StarFox Fan Fiction ❯ The Shards of a Broken Krystal ❯ Arrival ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

 

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The Shards of a Broken Krystal - by Staindgrey

 

Chapter IV - Arrival

 

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“Come on, baby,” the pilot pleaded with an uneasy confidence in his voice, “Just a li'l bit further!” His gloved hands were fastened to the controls of his ship like magnets to an anvil as he tried with all the strength left in his body to keep the small craft flying straight. The steering controls were shaking violently within his clenched fists as he felt the heat of a batch of sparks splashing against his furred neck. He winced in pain but refused to loosen his hold on the shuddering gearshifts. He could see the small form of Corneria in the distance; he'd be safe there. Now, he only had to manage getting there. Shots of electricity came from all around the cramped cockpit as the constant blaring sound of the alarm system rang inside the pilot's oversized ears. Heat was building inside the ship as well, making the situation all the less pleasant to experience. Just a little longer... he thought.

 

Through the thick sunglasses that shielded his eyes, the reynard pilot spotted something up ahead, between him and Corneria. It was closing the gap rather quickly, and he started to make out its four-winged shape. Finally letting go of one of the directional levers, he quickly reached for the communication system, flicking the switch to its `on' position. The screen was still blank, however, with not so much as a static buzz coming up. “Damn it!” he cursed his luck, “Comm. link's down.” As he felt his Arwing whirl into a spin to the right, he hastily grabbed the controls again, pulling with all his might back to the left to even the ship out. He overcompensated, however, and began to roll to the left. Finally, the pilot slammed the breaks hoping that they at least still worked, and they barely did. Using the sole G-diffuser available, he pulled into a tight right turn and then veered back to a slight left, regaining what little control he had of his nearly devastated ship and heading directly towards the approaching vessel. As he came nearer, he could make out the rough X-shaped outline of the craft against the bright blue spot behind it that was Corneria. “No way!” he barked with a content laugh soon following.

 

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Fox was still in his morose mood as he sat in his forlorn commander's chair at the head of the Great Fox, occasionally taking yet another look at the photograph in his hand as if to check that it was still there. He had no idea where Krystal was going or, if he found her, if she would even bother listening to his apology. Images of her in danger kept playing through his miserable mind as he began to realize that, even though his line of work was dangerous, at least when she was here he never had the fear of not knowing where she was or if she was even still alive. That trepidation was killing him now, and his only wish now was to bring her back safely.

 

“Incoming spacecraft at ten o'clock,” he heard Rob's monotone voice call from below.

 

“What?” was his instinctive response as he stood to his feet. “What is it?”

 

“A first-generation Arwing, the `Wyvern',” Rob answered as he brought a live image of the craft up on monitor. It was on the last limb of its life, sparks of bright red electricity spewing out of its two broken wings like fountains of wine. The ship was battered to the point of being totaled, but it still somehow kept from exploding as it neared the Great Fox.

 

“First generation...?” Fox's jaw dropped as he began to remember the classes of Arwings manufactured. The first generation was the type of standard Arwing used by the original Star Fox team- Peppy, Pigma, and... “No, it can't be! There's no way!” Fox turned his attention back down toward Rob, practically screaming, “Get communications with that thing! I wanna know who's piloting it!”

 

“Negative,” the android answered. “Communication cannot be established. Impending spacecraft either can not or will not establish the connection.”

 

Fox's expression was clouded with anxiety as his thoughts fought over destroying or saving the failing Arwing. It could very well be a trap, sent with a bomb inside set to detonate when inside the Great Fox. But, it could be... him. And with the shape it was in, no wonder the comm. link wouldn't work. But still... What if it was a booby trap? Fox could never let himself fall for some dumb ploy like that.

 

Shoot it down! rationality shouted, Don't let that thing get any closer!

 

But what if it's him? his conscience retorted, What if it's your father? Are you just going to let him die when he's on his last leg right in front of you?

 

They're playing with your mind! They want you to think it's your dad, but he's dead. You know that. What you saw when you escaped Venom was your imagination. James McCloud is dead.

