Krystal had remained at the viewport for a long, long while. She couldn't think of anything else to do, and staring at the stars always soothed her troubled mind. Well, almost always. In this case, it wasn't helping very much.
So much had gone wrong. It seemed like almost everything that could go wrong had. And the situation was getting worse by the minute! It wasn't just what the team had seen thus far, the chilling power that the enemy vessel possessed, the array of seemingly invincible fighters at their disposal.
No, what disturbed the blue furred vixen far more than this was what she sensed on that other ship, the Von Dross. She had to be careful now, guarding her mind from any future assaults, forcing out any unfamiliar or alien thoughts attempting to join her, to communicate with her. So long as she kept them at bay, she'd be fine. She didn't want to think about what would happen if her guard was let down.
Worse than this, however, was the fact that it was growing. She could sense this, even without trying to sense the thing. It was gaining strength, and it was becoming more difficult for Krystal to resist its mental assaults. It was growing at an alarming rate. It was so alien, so different from anything Krystal had ever before encountered. It wanted nothing more than for Krystal to lower her defenses and become one with it.
She would never, ever admit this to anyone else, but part of her wanted it. Something about its call was tempting. Seductive. It was bizarre, as she knew so very little about it, and the little that she did know terrified her. In part, this helped her recognize how terrible this thing really was. It was trying to get into her head, trying to burrow itself deep in her thoughts and emotions and corrupt her somehow. It was so insidious, so...evil. She did not know its full intentions, had no idea what its motivations truly were. All she knew was that it was very dangerous, just as dangerous as the Aparoids had ever been. They also seemed just as misguided.
She'd only gotten the faintest glimmer of its motivations, of its wants, but it had been more than enough. This thing was growing, and it wanted to grow far more than it already had. It had so many minds joined with it, yet despite how many it had already engorged itself on, it was hungry for more.
She shook her head, her eyes closed and with one of her hands gingerly pressing against her forehead. She had a bit of a headache now, it had started ever since she had first made contact with the entity, and it just wouldn't go away. She was afraid she'd be stuck with it until they defeated the thing. Perhaps creating enough distance between herself and the entity would break the connection. Either way, she was stuck with the headache for now. It certainly didn't make thinking any easier.
What were they to do now? Krystal was desperately searching for answers, hoping that a solution would present itself. At the moment, she was waiting for Slippy to finish his analysis of the Dominion battleship, the Bulwark. But even once they had that information, what then? Assuming the ship had a weakness to exploit, they would still have to find a way to exploit it. Even should they manage to destroy the enemy vessel or drive it off, that was far from the only challenge. They would still be presented with the problem of dealing with the Von Dross, re-establishing contact with Fox, and finishing the rescue mission that they had started. That was to say nothing of the strange entity they had yet to deal with. None of those tasks were going to be easy, even without the interference from the Bulwark.
The vixen continued to muse over these matters, hoping a solution would present itself within her mind. Truth be told, there was something else creeping into her thoughts, or at least trying to. She tried to ignore it at the moment, but it was still there, begging to be considered. That was, of course, Fox himself. He had thrown himself head first into danger as soon as he'd heard that voice being transmitted. Fara. Krystal had to admit, she was quite curious now. She hadn't thought much about it initially, but the thought had grown louder and more insistent in her mind, so many questions now floating through her head. Even though she had told Slippy that it didn't matter, her mind still burned with curiosity. Who was Fara? When had she and Fox met? Just how close had the two become?
In a way, she was frustrated with herself for even wondering these things. It really wasn't any of her business, it had no bearing on the mission now. Fox had already gone in, there was no changing that. There was no reason for Krystal to be concerned with their relationship. On a personal level, she didn't even know Fara. She and Fox weren't exactly an item as of yet. Fox had yet to gather up the nerve to ask her out. And even though Krystal could sense much, she tried her best to respect Fox's privacy on the matter. Whenever she saw something from his mind, be it an emotion or thought, she did her best to push it out without examining it. She did that with everyone she knew, really. It was quite disrespectful and rather invasive to read another's thoughts without permission, and she didn't like doing it.
Of course, being an empath with limited telepathic abilities, sometimes the thoughts came anyway. She wasn't always trying to read another person's mind in order to glean some of their thoughts or feelings in the moment. Again, she tried not to. But it was a natural thing, as easy as listening. In a way, it was sort of like eavesdropping while walking by a conversation. Even though one may not be trying to listen on purpose, one was going to hear a few snippets of conversation regardless, assuming they didn't just plug their ears. With Krystal's abilities, that wasn't an easy or even comfortable thing to do. It took real effort to block herself off from receiving the thoughts of another, and it was not something she could do constantly. So she had learned over the years to simply ignore it, to keep her attention focused on other things or even her own innermost thoughts. It worked, for the most part. Though at times, she still "overheard" things without meaning to.
All that being said, Krystal had to admit that in this particular circumstance, she had been far more tempted to probe Fox's mind a bit on the subject of this Fara. But again, Krystal had held back. And she was glad for that, she really was. Her curiosity went unsated, of course, but it wouldn't be right for her to invade his privacy like that.
She sighed quietly, rubbing her forehead and continuing to try and soothe her headache. There was so much to worry about now. She wasn't making it any easier by thinking about this matter. Of everything that was happening right now, Fox's past relationship with Fara was probably the least important. She furrowed her eyebrows as she concentrated, making an intense effort to push such thoughts from her mind. While it did take some coaxing, such thoughts eventually fled from her.
One of the benefits of being a gifted empath, she thought with a tired smile. It required some rather impressive willpower to be developed alongside it, allowing her to perform certain mental and emotional tasks that others might find more difficult, if not impossible. Sometimes, anyway.
That was neither here nor there. She needed to refocus, needed to think about the here and now. She worried for Fox, being trapped on that ship with that entity. But worrying wouldn't solve anything in of its own. She needed a solution. She needed something that would help! But what?
She continued to rub at her forehead, massaging her temples and causing the pain to rise and ebb in short succession. It wasn't an unbearable headache, but it was a most unpleasant and persistent one. She believed they had some generic pain relief medication somewhere in the break room. Maybe she'd get some of that. She really needed some relief.
"ROB." Krystal turned to the robot, studying him for a moment. ROB was busy as he always was, always having some task to perform, working tirelessly. Being a machine, he never grew weary or even needed a break, with the exception of when maintenance was performed on him. It made Krystal tired just thinking about the amount of work that ROB had to do day in and day out. He didn't seem to mind, though she supposed that was because he was programmed that way. "I need to step off the bridge for a few moments. Can you handle things?"
"Affirmative." ROB responded without missing a beat. "I will alert the crew of any change to the situation."
"Thanks, ROB." Krystal smiled at him.
"Affirmative. You may think nothing of it if you so wish." The robot managed to give her a brief nod before returning to its work. Krystal's smile remained. He was funny sometimes, though she did not know if it was intentional or not. With that, she opened the door and left the bridge behind her.
It wasn't much of a walk to the break room. She wouldn't be gone long. She just needed something for this blasted headache of hers. It had been growing stronger ever since they arrived, now far more than a mere nuisance.
She paused in front of the break room just long enough to press the little panel on the side, which lit up as the door slid open. As soon as she was inside, she found herself reminded of one of the last conversations she'd had with Fox. How long had that been now? She wasn't sure. A few hours, maybe? Give or take? Just how long had he been out of contact? She had passed out herself after she had tried probing that ship with her mind, so she really had lost track of the time. It felt like a day or more, but she was certain that only a few hours had passed. She hoped so. She had a strong feeling that the longer they were on this mission, the more danger they were all in.
