Fox found himself alone again. Everyone was preparing for the mission. Slippy was inspecting the Arwings and Falco was getting his gear together. He wasn't sure what Krystal was doing, though he'd assume that she was more or less doing the same thing, probably what Fox himself should be doing right now. But before any of that, he had to eat.
He was in the mess hall, though calling it that was a bit of a joke. It was more like a tiny break room found in a Cornerian convenience store. It was cramped like one wouldn't believe, barely enough room for all four of them to go there at the same time. And since it had been far too long since their last paying job, the only food available was that nutrition paste. The stuff was disgusting, but it was incredibly cheap and provided all the essential nutrients one needed to survive, as long as you didn't consider "flavor" essential.
Thank god for coffee. Fox leaned back in his chair, taking a brief sip of the steaming liquid. He didn't even feel that hungry, but there was no telling when his next chance to eat would be. He was halfway finished with his meal, but for the moment he was leaving the sludge where it was on the table and enjoying something more palatable. He didn't have much left to eat, but it felt like each mouthful was worse than the last.
He lowered his coffee for a moment, staring at the wall. Though in truth, he wasn't really looking at it. Or at anything in particular. His mind wandered as possibilities ran through his head. Whoever it was that had sent the distress call, why were they beyond the borders of the Lylat System? Why had the transmission been so damaged? What were he and his team getting themselves into this time? And last but not least...were they going to get paid for this?
Fox sighed, taking another swig of coffee, enjoying the warmth of the liquid as much as the taste, the coffee hot enough to feel like it was almost scalding as it went down. Not enough to be painful or to burn, naturally, but still hot, as hot as he could stand it. That's the way he liked it.
He jerked forwards as something fell upon his shoulder, almost spilling his coffee. He whirled his head around, only to relax when he saw who it was. "Krystal! You...uh...surprised me."
"Sorry Fox." She looked down at him with a concerned expression, but that quickly shifted into an amused smile as she took a chair close to him, around the table. He nodded at her, then took another sip of his coffee. "I'm glad you're eating something. You shouldn't go too long without sustenance."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Fox set the coffee aside for a moment before spooning up some of the paste and raising it to his mouth. He grimaced as he tasted the stuff, stifling a disgusted groan before swallowing it. "I swear, they make this stuff nasty on purpose."
With a chuckle, Krystal shook her head. She propped one of her elbows on the table and rested her head against her hand. "I know. I don't much like it either, but I've had worse."
"Yeah, so have I, but that doesn't change the facts." Fox looked at his bowl, wrinkling his nose. "This stuff is gross. I wouldn't feed prisoners with this slop, it would be a violation of multiple peace conventions. Might even be a war crime."
Krystal laughed again, a little harder this time. Her whole body trembled from the exertion, and she shook her head from side to side as she kept laughing. The sight made Fox smile and laugh a little too, though he wasn't sure he'd said anything all that funny. Still, he liked it when he could make Krystal laugh. After a while, the mirth subsided and she straightened her back and looked at Fox again. He resumed eating, scooping up the last of the goop before finishing it off. He swore that the last bit tasted even worse than all that had come before but at least it was done.
"Is everything alright, Fox?" Krystal asked. He glanced her way, trying to read her expression. The mirth was gone, now she looked a lot more serious, more concerned.
"So far, we don't have enough information to know whether we should be worrying or not." He shrugged his shoulders. "We'll know when we get there."
"I don't mean the mission." Krystal's gaze seemed to go right through him, as if she was looking right into his soul. With her powers of telepathy, for all he knew that was exactly what she was doing. "I mean you. Are you alright?"
Fox wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. He took another sip of his coffee before responding. "I'm...I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Fox." Krystal leaned closer, one hand clasping over his. He felt that old familiar feeling as the blood started pumping up to his face, his heart beating a bit faster. He wondered if she had any idea of the effect that stuff like this had on him. She acted as though she didn't have the slightest clue, but he couldn't help but wonder. She could sense things that no one else could. Was it possible that she was just naive regarding these things? Or was it intentional? "You've been troubled lately. We've all sensed it."
"Well..." Fox hesitated, unsure how to answer her. "I just...I'm tired, I guess. It's been a little stressful for a while."
