It was so different here. So far away from all the problems he had ever known. Standing here, he could barely remember what those problems even were. A vast oasis surrounded him, lush green land, streams of water trickling down rocks to make gentle waterfalls. The sound of the water flowing was soothing, pleasing to the ears. There were ample trees to provide shade and shelter. In the distance, there were majestic mountains and great sprawls of forest. Twin suns shone through a clear blue sky, no clouds in sight. Wherever he was, it was beautiful. Here there was peace, there was relaxation. Here, there was beauty.
But where was here?
He didn't remember coming to this place. He didn't make a plan or plot a course. He didn't even recognize the planet he was on. Where was he? Where were his friends? Was there a mission? Was he supposed to do something? He couldn't remember. His mind was hazy, his thoughts clouded. This should have alarmed him. He should be concerned, yet he wasn't. He didn't know where he was, didn't care where he was. Wherever it was, it felt right. He felt right. Like he belonged here.
"Fox."
A voice called to him from the distance. It called him by song, singing a beautiful melody from a voice that could only belong to an angel. He was compelled to follow it. He had no choice. His body moved of its own volition, and he would not stop even if he could. Though he did not recognize any of the words from the rapturous song, somehow he knew they were sung for him, each note lovingly crafted to thrill and entice him, the melody's power seeping inside of him and filling every crevice of heart and soul, feelings and inner secrets remembered and forgotten alike.
As he searched for the source, the song somehow became even more beautiful. It was impossible to describe in its magnificence. And though he did not understand the words, he also sensed sorrow. The combination only drove him onward, his mind completely consumed by the overpowering desire to find the singer. His movements quickened, pushing aside plants and shrubs with his paws and plunging deeper into the forest. No caution anymore. No preparation, no plans. Only the song. He was so close now. After brushing away a sizable fern leaf obscuring his vision, he found her.
She was beautiful. No, beautiful didn't even begin to describe her. She was majestic, otherworldly. Her body could only have been carved by angelic beings, her fur a breathtaking blend of blue and white. She stood inside a shallow pool of water with her back to him, unaware of his presence as she continued singing. She wore no clothes, with a stream of water dousing her from above, the liquid running down the curve of her back and trickling into the pool at her feet. There were great stone slabs surrounding the pool, perhaps indicating an ancient site of ritual or worship, carved with figures of winged saviors, sinister devils, and wizened prophets. In this moment, the surroundings only added to the sense of ethereal and heavenly beauty of the woman.
None of that other stuff mattered to him. She mattered. He wanted to speak to her, he needed to speak. But the words were stuck. No sound would come, no matter how hard he tried. He approached her, but his legs felt weak as he drew close. Each step came with more effort than the last. His legs buckled, but he kept moving. He was so close now, so close. He reached out, almost able to take hold of her hand.
Then the last of his strength fled him. He fell, his face falling against the cool water of the pool. He wanted to stand, but he had nothing left. He felt tired. So very tired.
The singing stopped. He felt something soft brush against his shoulder. His head was caressed on either side, then lifted upward. She was holding his head in her arms. He could see her face now. She was smiling at him. His cheeks burned as he caught a glimpse of the rest of her body, still unclothed. But when he looked back into her eyes, there was no shame or embarrassment in them. But there was something else inside, something unusual. Something he didn't recognize...
She leaned her head forward while drawing him closer in her embrace, pressing her soft lips against his in a gentle kiss. Her touch was electrifying, incredible. With just a kiss, his entire body was ablaze with sensation, a maddening blend of joy and desire. He kissed her back, wishing to whatever gods might exist that he be granted the strength to hold her in his arms.
Breaking the kiss, she pulled away from him, eliciting an involuntary (But still silent) groan as her lips parted his. She smiled at him again.
He knew now what he had seen in her eyes, in her expression, one that was undoubtedly mirrored upon his own. Desire.
At last the fog in his mind lifted. Everything made sense. More importantly, he knew who she was.
"Krystal..." He breathed.
"Fox." Krystal smiled down lovingly at him. With new found strength, he reached for her, but she shrank away from him, out of his grasp.
