ㅤ
Mission No. 21
Aquas
Island Nature Reserve
"A Rhinestone in the Sand"
ㅤ⦽ㅤ
They made the flight to Aquas in secret, avoiding the usual traffic routes on their cross-system journey. Every few minutes Fox obsessively checked the news, monitoring for police reports about their escape—but of course there were none. Any mention of a blue-furred vulpine might reveal the existence of the Cerinian research subjects, while any mention of Fox gone rogue would highly embarrass the Cornerian government. The tabloids would run wild with that juicy bit of gossip, and Eladard would jump at the chance to dress-down Corneria's hero.
For that's what he was to Corneria at this point: an embarrassment.
ROB entered the planet's atmosphere almost directly above their destination. Quite fortunately for them, the remote island sat far removed from Aquan civilization, meaning they were unlikely to be spotted—but that didn't rule out the possibility of government patrol boats checking up on the forbidden reserve.
Upon successful entry, Fox, Krystal, and Navigation ROB once again gathered on the bridge. A bright, sparkling sea stretched in every direction, mirroring the sky. At first there were no clouds in sight: just endless blue as far as the eye could see. The twin gradients running back to the horizon provided for a surreal, trippy effect—like being caught between two parallel planes of existence. Eventually, however, a small green mass appeared in the distance.
"There she is," Fox said, pointing. "It's the loneliest landmass on Aquas: the farthest island away from any other on the planet. 'Point Nemo', they call it." He looked over at Krystal, who's blue eyes currently reflected the glittering waves. "The provisional forces might still visit the island every once in a while, so I'd like to drop you off quickly."
Krystal nodded. 'I understand. It won't take long.'
Fox noted that she seemed anxious to return home—but he would be too in her shoes. How much had the island changed since she left? Would she still recognize it? Would any of the other Cerinians recognize her? And, most importantly, would her family still be around after all this time?
As the island grew larger, Navigation ROB buzzed. "It appears to be uninhabited. There is no public record of any settlement, nor do there appear to be any artificial structures."
Fox glanced at Krystal, but she betrayed no reaction. While she couldn't understand ROB's words directly, she could still read Fox's translation of them in his head, if she so chose.
"Well, I guess that makes sense. If there's an enclave of Cerinians here—especially telepathic ones like Krystal—they'd probably have some way of hiding their presence." He tapped the beach in the photo. "Land us right here, ROB."
"As you wish," the robot spoke, pausing long enough to somehow sound skeptical.
ROB landed the Great Fox in the water beside the shore. Fox opened the personnel door near the bottom of the ship for Krystal, and a boarding ramp extended out over the water to the sandy slope.
The young vulpine stepped onto the ramp first. He cringed when he saw the impression the Great Fox had made in the shore, stirring up the sand and soil in the water and tearing up the sandbar. Well, that was another landmark he'd defaced. Their little landing had marred the face of Aquan tourism—but he told himself the waves would eventually smooth over the scars once they left.
Curious, the vixen crept out onto the ramp after him, blinking at the bright sunlight. At once the scenery overpowered her, freezing her in place. Tall palms swayed in the breeze, their trunks capped off by bursts of emerald fireworks frozen in time; blankets of pearl-white sand led down the beach to electric blue waters lapping at the shore; and on the horizon floated clouds like white mountain peaks towering over the distant sea of sapphire.
'It's beautiful,' Krystal thought in his head.
"Absence does make the heart grow fonder," Fox offered, but he had to agree; it was everything the travel photo had made it out to be and more. He understood why the Aquans took such pains to guard its beauty, and why it had become the face of tourism in all their promotional material; no one who laid eyes on the pristine shore would be able to resist booking a trip to the vacation planet.
Krystal stepped down the ramp, her claws clinking against he metal—but Fox stayed a few paces behind, not wanting to interrupt her moment. Instead, he wanted to see what she would do.
The vixen stepped onto the sand; she was impressed by the softness of the fine grains as she kneaded them between her bare paws. By the time Fox crept onto the beach after her, she had already skipped down to where the waves met the shore. He watched her standing alone on the water's edge, facing into the big blue yonder. Any words he wanted to say stuck in his throat at the sight. Once again he was captivated by her beauty, even in the midst of so much gorgeous scenery competing for his gaze. She stood staring out over the ocean, awed at its immensity. The sea breeze picked up, mussing her azure hair, ruffling her cobalt fur, and whipping the white shirt hem around her legs. Along with the sky and ocean, Fox had never seen so many shades of blue in the same place before.