There was a little cabinet along the opposite wall that contained certain medical supplies. It wasn't a lot, just the bare essentials. She slid the lid open, then started perusing the contents. Disinfectant, a medical kit, gauze, and a number of other basic medical supplies were within. Every ship had these things, she couldn't imagine anyone intentionally being without, but there were also some more high-tech medical equipment, a cauterizing laser that would help to close wounds, a gel that was to be placed on laser burns. Most of it would only stabilize serious wounds until they could get properly treated. Thankfully Star Fox rarely had need of such treatment, they generally managed to complete missions with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises.
Some ships were equipped with some very advanced pain relieving substances, painstakingly crafted so that they could shut out intense amounts of pain. What was more, they did not compromise the judgment or emotions of the patient. Unfortunately, Star Fox couldn't afford that. Instead, they had a few rather dated bottles of pills that would only help with minor aches and pains, not really designed for more serious problems. But that's all they had, so that's all she would get.
Fortunately, she did know something else that would help. She rummaged around the cabinet a bit, pulling out a small packet that she had hidden behind some of the other supplies. A little something for her. A special tea made from a plant unique to Sauria. She didn't think the others would like it, so she probably didn't need to hide it from them. It was best not to take chances though. It was sort of like her private stash, something she could enjoy when she needed it. It tasted good, but more importantly, it always made her feel better. It had a soothing effect on her. Unfortunately, it was also a bit pricey, which is another reason she kept it hidden. They were all trying to cut expenditures. Of course, she would never use funds from Star Fox to buy such a thing. Even so, she preferred to keep the tea and her purchase of it to herself. She genuinely wasn't sure how the others would react to her spending money on something like this. None of them drank tea. They might find it rather frivolous.
She didn't care. She liked this tea. Besides, the leaves involved did have certain medicinal properties to them. Very minor properties, but still. Every little bit helped. It was also a small stimulant, providing a little energy for a few hours. Not a lot, of course, but enough. It had a pleasant taste, or at least she thought so. Fox drank coffee. Falco drank coffee. Slippy...actually, she didn't know what Slippy drank, but it was probably coffee. She was the only one on the ship that didn't care for the stuff. She found the taste unbearable.
She set the bottle of medication on the counter as she started to brew her tea. She had to do it by hand, no machine to take care of it, no easy to use pre-packaged loose leaves ready to be brewed. Fortunately, even though she had to do it by hand, it didn't take long. She'd done this so many times now that it came as second nature to her. She knew how to use the filters, how to make the water absorb the flavor without getting filled up with loose, wet leaves. She knew precisely how much to use in order to give it just the right flavor, not too weak, not too strong.
Once the tea was brewed, she held it before her snout and inhaled its rich fragrance. It reminded her of Sauria. Maybe that's why she liked it so much. While many of her memories of that place were unpleasant, memories involving the power-hungry warlord, General Scales, his insane master, Andross, and the later Aparoid invasion, there were also many good memories there. Fox and Krystal had managed to catch some pleasant moments on the surface, enjoying the natural beauty of the land in addition to each other's company. Those were valuable moments to Krystal, they meant a lot. Something so simple as a cup of tea could bring her back to more pleasant times, make her wonder what they will do the next time they paid the planet a visit. It was where they had first met, after all.
Now she had to wait for the tea to cool. She closed her eyes and just allowed herself to think about the future that might be. Reuniting with Fox, both of them okay. Spending some more time together, perhaps returning to Sauria for a well-earned vacation. She wasn't sure what the future held. What might be, when it might be, how it might be. It was pleasant to dwell on such things. Certainly better than thinking of the ways things could go horribly wrong.
Once the tea had sufficiently cooled, she reached for the bottle of medicine, some sort of generic brand pain-killer. It worked, but it wasn't really great at its job. This was probably one of the reasons why it was so cheap. She twisted the lid until it popped open, then poured out a couple of tablets before popping them in her mouth. She then took a couple of sips of her tea, swallowing the pills. The flavor of the tea was wonderful as always, and even though it couldn't possibly have worked that fast, she felt as though her headache was ebbing just a bit. Maybe it was because she was calming down, relaxing. She closed her eyes and took another sip of her tea, savoring the flavor. Much better, she thought.
We hear your thoughts...
The vixen gasped, the cup falling from her hands and shattering against the floor. An all too familiar voice, or rather voices, filled her head. The voice was loud and strong in her ears, only she was not certain that anyone else could hear it even were they nearby. It was as though the thoughts were being directly transmitted into her brain. In all likelihood, that was precisely what was happening. A choir of voices, each different than the other, sounding off in her mind. Some feminine, soft, and smooth, others more masculine, deep, and coarse. All of them speaking together, a blend of voices that sounded almost like a song, yet distorted and twisted. Krystal did not find the sensation pleasant in of the slightest.
It was back.
They mourn for your friend who you believe lost...but he is not. He will sing in our symphony of life.
"Get out of my head." Krystal bared her teeth, almost snarling at the unseen entity attempting to influence her thoughts. "You are not welcome here!" She gathered all of her strength, attempting to purge the presence from her mind. She had to rid herself of it. At the very least she had to defend herself from its overpowering presence, lest her consciousness be overwhelmed as it was before. She could -not- pass out, not again. She had to stay strong, had to fight it off!
The last time, it had lashed out at her shortly after making contact. The power had been overwhelming, so strong. Now she sensed something disturbing, a fear she'd had since the beginning. It was growing stronger still. Its mental power had grown substantially since the last time they interacted. She wasn't sure if she could hold it back this time, even with all of her strength. That didn't stop her from trying. What else could she do? She raised a mental barrier, hoping to deflect whatever attacks it might make.
Why do you fear us so? We seek only to benefit. Only to improve. We would bring harmony to the Lylat System. It is our home, as it is yours.
"This is not your home." Krystal prepared for the worst, raising her barriers and wincing as she awaited a terrible blow to come.
But none came.
She waited. Waited. Waited. She didn't dare open her eyes, needing every ounce of concentration. Still it did not come! She became more nervous, more anxious. Was this some kind of trick? Maybe it was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. As soon as she lowered her guard, it would strike. That had to be it.
Yet...if that were true, if it intended harm, why did it bother waiting? She knew that with its strength, it could easily overpower her. She knew this, as much as she hated admitting it. In this case, her abilities may have proven to be a disadvantage, as it was able to easily link with her mind and influence her. There was no telling what damage it could do if it desired.
Still it did not lash out. It just waited. She could sense it still there. It lurked on the edges of her mind, and she could hear...something. Something else, not words exactly. It was like a...hum. It was strange to Krystal, it was unlike anything she had ever before heard. She found it terrifying and unnerving.
Yet another part of her was entranced. The hum filled her very being, put such wonderful thoughts and feelings in her mind. Joy. Pleasure. Wonder. Unity. All of these feelings, wrapped in deep contentment, spread across her like a blanket. It was so comforting. It was so soothing. It was beauty and happiness as she had never known in her entire life. She could feel the others there. There were so many voices. Like her, they were afraid at first. Now they were in harmony. Such beautiful harmony.
Now they were one of many.