Krystal seemed to be staring directly into Fox's eyes, her expression deadly serious. He had no idea what she was thinking. After a moment of silence, she continued. "We all care about you, Fox. Even the ones that don't show it. You're an excellent leader and a true friend. Please don't keep all of your burdens locked away inside."
Fox was staring back at Krystal, his gaze locked with hers and his coffee momentarily forgotten. There were so many things he wanted to say. Part of him wanted to open up to her so badly, to tell her everything he had been thinking and feeling, his doubts, his concerns, his fears. How he was afraid of losing Star Fox, how the team could fall apart. The fear that this time, they might not actually scrape by. That things might not work out in the end.
And yet despite her words, he didn't want to burden the team with his personal problems. They needed to believe that he was in control, that everything was alright and their future, such as it was, secured. He knew they were struggling, he knew they had doubts. He didn't want to add to them.
As they looked at each other, he felt something else inside him. Her eyes were so beautiful, soft and green. Her body too was beautiful, with that mixture of blue and white fur in such exotic patterns, those tribal tattoos adorning her legs and arms. She was still smiling at him, saying nothing. Did she know what was going through his head? Did it matter?
Tell her, you fool! A familiar voice hissed in his ear, the same voice he had ignored ever since he had met the blue vixen. Tell her how you feel! If you don't tell her, one day she'll be gone! She won't wait around forever. She'll be with someone who was actually brave enough to tell her how they really felt about her! Please! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SAY SOMETHING!
Fox took a deep, uneasy breath, closing his eyes. He could still feel her tender paw atop his. When he looked up at her, her head was tilted ever so slightly to the right, which made her even cuter than she already was. The stubborn resistance to expressing himself finally began to give. Just a little. And now he had a moment of clarity, the likes of which that he had not felt in so long. He knew what he needed to do, what he needed to say. It all seemed so clear now. He offered her a smile, then started to speak. "Krystal," he began. The vixen stared back at him, her eyes seeming to widen ever so slightly, "I-"
"Fox! We're coming out of the warp gate now! I think you're gonna want to get up here as soon as possible!" Slippy's voice blared over the intercom. Fox winced at the interruption, then heaved a heavy sigh. Typical. Krystal seemed somewhat amused, offering Fox a knowing smile as she withdrew her paw from his. Again, he wondered just how much she knew. Or how she felt about things herself, telepathy or no.
"Alright, Slip, I'll be right up." Well, so much for opening up to Krystal. Fox rose to his feet, quickly downing the last of his coffee before dropping the now empty container down the cleaning unit. He never heard Krystal get up, but by the time he turned around, she was gone. He wistfully thought that he needed to learn how to do that for himself, but then his mind returned to the task at hand. As he left the break room, he pressed the switch to dim the lights. Needed to conserve every bit of power they could.
By the time he arrived on the bridge, everyone else was there waiting. Falco and Krystal were staring out the viewport while Slippy and ROB were busy with their workstations. Slippy looked annoyed, his eyebrows furrowed and his tongue hanging half out to the side as he concentrated.
Fox walked past Slippy, approaching the viewport to get a look for himself. What he saw was nothing short of incredible. He heard Krystal gasp before murmuring in a reverential tone, "It's beautiful."
They had warped in close to a planet, a massive one. Of course, they weren't nearly close enough to discern what the surface was like, but even from where they were, the planet seemed to churn and shift. There were two large reddish blots on the planet's surface, and a quick glance at the monitor indicated that they were two powerful storms. Fox had the distinct impression that he didn't want to explore the surface of this one, even with the Landmaster.
But the planet itself wasn't so much what captivated them. The planet had two rings around it, crisscrossing at a single point. There was a faint blue haze covering the rings, making it appear as though they were glowing. Just from the visual, they could see the rings moving, seeming to contain asteroids, debris, and whatever else caught in the orbit and moving at high speeds around the planet. Behind the planet, there was a gigantic blue nebula that stretched out from one side to the other, dotted with other vibrant colors here and there, red and green among them. The planet was framed with that nebula in the background, picturesque scenery so perfectly rendered that Fox might have assumed it was a work of art. Heck, if he took a snapshot, he might just hang in it his quarters.
