Krystal woke before Fox and decided to enjoy the latter's warmth. After about half an hour, Fox woke up and unzipped the sleeping bag.
"How did you sleep?" Fox asked as she stood up and stretched.
"I slept okay." Krystal said as she pulled out her loin cloth from her pack, "I would have slept better if you had provided some relief."
"Wearing your loin cloth?" Fox asked.
"It's standard dress for Cerinian warriors." Krystal explained as she grabbed Fox's jacket, "Though I could use some pockets."
"You have pants with pockets."
"And you have more than enough with your flightsuit." Krystal countered as she put on the jacket and zipped it up, "Plus, it smells like you."
After they put on their boots, they waited for the others to wake up. Krystal walked up to Fox and wrapped her arms around her.
"Are you still wanting to remain chaste?" Krystal asked, "We still have some time. It could be hours before the assault."
"My answer is still the same." Fox told her.
Soon, the others woke up and left their tents. James examined the enemy defenses and drew a plan on a piece of paper.
"We'll take out the two anti-aircraft guns first." he explained, "Then we remotely call our Arwings to take out the machine guns. Afterwards, it's just a matter of shooting our way past the remaining defenders. Any questions?"
Nobody spoke up.
"Let's go." James told them. The five climbed down the steep slope and snuck toward the first anti-air craft gun. The gun was an older model. It had a heavily armored front and roof, but lacked armor elsewhere to save on material. Krystal snuck in and took out the gunner with a strong staff swing from behind. Afterward, James approached to take a good look at the gun.
It appeared to fire highly explosive, and very unstable, rounds and was fully loaded. James took out a few plastic explosives, placed them next to the ammunition, set the timer, and motioned for everyone to head for cover. The plastic explosives ignited the unstable ammunition, producing a giant ball of fire and smoke that left a crater.
Sirens started blaring as troops ran around, trying to find the attackers. The five stuck to the shadows as they approached the other anti-aircraft gun. By now, a dozen troops had gathered to defend the gun.
"Stay here and keep them busy." Fox commanded, "I'm going to sneak around and attack from the rear."
The other four found cover and opened fire on the gun. The defenders returned fire. Fox stayed out of sight as she snuck around to the gun's exposed rear.
Fortunately, the gunner was focused on the other three and the guards were behind the wall in front of it. Fox quietly crept to the gun and pulled out a small plastic explosive. He placed it next to the ammunition, set the timer, and ran as quietly as he could to find cover. Ten seconds later, the gun exploded, also taking out the dozen troops defending it.
Fox returned to the group and they pulled out their communicators. They wirelessly linked their communicators and began punching in coordinates. Minutes later, their Arwings came and sprayed the area with laser fire and smart bombs. Within seconds, the machine gun nests were gone and the enemy force was reduced to a mere handful of survivors. The group effortlessly took out the remaining guards and ran into the temple.
The temple seemed familiar to Krystal. She had seen similar architecture on Cerinia. Krystal hoped to get a chance to examine the temple later.
The group eventually found a large chamber filled with guards, machinery, and enslaved locals. Along the walls were destroyed shrines. Broken machinery and charred bodies littered the floor. The five checked their equipment and prepared to attack.
"Aim carefully." James told the group, "Try to keep collateral damage to a minimum. Remember to liberate the 'workforce'."
Fox and Krystal snuck in with their staffs ready and took out a pair of guards. They took out an additional pair of unaware guard while James, Fara, and Falco freed the first local. The remaining guards heard the commotion and opened fire. James returned fire while Fara and Falco tried to outflank the guards. Fox took out another guard from behind before she and Krystal got to work liberating the locals. Eventually, the guards started taking heavy casualties, reducing their numbers from a few dozen to a handful to zero.
With the last guard dead and the last local freed, Krystal approached the only untouched shrine and read the words.
"What does it say?" James asked.
"To gain its benefits, a ritual is required." Krystal explained as she pulled out her and Fox's robes, "This is likely what they were after. They were most likely hoping to obtain this power. The explosion must have occured when they destroyed a shrine. They must not have a priestess, hence the need to look for alternative ways to harnass the power."
Krystal handed a robe to Fox.
"Wear only this, hood up." she explained, "The ritual has a strict dress code. I'll recite the words."
Fox and Krystal changed into their robes and stood in front of the shrine. As Krystal chanted the words on the shrine, the statue's eyes lit up and it's mouth opened. A stream of energy spewed out of the open mouth, enveloping the robed foxes. When the energy stopped, the eyes dimmed, the mouth closed, and the words disappeared.
"That was the last intact shrine in the area." Krystal told them, "We should probably leave before reinforcements arrive."
The group grabbed their packs and headed for the exit. James, Fox, Falco, and Fara punched in commands on their communicator and their Arwings landed just outside the temple shortly after. The five climbed into their ships and took off.
"That should limit their presense in this area of the planet." Krystal explained.
"Let's hope so." Fox replied.
"So now what?" asked Krystal, "The mission's over and your secret's out."
"The plan's still mostly the same. Train you and Fara, fight Andross, and hopefully get this reversed. The only part that's changed is the secret."
"But it was still better to get it off your chest, even if it was by accident."
"You don't know my dad or Falco as well as I do." Fox said with a sigh, "My dad's a feared interrogator, even without 'enhanced techniques, and Falco's a master of making awkward situations worse, usually on purpose. If my dad wants answers, he'll hound me for days without rest until I tell him what he wants to hear."
"I hope you're exaggerating."
The four Arwings landed in the Great Fox. As soon as the Arwings were unloaded, the five left the docking bay. Fox and Krystal were heading for their room when James stopped Fox.
"I know what you're going to ask." Fox told her father, "I really have no idea how it happened or how to fix it."
"Something had to have happened." James told her, "Things like this don't just happen on their own."
"All I know is the change began to happen on Cerinia and I don't know enough about Cerinia to hypothesize any possible explanations."
James sighed.
"What am I going to tell your mother when she inevitably finds out?" he asked.
"Tell her the truth. Tell her we don't know how or why it happened or how to fix it."
"I just need some time to think."
Fox watched as her father walked to the recreation room. Fox then walked to her room.
"How'd the talk go?" Krystal asked.
"Better than I expected, but worse than I'd hoped." Fox told her, "Now that the secret's out, what am I going to do? Even if I get my body changed back, my life's never going to be the same."
"I know what you're going to do. You'll adapt and I'll help you... and we'll need Fara to help too. When we're done, this new life of yours will feel even more normal than your old one."
Fox smiled, which made Krystal smile.
"I just have one request." Krystal told Fox, "Now that your secret's out, act like my girlfriend and that includes dressing the part."
"I'll think about it."