She gasped, shaking her head back and forth in frantic movements. No! It was trying to get inside her head, to twist her thoughts and feelings! And for a moment, she'd almost...
Why do you resist? Why do you not embrace us? We would bring you pleasure unimaginable. We wish only to spread our harmony. Our joy...
"No!" Krystal declared defiantly to the entity. "I don't need your joy. It is something I will seek on my own, on my own terms! And I will not sacrifice who I am in order to accomplish this!"
Your defiance only serves as evidence for the need of our existence... Krystal blinked at its continued words, wondering exactly what it meant by that. In the desire for independence, in the lust for control, your galaxy has been ripped asunder. Venom. Corneria. Sauria. So much war. So much blood. All for the sake of your petty...individuality...
"It is more complicated than that." Krystal was calming down a little. The thing, whatever it was, seemed more interested in a discussion at the moment than an attack. She didn't know how long that would last. If she gave into the thing, there was no telling what it would do to her, how it would affect her mind. Yet if she continued to resist, it very well might become more aggressive, attacking her once more. For now, she tried to keep it engaged in conversation, or whatever it was they were having together now. "Andross started that war in a mad bid for power. General Scales led the Sharpclaw in his quest for domination. Their individual actions do not reflect..."
Yes...individual. Do you not see? Were our harmony present in the galaxy at that time, such evils would never have come to be. We are united. We are one. We are Many. We cannot kill each other without killing ourselves.
Krystal didn't know how to respond to that, not at first. There was a grain of truth in it, after all. Not that she agreed with the thing, certainly not. But at the same time, war and destruction had ravaged the Lylat System for...she wasn't entirely sure how long. Since Andross at least, she supposed, though she hadn't really been around much for the Lylat Wars. There was so much blood on their hands.
Then there were the Aparoids.
Her mind seemed to clear at the very thought of those terrifying creatures. They too were beings that seemed intent on unity and order. Yet all she ever saw of them was horrific devastation. They seemed not even to realize what horrors they were unleashing upon the Lylat System, the pain and destruction that they brought even as they proclaimed they were bringing peace. Krystal now believed that these things on the Von Dross, whatever they were, were similar. Maybe they were right. Maybe pain, misery, and evil would always be present alongside individuality. However, unity did not inherently make something "good.".
This entity seemed able to sense her thoughts; it reacted to her, its words echoing through her mind in almost the same moment as her own thoughts.
You are blinded by your sense of individuality. You cling to it, afraid of the unknown. Afraid of what you fear you must surrender. Why do you feel such fear? We are not prey to such. We are not darkened by pain or betrayal. The betterment of the many is not sacrificed for the selfish desires of the one. There is only our song, the great choir within us as we sing of such harmony and beauty. Can you not see the value of our gift? Its magnificence?
There was a pause, and Krystal prepared to say something in response. Before she could, it said something that chilled her to the bone, stating something it could not possibly have known. Yet somehow it did.
We know of the pain you carry with you. We know of the loss of your family. Of your world. Cerinia. Our heart aches for yours. We want only to take away that pain. Let us welcome you into our song. Your pain will be forgotten. Your loneliness expelled. You will never be alone again. Our biology yearns to join with yours...
With that, the invasion began. Krystal sucked in her breath, falling to her knees and breathing heavily as she was assaulted. This was not an attack with intent to breach her defenses or destroy her. Quite the opposite. It was an overwhelming rush of...pleasure? Her body shuddered, and she could barely breathe. It filled her mind, but more than her mind; her entire body started to tingle and be flooded with warmth. She was drowning in sensations that she had never before experienced. She gasped as her body was rocked, not with pain, but with raw and overwhelming pleasure. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes rolled up, and her back started to arch with delight. A pleasured gasp escaped her lips, despite her efforts to keep it held back. It was everywhere! She felt so good!
The pleasure was only a fraction of what was offered. There was something more, something of far greater power and allure. There was a sense of peace. Of belonging. What was more, she could sense others. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. All of them linked together, all of them one with the harmony. She belonged here. Everything else seemed so far away, seemed so pointless in comparison. What was life before this? Why did anything from before ever matter? It was...it was nothing compared to this!
She had almost entirely surrendered to it. She was moments away from just giving up everything. It was so alluring. So powerful. She couldn't remember ever wanting something so badly as this. It was then that the voice of sanity buried within her started to screech, tried to get her to think straight and get a hold of herself. It took every ounce of inner strength that she had, and her entire body screamed in protest, wanting more, demanding more! But she couldn't. She couldn't let herself be consumed! She fought back, throwing all of her strength at it. She had never in her life found so much to be demanded of her mental and telepathic capabilities. The more she fought, the more the feeling fought back, growing stronger. As she contended with the thing's intoxicating gift, she found herself struggling more and more to hold it back, a strong headache developing. In a way, this was good, as the pain helped her focus and drive out the pleasurable sensations. She had to hold on. She had to fight back! She could do this!
Become one of Many...
Just like that, it was gone. The presence was removed. She dropped to her hands and knees, gasping for breath. She didn't know why it withdrew. Had she resisted just long enough for the entity to be forced to retreat? Had it overextended itself? Or had it simply allowed her a reprieve, having offered a taste of what could be hers? Nothing could have prepared her for the intensity of that exchange! She'd never experienced anything like that in her life, not even close. Was this what they were experiencing aboard the other ship? Was this what they were all feeling, is this what had happened to them?!
Even though the experience had been pleasurable and intoxicating, another part of her mind felt revolted at what she had just experienced. It was as though her mind itself had been violated, her thoughts and emotions abused by this thing. She started to feel ill. Her vision blurred, shapes and colors swam in and out of focus. She felt the urge to vomit rising in her, and she only just managed to suppress it.
There were so many unknowns. What was this thing? Where had it come from? What was it doing on the Von Dross? What was happening to the people over there? What would happen if Krystal embraced the thing and what it offered?
For the first time since Fox had boarded the other ship, Krystal found herself very, very glad that she hadn't joined him. In all likelihood, her telepathic abilities were the reason that the creature was able to touch her in such a powerful and...intimate way. Fox was in danger too, of course. She suspected everyone on that ship was. But Krystal would have been consumed if she went on board. If it was so much of a struggle even from this considerable distance, she could only imagine how much worse it would be if she were in closer proximity to the alien entity. She hated to admit this, but in this one matter Fox's instincts had been right regarding her safety. She had planned to have it out with him later when he returned, but now she realized that his decision may have indeed saved her life. That didn't make it any less frustrating though.
The blue furred vixen slowly rose to her feet, still panting for breath as she recovered from the mental and emotional assault. She had hoped to glean more from the entity's mind, but all she had were more questions.
She did know one thing. Fox was over there. He was in much closer proximity to that thing than Krystal was. He wasn't attuned to the thoughts of others in the same way as her, but he was still vulnerable. It was no wonder that the Von Dross was in trouble. It explained why Star Fox got no response from the Von Dross. If something like that was aboard, there was no telling what it could accomplish, how it might spread, how many people might be taken in by its seductive whispers.
She didn't care to imagine the implications.
Slowly but surely, her body returned to normal. Her headache ebbed, and both the pleasure and disgust began to melt away. Or at least, she was able to push them out for a while. She had other things to focus on now.
But the presence wasn't gone. Before long, she heard the voice again, causing a single word to echo in her mind. Strong.