Slippy never looked up, which was like him. Rather than admire something beautiful that they stumbled upon in their adventures traipsing up and down the Lylat System, he preferred to marvel over the technical details of it, usually displayed on a monitor or screen. "Bringing up the analysis now, Fox." Slippy glanced up as he spoke, his eyes darting between what he had on his console and the rest of the team. "Alright gentlemen, we're looking at a gas giant, uninhabitable. Planet is known as 'Cetau V.' Atmosphere composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. No surface to speak of, nothing to land on 'til you get to the core, if even then." He paused before continuing, "Planet has twin-rings, containing a large variety of objects trapped in orbit. Most of it is space dust, comets, meteorites, natural satellites, and some stuff I haven't identified yet, but big ol' rocks, probably." Slippy paused for a brief moment, uttering a "huh." before continuing on. "We're approximately 1.3 billion kilometers from the nearest star, and it ain't Lylat."
Fox turned to regard Slippy over his shoulder. "What was that noise for? You sounded like you were surprised by something."
"Oh, it might be nothing. Just, uh..." Slippy cleared his throat before continuing. "Initial scans indicate that there's something...not natural in the rings."
"Not natural?" Falco scoffed. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"
"Means something somebody made is in there. It's not from space, that's what I'm saying. And I'm just trying to figure out what it is and why it's there."
"Huh." Falco shrugged, then looked back at the viewport. "Gotta say, I'm not usually moved by this kinda stuff, but this is kinda nice-lookin'."
"It is," Fox agreed. "But...I doubt the distress signal is coming from the planet. So where is it?"
"Local anomalies are interfering with scanners." ROB announced as a matter of fact. "Sensors are currently malfunctioning. Attempting to compensate."
"Huh." Fox was still watching the cosmic beauty before them, but his brow was furrowed. "Wonder what's causing that."
"Unknown. Most plausible cause is radiation emanating from planet and nearby nebula." Rob continued to work furiously, his mechanical appendages little less than a blur as he entered and relayed data.
ROB would find something, Fox was sure of that. If indeed there was anything to find out here. Fox turned toward Krystal, who was staring out the viewport again. "Can you still sense anything?"
"Yes but..." Krystal hesitated, her expression souring. She winced as though she were in pain. Fox started to move toward her, but she resumed speaking before he reached her side. "It's...it's such an odd feeling. It's...it's discordant." Her breathing became ragged, and her eyes were squeezed shut as she continued, her voice quiet and subdued. "Great joy, great horror, excitement, fear, pleasure and pain. All at the same time. All in the same moment."
"Sensors are once again functioning normally." Fox turned when he heard Rob's voice. The robot was looking at him. "I have identified the source of the distress signal."
"Awesome." Falco gave ROB a thumbs up from where he was standing. "Where is it?"
"Entering coordinates." ROB tapped a button on his monitor. "Coming around."
"Coming around what?" Falco asked, one eyebrow arched at ROB. His question was answered by a high pitched rapid beeping sound. All eyes turned toward the viewport, where a certain point on the screen was lit up with a red reticle and flashing repeatedly. It seemed to be indicating the edge of the planet, or at least the edge from their point of view. There didn't seem to be anything there. Just more space dust from the ring, a few comets. There was a large satellite just above the ring, a small moon perhaps.
"Bringing in Great Fox for closer inspection." ROB announced. The ship lurched as it pulled forward, rocking the inside ever so slightly. Fox had to reach out to steady himself, and he saw that the others had to do something similar. This never happened on their old ship.
Looking back into the space before them, Fox still couldn't see anything. If there was a distress signal, there had to be a ship out there somewhere. The red reticle was shifting as the Great Fox drew closer. That one particularly large satellite or moon or whatever it was seemed to be caught in the way. Perhaps the ship was on the other side, or...
No. No, it couldn't be. There was no way.
As if echoing Fox's thoughts, Falco spoke, his words quiet with disbelief. "Jeez Louise!"