Krystal anxiously backed away as a wave rushed up the shore, then marveled as it left darker, wet sand when it receded. Like a sandpiper, she retreated and advanced again as each wave came and went, always avoiding the touch of the water. That is, until she withdrew a little too slowly and the sea foam washed over her feet.
Krystal yipped and stumbled backwards—most likely afraid it would scald her just as Venom's ocean had. But when she learned the water's only bite lay in its cold temperature, she realized it was no threat at all.
Once the next wave came, she let it wash over her ankles without retreating. She waded deeper in, growing more adventurous with each passing second. Her child-like wonder soon turned to enjoyment as she discovered how fun it was to send splashes of water up into the air. Soon, a huge smile brightened her apprehensive face, and she began squealing with delight.
Fox cracked a smile at the sight, enjoying her playful time second-hand. Of course he'd lived in a beachfront-mansion for the past year, enjoying many an hour playing in the waves, but even Corneria's west coast didn't hold a candle to Aquas' tropical paradise.
Krystal stooped down, scooping up a fluffy handful of seafoam in her paws. She cupped it to her face, loving how soft and bubbly it felt against her cheek. But while she was distracted, a rather large wave knocked into her, taking her by surprise. She went down flailing her arms and crying out, submerging for a second beneath the bubbles. Fox's own smile vanished from his face, and he crouched in preparation to launch down the shore after her, remembering she couldn't swim—but before he could spring into action the vixen surfaced again, spitting out a mouthful of water and wiping the damp hair from her eyes.
Krystal laughed once she'd spat it all out. 'It's salty!'
Fox grinned. "Yes—but don't drink it! It's bad for you." Then he paused and thought to himself, Why should I have to tell her that?
Undaunted by her fall and soaked shirt, the vixen dove back in. She sent up giant splashes of water and watched the sparkling drops cast rainbows as they rained back down; she set her feet and defiantly shouldered each wave that came, shrieking as the cold sea seeped into her fur; and she plunged head-first into the water, learning to swim on the fly.
From the shade of the palms, Fox couldn't help but watch. He'd never seen Krystal so happy before: the energy she exerted; the barrage of laughs, cries, and giggles; that beaming smile on her face; and the sparkle of life in her aqua eyes. He was tempted to kick off his boots and join her, but… he didn't feel like he belonged here. This was her world: her moment of reconnecting after so many years. He didn't have a right to be a part of it. He'd just spoil it, anyway…
In fact, Fox was beginning to feel like a creep from how long he watched. Krystal didn't need him anymore; she was home. He'd completed his objective, he realized with a heavy heart. The longer he stayed, the more time he wasted when he could be searching for clues about his parents. What was he even standing around for?
Fox checked the clock on his wrist unit. As he could already tell from the sun sinking through the sky, it was getting late. The longer he remained with the Great Fox on the island, the more he risked being spotted and pursued by the Aquan provisional forces. If he didn't leave soon, he might be discovered. But something made him wait. I'm still needed, he tried to convince himself. I still have to make sure Krystal finds the other Cerinians on the island before I go. I'm sure she'd still want my help for that.
But he couldn't bring himself to stop the vixen, either. No matter how low the sun slipped in the sky, and Krystal continued to frolic in the sea, he didn't dare put an end to that moment. He wanted it to last as long as possible for her; she deserved it. And he wanted to witness it, too. It felt like something he'd been missing in his own life for years; something he was too self-conscious to enjoy himself.
Krystal's energy reserve wasn't infinite, however. Fox wasn't surprised when it finally gave out; the lithe vixen couldn't possibly keep herself going forever with so little food to go on. He noticed her laughing and moving around less and less, till—as the sun burned orange and the sky turned pink—she resumed just standing in the surf and facing the ocean again. Her spine slumped from weariness, and her shoulders rose and fell as she panted for breath.
Turning, she caught Fox watching her from beneath the palms—she looked surprised that he was still there. Tiredly, she trudged up the shore and stood in front of him, wavering slightly as she struggled to stand.
'I'm sorry,' her mind said, 'I lost track of time. You were probably waiting for me, weren't you?'
He shrugged. "You looked like you were having fun. I didn't want to stop you."
'I didn't mean to keep you waiting—I know how dangerous it is for you, but you stayed anyway.'
She grabbed the hem of her shirt and wrung it in her hands, squeezing out the sea water that weighed her down.
'Thank you, Fox, for bringing me here. Thanks for saving me, too, and not letting me run away even when I wanted to.' She looked up at him again. 'But I'm alright now. I'm home, thanks to you. You can leave me here and go, before those people catch you. I'll… I'll be fine. So don't worry about me anymore.'