It did not elaborate. She had no idea what it was referring to. Perhaps it was her, in reference to the fact that she managed to push it out or at least hold it at bay until it withdrew. Or maybe it was talking about something else. She didn't know. Either way, she could only wait for it to speak again. She knew it wasn't finished yet. She would soon be proven right.
You do not trust us...you fear us. You fear the unknown. We have evolved beyond such emotions...but we are not without understanding. She felt the presence on the edge of her mind, as though probing her. It was a difficult feeling to describe, as there was nothing physically present. Even so, she could feel it when it touched her thoughts, as it stimulated her emotions. She knew the feelings were not her own, they didn't feel right, and yet they were desirable. Pleasurable. There was some small voice in her head that wanted more, that urged her to surrender. It would be so easy...
Thankfully, the more logical side of her mind was in control, and she raised her defenses as best she could, trying to push the thing out. At the very least, she was determined not to let its influence poison her mind, even if she couldn't rid herself of it entirely.
She feared her defiance would not be without cost. It withdrew for a moment, and she wondered if it was about to assault her anew. Instead of an attack, she simply continued to hear its voice. It didn't sound angry or even hurt. Disappointed, perhaps. Even that might have been imagined. It was just a continuous choir of harmonious melodic voices, up and down, one after the other, cycling between the different "speakers." It, or perhaps they, offered something to her. Again her mind felt the warmth of the entity, though this time it was less forceful, less invasive. It would have been difficult for Krystal to describe to others, as it was a telepathic projection of emotion and feeling, something that most people had little experience with. Wven so, it was far less menacing than before. It was more like a gentle caress. She still found it unsettling, but at least it wasn't as forceful.
We cannot force you to trust us. Yet we yearn to show you our warmth. Our love. Perhaps we can...assist you.
Now these words truly surprised her, perhaps more than anything else that was said or done thus far. She had assumed up to now that this was some kind of Aparoid like entity that was so consumed by it's cause or purpose that it could not be reasoned with in any way. Was it possible she was mistaken?
"What kind of assistance?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. She was rather suspicious of whatever this entity might offer.
You seek to rescue them...to save the ones here. They do not need saving. We know that you will try. You would rescue them from salvation. Yet you cannot succeed. You cannot board the vessel of our deliverance, and we cannot escape the orbit of this world. We are both trapped...
Krystal could only listen for now, saying nothing. Trapped? What could it be referring to? Was it some sort of situation on the ship? That didn't make sense. Why would the thing tell Krystal about it? If it were some sort of situation aboard the Von Dross, Krystal and the others couldn't help even if they wanted to. Unless it was referring to...
That's when it hit her. Now she know what the entity meant. Yes, everyone on board was trapped. They couldn't leave as long as that Venom Dominion vessel was in orbit. They were preventing the Von Dross from leaving, and they were stopping Star Fox from assisting with the plight of the crew.
Yes...She heard the voice again, as if reading her thoughts. It, or they, knew. They block us...they will try to harm us. Destroy us. But we cannot let them.
"If they intend you harm, why have they not attacked by now?" Krystal asked. She and the rest of the Star Fox team really had no idea who this Dominion was, but more pressing at the moment was the fact that Star Fox did not know what they wanted here. Was it possible that the Many knew the answer? If so, would they share it? Could Krystal trust their word?
They fear us. They study for weaknesses. They are cautious. Like you, they do not understand...and so they seek to destroy.
Krystal needed a moment to absorb all of this. This was a lot. She had been prepared for this thing to assault her. She hadn't expected a gentler, more diplomatic approach. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't entirely mindless or unable to adapt. She didn't find that a comforting thought. Quite the opposite. That made it even more unpredictable and dangerous.
They may seek other things...there is much knowledge on this vessel. What you call the Von Dross, we would use to spread our enlightenment, our harmony throughout Lylat. Yet there are such secrets here. We know of them. Schematics and tools of war. The others desire them. They will not rest until they have what they seek.
That explained at least some of the Dominion's actions to Krystal. Why they were there, why they hadn't opened fire, why they hadn't attempted a rescue mission. They were probably aware of this thing, or at least aware of something on board the ship, and there was something on the Von Dross that was valuable to them. But what, precisely? She couldn't imagine what it would take in order to be so valuable to this Dominion. There must be some terrible secret aboard that ship indeed.
At the moment, the answer to that question didn't really matter. What mattered was that the Dominion was there, and Star Fox needed to be deal with them if there would be any chance of saving Fox.
The entity once more seemed to sense her thoughts, answering them in kind. They do not realize that we have access to their secrets. The shields they carry, though they may seem impervious, are not. We could help you...
"And just why would you help us?"
To establish trust. We can work together to accomplish much. We are the essence of harmony, of unity.
Krystal lowered her head, trying very hard to shield her thoughts. She didn't believe this thing for a second and she didn't trust trust in the slightest. She knew exactly what it wanted, and why it was asking for help. It couldn't deal with this problem itself, so it was willing to give them the tools needed to perform the task.
Normally, Krystal was more trusting of others. In fact, she had often argued with Fox and the rest of the team for a more diplomatic approach to certain problems that had arisen in the past. They did not always see eye to eye, and Fox and Falco in particular seemed to believe at times that her compassion blinded her to the harsh realities of life in the Lylat System.
This was not one of those occasions. It had touched her mind, and in return, she had seen what it was, felt what it was inside. She knew what it truly desired. The feelings that it had enveloped her in, the raw emotion and power. This thing wasn't interested in cooperation. It wasn't interested in Fox or Krystal or anyone working with it, at least while remaining free of its influence. It wanted more than that.
She was no fool. This wasn't an act of charity, compassion, or even trust. It was using them, plain and simple. Once the obstacle that was the Dominion had been removed, it would be free to pursue whatever sinister agenda it possessed. She knew this, even without being able to read its thoughts. If it were possible, she was quite certain that it would attack or at least attempt to escape as soon as the Bulwark was gone.
And yet...
She rubbed her forehead, her mental barriers coming down as the headache intensified. She tried to focus on other things, to keep it guessing of what really dwelt in her mind. Despite her efforts, it probably knew. Whether it did or it didn't, she supposed it didn't much matter. It wouldn't change anything, whether the two trusted each other or not.
It also had the uncanny ability to get in her head, knowing both what she was thinking and what she was feeling. She heard the voice again in her mind, rising and falling in tone and pitch, disturbing and unsettling. At the same time, it was also beautiful.
You do not trust us...you do not wish to work with us. Yet you are trapped. You know that you must destroy that vessel, lest your friend remains trapped with us. And we will take him. It is only a matter of time before he joins our song. Until he becomes one...of the Many.
"Don't you DARE touch him!" Krystal snarled. Her teeth were bared, her long bushy tail lashing behind her.
"Krystal?"
The vixen blinked. Suddenly the world came back into focus. She was in the break room again, spilled tea on the floor and an open bottle of pills on the table. She'd completely lost track of where she was! She hadn't even heard Slippy approach! The frog was looking at her with both eyes wide, a rather concerned expression on his face. "Um...Krystal? Who were you talking to? Are you okay?"
Krystal stared at Slippy for a long moment, not having any answer to give him. She then looked down at her hands, feeling a faint pricking sensation. All she could do was stare wordlessly at her paws. She had drawn blood, apparently squeezing her hands into such tight fists that her claws dug in. Maybe it was when the thing invaded her mind, or maybe it was when it threatened Fox. Either way, she was now bleeding. It didn't hurt too bad, however. Just a sting.