The Great Fox was close enough now to get a better look. Most of the team let out a collective gasp at what they saw, and Fox just managed to keep himself from doing the same. That wasn't a satellite, and it wasn't a small moon. It was a ship. A massive ship. The flickering lights on the vessel gave it away, visible now as the Great Fox drew closer. The old Great Fox, even in all its glory, never held a candle to this thing. The team leader had never seen anything like it in his life. Even the battleships that he and his team had taken down in the Lylat Wars were nothing compared to this behemoth.
"Slippy? What have you got for me?" Fox called out over his shoulder, never even bothering to look back. He was transfixed by what he was seeing. It was incredible. The ship was unlike anything he had ever seen. It didn't appear to be moving with any purpose or aim, just drifting. It seemed like they were going to pass it by, and Fox opened his mouth to give the order to pull around, but he didn't have to. ROB was already adjusting their course. The Great Fox started to veer to port, then began to match the course and speed of the other vessel, keeping to the side.
They still weren't close enough to make out much of the ship, other than the massive size of the thing. The vessel had a sleek design to it, with much of its hull being white or dull gray. There were patches of other colors and patterns scattered across the surface, but it wasn't easy to make out what they were from this distance. The ship was tall, with lights spread across its surface, the strongest, most distinct ones being at the front of the ship, where Fox had to assume the bridge was, lights that flashed on and off. As they floated alongside, he took note of the unusual shape of the ship.
"Still analyzing," came the frog's reply. "Gimme a minute."
"Why's it taking so long, Slippy?" Falco asked, a trace of annoyance in his voice.
"Hey, you wanna try to run a scan in a system with this much radiation and irregularities blocking our sensors, be my guest." Slippy spared a brief annoyed glare at Falco before continuing his work. Falco just rolled his eyes before approaching Slippy in a casual manner. Fox just knew he was up to no good.
Falco only stopped when he was looming above Slippy, and the frog glanced up at him nervously. "Seriously, Falco. I'm tryin' to work here! Come on, give me a break."
"You, uh..." Falco cleared his throat before folding his arms across his chest, a smug look plastered on his face. "You havin' trouble with those scanners?"
"Yes, but I can handle it." Slippy grumbled.
"Hey, pause for a second. I'm gonna show you an ol' Lombardi trick." Falco tilted his head to either side, as though he were stretching before doing some strenuous exercise or work. Cracking his knuckles, he gave the frog a grin.
"Whatever, Falco." Slippy leaned back with a heavy sigh. "You think you can do my job better than I can? Fine. Go ahead. But there is no way that you're going to get any better results."
Falco shrugged, his grin never leaving his face. Without any fanfare, he smashed his fist against the top of Slippy's console, making a loud banging noise where he struck the thing. He didn't hit the screen, just the paneling around it, where the circuitry and parts were covered.
"HEY!" Slippy shouted, his hands darting forward to shield the console from any further abuse. "Are you crazy?! I told you that you gotta treat this stuff with..."
There was a loud beep from Slippy's console. Slippy froze, his mouth hanging open before slowly pulling back. He stared blankly at his console for a while. He spoke like he was in shock. "The...the reading is coming up now." After a moment of silence, he glared back at Falco. "There are SO many reasons why that shouldn't have worked!" Falco's grin only made Slippy fume more, correcting himself. "Why it DIDN'T work. That was just coincidence!"
"Uh huh." Falco chuckled and shook his head, turning and walking away from Slippy. "You just keep tellin' yourself that, bud."
Slippy spared one last annoyed look at Falco's back, then raised his fist and shook it vigorously in Falco's direction. Fox suppressed a chuckle of his own. It was always this way with those two.
"Right, data analysis." Slippy cleared his throat, glancing upward to see if anyone was paying attention. Fox gave him a quick nod, and Slippy continued. "Vessel isn't showing up on any known registries, Cornerian or otherwise. It dwarfs even the largest ships in our database. It's currently in orbit around the planet, engines are offline, and it's very slowly slipping into the ring." Slippy squinted as he gazed at the data. "I can't see much more because of interference."
"That's not much of an analysis." Falco observed.
"Yeah? Well we're lucky we even got that much." Slippy shot Falco an annoyed look before looking at his readout. After scanning it for a few more moments, he froze, his mouth dropping open before he looked up at Fox. "Oh, you're gonna love this."
"What is it?" Fox asked.
"The name of the ship. It's called the Von Dross."