Fox wet his lips, heart beginning to race. Was this it? Were they really about to say goodbye, and he'd never see the strange vixen again?
"Well, you're sure you're all set?" he asked. "You know your family is here, and you have a place to stay? Can I… walk you there? Can I meet your people before I go?"
'No, that won't be necessary. I know where they are; I know they're still here. So… goodbye. You can take your ship and leave now.'
Fox swallowed. Shit, why wouldn't his legs move? Why couldn't he leave her?
A thought occurred to him, and he raised his wrist unit to his mouth.
"ROB, can you scan the island for lifeforms? I just want to make sure the other Cerinians are still here."
Navigation ROB's voice returned almost immediately, as if he'd been waiting. "Biometric scans are already performed. Results indicate no other lifeforms on the island. It is indeed uninhabited."
His brow furrowed. "And you're sure about that, ROB? Can you check again?"
"I have already triple-checked. Would you like me to run the scan a fourth time?"
Fox frowned, lowering the device from his face. "No, that won't be necessary." He looked at Krystal. "You sure your people are here? There doesn't seem to be anyone else on the island, and it's not easy to hide stuff like that at this range."
Her face remained stoic, and this time she held eye contact with him. 'My family is here.'
"But, there's no one on the island—"
A tear escaped her eye, even as she smiled and insisted again, 'My family is here.'
Fox trailed off, staring into her eyes. Gone was their playful joy from earlier; they now betrayed the deep sadness in her soul, and Fox knew the truth, even without telepathy.
"You… lied?"
Krystal's legs trembled, and to hide their buckling she sat down on the shore. She faced towards the west, so that the sun setting beyond the waves lit her face with its pink fire.
'It's all a lie. Everything I've told you since you saved me in the labs was a lie. Even when I could barely form words you'd understand, I was lying.'
She drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them as Fox stood over her, dumbfounded.
'Andross never captured me. I know no other family besides him and his Watchers. As far back as my memory goes, he was always there. You were right, Fox. Everyone you talked to was right. I am just an experiment of his.
'I never knew my parents, like you did. I have no family and no home I was taken from. My only home was those labs you saved me from. But when you broke me out of that tank, I knew you might be a way out of there. So… I lied to you.
'Aquas isn't my home. I've never been here before in my life. I just remembered seeing those posters all over the labs and thought how pretty it looked. Every night I'd dream of what it would be like to escape those dark, cramped halls and play on this beach. And now my dream has come true, and I have nothing else I need.'
Another tear dripped down her cheek, lit with rose flames.
'I'm not "Krystal", either. I made that up. You asked for my name, and I didn't have one, so I just chose the first thing that came to my head. It came from a song someone sang to me when I was little. If you want to know my real name—what everyone else has always called me—it's just… Cerinian 28.'
Fox stared down at her, jaw slightly open in shock. Though in reality, he realized he shouldn't have been surprised by the revelation at all. The signs were everywhere: every time her eyes would break contact with his and look away; every time she'd pause awkwardly, withdrawing into her mind to think; every slip of the tongue she'd made… he should have realized it long before. But he'd trusted her, because he didn't want to believe it. He'd wanted to trust her, and gave her the benefit of the doubt in spite of his better judgment.
"You lied to me, after you promised not to. You… tricked me. Again."
She didn't answer.
Fox clenched his fists, feeling just as disappointed with her as he was with himself.
It was just like de Pon had warned him. He'd fallen for the young vixen's charms, her appearance, and her lies. Was every tender moment she shared with him fake? Bait on a hook to get him to do what she wanted? He thought back to when he woke with his head on her lap, after being shot; to when she joined him innocently in the shower and gently washed him; to when they danced together in the ballroom penthouse, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Was each of those moments a lie? Just a trick? Had Andross taught her to do that? Was he behind this whole thing, orchestrating one last plan to fuck him even from beyond the grave? And the Cerinian, a genetically-engineered bioweapon perfectly designed to destroy him, where all the others failed?
All this time she's just been using you to get what she wants, Fox realized. She played you for a fool. You're so stupid. You're so fucking stupid. You knew from the second you laid eyes on her what she really was, but you let her convince you otherwise. You wanted to be convinced. You risked your life for her—no, you gave it. You literally died for her. You turned your back on all your allies and all your friends. You betrayed them all. You threw everything you had away, and for what? So a mess of a girl could… play on the beach for a few hours.
