Krystal sensed it coming at the very last fraction of a second. The change from the common sequence almost caught her off-guard, and she raised her staff to block the strike. Still, the powerful blow made her lose her balance and she fell backwards on her tail.
Kabura stood over her. A pleased smile flickered on his face for just a moment before his visage turned neutral again. He lowered his bō staff and offered her a hand. She refused to be humiliated, used her hands for leverage and kipped up on her feet. Kabura merely raised an eyebrow at her theatrics.
"That's two points all." Ryuga sat cross-legged on the metal floor, just outside the mat that had been spread in the ship's gym. "Next point wins."
"You get him, Mommy!" Marcus practically bounced in Mitsuru's lap, the two of them sitting next to Ryuga.
"No, you'd better let my brother win, Krystal. Remember, I have your son hostage." A wicked grin spread across Mitsuru's muzzle as he dug his fingers into Marcus's sides, making the kit squirm and squeal with laughter.
Kabura muttered something about "children" and returned to the centre of the mat, assuming a defensive stance with the wooden training staff raised and ready.
"This is gonna be interesting." Miyu sat on the other side of the mat, smiling and clearly enjoying the match. Fay meanwhile, was wide-eyed. She chewed on the claws of one hand while seemingly unaware of her grip on Miyu's jacket sleeve with the other.
It was going to be interesting, thought Krystal. She performed a couple of flower spins, the bō staff jumping between her hands with little effort as she psyched herself up.
"You're wasting energy," said Kabura, while not moving a muscle himself.
He had stocked up significantly as he'd regained health over the past couple of weeks. While they mostly lived off bland, rehydrated space-food, it was nutritionally balanced and rich in protein. He spent every minute of his free time exercising, sparring and stretching. Dressed only in sweatpants, his arms and chest bulged and flexed with every move. His younger brother, on the other hand, had started expanding a little around his waist.
Krystal put her staff in a yin-yang grip, one palm up and one down, each hand a third along the staff's length. Putting a little more weight on her back foot, she steadied her breathing and blanked out her mind, trying to rely on muscle memory instead of premeditation. In their first sparring sessions, she had held back on Kabura. Not today.
The attack was sudden. In Krystal's focussed mind, it played out in slow-motion, but to the spectators it was a blur. She thrust her right hand forwards then downwards, while pulling with her left to generate momentum. The smash hit Kabura's raised staff with the crack of a whip. She brought her right hand back and the left forwards, Kabura deflecting her up-strike sideways. She let the staff slide in her grip as it spun, extending her right arm for a down-strike. The other end of her staff stung her triceps as it connected near her armpit.
She followed up with another combination of up- and down-strikes, which he parred with ease. He countered with a cross-strike that she had to jump backwards to dodge. She was still getting used to battling another telepath. Her mind was better than his, and her psionic reactions faster, but he could still sense her every intention. He was also physically stronger and a few inches taller with a reach to match. While toned, he wasn't so buff that it slowed him down.
Her first point had come by sheer surprise, attacking as soon as Ryuga gave the signal for the match to start. But since, Kabura had fought smart: defensive and conserving energy, waiting for her to make a mistake. She was the aggressive one, needing to rely on her physical and mental speed, but it came at a cost. She had broken through his defences once more to score a point, but it had cost her two when he'd retaliated. He was too good at defence, countering her every attack, and sending her dancing around the mat, dangerously close to the edge and disqualification.
Ducking under a swipe, she tucked and rolled to the side, springing back to her feet in the centre of the mat. Feeling frustration brewing, she tried hard to keep her countenance. She must not lose; she was too competitive for that. Good thing Fox was manning the bridge with Kayuq and Hope. She wouldn't want the humiliation of losing a fight in front of him, even knowing that he'd only tease her about it for a little while.
A purple-haired bounty hunter scoffed at her from somewhere in the depths of her mind. Now there was a thought. She recalled a sparring session in this very room, but on the way from Kew, when Fox had turned the tables and played mind-games on her. She had still hated him then, but damn he had looked toned and hot, and he had almost thawed her frozen heart.
I'm working up a sweat here, just like then, she thought and projected her emotions towards Kabura. I could get down and dirty with Fox when I've beat you.