"Fox." She was standing directly between him and the sun, the shadows darkening her features. Rising to his feet, he took a step toward her. He wouldn't let her go. Not this time. He couldn't.
But again he was too late. Perhaps for the final time. Just as he reached her, she started to float away. He did not question it. He simply watched, helpless, as she drifted away from him. His vision blurred, and he felt the trace of tears forming in his eyes. He should've told her how he felt. He should never have let her go. And now he would never get another chance.
He crumpled to his knees, only able to watch helplessly as she ascended, out of his reach forevermore. Her voice carried down to him as she rose, melancholy and growing distant.
"Fox..."
"Fox."
...
"Fox!"
"Wha?!" Fox was startled out of his dream and bolted upright, which caused his head to slam against the low-hanging compartment just above his bed. "D'aahhh!" Fox's hands immediately jumped to where he had banged his head as it exploded with pain, and he could already feel the bump forming.
"Fox, are you alright?!" He could hear rapid footsteps as she approached. Nursing his aching head, he turned toward Krystal, who was studying him intently, worry etched on her features. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No, I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just this stupid ship, it's..." Fox sighed, shaking his head as he trailed off. "Never mind. I'm up now. What's up?"
"Nothing." Krystal still watched him with concern. "You've already missed breakfast, and I was a little worried."
"Oh, sorry." Fox sighed, letting go of the new bruise on his forehead and stretching his arms out to either side, this time much more careful in his movements so that he didn't cause further injury to himself. "I'll be up in a second."
"Of course." She glanced at his bare chest, then arched an eyebrow. A sly smirk crossed her face before she added, "You might want to get dressed before you join us."
Fox just grunted in response. "Can't get dressed if you're standing here. I mean, I can, but, uh...you know."
Krystal turned away, laughing. "Don't worry, I won't peek. I'll give you some privacy."
As she walked away, a terrifying thought came to Fox. "Wait!" He called out. She froze, then looked at him from over her shoulder. Fox cleared his throat before continuing. "You can't, uh, you don't read dreams, do you?"
The blue furred vixen smiled, then shook her head. "No. I don't intrude on other's dreams."
"Oh thank goodness." Fox breathed a sigh of relief. Then it was his turn to freeze. "Wait a moment. You said you don't intrude. That means you CAN do it if you want to?"
"Yes." She stated simply.
"You, uh...you don't ever look at dreams?"
"Well, sometimes." There was that smile again. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, which he very much hoped she didn't notice. For that matter, he hoped she couldn't see his thoughts right now. Or whatever it was she did when it came to sensing others' thoughts or emotions. She'd never fully explained that. "Have you had troubled dreams?" She asked, staring at him quite intently. "Perhaps I should look at them, help you deal with whatever it is that-"
"Oh no-no-no-no-no-no!" Fox rose from bed, waving his hands frantically back and forth as he interrupted her. "No need for that! I was just curious, that's all! Just wondering for absolutely no reason whatsoever!"
Krystal stared at him for a long moment, neither moving nor speaking. He had absolutely no idea what she was thinking, though his mind was running rife with possibilities. He was trying so hard to control his thoughts, get those images out of his head. What he had seen of her absolutely gorgeous body, with water trickling down her spine and dribbling...
Uh oh.
Krystal quirked an eyebrow up at his direction, a bemused smile on her face. For just a brief moment, she cast her gaze downward. Fox wasn't wearing much, just his underwear, and at the moment, he was afraid it might be showing just a little bit of evidence of what he was just thinking about. The vixen glanced downward, and he quickly shifted his paw in front of himself, trying to disguise his body's reaction to things. Think clean thoughts, Fox! This was so embarrassing!
Thankfully, Krystal didn't seem at all upset. If anything, there was a bit of mischief in her eyes. Her gaze rose to match Fox's, then she shook her head with a giggle and sauntered away, her tail swaying behind her. The door slid open and she disappeared from sight. It hissed one last time as it slid closed. With that, Fox let out a deep sigh of relief before slapping a hand against his head in exasperation, an action he immediately regretted as he struck the still smarting bruise. This prompted a string of colorful curses directed at his quarters, the ship, the day, and himself. When he finished, he hopped out of bed and opened up his compartment, picking out some clothes. It didn't take long. He didn't have much of a wardrobe.
