an underdog story, first contact chapter 61

(in orbit over katina, three hours after the events on pri'aal)- "so, we're finally here. i'm one step closer to killing you once and for all caerwyn, and the only thing you could possible do now is run like the coward you are." i grumbled to myself, staring out at the dustball called katina with my arms crossed, and a scowl plastered across my features. i'd been prepping the DevilDogs as well as i could for days like this, but trouble had to come calling before we could finish upgrading the shield and armor specs on the destroyers. right now, all it would take is a good plasma cannon burst, and we'd be space debris. but i tried not to visualize that. after all, we were so close, and with five destroyer class vessels orbiting katina, i doubt caerwyn would be dumb enough to try anything foolish. but politicians are known to be underhanded and serpentine. i wouldn't put it past caerwyn to have one last ace up his sleeve. "and lord knows the last thing we need is him pulling a victory out of his ass." someone noted dryly from behind me, making me turn on my heel to face them. i wasn't surprised to find it was krystal, whom agreed to be my first mate on this excursion, and to see she was wearing the same expression i was. "reading minds are we? anyway, what do you think we should do, first mate cerin? we obviously can't go in guns blazing." i quipped sarcastically, making krystal roll her eyes in exasperation. "i think we should try and reason with the people of c'thaal. caerwyn's a politician like his father, and i guarantee he's using his silver tongue to brainwash the masses into fighting for his cause. that, and there are cerinian survivors with him on katina, and i don't want them to get caught up in the crossfire between us and caerwyn's army, should things go awry. but, that doesn't mean i wouldn't kill my own if i truly had to. i just pray it doesn't come to that." krystal replied, and nodding at her words, i crossed the distance between us, and embraced her when she wrapped her arms around herself anxiously. "don't worry krys, they'll be fine. we just need to focus on finding caerwyn. the sooner we do that, the sooner we free the cerinian people from his tripe. and the sooner the lylat's rid of one less dictator." i replied, breaking the embrace when krystal had calmed down some, and turning back around to face katina. "leftenant(british/scottish slang for lieutenant), status update. are the shields and weapons online?" i asked warily, and upon the lieutenant's swift nod, i released a breath i hadn't known i'd been holding. "good. keep me informed if anything happens. what about our stalker, did it weather the flight well?" i asked again, earning another reassuring nod from the lieutenant. "even better. i know we don't have fighters yet, but i hope that that changes soon. because we're rather unprepared for an assault, if i've done my math right. only five carriers and five tactical response vehicles is quite slim, the devil's claw and albarti's shuttle excluded. let's just hope it's enou-" "well, well, well. look who FINALLY fell into my trap. hello muttley, krystal. can't say it's nice to see you both again. especially after you killed my new bestie so ruthlessly." caerwyn's grating, whiny voice interrupted me, making me scowl deeper than i had before, especially when his ugly mug appeared on our viewscreen not five seconds after he stopped talking. "y'know, i was almost afraid you cowards wouldn't show. what with kyle's affinity to skip out before the fight begins," caerwyn began, "krystal's ability to just sidle up and fuck anyone who appeals to her, and her mother's ability to-" "y'know what, i'ma stop you right there you arrogant, spoiled, piece of dog shit. because here's how it's going to play out. we're going to come down there. we're going to march on c'thaal. and then, oooh and then, we'll kick your front door in, beat you to a bloody pulp, and string you from the fucking gallows until you stop breathing. why? because not only have you made the DevilDog army WANTED by the cornerian and venomian militaries, but you've brainwashed the cerinian people into fighting for you, tried to kill me, and the final nail in the coffin, you insulted my pack. and i'd like to say this isn't personal, but it kind of is at this point. so with that said, have fun wetting yourself in fear, you cowardly politician's urchin." i snapped, promptly cutting the connection when i finished my sentence. "let god be my witness, i will enjoy ripping that bastard a new asshole. what is it about him that makes him so damn irritating?" i replied exasperatedly, sliding down into my commander's chair with a sigh. i felt hands grasp my shoulders from behind, and looking up, i smiled when i found krystal rubbing at my shoulders, leaning her head against mine. "now who's the worrier? calm down kyle, we'll get him, just like you said. just try not to kill him right away, i want to hear fully what that asshole was going to say against