"Cheap shot." Kabura scoffed and parried her punch, countering with a jab of his own. "You fight dirty."
"You would too, if you had to survive on your own in a lawless system."
Kabura was a hard nut to crack. Her little mind-games, tricks she had used to her advantage as a bounty hunter around Kew, didn't affect his focus at all.
"Whereas you," she continued. "You just had to follow orders."
"You're trying to distract me by bringing up my leader." He swiped at her and she sidestepped, but there was no anger in his attack. His focus was unwavering. "It won't work, but by all means, give it your best shot."
"Who was Kamuy anyway?" Krystal had been curious about Kayuq and her fellow Cerinian's reluctance to talk about their former leader.
"She was The First of The Protectors." Kabura's strikes were fast and forceful. Claps of wood hitting wood filled the room as Krystal parried. For the first time, she sensed a flicker of agitation from him, but it passed just as quickly.
"I know that much already. But what did you see in her? Enough for you to betray your Matriarch?"
"A great leader!" He raised his voice, just briefly, but then took a step back. Holding his staff in one hand, he motioned towards Ryuga with the other. "Why don't we make it interesting? Let him tell the story and see how well you can concentrate."
The azure fox shifted where he sat and put his muzzle in a hand. His brows furrowed for a moment. "Kamuy was of noble background."
"Those nobles again." Miyu's ear tufts pricked up. She shuffled closer to hear better, pulling Fay along with her. "That sounds a bit feudal."
"Indeed, it was a long time ago." Ryuga straightened his back and raised his voice a little, speaking formally and articulated, so that Miyu and Fay's translators would keep up. "Cerinia was divided into a number of cantons, each one traditionally controlled by the principal landowners. There was even a caste system, where-"
"If you weren't born blue," Mitsuru interrupted, drawing a glare from Ryuga, "you were thrown out of the ruling caste."
"Indeed, it was based partially on psionic abilities, which run stronger in some families," Ryuga continued. "But it lost its importance as society progressed, and when welfare and material standards reached post-scarcity levels, the caste system was abandoned. Being noble is just a title nowadays, although it still holds some privileges, but mostly of ceremonial nature."
"And political," Mitsuru chimed in.
"I guess it's easier for a telepath as well." Krystal took a couple of swipes at Kabura, mostly to show that she could fight and hold a conversation at the same time. "Knowing what your opposition is up to."
"That's why Ryuga here will go far." Mitsuru grinned. "He comes from a family of power, both in terms of influence and psionics."
"Are you a noble?" Marcus looked at Ryuga with wide eyes.
"In fact..." The azure fox grimaced and squirmed a little. "I am. My mother was a high-ranking Provider - think of it as the department of agriculture and infrastructure - while my father was a senator for the Azure Lakes canton."
"Are you noble too?" Marcus turned his attention to Mitsuru.
"Me? Nah, and I'd just be happy to be a family man one day." He rubbed the swirl of white hair on Marcus's head.
"But Kamuy cared not for nobility, not even her own," Kabura announced with pride in his voice as he prodded Krystal with a couple of punches. "She rose through the ranks by her own merit."
"She joined The Protectors as soon as she came of age," Ryuga confirmed. "She chose to fight at the fronts both on land and in space, but she was particularly skilled in direct combat. A platoon under her command was instrumental in penetrating enemy lines to reclaim land that had been under Wolven occupation for centuries."
"Rumour has it that Blade, son of the Wolven wizard Randorn, was killed by her own battle staff." Kabura grinned and assaulted Krystal with a barrage of strikes, putting her on her back foot.
"It was never confirmed." Ryuga scratched his chin. "She denied it herself, and I sensed that she spoke the truth."
"Memories can be altered!" Mitsuru blurted out.
"They can?" The fur on Krystal's neck rose. She had that nagging feeling that her own memories somehow had been altered by Kamuy. Slightly distracted, she had to quickly dodge a swipe from Kabura, nearly stepping over the edge of the mat.