She looked back up at Slippy, trying to regain her composure. "I'm...I'm fine." She managed to just get those words out. "I'm okay."
Slippy's concern never faded from his expression, and he approached her with a worried look. "Are you sure? Do you want me to get some bandages? We keep some in here and..."
"I'm okay." Krystal repeated, then took a deep breath. "I...I'm sorry to worry you." She grew quiet for a time, and neither of them said anything. Krystal wasn't sure how much she should reveal to the rest of the team, of how tenuous her defenses were at this point, at how easily the Many were able to compromise her. They would worry if they knew. Worse, they might not listen to her, assuming that her thoughts were influenced in some way.
She had to take a few more deep breaths to quiet her nerves, then broke the silence. "Did you learn anything?"
"Well...yeah, we did. We learned one thing." Slippy cleared his throat before proceeding. "The, uh...those shields are unlike anything I've ever seen. They're incredibly strong, and I don't think we can pierce them with our weapons. It would take some serious firepower to penetrate the shields, repeated blasts from a heavy cruiser or dreadnought. We don't have that kind of firepower. Maybe enough bombs would break through, but we've only got like...three." Slippy shook his head. "It's not gonna be enough."
"I see." Krystal closed her eyes, still collecting herself after the last communication from that thing. The Many. She didn't know what else to call it. She couldn't sense it now, its presence seemed to have withdrawn. She wondered if that was by choice, or if perhaps its own psychic abilities were somewhat limited. After all, she was certain it would simply take complete control of her if it could. It was quite possible that it had to rest after prolonged sessions, much like her. It was strong. It was growing. But it had limits. That meant something.
Her eyes suddenly widened as she came to a realization. The Many had revealed one important fact to her. She wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but it had revealed that it would "soon" add Fox. Which meant that it didn't have him yet. He was still alive!
Slippy was staring at her, and she realized that her emotions were bleeding through. She quickly put on a more neutral expression and regarded him for a moment. "Sorry, I...I was distracted by something."
"Ah." Slippy scratched the top of his head a couple of times before proceeding. "Anyway, we did discover one thing. It has a central shielding core. But it's, uh..." He cleared his throat again. "It's INSIDE the vessel."
Now it was Krystal's turn to stare at Slippy. "What? I thought that wasn't possible."
"It isn't. I mean, it is, but..." He sighed, then rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to explain. "Okay, you can't have a shield generator completely covered by the object it's shielding. That's just the way it works. It's not an intentional design flaw, it has to do with the way the shield projects itself. The energy has to have some sort of direct link to the object it is shielding. This is, for example, the reason why you can't just build a bunch of shield generators underground to protect an installation. It won't work, it never has and it never will. And that's to say nothing of dealing with the rising temperatures, malfunctions, repairs, range, and so on!"
The frog seemed to be growing more excited by the technobabble as he went. He loved this stuff. Krystal thought about interrupting him and urging him to get to the point, but instead she simply listened patiently. After all, this was his way. Besides, she was still collecting herself after everything that had happened. He'd get around to the point sooner or later.
"Sorry, I'm losing my focus." He cleared his throat again before continuing. "Right, anyway, so this one -does- have a shield inside. But the thing is...it's vulnerable. When I say it's inside the ship, I don't mean that it's inside the, uh...the actual ship. Like, within the vessel itself, where the crew is wandering around. Rather, its in a central passage that vents from the core to the outside of the ship."
"I see." Krystal stated, not really seeing at all.
Slippy seemed to sense that he needed to simplify a bit. "Okay, basically, it's got shafts that go straight to the core, that's how the energy is getting out and shielding the vessel. Sort of like the vessel is cradling it in its arms, in its belly. I'm not sure how they managed this. They didn't break the rule , but they did kinda get around it somehow. Bent it a bit, you know? I don't know how, because it still shouldn't be possible. But they figured out a way, I guess."
"So what does that mean for us?" Krystal wanted to know. "How do we use this?"
"Honestly? I dunno." Slippy turned away from Krystal, continuing to rub his neck as he frowned. "I mean, it's a start, we now know how the generator is supplying power. We even know where to hit it. The problem is getting to it. We, uh..." He paused for a moment before continuing. "We have a couple ideas. The ships are able to get through the shield without it dropping. It's somehow in tune with signatures, allowing them to pass through without incident."
"Can we use that?"
"Honestly, I...well..." Slippy looked a bit frustrated. "I honestly don't know. In theory, yes. But I don't know how. We'd have to pick up that frequency, and then we'd have to have something that could match it. And THEN we'd have to have someone somehow fly into that thing and blow it up from the inside. All while hoping the frequency doesn't change in that window of time. That ain't gonna be no picnic."
"Yes." Krystal nodded her head in agreement. "Unfortunate. It seems as though we are close, yet still so far away."
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. The shields do go down for a moment when firing their primary weapon. I don't even wanna try to exploit that one, because the only way we'll get the chance is if they fire that thing at somebody, and that somebody is probably gonna be us." The frog looked pretty dejected, no longer even looking at Krystal, just staring at the floor between them. "So we know how it works. And we know some weaknesses we should be able to use. We just don't know how to use them."
"I see." Krystal was now debating whether or not should she mention to Slippy the conversation she was just having with the Many. It offered to help them, it knew about the shields. Perhaps it knew of some way around them? Or through them?
But would that be wise? Telling Slippy of what had transpired? Even the thought of working with that entity to accomplish whatever purpose it had in mind was unpleasant in Krystal's mind. Even if she wanted to, how would she contact it again? She was not anxious to reach out to it. She'd be taking a big risk, exposing herself to further assault. Even though it seemed to need her at the moment, there was no guarantee it wouldn't change its mind later. It might try to influence her in smaller, subtle ways. Ways she might not notice until it was too late.
Slippy, who had been quiet for a while, eventually spoke again, sounding a little miserable himself. He was probably worried for Fox and frustrated that they couldn't do more to help him. "There's another problem. Even if we managed to take the shield's down, that ship has some very heavy armor on it. It would take some incredible firepower to breach." "He sighed again, shaking his head. "More firepower than we have. We could damage it, sure. And with the Great Fox's main cannons, we might be able to put some holes in the thing. But the problem is, even with the shield's down, that ship still has some serious firepower, not to mention the swarm of fighters that would overwhelm us. Even if we took down the shields, they'd probably blast us all before we could do enough damage to take the thing down."
"Yeah. You're not kiddin'." Another voice interjected, surprising both Krystal and Slippy. They both looked at the doorway and found Falco there, leaning back against it with his arms folded across his chest. He spoke plainly, making no attempt to hide his emotions at the moment, a blend of frustration and anger. "So we're right back where we started. After all this, after all the analyzing and crap, we're no closer to beating 'em." He let his head fall back against the wall behind him, which made an audible thump. "I'm good, but even if you took out those shields, I can't take -all- of those fighters on at once. They're not just well shielded. I dunno where they came from, but they're pretty well trained. Not on our level, but way closer than I like. And they outnumber as at least ten to one."
He was right. Krystal had witnessed the initial battle for herself. They were very well trained, more so than any pirate or mercenary Krystal had ever encountered, with the exceptions of Star Wolf and Star Fox, of course. If the entire Star Fox team was gathered and fought them together, they might stand a chance. Even then, Krystal imagined it would be a pretty desperate fight.