my mother." krystal replied, and chuckling to myself, i held up a hand and patted her on the head, before shrugging her arms off of my shoulders. "don't worry krys, i'll keep him alive enough for you to have your share of the tormenting. and if by chance i don't, i'm sure krom will be more than willing to resurrect the bastard so you CAN get your fill." i replied, smirking darkly until a blast rocked the ship, snapping me out of my daydream. i looked up from my seat at the bridge of the ship when another blast rocked the deck, and it was from there that my heart dropped into my intestines. a ship three times the size of our puny destroyer was floating in front of us, the large railguns on its sides smoking off into the black depths of space. "oh shit. i don't think our guns can handle that." i replied to myself, before sitting up straighter in my chair, and turning to the navigator. "but we're more than likely faster than that thing. so lieutenant, evasive maneuvers. if we can't fight it directly, we'll play a bit of peek-a-boo in the asteroid field orbiting katina's moon." i ordered, and with a stiff nod, the poor kid, a husky male who looked scared shitless, relayed the information down to the engineers, and gripped his flight sticks hard. "that won't be necessary, boys and girls." another voice replied over the fleet bandwidth, and quirking my eyebrow at its oddly familiar sound, i had very little time to register its owner when a squadron of fighters flanked us coming out of slip-space, their black, white and red paint solidifying my guess. "sigh, well then old man, you sure you'll be able to take that behemoth? i highly doubt your fighters have the weaponry to take down a battleship of that size." i replied, scoffing to myself when a cocky chuckle was my only reply. "maybe not by ourselves, but me, my pop and the rest of star wolf didn't come alone." wolf replied, and once again quirking my brow, it clicked in my head, and i cackled aloud. "awesome. alright men, change of plans. we help star wolf and their CDF escorts take down that capital ship. we may not have that good of weapons, but strength in numbers should turn that piece of overcompensation to scrap." i replied with a smirk, earning myself nods, and even some cheers all around from my deckhands. "now gents, let's crush this bug!" i roared, standing from my seat with a fist raised. i gained further cheers of assent from my deckhands, and smirking, i turned to lieutenant wilkshire, our weapons commander. "lieutenant wilkshire, fire up the rail cannons and forward guns, and keep them firing until i say otherwise. i want that bird's shields pelted non-stop while our fighters look for a chink in the ship's armor. lieutenant gonzales," i began, before turning to one of the other lieutenants in the room, in charge of monitoring shield strength and hull integrity. "i want the shields as strong as you can make them without pulling power from the main guns. if that capital ship hits us with another direct railgun blast, we are D-O-N-E fucked. lieutenant simmons," i continued, once again turning, and letting my gaze fall on the man i'd talked to before, in charge of our maneuverability and engine heat sinks. "make sure they DON'T hit us to begin with. alright people, you all know your jobs! i'm heading to the hangar bay, to help out fighter escorts. give 'em hell for me while i'm gone." i replied, giving a wide sweep at my deckhands, who all nodded in understanding. they KNEW i had potential, and that warmed my heart. turning on my heel to walk out the door to the bridge, i gave one last glance toward my crew, before letting my gaze fall on krystal. "i still need a wingman goose. and i'd be honored to have you shadow me." i replied with a twinge of another smirk, that grew when krystal gave one of her own. "let's crush a rebellion love." she replied, joining me in my walk to the hangar.

(DevilDog destroyer hangar bay, three minutes later)- "ready to go over there krys?" i asked my wingman, who was currently giving me a thumbs up from the cockpit of a mass-produced version of the devil's claw, her smirk somewhat unseen from the tinted black cockpit glass. "ready when you are. let's go kick caerwyn's ass, and show him what DevilDogs are made of." krystal replied through her headset, and i had to pause to wipe a tear from my eye. i was so proud of her. in the past few weeks, she went from a moderately badass telepathic soldier, to a tough-as-nails D-Dog who could turn the most hardened mercs into quivering piles of concentrated fear just by glaring in their direction. she was my lifemate, my empress, and she's the only woman who could more than likely kick my ass if i broke her heart. and that thought alone made me so proud of her. "oo-rah, babe. oo-fuckin'-rah." i replied with a smirk of my own, signalling for the hangar jockey to release the clamps holding our fighters aloft. once he did, krystal and i floored the throttle, and rocketed off into the fight, that we hoped we'd emerge victorious from.