As he gathered the last of his gear, he looked up at the mirror hanging just above, staring at his reflection. Sometimes he didn't much care to look at himself. Physically, he was fine. More than fine. Still looked good, still physically fit, his fur was still a healthy yellow color, with the softer pale spots on his chest and face. No gray hairs or fur, or at least none that he could see. All whiskers present and accounted for. Teeth still sharp and shining. His tail was still as bushy and well kept as ever. Nothing seemed to be out of place.
Yet there was something different, something there that shouldn't have been. As he stared at his reflection's face, he couldn't help but notice how tired he looked, how spent. It was in his eyes, in his face, in his posture. The tiredness was deeper than simply not getting enough sleep. These last few months in particular had been rough.
A few years ago, whenever he looked in the mirror he saw a hotshot ace pilot that saved the Lylat System more than once, somebody who could achieve whatever he set his mind to. The sky wasn't the limit because there were no limits. Now? He was older, certainly, and maybe a little wiser. Maybe. But the Great Fox, the vessel that had been the pride and joy of the Star Fox team, was gone. Good work was in short supply and Star Fox's debts were higher than ever. The only real profit they had ever made invariably involved encounters with Andross. And no matter how badly he needed money, Fox really, really hoped that the mad ape would remain dead and in the past. Would be wonderful if his team could make a decent living without the entire Lylat System being threatened with imminent doom for once. No luck so far.
He shook his head, dispelling such thoughts from his mind. He didn't need to think about those things now. But pushing one set of thoughts away simply made room for others. Lingering visions of his dream still fluttered about his mind, tantalizing him with their memory. A vision of a vixen. Those beautiful and enticing blue-green eyes, her kind smile. There was no question that he was lucky to have her as part of the team, and that he cared for her a great deal.
But it was more than that. The dream had been so vivid, so real. And though he liked to think of himself as in control at all times, he couldn't stop thinking about it. About her. The exquisite colors and patterns of her fur, those exotic markings and tattoos, the curves of her body. Unclothed and showing no shame, like she wanted him. And her body was so beautiful. He just wanted to reach out and embrace her, draw her close, inhale her scent, feel her fur and flesh pressing against his own...
Fox jerked his head from side to side and growled. This was getting ridiculous, he was better than this. He needed a shower. Maybe two. That would clear his head. He hoped.
It was a good thing he was planning for a cold shower, as he soon discovered that there was no hot water available anyway. Yet another item to be added to the endless list of things that needed to be fixed on this bucket of bolts.
His shower was quick and efficient, then he was dressed. Before exiting, he took another quick look at the mirror. He looked presentable, but that wasn't what concerned him. He stared at his reflection, focusing on his face. He straightened his back, leaned his head forward, and smiled.
Better, he thought. He could still see the weariness. But it wasn't as strong now, and he didn't think the others would notice. Couldn't let them think that their infallible leader was, well, fallible. He chuckled to himself before exiting his quarters, heading for the bridge. He'd eat later, he wasn't hungry right now. It didn't take him long to reach his destination, in part because his quarters were, by design, situated close to the bridge.
Also because the ship was far too small. It was pitiful compared to the original Great Fox.
He found the rest of his team on the bridge. Falco Lombardi, the only pilot that could match Fox's skill, was sitting at a control station with his feet propped up on top of the computer. The blue-feathered bird had his earbuds on, bobbing his head to whatever music he was listening to. Fox could hear the sound of the music from where he was standing, albeit only just. Falco didn't even glance at Fox as he entered.
Slippy Toad, the resident mechanic, engineer, and all around technical expert, was situated at his own station alongside Falco, fixing an annoyed glare on the bird. Fox had no idea why Slippy was glaring, but if he had to guess it was either because he didn't like hearing Falco's music or he was annoyed about the callous disregard for the ship's equipment that Falco displayed. Or quite possibly both. Either way, he didn't look happy. Slippy glanced Fox's way when he entered, offering a quick wave before returning his attention to his station. Fox also wasn't entirely sure why Slippy's last name was toad. Technically he was a frog, but Fox had never brought it up. Wasn't sure if it would be insensitive or not.
