Notes: Getting this chapter ready was a welcome distraction from recent events. I appreciate the reviews, watches, and follows coming in; I'm still not ready to tackle responses but rest assured your feedback is welcomed. I've got a couple more chapters down the pipe, but I think I'll let this cliffhanger dangle for a bit longer.
Chapter 17: Retribution
After freeing the Snowhorn from their shackles, I stood back and reloaded our weapons. With the resistance we had met earlier, I was concerned that we had just met only the tip of the spear. The .44 had enough punch to take down the heavily armored Sharpclaw brutes, and I was thankful for that.
While I was loading loose 5.56mm rounds into the AR15 magazine I had spent, Krystal chatted with the Snowhorn. I didn't mind it; frankly she was far more adept at answering their questions and getting information out of them than I was. She seemed to have recovered from her ordeal, but that left questions as to why she was a fair bit more physically affected by the fight than I was. While I wouldn't voice them, I had my concerns.
I shuffled a bit, keeping my mind off the cold. While I had been through far more brutal cold snaps that was usually in short spurts; a few minutes to shovel the sidewalk after a snowstorm or going from a building to my car. We would be out here far longer, and that meant I needed to tough it out. While I had thought about getting my duster, the long coat would hamper getting to my sidearms. Considering the fact the big iron on my hip had saved my life not ten minutes ago, I wasn't keen to add to its draw time.
I was shaken from my reverie by Krystal's approach. She offered me a tired smile as she reached my side, her hand falling on my shoulder. "How are you holding up?" she asked.
"A little chilly," I answered, "but to be honest I'm a little more worried about you. Are you good?"
The vixen nodded, reaching out to draw me into a half-hug. "I'm fine, dearheart," she reassured. "I was just a little winded from getting hit by the Sharpclaw's shield. The Snowhorn are grateful for our help; they also confirmed the Sharpclaw we faced were the only ones outside the mines. That's the good news."
"What's the bad news?" I asked. "Are they cut off or something?"
Krys nodded, frowning slightly as she hugged me tighter. The warmth was welcoming and I had a sneaking suspicion that was why she was doing it; not that it mattered too much considering the events of the past couple of days. "The Snowhorn confirmed two ships crashed here a few days ago," she explained. "They crashed in a large open area near the entrance to the mine. The Sharpclaw sent out several patrols to investigate, but they failed to return."
"How much you want to bet that it's either the Arwing pilot or the pirates?" I asked. "We're going to need to be very cautious when we get out there."
"We will," she replied, releasing me and motioning for me to follow as we made our way forward. "Taking your landspeeder isn't a good idea; if anyone is using military grade sensors we won't be as easily detected if we are on foot." That made sense, though the decreased visibility meant the weather would be against us; I could already see snowflakes in the air. It was a double-edged sword at the very least; if we were hampered by it so would others. While we didn't have anything like thermal imaging equipment, Krystal's senses gave us a very similar advantage.
The terrain was similar to what I remembered; a natural archway acted as an entrance to what lay beyond. In the game there was a puzzle involving a drawbridge over a narrow river; thankfully the bridge was already in place. I kept my rifle at the ready, however; I vaguely recalled some kind of critters that hid in the embankment on the other side which were able to attack at range. Krystal followed suit, bringing her staff to bear as I crossed. I wondered if she had acted based off my recollection; she nodded at me as a silent response.
The snow was a bit deeper than I thought it would be; the drifts were on average ankle deep and sometimes well above my calves. It was a bit of a workout but I needed it anyway; the past few days had been a bit of a shock to my system as far as activity went. Still, I was thankful we remained unchallenged; the Snowhorns were apparently correct. The massive wooden doors that led to the next area were cracked open enough for even the large Sharpclaw brutes to make their way through.
"…che?" Krystal's voice carried out, somewhat rushed as she took a deep breath. "Could we… stop a moment?" I glanced back to her; a little concerned as she took a few steps toward a nearby large rock and sat down, taking several more deep breaths. She hadn't even bothered to brush off the snow, which was even stranger.
