't used to that yet. Coming from Lylat, it was bizarre how many days he'd gone now without seeing a single canine. Alongside the rest of the crew, he spotted Jima and Rihat again, still with the same deadpan expression on their faces as they watched over the bridge officers.
"You're just in time." The ship's captain, a bobcat, smiled at Sable and Panther. "First Officer, take us out of warp, please."
The wildcat at the navigation station nodded as he moved the throttle back. Coming out of warp, Thaljista zoomed into view, filling the viewport in front of them. Panther moved in to take a closer look, eyeing his new home.
Deserts covered most of the surface, reminding him of Titania. Unlike Titania though, a few inland seas dotted the landscape, sparkling blue in the sun and contrasting against the sand and mountains. Snow and ice covered the poles, while a few green areas could be seen, mostly in the vicinity of the seas. Interesting. The planet appeared to have a diverse array of climates. Must have been what Giichi was talking about, with it having the right biome for you no matter what kind of cat you were.
By one of the seas, on the dark side of the planet, he noticed a great deal of lights twinkling by the sea, indicating the presence of a large port city there. He looked around more on the dark side of the planet, but he couldn't spot any concentrations the same size.
Sable walked up beside him. "That's the city of Kinnor, the headquarters of the Separatists. Or the Free People of Azer, as they call themselves." A scowl crossed her face, as she strode up to the window, folding her arms together. "As beautiful as it looks from above, Thaljista's been scarred by civil war for the past seven years or so now. We've been in a cease fire for the past two years, but I'd say every day the Separatists still exist is another lost battle." She snorted. "Longnoses… My entire life they've been on this planet. They must be swept clean from it, in preparation for Thaal-Ja's return. That, or enslaved."
"Longnoses?"
"Yes." Sable snorted. "Canines, they have such hideously long muzzles, and all the other non-feline species don't look any better." She put a devilish smirk on her face. "But now that we have returned with the case, they won't be around much longer. Not with Thaal-Ja on our side."
What the hell? Sure, Sable had insulted Wolf and called him a dog, but she wanted to go as far as genocide and enslavement to non-cats?
"Come with me Panther. It's time to head to the capital." She turned away from the viewport, heading back to the bridge's exit.
Panther stared after her as she strode away, unable to move. Giichi… He'd said a lot of people were going to die if she got her hands on the case. Was this what he meant? He was telling the truth back on Fortuna?
"Aren't you coming?" Sable stopped at the door.
Jima and Rihat flanked her, both of them staring at him, as if to say he should not be holding them up or there would be consequences. Gulping, he rejoined them at the door. What had he gotten himself into now?
As they entered the hallway, Rihat departed to go somewhere else, while the rest of them went off towards Sable's quarters. Jima walked at Panther's back. Now that he knew what they were planning, these two terrified him on a whole new level. But what could he do? He was just along for the ride now.
Sable stepped into her room briefly, returning with the silver briefcase. Panther eyed it again. The thing inside of that would enable them to kill so many people? Would she really be raising the god Thaal-Ja? What would happen once this god made his appearance, if it really was raised? Everything passed in a blur, Panther soon finding himself inside a shuttle about to leave for the surface, the same one Sable had used to pick up Panther off the Retribution. As they were about to leave, Rihat returned, this time with a familiar face in tow: Giichi.
Panther forgot he was on the ship, not having seen him since they'd come aboard the Onyx a week ago. The yellow sand cat still wore the same red hoodie and jeans he'd been captured in, the clothes a fair bit dirtier now since he hadn't seemed to have changed them since he was brought aboard. While he was unharmed, he had a weary, defeated look to him, rings underneath his eyes like he'd been crying and hadn't slept once in the whole week they'd been aboard the ship.
But when Giichi locked eyes with Panther, the sand cat transformed before his eyes. Giichi straightened up, his shoulders no longer slumping, eyes picking up a hardened edge as the wrinkles smoothing out, ears pointed and tail curling behind him. He did not say anything, but he didn't have to. Were it not for Jima and Rihat keeping an eye on him, Giichi might have very well charged Panther right there and clawed him in the face. However, Rihat had the good sense to put cuffs on Giichi and chain him to a seat.
Panther could do little now but shake his head, as if to say 'I'm sorry. I should have listened to you.' Giichi's eyes felt like they burned a hole in the back of his head as he took his own seat.
Within a few minutes they were underway, Rihat piloting as they headed towards the light side of the planet. Panther heard some indistinct radio chatter from the front cockpit, spotting two black and orange fighters falling into formation next to them as an escort. They were delta shaped like the Onyx. Panther didn't recognize their particular design, but maybe since Thaljista was so far out of the way they had to design their own weapons systems. It'd probably be a lot more cost effective than how much it would cost to import from Lylat.
Reentry went unusually smoothly, Panther hardly noticing a rattle through the ship's structure as they descended into the atmosphere. As the orange haze around the ship vanished, he looked out through the front viewport again, getting his first look at Thaljista up close. It looked about like it did from the air, with rocky crags flashing past amidst large stretches of sand in between them. On Titania, the sand was more red, but here it looked to be more along the lines of yellow-ish brown, the sky above blue. Even inside the air-conditioned ship, he could almost feel the heat outside.
Sable smiled, watching it all slide past. "Feels good to be home again. I was tired of being in that cold starship." She turned to look at him.
"It looks a little…desolate." Panther watched as the desert slid by. He only said it to keep the silence away, so Sable wouldn't notice he was less chatty now.