Still Krystal said nothing. She just closed her eyes and gently rocked back and forth as Fox vented to himself, tears leaking from her eyes. It was only when he saw the first sparkling trail down her cheek that he caught himself, horrified when he realized she'd been listening.
She'd heard his every thought.
"I-I'm sorry," he said when he realized it—but at the same time he knew it was too late; she'd already heard how he truly felt, and what he truly thought. No amount of insisting otherwise could convince her. She'd seen him with his mask off; there was no taking it back, so he decided not to pretend.
"I trusted you—and I thought you trusted me. I thought I could do something to help. It's been so long since I've done something for anyone, and it honestly felt so good. I loved being back in the Great Fox again, and the Arwing. I loved saving people and fighting monsters." His voice cracked. "For once I felt like Fox McCloud again, for a little bit there. I even tricked myself… But I guess we were both just kidding ourselves, huh? You're not really Krystal, and I'm sure as hell not Fox…"
He licked his lips, finding it painful to swallow.
"Maybe… maybe the two of us should stop pretending—to ourselves, and to each other. So I'll make a deal with you. If you stop pretending, I will too. I'm not Fox anymore, so don't call me by that name. Okay… 28?"
The vixen flinched at those last words, and finally, she broke. She held her head in her hands, crying.
Fox's boots felt rooted to the sand like concrete. He couldn't move, whether it was reaching out to her, or just heading back to the ship. He could only watch as the fake vixen cried the tears he wished he could. He wanted to stop them, but he felt like they both deserved it.
Beginning to admit that everyone was right about him, Fox trudged away, climbing back up the gangplank to the personnel door. On the threshold, however, he stopped and grasped the doorframe.
Without turning back, he said, "Whenever you're ready, we'll leave."
Fox went inside, but found himself hanging around the lower decks where most of the ship's supplies ended up. He busied himself with taking inventory, checking each crate's contents against the cargo manifest, but he did so distracted; he kept glancing back towards the personnel entrance, waiting.
28 never walked through.
Grunting, he switched off the storage room monitor and headed upstairs, though he left the door open. When he reached the main deck, he paced aimlessly about the floor, brooding darkly to himself. Then when the weight of their last encounter became too much, he slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, holding his head in his hands.
Well, he'd really made a jackass of himself. And he knew why he'd fallen so easily for the Cerinian, too; it was because he missed Fara. He was so eager to possess someone else like her, he let himself get attached to the first new vixen that fell into his arms. After his mother, it was Fara; after Fara, Liza; and after Liza, it was 28.
He had to stop doing this to himself. He had to stop being so desperate for someone's affection he'd throw his life away for them. But now he knew better. He wouldn't let it happen again. Krystal—no, Cerinian 28—was just like Fara and Liza. They just wanted to use him for themselves, and 28 was no exception.
Nightfall came, and the sky shifted from purple to indigo. The brilliant stars came out, unaffected by light pollution so commonly found in urban centers. Yet still the Cerinian didn't wander back inside, and still Fox continued his brooding. She'd come in when she was ready, he told himself. He would've gone to check on her, but he didn't want to betray his worry; he felt like he shouldn't care for her after how she'd used him. Yet all the same, he began to wonder…
"ROB," he spoke aloud, "is Krys—I mean, is Cerinian 28 back inside yet?"
ROB's voice returned over the ship's intercom. "Negative. You are the only one aboard the ship."
Fox creased his brow, wringing his hands.
"It is imperative that we depart soon. Aquan surveillance satellites have a high probability of detecting our ship. Shall I take off?"
"No!" he said a little too quickly; Navigation ROB's suggestion had caught him off-guard. It wasn't at all like the unit to ask something so heartless like that—no matter that he was a robot. Unless he was merely trying to goad Fox into checking on her…
He sighed. "…No ROB. Give her some more time."
Anxiously, Fox made his way to the Great Fox's bridge, where he stared through the viewing window down at the shore.
In the bright starlight, he could see her dark form still sitting in the sand.
Exactly how he'd left her.
Fox wandered outside again, marching across the sand to where the blue vixen sat. She hadn't shifted at all; her knees were still pulled up to her chest, and her tail wrapped around her torso.
'I've never seen the sun do that,' her thoughts drifted to him, still looking at the horizon. 'I've never seen the sky be so clear, and be so many different colors. It just kept changing, and changing…'
Fox cleared his throat. "Look, 28… we need to go."
'Then go. I found my home. This is where I've always dreamed of being. I want to live here for the rest of my life. I don't need you anymore.'