ROB was situated at another console, his mechanical torso swiveling from side to side as he entered and analyzed data, as well as checking various ship systems, running scans, and generally keeping the ship together. His hands moved impossibly fast, almost non-stop. The robot was quick and efficient. Fox couldn't imagine that there were many other people capable of doing that job themselves. He suspected it would at least take two or three men or women to do the job half as well as the robot.
Krystal, the last addition to the Star Fox team, was standing by herself at the viewport, staring off into space. She didn't seem to notice as Fox entered the room, or anyone else that was in there with her for that matter. Fox knew better, though. She was aware of them. She was, in fact, remarkably difficult to catch unawares, at least from the the Star Fox team. They had tried to throw her a surprise party a couple of times, but both attempts had failed spectacularly. It seemed to him that she knew he was planning the party before HE knew he was planning the party. It was uncanny.
Watching her now, he wondered what it was that she was thinking. Was she thinking of home? The family, the people, the planet she had lost, still trying to discover how and why it happened? Was she thinking about her time with Star Fox? Or was she thinking at all? Was she instead perhaps sensing something? Or trying to sense something? Again, he found himself wondering exactly how her powers worked.
The thought crept into his mind for a brief moment that perhaps she might even be thinking about him, but he stamped that thought out as he approached. "Hey Krystal." Fox called out to her. Without turning around, Krystal offered a faint nod in acknowledgment of his greeting. She seemed distracted by something. Sighing, Fox could only hope that whatever was on her mind, it had nothing to do with earlier this morning.
Though he didn't typically think of himself as a "captain," that's what the designer had in mind for where Fox was sitting. It was the forward command chair. If it had been a better ship, it might be impressive. But it wasn't.
For a while, he busied himself with a few of his daily tasks, mostly going through messages and communications directed toward him or Star Fox in general, bringing them before him on a virtual display by simply tapping a few buttons on the armrest of his chair. Sifting through the information, he found little of interest. A few bits of news about how difficult life was since the Aparoid invasion, and how long the economic recession would last. It wasn't that he didn't care, it's just that it was nothing new. It had been months since the devastation happened, and very little had changed since then.
There were also a few advertisements for products he did not need or could not afford. Or both. No matter how many times he deleted and blocked this crap, he'd somehow get even more the next day. Sighing, he resigned himself to cycling through it anyway. Might be something useful in here. Like a job. Not likely though.
Learn this secret to earn millions of credits over night, right from the comfort of your own home! Right, like that was legitimate. All he had to do was buy something that wouldn't work, sell something that nobody wants, and send a few credits to the jerk who sent this. Deleted.
Upgrade anti-matter cannons on your starship today! Say, there's an idea. That is, if this ship had an anti-matter cannon to begin with or even a proper place to install it, that might actually useful. But it didn't, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Deleted.
You've won a free* vacation to the beaches of Sauria!
Your business is not registered so call us and register it for a nominal fee...
The king of Alpha Regis Singala IV needs to transfer a million credits into your account! Urgent action needed!
Every doctor hates this secret that you can learn now...
Having trouble pleasing your vixen? Order Knot-Plus™ today. Just look at the results!
Oh jeez! Fox couldn't hit the delete button fast enough on that one. Now there were only a handful of messages left, and he had to stifle a groan when he saw what they were. The only legitimate messages he had, and they were all bills. Wonderful.
"Hey, Slippy." Fox called out over his shoulder. "What's the good word?"
"Sorry Fox," the amphibian replied. "Nothing. I've tried everything. I'm not catching any communications, distress calls, or anything else out of the ordinary. I don't think there's much going on in the Lylat System today." He pressed a few buttons on the screen of his console before adding, "I already contacted Peppy, they've got nothing. And they're super busy right now with reconstruction and rebuilding and all that. Nothing out of...wait!" Slippy paused, studying his screen for a moment. "I've got an unidentified signal here, broadcasting strong! Unknown origin!"
"Alright, Slip, that's better than nothing." Fox leaned to the right, causing his chair to spin around until he was facing Slippy. The frog nodded toward Fox, then tapped his screen. Immediately, the room was filled with a voice, one filled with passion and frustration. Like the fate of the universe rested on his back. A voice he recognized.