The words seemed to cast a spell over everyone on the bridge. Granted, the ship's name wasn't necessarily related to the great enemy of the Lylat System, Andross. But with such a similar name, it wouldn't be out of the question that the two were related to each other. All of them had experienced the horrors brought on by the mad ape scientist. Krystal had been imprisoned, Star Fox had fought an entire war with the ape, and the madman had nearly destroyed the entire Lylat system more than once. Not to mention the fact that he had murdered Fox's father. If there was even a chance that this ship wa somehow related...
"It -might- not mean anything..." Falco didn't sound quite as self assured as usual.
"Andross is dead." Krystal said simply. "Whoever is on that ship needs assistance. I know this much."
Fox nodded. For all he knew, this was just some bizarre coincidence that a large space-faring vessel happened to bear a similar name to his arch nemesis. And they hadn't been fired upon yet, so that was something. Whoever they were, maybe they weren't hostile. That or they were damaged so badly that they didn't have the option of being hostile. Or they simply hadn't detected them yet.
"Rob?" Fox turned to address the robot. "Try hailing them."
"Affirmative. Please give your message, and I shall attempt to relay it."
Fox took a deep breath, trying to come up with the right words to say. Eventually he began. "This is the Star Fox team responding to a distress call originating from this sector. We are here to assist. How can we help? Please respond."
There was a brief pause before ROB spoke. "Message confirmed. Broadcasting now. Will await response."
Everyone was quiet for a few moments. Fox rather hoped that they would get some kind of response. Of course, he had absolutely no idea what kind of response to expect, but it would be nice to hear something. Maybe a warning of what they were getting into?
The seconds continued to tick by. No word. Were they being ignored? Was there an equipment malfunction? Or was there no one left to answer?
Slippy started to tap the display on his console a couple of times. "I don't know much about this ship's layout or schematics or anything, but I'm pretty sure that it has suffered some damage. I don't know how extensive, I can't get a good reading through all this blasted radiation and interference."
"Damage, huh?" Fox stared at the ship as it continued its orbit around the nearby gas giant. "Maybe their comms are out."
"It's possible. And it might be a whole lot more extensive than that. I honestly don't know."
"Hmm." Fox lowered his head, thinking. They hadn't gotten a response so far, and they couldn't just wait around for one to come. If there was some kind of emergency on board that other ship, Fox needed as much information as possible as quickly as possible before they went in there.
"We're gonna have to get closer." Slippy continued. "Fly the Arwings by, sync up the view to the Great Fox, and I'll work with that. That'll give us a much clearer picture of what we're dealing with."
"Got it." Fox nodded, then turned back to Krystal, who was now staring at the ship, transfixed. She had a frown on her face, her eyebrows furrowed. She didn't look like she was in pain, but she certainly seemed troubled. "Krystal? Everything alright? Do you sense anything more?"
Krystal rubbed at her forehead, wincing. "It's...it's so strange. Somehow it feels familiar but..." Her words were interrupted as she sucked in her breath with a hiss, bending her head over as though in great pain. Fox started toward the blue vixen, worrying for her. She was sensitive to the feelings of others, particularly when they were hurt. But he'd never seen her react like this. Without warning, she let out a sharp cry of anguish, slumping forward.
"Krystal!" Fox yelled. He wouldn't have made it in time to catch her, but fortunately he didn't have to. Falco had been standing next to her, and he grabbed her by the shoulder, slowing her fall. Fox managed to reach her just in time for him to wrap his arm around her other shoulder, supporting her. The two men kept her propped up.
Krystal didn't move for a while, just stayed where she was, held up by the other two, the only sound coming from her being that of labored breathing. Falco looked at Fox, one of his eyebrows arched. "She gonna be okay?"
Fox opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance. "I'm...I'm fine." Krystal managed to respond, shifting her body so she wasn't leaning against the two of them anymore. Fox and Falco both let her go as she stood, though Fox kept his hands hovering behind her just in case she fell again. He only stopped when she turned her head to look at him, frowning. "I'm not some delicate wilting flower, Fox. I'm fine now."
"Right." Fox held up his hands apologetically before returning them to his side.