Fox blinked, stung by her words.
'But… will it get much darker?' she continued. 'Will the… "sun" ever come back?'
She didn't even know what a sunset was, he realized.
'I don't mind if it doesn't. I saw it once; I'll remember it forever. It's dark again, but the sky is still pretty, like that dress was.'
Fox wet his lips. "Please 28, you can't stay here. There's no food."
'Good. I don't need food.'
"But you'll die," his voice cracked.
'Will the sun come back before then?'
"Well, yes—"
'Then staying here will be worth it. This is all I've ever wanted. I don't feel hungry—I feel full.'
He couldn't see her face in the darkness well enough to read her expression, but the finality and acceptance in the timbre of her thoughts told him everything he needed to know. She really didn't care if this was the end…
"Fox," ROB's voice nagged in his earpiece, "scanners have picked up patrol boats headed this way."
His blood chilled. Why now of all times! "Have we been spotted?"
"Our instruments likely outrange theirs, meaning we should have identified them first—but at their current trajectory it is only a matter of time before they sail within range. If we wish to leave Aquas undetected, it may already be too late. It's now or never, Fox."
ROB's voice disappeared, and Fox gulped, looking down at the Cerinian. "They're here, 28. We need to go."
'Then leave.'
Fox clenched his fists. "No. I'm not leaving without you. Now come on!"
He bent down, hooking his hands beneath 28's armpits and lifting her up. The vixen growled and fought him, trying to break free.
'You can't take me away!'
But Fox held on, wrestling with her. The two struggled on the beach, pressing swathes of sand around with their feet as they danced. But 28's weakened arms were no match for Fox's, and she lacked the energy necessary to outlast him. Soon she was so tired she just fell against him and breathed heavily, unable to resist him further.
Fox grunted and swept 28 up in his arms, carrying her like a bride. "I'm taking you back inside. This is your last chance to stay on the island, so if you're going to kill me with your powers, you better do it now while you still can!"
28 looked up at him, baring her fangs, but both she and Fox knew it was her only option. She felt so light in his arms, like she might float away—but her physical weakness was in no way indicative of her true powers.
"Go on, do it! Strike me down; tear my guts out; crumple my head into a tiny ball!"
He spoke aggressively, bluffing, but in reality he feared the desperate vixen might do just that. His heart was galloping now, and he could feel hers pounding as well. But when he turned with 28 and walked back up the boarding ramp, she made no move to stop him, and Fox breathed an internal sigh of relief.
Once inside the ship, Fox set 28 down, and she stood wavering in place. She turned towards the door again, but he shut it, and the steel panel closed with finality.
Fox rushed through the ship, not caring if she followed at this point, but she did all the same—if at a slower, laggardly pace.
The todd entered the bridge and jumped into the captain's chair, while 28 followed sometime afterward. She plopped down in a seat behind him, her wet hair draped over her eyes.
"Alright ROB, we're done here. Take us back to neutral space."
The robot pivoted his head to face Fox, as if to say, I told you so.
"Very well. Setting course for the nearest neutral zone…"
The Great Fox's engines blasted to life, whipping the palm trees and ocean water like a hurricane wind. As 28 looked forlornly out the window, the dreadnought lifted off the beach and pulled away from the island, the shore she'd always dreamed of growing smaller and smaller till it disappeared in the distance.
The G-force in the bridge increased, and the two foxes found themselves pressed into their seats while ROB clung to the floor with his magnetic treads. Within a few minutes, they had pulled away from Aquas, the sapphire planet shrinking behind them.
Once they'd left the planet, Fox spun his seat around to face the Cerinian. She glared down at the floor.
"28…" he began, swallowing. "I need to take you back."
Her ears pricked, and she looked up in shock.
'You lied to me!' her thoughts shouted, as if through a megaphone. 'You said I could trust you: that you wouldn't bring me back! You… you promised!'
Fox swept his hand through the air, feeling defensive. "I didn't lie! I made that promise when I thought I could bring you somewhere safe: when I thought your family could take care of you. Now I know you don't have a home to return to, or anywhere else to live. You're starving from lack of food—whether it's you consciously refusing it, or your body rejecting it. You can't survive unless I take you back. They'll know how to feed you."
She shook her head. 'No, please! Anywhere but back there!'
"I don't have any other choice, okay? It's not like I want to take you back, but you'll die otherwise. Maybe you just weren't made to live outside the labs…"
Her shoulders slumped, and he could tell she was beginning to believe so, too.