"Yes, but with the blessings of Thaal-Ja, Queen Kula has attained the power to change the land itself. She has already done so around the capital. Once Thaal-Ja has been called and peace has returned to Thaljista, we will terraform more of the planet. You'll see."
"She has the power to change the land itself?" Even in Panther's worried state, that got his attention. "How?"
Sable smiled. "It's not much of a problem when you have the wisdom of a god to work with. Queen Kula and the rest of her house are truly blessed by Thaal-Ja. Have been for the past couple of centuries. Well, except for a few mistakes, here and there…"
She cast a sideways glance at Giichi, who glared at her.
"Regardless, I cannot wait to show you the capital. It is an impressive sight to behold, and only Felidae are allowed in, as it should be."
A city populated by nothing but cats… He'd never seen entire cities segregated in Lylat, that was for sure. While he wouldn't have thought much of it before, Sable taking pride in such a fact brought a little nausea to him, now that he knew more about her.
He never met anyone like this while working for Wolf. Sure, Wolf had treated him like crap from time to time, but Panther would never hate—let alone kill—his old boss because he wasn't the same species. For all of Star Wolf's flaws, at least Wolf had a strict no discrimination policy. There were a lot of Venomians out of work after the Lylat Wars ended, and they were eager for whatever jobs they could get. Corneria and her colonies wouldn't have them, but Panther had met many ex-Venomian soldiers who worked just as hard or even harder than any Cornerians he'd met. Like Tadao… Panther sighed. Poor guy. He was weird but he didn't deserve what happened to him.
He looked at Sable, that warm smile on her face as the rocky crags slid past. Would he end up thinking like her if he spent enough time here? He wanted to throw up. Being stuck on a frozen road somewhere on Fichina with his Hyoodin was starting to look like a better option than the one he'd taken now.
Loud buzzing sounded from the cockpit, Panther noticing a flashing red light on the pilot's console. Sable frowned, standing up to move forward. "What's going on?"
"Contacts approaching, fast." Rihat pointed at the holographic image of their radar, indicating eight red dots approaching the three green dots marking their shuttle and their two escort fighters. "Fighters. Two delta formations."
"Separatists?"
"They're not using any recognized Separatist models." Holograms of the fighters hovered in front of Panther. The makeup was inconsistent, to say the least. Some old Venomian models, some old Space Dynamics fighters, plus a few local designs Panther didn't recognize. Even through the hologram, most of them looked jury-rigged and maintained with random hunks of scrap, like pirate vessels, but they flew in perfect formation, reflecting years of training with each other.
"Contact the capital!" Sable shouted. "Get us some backup!"
"Already done. Hang on."
Panther watched as the two black and orange Royalist fighters ascended upwards to meet the enemy, while their shuttle dipped into the canyons for cover, rock walls sliding past them. Panther held on for dear life, looking out the window as the rock walls streaked past at blurring speeds, the passageway only inches wider than the ship itself.
Over their heads, explosions rocked the shuttle, nearly sending them scraping into the rock wall.
"Our escorts are down!" Rihat shouted. "We're on our own!"
"How much longer till backup arrives?!" Sable shouted.
"Twenty minutes!"
"What's going on?!" Panther shouted.
Sable turned back to Panther. "I'm not sure how, but the Separatists know we have the case and Giichi."
A few minutes ago he would have cursed the Separatists, but now Panther almost wanted to pray they did get shot down or captured. Many more lives would be saved if they did.
It soon looked like he would get his wish. With their escort gone, orange laser blasts flashed past their shuttle, striking the walls and kicking up dust clouds. Panther couldn't see where they were going at times, Rihat having to gun it through the clouds and hoping they didn't hit anything. They roared out through the canyon's exit, coming upon a wider valley filled with sand dunes. A truck was parked on the sand. Something mounted to the back rotated to point at them, as new alarms blared in the cockpit.
"Missile lock!" Rihat cried out.
A blast of smoke fizzled away from the truck, the missile streaking straight towards them… No way Rihat could dodge it, not with with how fast it was. Panther shut his eyes, waiting for impact.
A dull thud vibrated through the structure as the missile hit. He opened his eyes. They were still alive?
The alarms had stopped too… but Rihat struggled with the stick, pulling on it with all his might. "EMP missile! Hold on!"
Panther looking out the front viewport as the shuttle dropped, only gliding on its wings towards the dunes below. Pulling up at the last second, they skidded across the sand. With gravity dispersion disabled, the entire shuttle shook and rattled around them. Panther thought his bones and the rest of his body were going to shake apart. The shuttle spun sideways, drifting across the sand. Maybe they'd have a smooth stop, but a massive impact blasted through the entire shuttle, sending his head colliding with the nearby wall. As he lay there slumped, blood trickled down the side of his head, and he heard the distant cracks of gunshots...
~X~
A\N: I'd like to credit Mika Kyubi with helping me on tech-related aspects of this chapter, particularly writing Panther syncing himself with the glove. You're a lifesaver, and I think you'll be a big help in the coming chapters. Also thank you Order and Chaos - Qui Iudicant for beta reading as always.
I'm thinking we'll have one or two more chapters of Panther before the story goes back to Star Fox. Hope you guys are OK with that. I thought this would be a more fun way to introduce the reader to Thaljista as opposed to Nail and Canma doing exposition dumps back on the Great Fox II (which was my original text).
Other things...I do have a fair bit of text for my next Love is Blind chapter, although I'm not quite happy with how it's turned out, hence why I decided to come back to this story when I got frustrated. Still, hopefully that means Love is Blind will be getting an update soon too.