Oh no.
"...and why doesn't the Cornerian government tell you about this? Because they don't want you to know their part in the Aparoid invasion. There's real evidence out there, people. This was no invasion, it was a cover..."
"Shut it off, Slippy! Shut it off!" Fox growled. He hated this guy. He didn't even know his name, but he broadcast constantly. The show was nothing but conspiracy theories and anti-Cornerian propaganda. Slippy ran his fingers over the buttons on the screen, tapping a few. But the transmission wasn't ending.
"...but don't worry boys and girls, Andross saw through this deception. He might have died, but he died fighting for our freedom. And I have it on good authority that there's a secret base out there, just waiting for a signal to...
"Slippy!" Fox yelled.
"I'm tryin' I'm tryin', every time I hit the button it wants to me install some stupid software and...okay, here we go!" With one final flick of his finger, the voice was cut mercifully short. Fox and Slippy both breathed a sigh of relief. Slippy glanced up at Fox, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry Fox. He changes something in his broadcasts every time he transmits, makes it so you can never tell when it's him!"
"It's alright, Slippy." Fox shook his head, then leaned back in his chair and let out a long long sigh. "Looks like it's gonna be a sloooooow day."
"Yeah..." Slippy rubbed at the back of his head as he spoke. "I hate to say it, but you're probably right."
"It better not be." Fox blinked as another voice spoke up. He didn't even know that the bird had been paying any attention at all to the conversation. Falco still wasn't looking at Fox, but his earbuds were gone. His eyes were closed and his feet were still propped up against his desk, but he was still talking to them. "We're the best best pilots in the galaxy, and all we're doin' is beggin' for scraps when they come our way."
"I know, Falco." Fox closed his eyes and started to rub his forehead, feeling like a headache was coming on. "I'm right there with you. I'm doing the best I can, but..."
"This is ridiculous." Falco's eyes opened long enough to level a glare in Fox's direction before leaning backward and propping his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling of the ship. "I'm not criticizing you. I'm just ticked off. There's gotta be something for us to do somewhere."
Slippy piped up before Fox could respond. "Hey! It's not like you're doing anything to make it better! All you do is sit there doing nothing and getting scuff marks all over the console!"
"Hey, this thing's a piece of crap, nobody cares." Falco growled.
"Oh come on, that's not the point!" Slippy threw his hands up in frustration. "You gotta treat this stuff right, or it's gonna fall apart!" Slippy paused, then added in a more subdued tone, "Well, more so than it already is."
Falco let out a loud derisive snort, then shook his head back and forth. As if to further antagonize, he let his boots fall to either side, covering even more of the terminal than he had been before. He gave Slippy a smug grin, which caused the frog to scowl. "Hey, I'm a pilot. That's what I do, and that's why I'm the best. I leave all the other stuff to the rest of you guys."
"Well..." Slippy paused, evidently biting back some retort that he wanted to make before proceeding, "maybe if you helped with this other stuff, we'd have a job where you could actually be piloting something!"
"Shut it, Slip. I'm not in the mood." Falco grumbled.
Slippy's eyes rolled up momentarily as he bit down on his lower lip, obviously more than a little frustrated. "Okay, listen here you...you..."
"Enough, both of you." Fox snapped. Slippy and Falco looked at their leader, momentarily surprised by his outburst. Falco was the first to react, simply offering a shrug before laying back in his chair. He did finally remove his feet from the console, instead just kicking them against the floor to send his chair spinning in one direction and then another. Slippy just started muttering to himself and returned his attention to his console.
And there was that headache he'd been afraid of, now going strong. He wanted to just blame Falco and Slippy, but Fox knew that he was no better. They'd all been getting more short-tempered and irritable in the last couple of months. They had all been cooped up, they all hated the ship, they all needed money, and they were all bored out of their minds. This stupid ship didn't even have any training simulation equipment or anything that could help alleviate the state of things. All they could do was wander aimlessly through the stars and hope they would find something. So far, they'd found JUST enough to keep making payments for the ship and whatever other debts they'd accrued, along with the normal cost of maintaining and resupplying the thing. Plus the Arwings, which were in the hangar.