"Is everything okay, hon?" I turned to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as she glanced up at me. Once again her eyes were slightly glassy, like she was having trouble focusing.
"Maybe… I overexerted myself… earlier," she panted, placing her hand on mine. I frowned; I hadn't known her for more than a few days but something was amiss. I wasn't breathing as hard as she was; I had driven a desk for several years and hadn't seen the inside of a gym since high school. Hiking like this, especially with the added weight of supplies, firearms, ammo, and other things wasn't doing me any favors either.
"Alright," I conceded, "let's take a break." I set my backpack on the ground, fishing inside it for a couple bottles of water before I sat down next to her. She drank almost greedily as I sipped on mine; maybe she was just thirsty and that was affecting her energy level? On top of that maybe I was more affected than I thought I was; I thought I felt my phone vibrate from within my jacket pocket, but I had turned off all the alarms and notifications in order to extend battery life.
"Is weather like this common where… you live?" Krystal's breathing had settled somewhat, but she was still in need of a little more rest. "You call this… snow, right?" She motioned to the flakes that had started to drift from the sky.
"Yeah. Where I live this can happen between mid fall to nearly summer." Springtime in the Rockies was a thing; the common quip was 'April showers bring May blizzards' for a good reason. I looked over to her, noting a soft look on her vulpine features.
"This does not happen often on… Cerinia," Krystal explained, taking a moment to lean against me. "It is beautiful when it happens; we call it… ice-stars. Does it look… as beautiful where you are from as it does… here?"
I took a moment to think about it, not sure how I could describe the sights I had seen; that was until I had the realization I could simply visualize it for her. The snow-capped majesty of Pike's Peak, the city lights reflecting off low-hanging clouds at night as snow quietly blanketed city streets, the lonely ribbon of asphalt that comprised Highway 24 as it snaked through the snowdrifts that collected through the massive valley called South Park. The process made me wistful for home, but the gentle smile of my vulpine companion and her hand wrapping around mine was a welcome distraction.
"That is genuinely beautiful, my che," she took another deep breath before leaning forward, her lips falling upon mine in a brief kiss. "Thank you for sharing… it with me."
I held onto her for a while, just content to feel her warmth. I probably wouldn't admit it out loud, but after several years without this kind of contact, a part of me craved it. At the same time, we did have a hard road ahead and I didn't know how soon nightfall would approach. "Are you good to head out, hon?" I asked, standing up and offering her my hand to help her up.
"I think so," she replied, reaching out to grasp my hand. Gently, I eased her to a standing position; being careful to keep my footing with the snow and the ice all around us. "I don't sense anyone around, but let's continue to be careful."
We continued forward, easing past the massive wooden doors leading to the box canyon where Fox would have battled a large group of Sharpclaw that manned a cannon. The place was empty and silent; the snowfall muffling our footsteps as we entered. Krystal moved ahead, not bothering to reach for her staff as we slowly explored the area.
The large 'hut' in the center of the canyon was cleared out, though the remnants of campfires and sleeping bags told the story of recent occupation. I had expected some sort of resistance, but the Snowhorn were right: they were completely gone. I glanced over to Krystal as she took a few deep breaths, a puzzled expression on her vulpine features. "Nobody here," I stated the obvious. "Can you sense anything?"
The vixen shook her head, frowning at me. "Nobody is here but I sense something very strange coming from over there," she pointed towards the canyon's natural exit towards the entrance to the mines; the same area where the ships had landed. "It's not a living creature, but it feels like… interference."
"If you start feeling weird, let me know?" I asked, taking a few steps in that direction. I kept my rifle ready just in case; I wasn't sure how Krystal's abilities worked but her statement made me wonder if she could detect and manipulate electromagnetic fields. It could have been the cold and exertion also messing with her; it felt like my phone had gone off again but that wasn't possible.
We continued forward, our footing a bit uncertain on the snow-covered planks that served as a pathway out of the box canyon. Krystal seemed to have better footing than me; her boots practically sticking to the slick surface while mine seemed to slide a bit; I figured that Lylatian material science was a little better than ours in that regard. By the rate of her breathing she still seemed to become a bit more winded than me, but she wasn't complaining.