Slippy spoke up, making another good, if grim, point. "That's to say nothing of their primary weapon. That thing took out a cruiser in one shot. If it targeted the Great Fox, well..."
He didn't need to finish that sentence. They all knew how that would end. It was not a pleasant thought, not at all.
Krystal thought about mentioning the offer of the entity on the other ship. It would seem now would be as good a time as any. She looked between the two of them, taking in their expressions. Falco looked more frustrated than anything, his eyes narrowed and staring at the ground. His arms were folded across his chest, and he kept leaning his head forward before banging the back of it against the wall he was standing against. It looked like it hurt, but that didn't keep him from doing it again and again.
Slippy looked just as frustrated, but expressed it in a very different way from Falco. In truth, he looked more disappointed, even depressed, like he was powerless. So close to a solution, yet so far away.
In truth, Krystal could relate to both of them, to how they seemed to be feeling right now. She felt that same sense of powerlessness and depression that Slippy seemed to be feeling, and the same anger and frustration that was emanating from Falco. It was a horrible situation, one that there were no easy answers to.
It took her a while to make up her mind. Even when she did, she wasn't sure it was the right decision. But was dishonesty ever the right choice when dealing with friends and colleagues, ones that you trusted implicitly? Perhaps there were some situations where it might be warranted. But not here.
"The entity...it contacted me." She spoke slowly.
Both of the others looked at her, snapping out of whatever moods they were in. Slippy's eyes were wide with shock. Falco appeared just as surprised, though also looked more than a little suspicious. Both of them uttered a single word, their tone and timing unintentionally matched. "What?"
If the situation weren't so grim, she might have found their synchronized reaction comical. But this wasn't the time. She nodded her head toward them in a somber gesture. "It...they...contacted me, just before Slippy walked in here. That's who I was talking to. I believe it is called "The Many."
"O-oh." Slippy stammered. "It, um...it seemed kind of, uh...animated. W-when you were talking to it. N-not that I could hear it! But I could see you. I wasn't sure what you were doing."
"Yes." Krystal turned away from the two of them. "I...I suppose you could say that it threatened Fox."
"Figures. " Falco snorted. "Well, good, that means it doesn't have him yet."
"Yes, and that is of some comfort." Krystal was in complete agreement with Falco on this. Slippy brightened up a little bit at the words, as apparently that realization hadn't dawned on him yet. Now that she had their attention, the blue-furred vixen continued. "The threat, however, was not made without purpose. It wished to offer us its...help."
"Help?!" Once again, Slippy and Falco spoke at the exact same time, causing them to both glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes.
"Yes," Krystal responded. "It offered to aid us in dealing with the Dominion ship. I do not know how, it did not offer specifics. It seems unlikely that it does not have something in mind, the little I've gleaned from the entity does not suggest that it would do such a thing. I believe it has a plan, should we be willing to follow it."
"You're not seriously suggesting we work with whatever that thing is, are you?" Falco asked, sounding incredulous. "I mean, how do we know that it will even..."
Krystal interrupted him, speaking plainly. "I am not suggesting anything. I am not suggesting that we should work with it. I am merely relaying the message that it relayed to me. And I'm quite certain it is merely serving its own ends. The possibility of it co-operating with us out of some sense of morality or conscience is unlikely. I suspect it knows that we can help it, and wishes to use us for its own benefit."
Slippy gulped. "Y-yeah. You, um...you've learned a lot about it, haven't you?"
Krystal sighed before shaking her head. "Not as much as I'd like. But I do believe this. It was genuine in its desire for us to help one another. I do not think it was trying to deceive me in this matter at least. It did not hide itself from me, nor did it try to disguise its intent.. Maybe it...or they...are not capable of deceit. It made no efforts to disguise its desire to..." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes before continuing. "Assimilate us."
"Oh, goodie. That's a great ally to have. Why don't we just roll out the red carpet, welcome it aboard? Just bow our heads, offer it a straw, and let it suck out our brains?" Falco's voice was just dripping with sarcasm. Krystal wasn't sure if it was truly directed at her or not. It was more likely just venting his frustration, so she would just let it slide for now.
Slippy wasn't so forgiving. "Hey, there's no call for that, Falco! Krystal's just saying what..." he started to protest.
Falco wasn't having it. "Saying what? That the thing wants to be friends until it can kill us properly? Or absorb us or whatever the heck it wants to do? That doesn't help us. Nothing we've learned in our entire time here while Fox is trapped over there has been useful. We're still just sitting here waiting for something to happen and hoping that it's something good!" With that, he slammed his fist against the wall behind him, making Krystal twitch at the loud sound. "Now this thing, whatever it is, has Fox, or at least is after him. It wants us to help it...I don't know, escape? And do god knows what after it does so. And we're STILL without any meaningful options!"
Slippy hung his head in silence. Krystal didn't need to be an empath to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling. Though they expressed it in different ways, they were both just so frustrated in this moment. As was she. There was no easy way out here, no simple solution, nothing that would help them. Fox was trapped, sandwiched between that entity and the Dominion, stranded and unable to be reached by his team. Thus far, the only option they had that -might- yield any results involved working with an entity that made little effort to mask its intent on corrupting and assimilating both McCloud -and- the entire Star Fox team.
No, not just them. She had seen more than this. It wanted Lylat. It wanted it all.
All of them stood in silence for a few moments more, all of them thinking their own thoughts. Krystal could read their minds, if she wanted to. She always tried to respect their privacy, but whenever emotions were particularly powerful, it was almost impossible -not- to notice them. It would be like someone screaming while she walked by. Even if the words weren't directed at her, it was very difficult to ignore.
Falco's emotions in particular were boiling over. He was so frustrated, so angry. She could tell he was just barely in control. That said, his anger and fury were not at directed at anyone currently in this room, just the situation in general. Slippy's emotions were not quite so strong as Falco's, but his worry and fears were growing steadily, threatening to overwhelm him. It was bordering on despair.
What could they do? They couldn't just sit by and do nothing for much longer. Would they have to take the deal? Did they have any choice in the matter?
Slippy voiced the very same question she had, the question all of them asked over and over again. A question she wondered if they would ever have the answer to. "What do we do now?"
No one was able to answer that question. No one had an answer. And once more, it seemed like all they could do was wait.
Aboard the VDS Bulwark, things were largely proceeding as they had been previous. Scans were still proving to be difficult, as the Von Dross had some sort of bizarre and rather complicated shielding system. Undoubtedly it was designed to stop the very thing that the Bulwark was trying to do. A pity that of all the systems that could have failed aboard that ship, this particular one had remained functional.
Still, the men were not working for nothing. Gradually they were finding ways to penetrate that shield with their scanners. Communication was not a possibility quite yet, but before long they would find a way. That was not what mattered at the moment. What mattered was getting at least a rough idea of what was going on over there.
"Sir!" One of the crew stood up from her station, pointing at her monitor. "I have a scan of the vessel. I believe you should see this, sir."
Noellap approached the crew member, standing at her console and looking into the image projected. She was tall and thin, with large ears and a pink, hairless tail. Her fur was white, and she had green eyes. A rat-girl, he supposed. Quite rare to his understanding. But here she was, serving as an ensign aboard the Bulwark for the Dominion. Sure enough, she had found a way to penetrate the shield, though the image they were receiving was a bit strange. "What am I looking at?"