 

You don't know that! This could be your last chance to see your father ever again!

 

And if it's a bomb, you can say goodbye to ever catching up with Krystal. You don't have the money to repair this ship again!

 

Your father... the voice inside him pleaded, Your father, Fox...

 

“Open the docking gate,” he said with the best amount of confidence he could muster. “Let him in.” Without another moment of hesitation, Fox sprinted out of the room and into the main hallway, trying desperately to get to the hangar in time. If that really was his father... he couldn't let him die. He had to take this chance, regardless of the potential danger it brought. He had to do it, for him...

 

Thoughts of Krystal began to swirl inside his mind again like a nagging itch that refused to go away. He unconsciously began to make a connection as he ran. Wait... I'm taking a chance. I'm laying it all out on the line because of my dad... because... I love him...

 

A light bulb flickered inside his mind, then burst out of self-hatred almost instantly afterward. How could he be so stupid? He couldn't realize it before, but everything he was thinking about Krystal's safety was wrong. She wasn't blindly falling into his life only to hit rock bottom- she was willingly throwing herself into it, knowing full well of the consequences such an action may hold. She did it... because she loved him. And he shot her down. He told her she couldn't, that the past two years were a waste, and that he didn't want her in his life anymore. His own words echoed inside his head as each syllable pierced him like a dagger, puncturing him over and over as he continued running. “If you being a part of my life means you risking death everyday to do so... then I don't want you to be a part of my life.”

 

“Damn it!!” he screamed as his speed increased dramatically out of sheer anger. This was all his fault. Everything. If he hadn't been such a blockhead in the first place... Had he just stopped to think before he went and screwed everything up...

 

“Dad! I'm coming, Dad!!” Anger was quickly replaced by fear for his father's life as his troubled mind snapped back to reality. Yes, he screwed things up with Krystal. No, he had no idea if he could ever mend things between them, or if he could even find her again. But he wasn't about to let himself make another mistake now, not with his father's life on the line. He no longer cared if it could be a bomb; the only thing on his mind now was the thought of seeing his father's face once more. But that image began to fade as it was replaced with thoughts of the old fox being incinerated in his own ship, his last cries calling for his son that wasn't there in time... NO!!! his conscience cried as he began to run past his own peak. He had to make it there; he had to!

 

The hallway seemed to be getting longer as every step he made became harder. Breaths became heavier. Strides became shorter. Heat and pain found its way into every muscle in his body as he continued to push himself with the adrenaline mustered from the need to save a loved one. We was losing himself in this race, this race against time. Love and fury intertwined like the winds of a tornado as Fox kept going, refusing to give up or even slow his pace. Just a little further... Just a little further...

 

At last, he made his way to the docking bay entrance. He swiftly grabbed an oxygen helmet and fastened it on, then unlatched the airproof doorway and walked inside. The hangar door was already open, leaving the remnants of air already gone and the space vacuum diminished so Fox wasn't immediately sucked out. He grabbed onto a security latch along the wall for safe measure as he stared into the fragment of space before him, trying to find the aged Arwing coming in. He saw nothing for a few moments, and impatiently called for Rob through the radio in his helmet. “Rob, where's the ship?”

 

“Incoming in five seconds.” Five... Four... Three... Two... Fox braced himself as his eyes refused to blink, his entire body ready to leap at any given instant that its mind called it to. Finally, on cue, a small, crumbling Arwing flew downward into the docking bay, reeling itself in an upward motion just in time to avoid a direct impact. The rickety piece of scrap metal hit the floor tail-end first, bringing the nose of the ship down forcefully with recoil. Sparks flew like a sudden tidal wave on both sides of the landing craft as it began to slow down with the brutal friction beneath it, the lack of gravity not allowing it to finally rest in a complete stop. Instead, the first-generation Arwing hovered upwards again in an opposite reaction from the base beneath it, and then finally collided with the wall beneath where Fox stood, watching with nothing but horror etched into his features.