That was until she started rubbing her forehead. "Okay," she admitted, "Something isn't quite… right. The interference… is getting worse; it's coming from that… path." She pointed towards a place I recognized from the game; I dimly recalled that was the place where you walked into some sort of trippy-looking field and retrieved the horn you needed to call in a lost Snowhorn. It made more sense in context.
"Do you want me to check it out?" I asked, approaching the entrance; I couldn't really see anything in the darkness beyond, but it almost looked like there were stars on the other side. She was right, something felt off; I could feel my hair trying to stand on end and it felt unnaturally warm. I took a couple steps closer and my head started humming; it was like being uncomfortably close to a power transformer. The sensation was uncomfortable and strange, but also strangely pleasant and familiar at the same time.
I felt hands grab my arm; I was hauled backwards and away from the entrance. The humming sensation faded into the background as Krystal wrapped her arms around me; her emerald eyes wide and full of fear. I could tell she was just about panicking; she took a few more deep breaths, locking me in an iron grip until she could speak. "Please," she pleaded, "Stay away from there! We call those wild spots; a place where energies… coalesce and clash all at once. They can be very dangerous!" She rushed me away from the entrance to the strange cave; I found my footing a second later.
"Yeah, that felt weird," I admitted as we put some more distance from the strange area. I'd have to remember to give it a wide berth when we came back through there. "Any idea what that might be?"
I'm not sure," Krystal admitted after a couple more deep breaths. I winced; it was like she was getting more and more winded as we pressed forward. "Those areas are much… like the mind collar you touched back in… the shuttle. They can trap you… in an emptiness of thoughts, even… those who don't have abilities… like mine." I looked over; her eyes were once again glassy and slightly unfocused.
We had ended up in what looked like a transportation area for material brought from the mines; crates of what looked like ore were stashed near a small landing pad as well as a loading dock where Snowhorn ostensibly dragged the mine's output for collection. Again, other than the crates it was empty. Frowning, I took the lead; guiding her over to a nearby crate. I swept the snow off with a gloved hand and motioned for her to sit. "Foxy," I mentioned, concern creeping into my voice, "something's going on with you. Are you okay?" I reached up to stroke her cheek; she leaned into my touch with a soft smile but I could tell her eyes were still glassy and dull.
"I'm just feeling a… little tired," she admitted, pausing to take another breath now that we had stopped. "It might be the wild… spot we nearly walked into… it might be… the cold weather and the fight…" she paused for a moment, trying to regain her breath. I wasn't sure what was happening but it didn't look good.
"Do you think you can hold out until we can make it to the mines?" I asked, looking ahead. The storm was worsening, but at least it was static snowfall and there wasn't much wind to make it feel colder than it already was. We had been through worse on Ice Mountain. "It'll be warmer there, and we can find a safe place to look you over with the medical kit. Rest for a bit, and we'll continue when you feel up to it?"
"That would… be a good idea," Krystal gasped, her chest heaving a few more times. "Don't… forget the craft that have… landed here…" she pointed out past the area we were in. She had a point; the Sharpclaw patrols had not returned from here and that meant we had to be on our guard.
"I'll lead, hon," I offered, keeping the AR at the ready. I made sure the red dot sight was functioning and that there was a round in the chamber. She wasn't doing that well and if the pirates had survived we would be up against some major trouble. "I need you to be my eyes and ears; if you're feeling worse tell me right away?"
"Okay, dearheart…" she agreed, "just a few… minutes? I'll be good to… travel shortly." She sat back on the crate while I kept an eye open; I reached out to grasp her hand, which she squeezed gently. The warmth I felt through her glove was invigorating; I was getting colder and was looking forward to getting warm again once we entered the mines. I knew I would be complaining about the oppressive heat down there, but for now I was sick of being cold.
Krys sat up after several minutes; her eyes no longer as glassy and dull as they had been. She slipped off the crate and checked her staff; motioning for me to take the lead. "I'm okay for now," she affirmed. "I'll follow your lead, che."