"I do not know, sir." The crew member cleared her throat before continuing. "I believe it to be sort of...growth. Sir."
"A growth?" Noellap arched his eyebrow. "You're saying something like this is growing aboard that ship?"
"Yes sir, an as of yet unidentified life form. It seems to be most concentrated here and here." She indicated two particular points on the screen, points that were discolored on the monitor, the center of whatever that thing was. Even on the screen from the distorted scan they had run, the thing looked like some sort of blemish on an otherwise clean surface, a growing stain that was inside the ship. It was like a cancer of sorts, an aggressive one.
He would worry about the implications later. "I will inform the captain at once. Good work. And carry on."
"Thank you sir." She gave a salute, then returned to her work. "I am attempting to scan for Fox's location now. I will let you know if I find him."
"Very good." Though it wasn't much to go on, it was more than they had before. "Send the imagery to my personal station. I wish to examine it further."
"Of course sir."
Noellap returned to his place beside the captain, settling into his own seat, where he could monitor the ship for himself, along with whatever the crew was working on at the time. The captain was absent at the moment. He wasn't entirely sure where he was, but he'd return soon. Perhaps he was in his quarters or in another meeting with leader. For now, Noellap have to focus on this new information himself.
Now that he had the data in front of him, he took his time to examine it thoroughly. He ran a number of scans of his own, trying to get a better idea of what they were up against. He'd done this sort of thing many, many times during his training. He knew how to work a scanner and apply various filters to get more information.
His examinations led to more questions than answers. Whatever was on that ship appeared to be organic in nature, this much was evident by the scan. Yet he had never encountered a life form like this, or even heard of one. In a way, it seemed sort of like a growing parasite, yet aboard a space vessel instead of a living thing. It was difficult to make out much more from the scans. They were lucky to get what they did. It seemed to be spreading from a central point, somewhere in one of the lower decks. Without an accurate scan and schematic of the vessel, he had no idea what deck that was, nor how to pinpoint it. Even if he did, he couldn't be certain of the precise location of the source. The answers would come in time, he supposed. For now they'd have to work with what they'd been given.
This could explain why they received no word from their contact. Indeed, it might explain why the Dominion was here at all. If whatever was on board had compromised the ship, as it most assuredly had based on these images, then that would be why the agent failed to report. It would be why the ship was unable to respond to hails, why much of it seemed damaged. It would explain a fair number of things.
It was troubling. Were they to launch an assault, they would have to deal with that thing one way or another, and they still had no idea what they were truly up against. This worried him. If they were to lead a strike force aboard that vessel, they would come into contact with what appeared to be an as of yet unknown alien life form. While he had the utmost confidence in this ship and its crew, he also knew that facing an enemy that one knew nothing about could end in disaster for even the most intelligent and experienced warrior.
Of course, in the end, did it matter? It did not change their mission. They were soldiers, loyal to the Dominion and everything it represented. They would gladly give their lives for the cause. Even so, Noellap would prefer that none of their lives be thrown away carelessly, without point or purpose. He knew the captain well enough to trust his judgment. He would not cast them aside as a spent disposable tool.
It was only now that the captain returned, his presence heralded by the hiss of the elevator's doors. He circled around his chair before sitting, turning to Noellap. "Anything to report?"
"Yes sir. We have managed to pierce the shields of the Von Dross with our scanners. We are still fighting interference, but one of our crew was able to make a rudimentary scan of their vessel. We found this." He tapped a few buttons, causing the image to display on the captain's station. Kamille studied it for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. "I see. There's something else on that vessel. How curious. I am not aware of anything like this entity in our records. Troubling."
In a way, Noellap found it somewhat comforting to know that his captain felt much as he did. In the same moment, he also found it disturbing. If his superior officer could not come up with a proper solution, then he didn't know what would become of their mission.
"Sir, what are we to do now, having retrieved this information? It is limited, yes, but perhaps we should..."
"Patience, Noellap. Patience." Kamille straightened up a bit before leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, taking a deep breath of air before exhaling slowly. "Solutions will come. We have managed to breach the shields, I suspect we will be able to do more in time."
"Yes sir." Noellap nodded. "As you say. We will wait then."
There was sudden movement from further ahead on the bridge. The same ensign as before soon stood up, turning to her commanding officers. "Sir! I think I have found Star Fox!"
That certainly got their attention. The captain shot Noellap a glance, then rose to his feet. Noellap did the same, and they approached the ensign together. She gestured toward her monitor, where a single blip was lighting up.
"You believe this is Fox McCloud?" Kamille asked, studying her impassively.
"I do not for certain sir, but the signature did stand out. It seems to have been amplified somehow. It would appear he is wearing some sort of device that acts as a signal booster. It has allowed me to run a brief scan, and this is what I found." The ensign tapped a few buttons, bringing up a very blurry picture of someone, someone that would be almost impossible to identify. It looked vaguely like a fox, but it could have been anything.
"I fear that is not good enough, ensign." Noellap said quietly. "We will need to be certain."
"Yes sir. I did clean it up a bit, I believe this is more clear." She pressed a button, and the picture changed.
It still wasn't perfectly clear, but it was more than enough. Noellap had seen enough pictures to recognize that fox anywhere. He was, after all, one of the more famous modern day heroes in the Lylat System.
Kamille seemed to know it too. "Fox McCloud. At last."
"He appears to be here, moving to...this deck." She pointed at the blip on the screen, traveling to one of the bottom portions of the ship, moving steadily toward the engines. "I believe he is approaching engineering."
"Engineering." Kamille repeated the name of the deck, closing his eyes as he thought. Noellap studied his captain for a few moments, wondering what he was thinking. The ensign was left just standing there a bit awkwardly, not knowing precisely what to do. Eventually Kamille opened his eyes and nodded his head, his expression betraying absolutely nothing. "Very good, ensign. Return to your work. Run more scans. Learn everything you can about that ship. Everything about its interior, everything about that presence you discovered, as well as any additional life forms you detect. Report any information you uncover to Lieutenant Noellap."
"Yes sir." That was all she said. She saluted, then sat down and continued her work.
The captain returned to his seat, and Noellap followed, joining him. He waited a moment before asking, "What now?"
To his surprise, Kamille did not answer his question, instead asking one of his own on a very different topic. "What is the name of that ensign?"
"One moment, sir." Noellap tapped something into his console, pulling up the crew member's record. "Crew member Nelli, identification code D426. Surname, Ginger. Cornerian. Her father was killed in the Lylat Wars. She was tracked for some time as a potential recruit by the Dominion, eventually being extended an invitation, which she accepted. She has gone through basic training and has been assigned as an ensign aboard this vessel. Her marks were remarkably high, particularly in surveillance, communications, linguistics, and electronics."
"Was she the one that brought the initial scan to your attention?"
Noellap nodded. "Yes sir."
"I see." Kamille said nothing more, simply remaining silent. Noellap wondered what it was that he was thinking right now. Why had he asked about her? Had she perhaps caught his attention? Perhaps her abilities impressed him, or perhaps he was simply curious about who found it, and it was nothing more than that. He did not know.
At last Kamille spoke again, returning to the earlier question. "We know where Fox is. This is good for us. If we need to, we can move in and remove him. He would make an excellent hostage, and would ensure that Star Fox left us alone until he was returned to them."
"Is that your order, sir?" Noellap asked. "Shall we begin our assault?"