(in orbit over katina, with kyle and wolf's fighter squadron)- *cue spiderbait's black betty at 0:01* "rufus, i need some music to pwn these noobs to. any suggestions?" i asked my ship-board AI, whose holographic form popped up at the center of my fighter's dashboard, appearing to be scrolling through the song list i uploaded to the DC's database not too long ago. "yes sir, i believe this one will suffice." rufus replied, and as soon as he finished speaking, spiderbait's 'black betty' was playing over a private radio bandwidth. "fuck yeah. now let's get 'em." i replied with an evil smirk, rolling down from my spot above the destroyer into a cluster of enemy fighters, hoping to get myself a tail. as soon as i got the notification that i had indeed picked up a tailgater, i smirked, and waited until his cursor was right over mine to engage my ace in the hole. when he was right over my little IFF tag, i cut power to my engines, and turning my craft up, flipped over his fighter, smirking when he looked up, confused and slightly scared shitless. rolling to a stop behind fuckboy's fighter, i maxed the throttle again, and started to open fire, watching as the tracer rounds poured from the front end of my fighter, and bombarded the poor bastard's shields with red hot lead. his shields were down before i could even count to five, and charging up the ion laser c had installed on the DC prior to takeoff, i shook my head, and bid my farewells to the guy. "sayonara buddy, i hardly knew ye." i replied, and releasing the ion laser trigger, i watched in mild amusement as the ball of light rocketed toward the craft, and upon contact, vaporized it instantly. "overpowered? yes. do i hate it? fuck no!" i cackled to myself, turning my attention to another fighter in the bunch, and quirking a brow in amusement when i found it was none other than mccloud himself. his arwing had been painted full blue, with the only variation being a white tribal pattern down the front of the craft. "well well well, look who came back for round two. look mccloud, i'll give you one last chance to give up and surrender. we'll take you back to pri'aal, you'll be put on trial, probably be found innocent, and be able to go home a free man. whaddya say?" i replied over a private channel, only to have a hail of laser fire sent my way. "alright then, you brought this on yourself." i replied, and dodging the next burst, i ducked and wove through the multiple throngs of asteroids surrounding katina's moon. but, to my surprise, mccloud had become a more competent pilot in the time since my leave, and kept up maneuver for maneuver. which was rather interesting. *so this is what it's like to be wolf, huh? i don't like.* i thought to myself, rolling to the right to avoid another barrage of laser fire. "what's wrong shepard, no more snappy comebacks? or are you pissing yourself because i'm about to kill you?" fox replied cockily over the radio, giving a derisive scoff when i spiraled over an asteroid, and gunned my thrusters. "oh i'm just getting started with the quips foxy. but remember, every second you waste trying to kill me, is another second you lose protecting your precious master. and given how long we've been at this, i doubt there's much left of your ship to defend." i replied with a smirk, almost cackling out loud when fox gasped over the radio, and turned the other way. "we'll finish this later, shepard. i guarantee you that." fox replied, before rocketing off back towards caerwyn's massive overcompensating warship, allowing me some major breathing room. christ in a hat that was something. in fact, having fox on my tail, trying to kill me, was almost......fun, dare i say. keyword being almost, since i came centimeters to having a damn heart attack, my heart was beating so fast. regardless of my current condition though, i opened the ship-to-ship bandwidth the destroyers and wolf's squadron were using, and sighed in relief. "heads up guys, mccloud's coming back your way. also, i wanted to say this before wolf, but......thanks. you really pulled our asses out of the fryer there. but what i want to know is, why?" i replied into my headset, snorting when i heard a chuckle on the other end. "well, my pop told me i should give you military types another shot. also, you're fighting for a cause i believe in, which is to keep the people of lylat free. so if i have to help you take down this cocksnot, so be it. and besides, it's about damn time i switched sides. oikonny might pay well, but he can go suck a fat one if he thinks giving me lip will make me and my men work faster." wolf replied, and nodding my head in understanding, i aimed my fighter towards the battle going on without me, and blasted off towards it again, ready to get back into the fray.