"Only if the subject is willing, or extremely unstable," Ryuga mused. "But on the verge of another victory, Kamuy was called back and promoted. It was likely a political play to keep her appeased. She never made a secret of being in favour of striking first against the Wolven, attacking when they were vulnerable, whereas the Matriarch was more cautious, always considering the consequences of possible retaliation. Still, Kamuy rose through the ranks, eventually being appointed Prime Protector, I guess equivalent to General O'Hare, and one of the three Primes answerable directly to the Matriarch."
"Just another power-hungry person with delusions of grandeur, huh?" Krystal unleashed a flurry of spins and strikes on Kabura, having regained a little energy during the conversation.
"She was actually in favour of democracy." Kabura smirked and parried each strike, not put off by Krystal's taunts.
"Also true," Ryuga continued. "You see, decisions on law and policy are made by the Senate, who also appoint the Primes. To be fair, many of the senators are skilled telepaths from the noble houses, but they are still elected by the people. The Matriarch acts as speaker of the Senate and a moderator of debates, but also has a right to veto, which by customs should not be used unless in a state of emergency. The title of Matriarch, however, is for life, and passes to the eldest daughter of the reigning Matriarch."
"Daughter?" Krystal cocked an eyebrow. "Why not son?"
"Simply because of tradition. Vixens are considered more balanced, less aggressive and less likely to make impulsive decisions, as well as on average with stronger psionic powers."
"Just look at the men causing problems in your own system," Kabura taunted. "General Pepper, Dr Andross, General O'Hare-"
"Don't bring Peppy into this!" Krystal snapped and swiped her staff, trying hard not to lose her temper and focus as the cerulean fox returned her attack in kind.
"The friction between Kamuy and the Matriarch escalated after the arrival of the Lylat explorer," Ryuga continued. Krystal was curious about that person; she had to ask more about them when she wasn't busy fending off a stubborn brute of a fox. "Kamuy was most intrigued by the visitor, lobbying to establish relations with Lylat. She argued that off-world knowledge would be vital, both against the Wolven, and any other interstellar threat. You see, Cerinia is not entirely isolated. Over the past few centuries, space pirates tried to raid our world, but they were swiftly and firmly sent packing. There was also a brief but civil exchange with a solitary race that called themselves The Luminoth.
"Still, the Matriarch did not trust the explorer, who was deported, and for all we know snapped up by the Wolven instead. Kamuy was livid, challenged the Matriarch and tried to gather enough senators for a vote of no-confidence. She fell just short of a majority, and effectively relieved of duty, officially transferred to a role of overseeing the colonisation of Omega Kandesca II, while retaining captainship of a starship."
"But she kept her ties with Cerinian intelligence and bided her time." Kabura grinned. "When the opportunity presented itself, she seized it."
Krystal growled. "By stealing a ship intended for rescue."
"You see things too much in black and white." Kabura launched a rapid succession of strikes, forcing Krystal to retreat, dancing around precariously close to the mat's edge. "It's not that simple as good versus evil."
"Odd choice of words for a one-track mind like yours." She ran around him and tried to strike from behind, only to be met with an overhead block. "Prepared to destroy a world? I'd call that pretty evil."
"We might have extracted what we needed to repair The Shield before the process had gone that far." He spun and unleashed a cross-strike that hit Krystal's staff with a sickening crack. Was it about to shatter? "Cornerians could recolonise. Lylat has several inhabitable planets. We had one."
Rage brewed under the surface of Krystal's mind, caused by the ignorance in his. The resurrection of one world didn't justify the destruction of another. Kabura jabbed at her again, prodding her with his staff. His xenophobia riled her up, but she couldn't let herself be distracted. She needed Kursed's indifference to focus... unless.
She hated him. No. She loathed him. She snarled and took a step forward, letting her hatred flood his mind. The attack was lightning fast. She'd shifted the grip of her staff, raising it and bringing it down with one hand, while pulling hard with the other to generate momentum. He blocked her overhead strike with ease, as well as the following up- and down-strikes.
He responded with a smash of his own, which she deflected upwards. Raising her right leg, she stepped sideways while spinning her staff around. He was ready for the cross-strike, but not her left leg to his waist that followed it.