Regardless, it was barely enough to get by. None of them were handling it very well. In all the years of Star Fox, McCloud couldn't think of a single time that had been this bad. There weren't any signs of the situation improving, either. Fox didn't know what they were going to do. There were only two individuals on the ship that seemed to be handling the situation alright. ROB was one, but that was probably because he was robot. Fox wasn't sure it was even possible for him to get bored. The other was...
"Fox." Krystal still had her back to him, but had inclined her head to the side, speaking over her shoulder. "I'm...I'm sensing something."
It took a moment for the weight of Krystal's words to dawn on him. When they did, he jolted upwards out of his chair, taking a step toward her. "You...you what? Is there someone out there? Someone that needs help?"
Krystal returned her gaze to the viewport. Fox might have assumed that she was star gazing, but he could see her reflection on the the glass-like surface before her. Her eyes were closed, her eyebrows furrowed and her fingers pressing against the side of her head, deep in concentration. "I'm...there's something, but it's faint. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it."
That was unusual. Not that he expected Krystal to know everything, but whenever she sensed something, she usually had some idea of who or where it was. "You can't tell me anything?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. Only..." Her lips curved downward into a frown, and she winced. "It's bad. Something is wrong. Very wrong. That's...that's all I can sense. It's out there, somewhere." She shook her head
"I dunno!" Slippy called out from behind Fox. "I've been running the scanners, and I haven't detected anything. How about you ROB?"
ROB never paused from his duties. He hadn't taken a break the entire time, his torso swiveling around as his hands flew over his work station, accessing the ship's database, scanning the area around them, and doing who knew what else. He continued his work while speaking in his familiar robotic voice. "Negative. Scans have not indicated presence of any anomalies nearby. Possibility of instrument malfunction"
"Oh, I hope not." Slippy groaned as he leaned back in his chair. "I spent all day in the ship's underbelly yesterday. This thing is an engineer's nightmare. Nothing goes where it should, it's all been jury-rigged and nobody thought to leave instructions. I do NOT want to spend another full cycle just tinkering down there."
"Sorry Slippy." Fox gave his friend an apologetic look. "But we really need to know. If Krystal senses something, it's there. We just have to find it."
"Hold on!" Slippy held up one hand before pressing a few buttons on his console. "Let me change the scanning parameters and widen the search. I'll divert more power from the rest of the ship." He paused to look up at Fox. "I am not spending another day down there. I know this ship can find them. I know it!"
"I might be able to help." As Krystal spoke, she strode across the room, approaching Slippy's console. Fox couldn't help but admire her grace. It didn't even seem like she was walking, more like gliding. When she reached Slippy's console, her hand rested gently on the side of the computer before she pointed at a specific spot on the screen. "Try there."
"There?" Slippy both looked and sounded dubious. "That...that's beyond the limit of the Lylat System. There's nothing out there."
"Go ahead Slippy, give it a try." Fox nodded to his friend.
With a shrug, Slippy did as Krystal suggested, concentrating his scans in the area that she had indicated. "I'm telling you, we're not going to find anything out there. There's not much reason for anyone to..."
He was interrupted by a rapid and repeated beeping emanating from the computer. Slippy stared at the screen, his eyes widening in surprise before looking up at Fox. "I can't believe...Fox, I'm getting something."
Fox tried not to get his hopes hope. He had faced a lot of disappointment lately. They all had. Could turn out to be nothing. Or worse, could turn out to be something and then not pay. This was it. Something was finally happening. Looked like Star Fox finally had something to do. Fox rose to his feet before approaching Slippy, coming up and standing beside Krystal while leaning against the computer console. "Is there a message? Are they broadcasting anything?"
"Okay, I think I've got it." Slippy's fingers glided over the screen, pressing a few buttons. "It's playing!"
Everyone winced as the room was filled with shrieking static. It sounded like there were words mixed in with it, but it was difficult to tell. There were also bits that sounded a bit like someone screaming. If there was anything intelligible in there, it was simply being drowned out. "Turn it down, Slippy!" Fox had to yell in order for the frog to hear him. "Turn it down!"