"Yeah, fine. That's exactly the word that I was thinkin'." Falco rolled his eyes as he spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He didn't bother waiting for a response, just turned around and took a couple of steps away from the two of them, returning his attention to the viewport. "Dang, that thing is big." He stared out at the the other vessel for a moment before calling out over his shoulder, "So are we doing this or what?"
It was time to for Fox to make the calls. "Yeah. Falco and I are going to do a quick fly-by. Slippy, I want you to analyze everything we send you."
"Got it boss." Slippy nodded.
"Krystal..." Fox began.
He didn't get to finish. She was glaring at him. "You don't want me flying with you? I'm fine, Fox. And I can't do any good here. I'm going with you and..."
"No Krystal," Fox shook his head. He didn't like saying no to her, but this needed to be done. He tried to keep his voice as calm as he could while still remaining authoritative. "I need you here. I need you to advise, to direct us if you sense anything."
"I can do that from the Arwing!" Krystal folded her arms across her chest, gazing at Fox defiantly. He could practically see the fire in her eyes, blazing with indignation and wounded fury. "I told you I'm fine! And I will not be kept..."
"Believe it or not, I'm with Fox on this one." Falco interrupted, nodding at his friend. "I'm not saying you can't do it, but I think it would be better if you remained here. For everybody, you included. If whatever nearly knocked ya out hits ya again while we're doin' this, we might be doing two rescue operations!"
Fox nodded, grateful for his friend's support on this. Whenever it really mattered, Falco always came through. Looking back at Krystal, he could see the faintest trace of indecision in her eyes. She was wavering. Thank goodness, he thought. She could be remarkably stubborn sometimes, especially in situations like this. She almost always insisted on accompanying them, and she did not like it when she was denied. She was a talented pilot, and she was always an asset.
Still...
He couldn't think of that right now. He had to keep the situation under control. "Stay here and support us, Krystal. We need you here. I'm counting on you." He offered her his most reassuring smile, hoping that it would be enough. He had practiced earlier, after all.
For a moment, Fox didn't think she was going to agree. One of her ears twitched and her tail swished behind her with agitation. She even opened her mouth to say something, but then she stopped. Her shoulders sagged and she let out a long sigh. She looked up at Fox and shook her head. "Alright, you win. I'll sit out this time and provide support as needed." Fox started to nod, but she held up a warning finger, almost touching his face as she scolded him. "But you do NOT do anything rash, understand? You're just doing a fly-by. You come right back here afterward. Then we decide what to do."
"Alright, alright," Fox relented, shaking his head. "And here I was thinking I was the boss around here."
"You are in charge. Until you prove yourself inept." She stared at him long and hard, and Fox's eyes shifted from side to side nervously. He even had to stifle a little gulp. She could be scary sometimes. Her expression suddenly relaxed , and she gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Only kidding, Fox. I only am willing to do this because I trust you." She stopped, then looked at him with solemn eyes. "You have to promise me, Fox."
He blinked. "Promise? Promise what?"
"Promise that you'll come back before doing anything stupid."
"Yeah, you can do something stupid AFTER you come back." Falco drawled.
"Shut it, Falco." Fox snapped back at his team mate.
He fixed the bird with a fierce glare, who just snickered to himself as he sauntered off, slipping past the two of them and approaching the corridor that led to the hangar. "I'll see you when you're done flirting with your girlfriend."
Fox growled at Falco as he exited, then looked back at Krystal. She was still regarding him with those emerald eyes, staring at him as though she were looking deep within him. Beautiful eyes, easy to get lost in. Eyes that could see into his heart, pierce his soul...
It took him a moment to realize that she was still waiting for an answer. He'd zoned out again. His head twitched as he brought himself back to reality. He took a deep breath, then nodded his head at her, meeting her gaze with as much confidence and poise as he could muster. "I'll do my very best."
That might not be the precise answer Krystal was hoping for. For a brief moment, so fast that Fox almost didn't even see it, there was a flicker of emotion on her face. He wasn't sure what it was. Annoyance? Anger? Concern? Either way, it soon melted into a gentle smile. "Get going, Fox. There's people in need of rescue."
"Great Fox will cover you." ROB stated, pausing in his duties long enough to give him a brief nod.