"If you start feeling cheesy again please let me know," I insisted. "I'm concerned about you." As I said that she reached out to grasp my hand again, a soft smile tugging at her lips and a determined look in her eyes. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go; with that we made our way into the snowstorm.
The snow and cloud cover reduced visibility to maybe twenty or thirty yards; thankfully there were enough trees that broke up the landscape to find a bit of a path forward. I didn't tell Krystal, but I held my pace back to try to give her a bit more stamina. However, ten minutes into our excursion we came across a grim reminder for us to be careful. A few lumps of snow stood in our path; strange considering the surrounding landscape. I kicked at the base of one; my boot-clad foot hitting a hard object. I initially assumed it was a rock, until the snow fell away to reveal the frozen, partially buried corpse of a Sharpclaw.
Its cause of death wasn't immediately apparent; it lacked the trauma that I would have expected from something like a sword, axe, club, crossbow or even a firearm. Strange blisters about the diameter of a pinky finger peppered its body, looking almost like boils. I frowned at that, trying to figure out what could have happened.
"Blasters…" Krystal gasped as she stopped behind me, pausing to catch her breath once again. "This one was killed… by blasters." I frowned, tucking the stock of my rifle into my shoulder.
"We need to move," I stated, eyes scanning the obscured landscape as if I expected incoming shots at any moment. "I don't want to be out in the open if we start taking fire. We might not have time to take a rest for a while, hon, are you sure you'll be okay?"
Krystal nodded at me. "I will keep up, dearheart…" she took a few deep breaths to steel herself. "If I start to… falter, I will l… let you know…" That would have to be good enough. I waved her forward, keeping my eyes and ears open for anything that could be out of the ordinary.
It didn't take me long to find something to fit that definition. A series of trees had been broken; a wake of destruction that left snow-covered wooden debris either limply hanging off the remaining trunks or scattered on the ground. Something told me we found one of the ships. I looked back to my vulpine companion and directed a thought at her. 'Do you sense anyone?' She shook her head; the coast was clear. 'Okay. We should check this out, but be careful.'
We came across the source of the destruction a couple of minutes later; a large object that had taken the brunt of a tree falling over it. The object was largely clear of snow; enough for us to make out the profile of the iconic Arwing space fighter we had come across. It had come to rest at a slight angle; had the visibility been better we would have seen it a quarter of a mile away. Unlike Fox's fighter, this one was done in a black and teal livery instead of the standard blue and silver I had remembered from the games.
Krystal moved over to a nearby tree; despite her chest heaving she kept her staff in her hands and ready to use at a moment's notice. She gave me a brief look, her thoughts reaching out to me. 'Look over the Arwing, che, I'll keep watch!' I was about to express my concerns about her physical state, but a shake of her head cut me off. 'That's not important right now! I can make it until we get into the mines; we need to see if that pilot is still alive!'
I pored over the wrecked starfighter, seeing if I could find anyone or anything of note. The cockpit was empty; the canopy cracked and punched inward in several areas. Several portions of the hull were blackened; blistered paint and warped metal distorted the frame. The Arwing had taken some heavy hits before crashing. My boot caught something as I worked my way down one of the wings; a teal backpack that had been cast aside. I undid the zipper-like fastener that held it shut to reveal scattered personal effects and what looked like a tablet PC that had been just about broken in half by some sort of impact. Curiously I saw what looked almost like handgun magazines in the backpack, only with large electrical contacts. I figured they might be for a blaster.
I was proven right as a couple of yards away I saw the remains of one sticking out from the snow. The weapon had been partially melted, but it would have taken the same 'magazines' that I found in the backpack. However, there was no sign of the pilot; I even kicked a couple of nearby snowdrifts to make sure they weren't there.
I decided to take the backpack with me; I was a little worried about giving Krystal any extra weight to carry so I used a mixture of attachment points on both my pack and the pilot's to fasten it to my backpack. It was an appreciable increase in weight, but I would manage.
I made my way back to her; noting that her breathing had slowed down in pace but it was still deeper than normal. Shaking that out of my head, I directed my thoughts back to her. 'No sign of the pilot. I found a few of their belongings and a broken blaster pistol.'