"What the heck was that?" Falco was sitting up now, looking at the rest of the group as Slippy brought down the volume. They were all alert now. "Thought it was gonna blow out my ear drums or somethin'. What kind of distress call was that?"
"Analysis suggests high probability of damaged broadcasting equipment from other vessel." For the first time since the day had started, ROB paused from his work, taking a moment to face the others, his words speaking in his the usual flat and almost emotionless tone. "Damage has resulted in unclear message and distortion."
"Can it be cleaned up at all?" Fox asked.
The robot swiveled away from Fox, his hands already flying across his console. He spoke as he worked, his voice traveling over his shoulders as he addressed the rest of the group. "Unknown, I shall attempt to filter out what I can."
Fox nodded, then turned toward the others. Falco was rolling his head around his shoulders, stretching and popping some of the bones in his neck. Slippy continued to fiddle with the console, probably trying to assist ROB in some way or come up some with answers on his own.
Krystal wasn't with them, though. Fox quickly scanned the room, then blinked when he saw her back in her original position, standing before the viewport. He hadn't even noticed when she had moved. He doubted any of the others had either, except maybe ROB. But there was something different about Krystal this time. Her head was bent over and she was massaging her forehead. Fox took another quick glance at the group, then approached Krystal as quietly as he could. She didn't react as he he drew closer. He came right up to her and simply stood by her side, looking at the stars himself for a moment before turning his gaze toward her. She still hadn't moved, didn't seem to have even noticed his presence.
There was a sharp hiss as she sucked in her breath, as if something had just hurt her. But there was nothing nearby. "Krystal?" Fox asked. He placed his paw on her shoulder, as gentle as he could manage. She didn't react to his touch. He stood there for a moment, holding her, before trying again. "Krystal? Are you alright?"
"I'm..." Krystal struggled to get the words out, taking a deep breath before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, there's something...this sensation is so...I can't describe it." The corners of her mouth stretched upward as she winced. "It's giving me a headache."
"Krystal, it's okay." Fox leaned closer to her, as close as he dared. Her face rose and fell with every breath. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. He wanted to do so much more than just clasp her shoulder with his hand. He wanted to hug her close to him, snuggle up with her and tell her everything would be alright. To make the pain go away. Because he hated seeing her in pain. He hated seeing her hurt. He'd do anything to stop it.
But instead of hugging her, he simply gave a shoulder a soft squeeze. "Can you...can you stop sensing it? If it's hurting you, don't push yourself. We've got the signal, we'll be fine."
"I can't stop it entirely, but..." Krystal raised her head, letting it fall backward with a sigh. Her eyes opened, and she seemed to stare up at the ceiling. "I can try to close myself off from it." She turned back to Fox before offering a smile. "Thanks, Fox."
All it took was her smile. The blood started rushing to Fox's cheeks. To disguise it, he simply gave Krystal a quick nod before turning away, removing his hand from her as he did so.
Fortunately, there was something else for Fox to worry about. "I have adjusted what I can to the transmission. Playing now." Rob tapped one of the buttons on his work station. The distress call played again, but this time there was much less static and the volume not quite so loud. A voice came through. He was difficult to understand, but it was much better than before. The voice cut out frequently, replaced by static and other incomprehensible noises, making the message difficult to understand.
"This is Lieuten.. ... ... ... -el Von Dross, we ha-... .. ... .. unknown alien entity. The ship is severely comp... ... ... immediately. Do not let .. . ... . . ... circumstances. Please. Someone. Help us ... ... ..."
The static continued for a time before ROB cut the audio. Everyone was silent for a while. Falco and Slippy were both looking up at Fox expectantly. Krystal came to his side and looked at him, waiting for his response. Fox looked between all of them with a grim expression, then smiled. "ROB, plot us a course to those coordinates. I want everyone in proper battle attire ASAP." The change in atmosphere was almost instantaneous. Slippy let out a cheer, Falco started hooting as he started for his quarters, and Krystal gave him an approving nod.
Fox looked back to the viewport. He raised his arm and pointed, as if to signify not only the place they needed to go, but the beginning of a new adventure. "Alright guys. Looks like we've got a job to do. Star Fox to the rescue!"