"Not quite yet. Now we need to know why he is in engineering in the first place."
"But why should that matter?" Noellap was confused. "What difference would it make? We can move in now and retrieve him."
"Ah, but Fox is not our primary objective, remember that." The captain corrected him, then turned his attention to the somewhat primitive schematic they had of the ship. "If he is venturing to engineering, he must have a reason for it. He's still alive, so I doubt he's wandering aimlessly. Why is he going to engineering? What's he doing down there? I see only two likely possibilities."
Noellap was intrigued. "And those are?"
"One, he is going to attempt an escape using the Von Dross itself. Perhaps he hopes to repair the engines and get the ship out of danger."
"If that's the case, he must be stopped." Noellap rose to his feet. "By your leave, I will give the order to engage."
"Belay that." Kamille had his eyes closed, pondering the situation. As usual, it seemed he did not want to rush into anything. He was a very patient lizard, more patient than Noellap was. The lieutenant couldn't but wonder if he would ever have the patience of his superior officer. At last Kamille continued. "The second possibility, and the far more likely one, is that Fox is trying to prevent the ship from moving."
"What?" Noellap didn't mean to let his confusion shine through, but he couldn't help it. "Why? That makes no sense! He would want to escape, and by repairing the engines, he would rescue both the ship and its crew and..."
"And anything else that's on board." The captain regarded his second in command with a cold, even gaze. "Look at those images. At what's aboard that vessel. Knowing what you do of Fox McCloud, do you believe he would willingly bring that thing deeper into the Lylat System?"
"We don't even know what it is, sir. We have no idea how Fox would..."
"Neither does he. He would not attempt to move the Von Dross itself. He's going down there for a reason. And I believe that reason is soon forthcoming."
"Sir?" Noellap didn't understand what he was talking about. Then it happened. Something that seemed impossible. Something that he could not believe that the captain would know. Perhaps he didn't know, perhaps it was just a guess. Either way, his words would soon be proven right. One of the crewmen stood up, giving them a report. "Sir, the Von Dross's warp core is coming online. Massive energy spikes are detected." The crewman paused for a moment, studying the information that he was receiving, then continued. "Energy readings indicate that they are preparing for a jump."
"What?!" Noellap was stunned. "That's not possible. No ship that size can warp through space without a gate or an active wormhole."
"Yes sir, but..." The crewman cleared his throat, sounding nervous. "It appears to be what they're doing. The energy signature is similar to that which emitted from the Orbital Gate during the Aparoid invasion." He studied the console for a while before continuing. "It is charging in a very similar manner."
Noellap didn't know how to handle this. This was not what he expected. How could a ship like that be equipped with a wormhole generating device that could launch the vessel from one side of the galaxy to the other? How in Venom's name had they accomplished such a feat? Even the Dominion's technology in this field were highly experimental. As far as Noellap was aware, no one else had access to this kind of technology. He glanced to his captain, wondering if he had the same concerns.
If he did, he was hiding it remarkably well. He had his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair as he stroked his chin. "Interesting." He murmured. Noellap wasn't sure how to take that. This could drastically alter the course of their mission, interrupting their timetable, and the captain found it merely interesting?
He would have said something in protest, but Kamille spoke before he could. "It would seem keeping Star Fox alive was the correct decision."
Noellap blinked. "What?"
"Indeed, there's no way to be entirely certain. But sometimes one must take a gamble. A risk in order to put oneself in a better position to make a full sweep over the board, to achieve victory."
"Sir?"
Kamille turned his gaze directly toward his first officer. He stared at him for a moment, studying him with that same cool gaze that he always had. Then he smiled. "Fox is going to do our work for us. We need not move at this time. We simply need to continue scanning and analyzing. We will intervene if needed. But so long as we keep track of Fox, we will have the upper hand."
"Sir, I must protest. Inaction will jeopardize our mission. We must send transports immediately to secure the ship and stop them from..."
"Why should we interfere when we have a pawn already completing our objective?" Kamille asked him.
"I..." Noellap rubbed the back of his head as he frowned. "I do not understand, sir."
"Fox McCloud is going down there to stop whatever the entity is doing. It is quite obvious that whatever this infection is, it has taken over much of the ship. Fox is alone, his team can't reach him, and the ship has been compromised. Fox is going down there to stop them from escaping. If it were anything else, he would have attempted to contact his team. He has not."
There was some logic to this, but it seemed to Noellap that his captain was taking an awfully big risk. While there was supporting evidence for Kamille's words, Noellap couldn't fathom how they could take such a gamble based on what amounted to supposition. It was true, Fox was trapped on that vessel. The ship had clearly been compromised by a hostile force, the nature of which was unknown at this time. It did seem likely that whoever was in charge was not allied with Fox. The timing certainly seemed appropriate. Spiking energy levels just as Fox emerged on the deck. That did seem to be a little too much for a coincidence.
Kamille's logic was somewhat reasonable, Noellap understood it. In fact, there was a good chance that he was right. It was also possible that he knew or had noticed something that he wasn't sharing with the rest of them. However, Noellap did not agree with basing their actions on this assumption, and he felt compelled to say so. "Captain, I must lodge a formal protest against this action. We risk too much on a guess. We should at least send a handful of transports now, and..."
"And tip our hand early, when it is not necessary to reveal it ?" Kamille shook his head. He didn't seem angry with his first officer. He didn't even seem annoyed. He was calm, composed, and collected, just as he always was. "No. We will strike precisely when the moment is right. And I assure you, that moment is yet to come. We shall prepare for it. But we will not launch our assault just yet." He paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. "For the record, your protest is noted and will be recorded in the log. You are free to disagree with my decision. I welcome it. But I expect you to obey my final order. Is that understood?"
Noellap did not pause even for a moment. He knew his duty, and he would not shirk it. His complaint had been noted, and should the mission end in failure, at least proper protocol will have been maintained. "Yes sir. It will be done as you command."
"Very good. Keep the men focused on their scans. Intensify efforts to make contact with any aboard. I believe our opportunity will arrive very soon."
"Yes sir." After being given a nod from his captain, Noellap turned away and input a few commands into his console, informing the men of their orders. He was not entirely certain what to think of all this. He really didn't like that they were going to pursue this course of action on what he felt was little more than a hunch. Then again, if it paid off...
"One other thing."
Noellap jerked his head up, turning to regard his captain with slightly widened eyes. "Sir?"
"That ensign. Ginger, was it? She has performed well. Inform her that she will be joining the assault team in the role of support. She will provide technical assistance to the team after they board. There is a very real possibility that the team may at times be cut off from the bulwark. Her skills may allow them to proceed efficiently even in such an occurrence. Effective immediately, she may consider herself promoted to a junior grade lieutenant. That will be all." Kamille urned away from Noellap and closed his eyes, using his thumb and forefingers to prop up his head as he grew silent.
Noellap did not question him. His orders would be carried out. He would tell the ensign personally. Field promotion was somewhat rare, but if the captain felt it was warranted, Noellap would happily comply. Before he did so, he gave one last look at the scan on his monitor.
The cancerous growth in the belly of the ship was so big. He half expected to be able to see it on the viewscreen, even without a scan. So far, this was not the case. He had no idea what awaited any Dominion team that boarded that vessel, but they would be ready. They would have at least two enemies down there. Fox McCloud and whatever that growth was.
He could only hope that the captain's gambit paid off.