She nodded at me; gesturing with a shake of her head over to her left. 'I can't quite make it out, but I think I sense someone in that direction. It's faint, so they're at least a hundred meters or so away. I think we should check it out.'
I nodded at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Partially it was for the contact, but it was partially because her suit was pleasantly warm. 'I agree. We need to be very careful; if it's a pirate we might have others to deal with.' We silently agreed to head in that direction; taking our time and moving as quietly as possible. I disengaged the AR's safety, even though I couldn't see that far in front of me.
We maintained our relative silence for a few minutes, blinking in surprise as Krystal picked up her pace and started to get ahead of me. She approached a tree then looked back at me; I could tell she was struggling to maintain composure. Her chest was heaving again but her lips were drawn back in a vicious snarl; emerald eyes brimming with tears. A bolt of panic shot through my heart as I started to make my way forward, but she shook her head and another admonishment stabbed into my mind. 'No! I need you to stay here; I need to take care of this alone. Please, my che, I have to do this.'
I blinked in astonishment as she moved forward, but I wasn't about to stay put in case she needed backup. I wasn't going to put her in danger like that. I followed her with a frown, keeping the AR15 in a ready stance as the vixen moved into the blizzard. I could barely follow her; she was just a shape in the whiteout conditions; a slightly darker spot amongst the snowfall and the trees we moved through. She changed direction several times; I knew she was aware I hadn't stayed, but that didn't matter right now.
Another shape started to coalesce through the blinding snow; a shape she outright stalked. I couldn't see much but I brought the rifle to my shoulder, keeping the red dot locked upon it as I moved forward. Krystal's obscured form closed in; the other shape whirling around in surprise. I was close enough to make out a weapon in their hands, likely a rifle. My finger tightened upon the trigger…
…I held my fire as Krystal pounced on them with a surprising amount of force. I could barely see a glint of her staff as it struck once, twice, then multiple times as the unknown figure crumpled to the ground. I rushed through the obscuring snowfall to see what happened.
The figure was dressed in the same mottled brown flightsuit I had seen the pirates wearing; the armor plates over his chest caved in with enough depth that I could tell they had been brutally and grievously wounded. A blaster rifle was stuck in the snow a couple of yards away; an arm reaching out for it as fingers randomly spasmed in a futile gesture. I couldn't tell what species they were beyond their light brown ears; a full-faced respirator with an opaque visor covered their face; an air hose leading from the mask to a small pack on their belt. Krystal stood over him; her staff already swinging in an arc that descended for their throat. As soon as I reached her it met its mark with a sickening crunch.
The body of the pirate spasmed again; legs kicking out erratically in what were obviously his death throes. I winced; I shared little sympathy for him other than it was a very violent, brutal way to go. I winced again as I saw Krystal raise the staff again; risking retaliation I rushed out and grasped her shoulders before she could strike again. "Krys," I hissed, keeping my voice low, "He's dead, you can stop now."
Her staff fell silently to the snow; her chest heaving at a pace that had me worried she would hyperventilate. That was until I saw the tears streaming down her cheeks; her gasping broken up by sobs. Despite the danger I circled around her, bringing her into my embrace as she simply fell against me. Between sobs she choked out words. "He killed… my… her… I had to…" An image flowed into my mind, one she had shown me before of buildings on fire and a pirate strangling a Cerinian vixen to death with his bare hands; the same pirate that now lay dead at our feet in the Saurian snow. "She was my…" Krystal broke off into another sob as she clung to me.
"It's okay," I whispered, trying to keep my attention divided between comforting her and being ready to put a bullet in any of his buddies that might have been around. "It's okay, Krys, I'm here. Breathe, hon." She did just that; heaving against me as her gasping slowly subsided. Her footing became unstable so I held onto her more tightly.
"I… I feel dizzy…" she groaned as her arms wrapped around me. That wasn't good. I gently guided us to a nearby tree, leaning her up against it. I looked into her eyes; yet again they were glassy and unfocused, almost as if she couldn't really tell I was there. "Check… check him…" she pointed to the fallen pirate. "Ship keycard…" she coughed a few times; spitting into the ground before waving me away.