While he was off balance, she launched into a rapid succession of strikes, before dropping on one hand and knocking him off his feet with a sweeping kick. She sprung back up even before his back had connected with the mat. One end of her staff knocked his weapon out of his hands, while the other stopped an inch from his throat. For once, there was a hint of fear in his eyes.
She panted hard. She'd won the deciding point. The rage washed away in an instant, and she lowered her staff.
"I... couldn't read you at all." His fear turned to bewilderment as she offered him a hand. "You can turn rage on and off... just like that?"
"Only when I need to." She smirked, feeling quite smug with herself.
He took her hand and she pulled him up with some effort; he certainly had gained weight. As he looked down on her, a coy smile slowly spread across his muzzle. "You're a good warrior!"
"Are we nearly there yet?" Marcus squirmed in Krystal's lap.
"Just another day." She wished it wasn't, feeling nearly as impatient as her child.
The ship travelled at full speed, and the visual perspective distorted so that the galaxy seemed to consist of a tight cluster of stars in front of them. Omega Kandesca was straight ahead, the white dwarf barely standing out from the backdrop of stars. It was so close, yet seemed so far away.
She yelped when a miniature Wolfen zoomed past mere inches from her nose.
"Sorry!" Mitsuru sat in the co-pilot's chair next to them, battling with the remote control to reign in the toy fighter. The child had grown tired of his toy after playing with it for hours; the adult fox had not. He was a marginally better pilot than Slippy.
"Hiya, what's up?" Fox arrived on the bridge, closely followed by Ryuga. The Wolfen clattered to the floor at their feet.
"Not much. Just loads of empty space." Krystal sighed. Thank spirits it was the end of her shift.
"You seem tired," said Ryuga in a low voice.
"Yeah..." She was tired. Even though life had settled into an orderly routine since they had left Lylat, she had struggled with sleep.
"Me too!" Mitsuru performed a little drumroll on the chair's armrests, not looking tired at all. "I think I need to get some rest... after a snack."
"You too, my love." Fox smiled softly at Krystal. "Be off with you! I've got the bridge now."
She only nodded in reply and followed Mitsuru towards the exit. Marcus was already at his side with a hand in the adult fox's.
"Can we make pancakes?" the kit asked as soon as they entered the lift.
"Pancakes? For supper?" Mitsuru cocked an eyebrow. Marcus nodded frantically and Mitsuru cracked up in a smile. "Sure!"
The lift reached the lower deck and the doors opened. Krystal trudged after the blue duo through the common room, where she found Fay sitting in the worn old couch, focussed on a data pad in her hands.
"Aren't you meant to be off duty?" Krystal sat down next to her friend.
"Yeah, but who can sleep when we're this close?" Fay frowned and leaned closer to the screen.
"I know." Perhaps it was the anticipation, perhaps it was trying to sleep without Fox next to her, but Krystal had spent many hours just staring at the ceiling in the darkness. Sometimes Marcus would curl up in bed next to her, but he wriggled a lot in his sleep, which also kept her awake. "What are you doing anyway?"
"Just going over the comms systems." The spaniel swiped up and down on the tablet.
"Game of you to second-guess Slippy's work," Krystal mocked.
"I'm not. He did a great work reverse-engineering what little tech was left by Kamuy's mobs, but we don't have the exact encoding of Cerinian comms." It seemed Fay had found something of interest, since her fingers tapped away on the keyboard for a moment. "I'm just seeing if I can tweak the algorithms."
"I didn't know you could code." Krystal raised an eyebrow.
"I took some extra classes at the Academy." Fay shrugged and smirked a little. "Hidden talent, I guess."
"Good work! We're gonna need it soon. Want something to eat?"
"Yeah, sure... soon." Fay didn't take her eyes off the screen. "I just wanna finish this first."
Krystal gave her friend a pat on the back, rose and sauntered into the galley. Pulling up a barstool by the raised table in its centre, she watched Mitsuru and Marcus as they went through the cupboards to retrieve ingredients. Without using a measuring cup, Mitsuru poured flour, milk powder, egg powder and baking soda and water into a glass bowl and started whisking.
"We need blueberries!" Marcus fetched a packet of freeze-dried berries out of the freezer and placed them in the rehydrator. Mesmerised, he watched the berries grow in size as the machine worked its magic.