"Thanks, ROB." Fox grinned, then turned back to Krystal, holding the smile as he continued. "Yeah. I won't be long. Then we'll figure out just how to handle the situation." With that, he turned on his heel and started for the fighter bay.
"Good luck, Fox!" Slippy yelled as Fox walked away.
"Thanks, guys." Fox didn't bother looking back, nor did he raise his voice. He didn't know if they heard him or not, and it didn't really matter. "We just might need it."
It was only a short jog to the vessel's hangar bay. Back on the old Great Fox, sometimes it felt like they were running for forever just to get there. That was, perhaps, the one advantage the new Great Fox had over the old. Since it was such a small ship, getting to the hangar was no problem. You could be on the opposite end of the Great Fox and still get to the hangar bay in a moment's notice. That was something, he supposed.
When he reached the hangar, he could see Falco already climbing into his Arwing. This was also a change. Before, they could slide in from above, a feature as exciting as it was convenient. Not so on this ship. They had to have a step-ladder to the side and work their way up to the cockpit. He didn't watch as Falco strapped himself in. He made straight for his own ship, prepped and ready to go.
The hangar was small, just large enough to encompass all four Arwings at any given time. Not much room for anything else. The Landmaster was stuffed into a corner, gathering dust due to lack of use. There had been no need for the tank for quite some time, not since the Aparoid invasion. He had no idea what had happened to the submarine they used to have. Probably lost with the old ship, not that it much mattered. That had been one of Slippy's "babies," but it never did see much active use, aside from that one incident in the waters of Aquas. Too bad they couldn't have sold the thing.
The hangar had little in the way of decoration. Pale gray walls, Arwings ready to launch, an invisible force field that separated the hangar from space. There were a couple of ladders strewn to the side of the room, knocked over. Mechanic's tools probably belonging to Slippy were haphazardly placed about the area. There really wasn't much of interest. Excepting, of course, his own Arwing.
Fox's Arwing was placed toward the center of the dock, directly in front of the force field acting as a portal to space. Falco's was right there with him, being the other senior pilot. Fox swung his leg over the ladder and then scurried his way to the top, clambering over the edge of the cockpit before plopping himself down in the seat. With the flick of a button, his cockpit began to close and seal itself. Fox flicked a few more switches and pressed a handful of buttons. He could hear...no, he could feel as the engines hummed to life
Now he was starting to feel in his element. He never felt more free, more at ease than he did in the cockpit of his Arwing. This was his space, his home, his fortress. And he had a considerable arsenal to back it up with, not to mention his piloting skills.
"Fox!" Slippy's voice rang out over the comm-link. "Can you hear me okay?"
"Yeah, Slippy." Fox never even paused, continuing to turn on systems and run diagnostics and double checks. "Loud and clear."
"Listen, I left ya something just in case you might need it."
"Yeah?" Fox paused, raising his hand and placing one finger against the comm-link just over his ear. "And what's that?"
"Suit in the back of the Arwing. I didn't know how we were going to proceed. You guys both got space suits in the back. We're talkin' full atmosphere control, oxygen, protection against radiation and severe temperature changes, gravity boots..."
"Alright, thanks Slippy." Fox acknowledged. "You're always prepared. Hope we won't need it, but at least it's an option."
"We'll be cheering you on from up here!" There was a clicking noise, then the comm was silent. Fox twisted his neck back and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, stuffed behind the seat was the space suit Slippy was talking about. He wondered where Slippy got the credits for this stuff. He'd use it if he had to, but he shouldn't be leaving the Arwing for what was to come. He settled back in his seat, his hands hovering over the controls.
"Hey, Falco." Fox used his comm system to talk to the other pilot. "How's the G-diffuser system?"
"Sheesh, the thing malfunctions one time and you hear about it for the rest of your life..." Falco grumbled, though Fox couldn't tell whether it was directed toward him or if he was just talking to himself. "It's fine, Fox. All systems go."
"Right." Fox flipped a couple more switches, and a schematic display of the Arwing appeared on his screen, all components highlighted in bright green. "All systems go." He reached for the throttle, tilting his head from left to right, his neck emitting a faint popping noise as he stretched. "Let's rock and roll!"