I made my way back to the pirate, a wave of concern washing over me as I looked back to her. I wasn't sure what was happening, but something was seriously wrong with her. Frowning, I checked the pirate's pockets; there were a couple of similar 'magazines' for the blaster rifle, some personal effects I deliberately ignored, a small, thick plastic bag filled with some powder that I suspect was some kind of drug, and a card that looked just about identical to the PAT we had found in the shuttle. I stuffed it in my pocket and returned to Krystal, collecting her fallen staff on the way.
Her breathing had slightly stabilized by the time I got back, but as she looked up to me I could tell her eyes were still glassy and slightly bloodshot. "…find it?" she gasped, pushing off of the tree trunk and blinking residual tears out of her eyes.
I nodded, though I frowned at her. "Hon," I warned, "you're getting worse. Something's wrong; you are not feeling okay and this isn't residual effects from a fight we had well over two hours ago. We either need to get you to the mines or back to the shuttle; you're barely functioning. I'm very concerned about you."
"Dearheart," Krystal argued, "I told… you not to worry. I…" she coughed a couple of times, spitting into the ground again before looking back up at me. She blinked, looking like she had lost her train of thought; taking the time to draw a few more deep breaths. "The pirate gunship… it's not far. A couple hund… meters. We… need to go there… the Arwing's pilot is in… grave danger. Please… she needs our… help." She pointed ahead of us; a determined expression on her features despite her tired, glassy eyes.
"I swear," I quipped, "you are as stubborn as you are beautiful, foxy. Keep your senses open; we don't want to be surprised by these pirates." A ghost of a smile touched her lips as I reached out to take her hand; leading her forward as I tried to shake the concern and the fear out of my mind.
I didn't dare let go of her, so I opted for the Glock instead of the AR15. The handgun dangled in my glove-clad hand as a massive shape started to materialize out of the raging storm around us. It was probably a hundred yards long and twenty-five in both height and width. It bristled with weaponry, though from the blackened holes blasted in its superstructure it had taken more punishment than it had given the Arwing. Even then, if there were a lot of pirates it would be a very tough nut to crack. I frowned at the prospect.
"Only seven…" Krystal slurred; her gait unsteady. I took a moment to wrap an arm around her for support as we doggedly continued to make our way towards the damaged starship. "…pirates. All inside, they don't… know about the… one I attacked…" She struggled for breath as I increased my pace. We were almost there.
The ramp leading up to the stricken gunship was uneven and broken, but the door to the entrance was shut tight. I didn't see any signs of life other than a display and card slot next to the door with an angry red LED. As we ascended the ramp Krystal stumbled; I redoubled my efforts to keep her steady but her legs pretty much refused to cooperate. "Krys!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice down as we were literally on the pirates' doorstep.
She looked up at me as she slid to the deck, her emerald eyes completely glazed over; pupils dilated. Her chest heaved for breath as she reached out; I grasped her hand as I fell to my knees. I didn't dare let go of her or the Glock, a cold wave of fear washing over me as my Cerinian companion tried to speak. "Don't… lea… I lo…." She launched into a coughing fit; pale pink fluid trickling from her lips and staining her fur. My companion's eyes rolled back as she went limp; her rapid breathing beginning to slow as she faded into unconsciousness.
"Fuck!" I hissed, shoving my firearm back into its holster. I didn't know what happened, but I didn't have any choice. She was dying, and I wasn't sure I could save her. Adrenaline fueled my actions; I wrapped my arms around her waist and brought her into a sitting position, allowing me to more easily drag her up the ramp. I was dragging her into the belly of the beast, but I wasn't going to let her succumb to the cold and snow.
I had to set her down so I could open the door; standing up so I could fish the PAT card out of my pocket and ready my Glock. The display above the card slot indicated the following:
EXT: 0.58a LOCK: 0.58a INT: 0.79a
I slid the card into the slot; a chime sounding as it was apparently accepted. As the machinery within the door started to operate I kept the handgun trained on the door, clenching my teeth and hoping to God that I was ready to handle whatever awaited me on the other side….