"You're a little blueberry." Mitsuru put the bowl down and patted Marcus's head, before he opened another pantry door which had a spice rack on the inside.
Krystal couldn't remember if it had been her or Fox's suggestion to bring herbs and spices, but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. They mostly lived off canned and freeze-dried food anyway; stuff that could keep for months in space without spoiling. Still, Mitsuru went through the collection carefully, his tail slowly wagging behind him.
"This looks nice!" He pulled out a packet of curry powder and gave it a sniff before sneezing. "Nope. In a stew perhaps, but not pancakes."
He proceeded with inspecting garlic powder, chilli flakes, thyme and nutmeg, which also were put aside. Krystal couldn't help giggling, although she knew she shouldn't; Mitsuru couldn't read Cornerian, and herbs and spices on Cerinia had probably been vastly different anyway.
"Hey, how about you help instead." Mitsuru sounded annoyed, but his cheerful psionic aura gave him away. He sniffed another container and then sneezed, but his eyes lit up. "This smells good. What is it?"
Krystal read the label. "Cinnamon. It's ground bark from some sort of tree, I've heard."
"Huh, really? Who would've thought, but why not?" He dusted some into the bowl and whisked it together while Marcus watched with interest.
For all his whimsical manners, Krystal thought it looked like Mitsuru knew what he was doing. "It seems you like cooking?"
"Of course." He beamed. "I'm a chef!"
Krystal tilted her head. "You mean I owe my life to a chef?"
It had been Ryuga and Mitsuru bringing her to safety after the clash with Kamuy - Fox had shared his memories with her - and Ryuga had been Kayuq's acolyte, so she'd just assumed Mitsuru was another warrior of some kind.
"Well, we all need to eat, else we'd die." Mitsuru chuckled briefly. "But seriously, I trust Kayuq with my life and would follow her anywhere, but we couldn't have defeated Kamuy without you and Fox."
Kayuq had been very coy, not wanting to talk about Kamuy and life under her command. Krystal wondered if this was an opportunity to get Mitsuru's side of the story, while he was in a good mood. "Why'd she pick you anyway?"
"She didn't." His ears flattened. "I'm only here because of my brother. Eldey was Kamuy's protege, and Eldey requested Kabura because he's a good pilot. He really is" - he pointed with the whisk at Krystal - "and he snuck me aboard the starship. I wasn't one of the selected. I didn't know about the survival plan until Kayuq told me about it later."
His eyes glazed over and his aura saddened. Krystal knew what he was thinking without reading his mind. She'd asked herself many times: after all the lives lost, of the few survivors... why me?
"But don't worry, I can hold my own with a battle staff." He spun the whisk in his fingers so that droplets of pancake batter went flying, much to Marcus's amusement. "I just don't like fighting as much as my brother."
"Can Kabura fly as good as you cook?" Marcus's tail wagged as up looked up at Mitsuru.
The adult fox scratched the kit's chin for a moment before cracking up in a wicked grin. "Almost!"
He put a pan on the induction stove, while Marcus scooted out into the living area. He returned with a small stool that he climbed on top of to see better over the countertop. Mitsuru held the palm of his hand over the pan, until he decided it was hot enough and added some batter. Marcus didn't take his eyes off the pan, watching the batter slowly solidifying and turning a golden colour. A lovely aroma slowly spread in the kitchen. Mitsuru checked the edges with a spatula.
"Can you throw it?" Marcus asked.
"Just you watch." Mitsuru grinned. "I've been practicing."
That explains the stains on the ceiling, thought Krystal. Mitsuru held the pan in one hand, moving it in circles to slide the half-baked pancake around and up on the side a little. Then, with a quick flick of his wrist, he sent it airborne, catching it again just as it had turned upside-down. Marcus squealed in delight. A minute later, cooked a golden brown, it was presented to the hungry kit, who set to work adding berries and a generous dose of maple syrup.
Mitsuru poured some more batter into the pan and then rummaged through the pantries again, finding another pan of similar size. He proved to be quite the multitasker, producing pancakes at a great rate, some of which ended up on a plate in front of Krystal.