 

“Dad!!” Fox yelped as he almost let go of his safety harness without thinking. The rational side of himself stopped him, though, realizing that if he tried to save him now, he'd merely drift off into space and his father would die from lack of oxygen. Wasting no time, he yelled into his radio, “Close the gate! Now!” Almost instantaneously, the door began coming back up, slowly enclosing the hangar back to its airtight state. Finally, the safety locks were latched and the mechanized gravity settings turned back on. As the oxygen valves stationed across the walls of the room began to release, Fox wasted no time in leaping down to the now grounded Arwing and trying desperately to open its cockpit. Luckily for both him and the pilot inside, the lack of oxygen before prevented any explosion as the ship impacted, but in the condition it was in, it could detonate at any moment. Fox had no time to spare.

 

“Dad!” He screamed again as he yanked at the cockpit window, trying to set the ship's captive free. Finally, its latches unlocked, and the window slowly pulled away from the cockpit, revealing the tan-furred pilot within.

 

“Relax, will ya? I'm fine,” James McCloud said with a cocky grin, the lights of the hangar gleaming in his jet black glasses like those of a movie star making his entrance. Fox was overjoyed to the point of tears as his arms wrapped around his long-lost father's neck, pulling him painfully into his chest as was shown by the elder fox's noticeable grunt.

 

“Oh, I'm sorry!” Fox yelped as he quickly tore his arms away from his head. “Did I hurt you?”

 

“Nah,” James replied nonchalantly, rubbing his neck. “Just a bumpy ride, that's all.” He then proceeded to pull himself out of his seat, then kicked his legs up and out of the ship and landed firmly on the floor below, loving the feel of standing on solid ground once again. Fox followed suit, falling down next to his father as he practically threw his helmet off, revealing a genuine smile plastered on his face. “So, happy to see me?”

 

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Wolf rested uneasily as his Wolfen shredded through the pitch black background of space on autopilot, leaving behind a rather long trail of bright blue energy as it went. Something about their mission didn't sit right with the Star Wolf leader, no matter how willing his buffoon teammates were to accept it for the generous offer of cash. Why did he want Star Fox gone so badly? And why did he practically beg them to stay the night on Sauria to “conserve their energy”? Wolf had never known an employer to give any sort of damn about his mercenaries' condition. Regardless, he didn't necessarily want to leave right at that moment anyway... But something about the way he acted was more than fishy. The guy himself made Wolf suspicious about the whole ordeal. Why did he conceal himself and never give his name? More importantly, why did he recognize the guy's voice? Questions ran through Wolf's mind like wildfire, but he did his best to let himself take a rest- he really did need it. Besides, he was Wolf O'Donnell. No matter what kind of tricks this guy had up his sleeve, if he even had any, he could beat it. Maybe this could work out to his advantage after all... Another shot at the legendary Fox McCloud...

 

“Something's on radar,” Wolf heard a raspy voice call over his communications speaker. He opened his good eye to see the image of Leon onscreen. He then glanced over at his own radar, spotting the small red beacon in the top right corner. He watched it move for a moment, then returned his attention to the lizard speaking to him.

 

“It's not heading in our direction. Don't worry about it,” he said without a hint of concern in his voice. The spot on his radar screen was indeed flying straight past them, unless it planned pulling a tight U-turn anytime soon to attempt a sneak attack from behind. But Wolf knew such a ploy would be suicide, and decided not to pay it any heed. He much preferred sleeping.

 

“But it's traveling at a speed of four-hundred eighty meters per second,” he said as-a-matter-of-factly. “That sort of velocity with such a small craft is very rare. It's possible that it's-”

 

“An Arwing?” Wolf finished with more than a pinch of irritation overcoming his tone. “Doubtful.”

 

“Hmm...” Panther thought aloud, his golden eyes fixed on the black sea of space before him. He was at Wolf's right wing, which enabled him to see the small shooting star that was inching ever nearer much clearer than Leon could. He examined it carefully, comparing it to his few former encounters with the Star Fox team. With a sly grin, he purred, “It's an Arwing, alright.”