"Look, I'll see that Space Dynamics takes care of you. They're not like the Venomians. I'm friends with Beltino, and my therapist works there as well. I have connections; I'll make sure they treat you better—and the rest of the Cerinians, too. At the very least, you've proven you aren't a threat to anyone, and don't have to be put in cryosleep again."
'But it's dark there. I never see the sun, or the sky, or the stars. Isn't there anywhere else you can take me?'
"Well, like where? There isn't anywhere else you could go, and the only people who know how to save you and get you nourished are Space Dynamics."
'Why do I have to go anywhere? Why can't I stay on your ship?'
"28—"
'I understand if you don't like me. I know I'm different than you. I know I'm stupid and not as smart as you. I know I'm a liar. I know you're scared of me, and I know you hate me—just like everyone else does. I… I understand. But if you don't like me, I'll stay somewhere else on the ship. I'll stay out of the way and avoid you the whole time. I swear, Fox, you'll never see a hair on my head again. I'll never say a word, nor speak to your mind ever. It'll be like I'm not even there—and you won't even have to feed me, either.'
She clasped her hands, pleading with him.
'But please, please don't take me back!'
Fox's skin crawled, disgusted by her pleading, and more disgusted with himself. He didn't want to be in this position right now. How had it come this far?
A stone grew in his throat. God, those teary eyes, those desperate thoughts. He wanted more than anything to shout yes; to have someone around the ship again, to cook food for, to brighten up the halls and make him feel less alone. He wished he could feed her. He wished he could find her a home. And he didn't want to turn himself in and face the music, either…
But he swallowed the lump in his throat and set his jaw, knowing this was the right thing.
"No," he forced out. "You can't stay, and that's final. I'm… sorry."
At those words, 28 flinched. Her ears folded back, and she bowed her head, letting her messy hair cover her eyes.
It had taken everything within Fox to say those words. He knew he had to, but it hurt all the same. He licked his lips and hurriedly added more, before his chance slipped away.
"If I could let you stay, you know I would… right? I'm not some heartless monster—not completely. Maybe if I had a place to take you, or if you'd eat food, I could maybe… let you stay longer?"
He trailed off, but 28 said nothing, keeping her head down.
"I don't hate you—it was wrong of you to lie to me, but that doesn't mean I never want to see you again. Understand? 28—?"
The vixen suddenly got up, her face covered in shadow. Turning, she scampered out the door and left him alone on the bridge.
"28, wait!" Fox launched up from his chair to pursue, but a proximity alarm went off on the ship's dashboard.
"It would appear Aquan orbital forces are tailing our ship," ROB warned. "The island patrol must have notified them. We must take evasive action immediately if we are to escape."
Fox slid to a stop in the doorway, swallowing as the vixen's footfalls died away. Wracking his claws through his hair, he turned back, finding Navigation ROB staring at him expectantly.
"Have they recognized the Great Fox?"
"Improbable: I took the liberty of masking our identification codes, and they are too far away to visually confirm our team's insignia. At present they have no reason to believe we aren't one of several dozen dreadnoughts of this class."
"Good, that means the Cornerians won't get wind of it. Boost our speed to the neutral zone—"
But ROB directed his attention to the holographic map of Aquas' airspace. Red arrows indicated the provisional forces, which were quickly blocking their escape route.
"If we attempt to reach the neutral zone, an altercation will definitely ensue."
Fox placed a hand over his mouth and chin, studying the map. "The Provisionals won't be outfitted with EMPs like the Cornerian forces would be; they'll have to use live ammo to stop us, meaning things could get pretty hairy…"
An emerald glow caught his eye, and his turquoise irises flicked to its source: the holographic rendering of Sector Y, floating temptingly close to the ocean planet.
"There," he said, pointing. "We'll hide in one of the sectors again—deep enough so their instruments won't be of any use."
"Excellent choice. Changing course to Sector Y," ROB droned.
Fox held onto his seat as the Great Fox whipped around, the stars streaking by the viewscreen till the ship faced the opposite direction. The fiery green maelstrom of Sector Y swung into view, filling Fox with both hope and dread. While its ionic clouds would hide their ship from any pursuers, they also doubled as a funeral shroud for the one he'd loved most dearly.
Fox clenched the armrests of the captain's chair. The more he stared at the nebula, the sicker he felt to his stomach. It was almost as bad as looking at Venom.
"I knew coming to Aquas was a bad idea," he admitted.
"Then why did you?" ROB asked.
Fox sighed, frowning.
"I guess because I wanted to believe…"