"Ooh, thank you!" She took a bite; while food always tastes better with fresh ingredients, the cinnamon added a nice twist. Finding she was hungry, she'd soon wolfed down the first one. Speaking with her mouth half full, she asked, "Are you looking forward to meeting your people, if there are survivors, that is?"
"I'm sure there are. I trust the plan and the Vixon leadership. Meeting any family who might've survived would be great; the trials not as much."
Krystal's ears flattened. "Sorry, I forgot about that."
"Don't worry." Without missing a beat, he flipped another pancake. "I knew as soon as I joined Kayuq's mutiny that trials would be a reality if we ever made it back to the Kandesca System. But the worst they could do would be to exile me, which would be no different from my life since The Doom. Kayuq is right, it'll be worse for her, and Kabura, but I'll witness for them."
"He's quite the Kamuy die-hard, isn't he?" Krystal scoffed. "Your brother."
"There's a reason for that." His shoulders slumped and he went quiet for a bit. Krystal realised she'd touched on a sore point. "He can relate. Kamuy's father was killed in battle, and so was Kabura's mother."
"So much death at the hands of the Wolven, right?"
"Well..." Mitsuru scratched his neck. "Her ship was hit by metal meteorites, compromising her cockpit." Krystal winced; it was an awful way to go. Mitsuru shook his head. "Whether it was debris deliberately scattered by the Wolven, or whether she was at the wrong place at the wrong time, we'll never know. Still, Kamuy and Kabura both joined the armed forces to avenge their parents."
He returned to his cooking and poured some more batter into the pans. There was more on his mind, Krystal could sense it, but she didn't want to pry directly. She chose a more subtle approach.
"You know, I have the feeling that Kayuq is not telling me everything, neither about my background nor Kamuy."
"That's just her usual modus operandi." Mitsuru snorted. "Telepaths can still keep things from each other, but Kayuq is particularly secretive. If you ask about her background, she shuts like a clamshell. She has a brilliant mind with powerful abilities, and she's very learned. Ask her anything about our history or culture, she'll know it, as if she's read every book in the royal library. She would have been destined to become The First of The Promoters - the third Prime, responsible for education, culture and spiritual beliefs - if it wasn't for her red fur."
He turned around and pointed at Krystal with the spatula, waving it about. "Something happened and she was pushed aside, but you have to ask her about that yourself. I am not strong enough to see into her mind."
Krystal held his gaze. Just touching his mind without violating it, she thought loud enough for him to sense. You're not telling me everything either.
"Look..." He held up his hands. "There are things Kayuq and Ryuga think you are better off not knowing, meeting the Matriarch with an open mind and all that."
"I hear a 'but'."
"The thing is, when Kamuy challenged The Matriarch, she had a valid point. Do you remember what Ryuga said about Vixon succession."
Krystal nodded. "Power passes to the eldest daughter."
"And The Matriarch had an older brother... who was killed in battle."
Just like Kamuy's father, Krystal thought, and the penny dropped. "She's family!"
Mitsuru glanced at Marcus, who was preoccupied with stuffing his muzzle with food, and tapped his temple quickly. It might freak your husband out meeting The Matriarch, knowing that he killed her niece.
The consequences dawned on Krystal. Kayuq, Kabura, Fox and herself, they were all in the bad books with the Matriarch in one way or the other.
"I shouldn't have said that," Mitsuru muttered and turned the stove off. "I'm just not as good at keeping secrets as they are."
"Well, I think we're better off prepared," said Krystal softly. "You're a good man."
"And a good chef!" Marcus grinned with his mouth coloured dark blue from an overdose of berries.
"That too," Krystal smiled. "Thanks for supper, but I think I need to go to bed now."
"Me too." Mitsuru wiped his hands on a towel and seemed to cheer up again. "And I'm happy that you'll meet more of our people, because I'm sure there are survivors. Someone will know who you are."
Krystal hoped so too as she returned to her cabin. Soon, Marcus snored in his bunk, but sleep wouldn't come for Krystal. She tossed and turned, wondering whether she should tell Fox about Kamuy, and worrying about what kind of reception they would get. Drifting in and out of sleep, she heard the footfalls of people running and wondered if it was a dream or not, until she was brutally awoken by a loud bang.