 

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Krystal was still so incredibly mixed up from the past few days of utter turmoil; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the wrong thing in leaving. Fox said it himself, “I don't want you to be a part of my life.” Those words rang inside her head to the point of nearly cracking her skull. She couldn't get rid of them, not with every happy memory they had together. Her feelings of confusion and frustration began to swirl into a raging whirlwind of emotions in her mind, and she could feel her own blood begin to boil within her veins as her thoughts became more rabid. She clamped her eyes shut as she tried to force the migraine to vanish, but nothing seemed to work. On and on her own memories plagued her, becoming a vital disease that was eating away at her defenseless heart. She couldn't take much more... She couldn't take any more. Fox... Why? Why...? WHY!

 

All of a sudden she felt a flash of heat against her forearm, which immediately retracted from the lever it was handling in reaction. Krystal's cerulean eyes once again opened as she surveyed first the random singe on her arm and then the source from which it came. One of the buttons on the control panel to her left was blown, leaving a small, uncovered spot of machinery in its place. That spot looked as if it had been punctured by a knife, but Krystal knew everything was in perfect working condition before she left the Great Fox. Did I do that...? she wondered. She instantly disregarded the thought, telling herself, “No, of course not. A fuse must have blown.” She finished with a nervous giggle, pushing her navy bangs away from her line of vision and saying, “Maybe Slippy missed a spot during repairs.” Slippy... Memories once again began to flood her mind like an empty bucket waiting to be filled, and once again, she tried her absolute hardest to fight it. Luckily for her, something interrupted the quiet that seemed to so easily overcome her.

 

“Ah, if it isn't the lovely Krystal,” a familiar, overly-masculine voice said as Panther Caroso's countenance came onscreen.

 

Ugh... Krystal thought to herself as her rolling eyes displayed her emotions perfectly, Just what I needed. “Panther, I'm not in the mood for this.”

 

“Then perhaps you're in the mood to fight?” Panther's charismatic face was replaced with the war-torn mug of Wolf O'Donnell, a frightening sneer wrapped along the edge of his gray-furred cheek.

 

“No,” she shot back, “I don't have time for this. I'm not with Star Fox anymore, so please... just leave me alone.” Her tone was that of a lost puppy trying desperately to get out of the pouring rain. Her large, feminine eyes told the story as well, catching Caroso's attention- and ladies' man's heart- within seconds.

 

“We'll see if you're still `out of the mood' after a few cannon shots... heh heh...” Leon warned as he pulled his Wolfen in Krystal's direction with a good enough speed to intercept her as she passed. Much to his dismay, however, something pulled into his way- the rose-bearing Wolfen. “What're you doing?” he mocked, “Get out of the way!”

 

“There's no use in picking a fight with the brokenhearted,” Panther eulogized. “Leave her be.”

 

“Panther...! Get out of my way or I'll shoot you down first!” Panther merely growled in response, inching his Wolfen nearer to Leon's.

 

“Stop it! Both of you!” their commander barked. “You're both idiots... Panther, you go after Krystal. Do as you wish with her, but I want her brought back to me right away so we can get that reward. Don't screw it up or your pampered hide is mine.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” was Panther's genuine reply as he bowed his head slightly in respect. Leon's response wasn't so reverent.

 

“What? You're just going to let him go after a woman? You know he-”

 

“He'll get the job done or he'll never set foot within the same galaxy as me again,” Wolf snarled, finishing the conversation once and for all. Leon glared at Panther through his cockpit window, then gave a slightly lessoned defiant stare to his leader before steering his Wolfen back into position behind his left wing. Panther then made a sharp right turn to pull away from the group, bringing his ship towards the tail of Krystal's speeding Arwing. He was quite a bit behind, but could still tell where she was by the trail of after-energy her craft left behind. She was off of his radar, so it was safe to assume he wasn't on hers either- a perfect way to stalk a fleeing fox.

 

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