(back inside kyle's destroyer, five minutes later)- "it's working! they're falling back! we did it!" one of the crewman aboard cheered happily, clapping his hands together and smiling wide. but i knew that wasn't the last we were going to see of caerwyn. he has mccloud wrapped around his finger with whatever spell he has him under, and not only that, but he has legions of followers willing to kill our troops as soon as they saw our ear tips. we weren't out of the woods yet. "hang on.....captain! message from CDF carrier great fox!" the very same crewman, whom i'd realised was lieutenant gonzales, replied worriedly, looking back and forth from his console to me. "put them through. i want to hear what excuse they've got for making us wanted men." i replied without emotion, but on the inside, i sighed internally. i couldn't be mad at peppy and the others. they didn't do anything wrong. none of them did. fox made a bad decision, regretted it, and then became a brainwashed puppet through caerwyn's magic. but as lieutenant gonzales opened the comm channel between us and the great fox, i still felt anxious of what was to come. "well, good to see you all finally responded! and to see you've proven to be quite the fighters. we all wanted to send a thank you your way for helping us deal with this menace, and let you know that the CDF are more than happy to pay you for your trouble afterward. it's a damn shame what caerwyn did to fox, but after the things i've seen you do kyle, i'm more than certain we can bring him back." peppy replied happily, and looking down at my feet for a moment before looking back up, i smirked. "while payment would be nice, the DDA are doing this to get rid of a pest. as far as we're concerned, payment shouldn't be incentive to do that. so consider this one a freebie. as for your praise, we trained alot since our absence, krystal and i. let's leave it at that." i replied, crossing my arms over my chest as i stared at peppy through the viewscreen of the comms channel window. "well, that appears to be true. you've certainly amassed quite the following as well. let's hope that they're willing to put down more powerful enemies than a cerinian mage with one hell of an ego. as for refusing payment, that's might kind of you, kyle. you're proving to be quite the hero. someday soon, the lylat might even be free of a dictatorship like the oikonny clan courtesy of you." peppy replied, and chuckling mirthlessly, i remained stoic, not letting any emotion slip from my facial features. "i'll certainly keep that in mind, but we've got bigger problems right now. can you and the rest of star fox keep the skies clear while the D-Dogs get their boots dusty? i'd appreciate the support, especially since we're charging headfirst into the lion's den." i replied, watching peppy's face shift for a moment, pausing to contemplate what i asked of him, before he nodded confidently. "we can get katt, falco and miyu in their fighters in five minutes. that should be time enough for you to get your troops planetside, but after that, we'll have wolf's team provide you planetside support, since they're already prepped and ready to go. they'll also be more willing, since the last time we saw you was.......well, you know." peppy replied, and nodding stiffly in reply, i turned to lieutenant gonzales, to cut the connection. "i'll see you soon peppy. hopefully with a mccloud that isn't completely bat-shit crazy." i replied, and with that said, gonzales cut the connection, leaving us to ourselves. "orders, sir?" lieutenant wilkshire asked, and nodding to him, i turned on my heel, to make for the hangar once again. "get a platoon of supersoldier D-Dogs on the ground with a stalker escort. i'll guide them in from the air before i enter the city. then, we're taking c'thaal back. one way or another." i replied, my tone promising victory, by any means necessary. i was NOT about to fail now, not while we were so close. we've come too far, we've received help from the CDF, and i could not, nay, WOULD NOT let them down. not now.

*cue iced earth's god of thunder at 0:06*

(outside the city of c'thaal, one hour later)- "alright men, we're on hell's doorstep now! let's not let the cause down, not while we're so close to victory. now let's get this straight right now, we are not to fire on any cerinian denizens unless fired upon. when that happens, we move quickly, and keep casualties to a minimum. this is a high risk op, and our target is a man that the cerinian people would follow to hell, his silver tongue is so well versed in lies. now then, with that said, let's go in there, and show them what being a D-Dog is all about!" i explained, before promptly raising my fist to the sky, prompting others in the platoon to do the same. with that said, we marched on to the city gate, stopping when a cerinian soldier looked up, and pointed his rifle at us. "if you value your life, i suggest you tell your troops to stand down, and lower your weapons!" he barked, and upon seeing the crazed look in his eyes, i sighed, and stared him down. "son, we have around thirty head in this platoon, not counting generals krystal and krymson cerin, smith, and myself. what REALLY makes you think one man is going to stop thirty four people, all of whom are genetically augmented to the point where we could snap your spine like a twig? my advice to you, is to stand down, and let us do our job. we're here on behalf of the CDF for caerwyn davenport, and we're not leaving this dustball until we have him either in chains, or strung from the gallows by his own innards. whatever fate befalls him falls on you and your buddies son, so i'd make the right decision." i replied in annoyance, smirking when the poor bastard put his gun down, and stepped to the side. "whatever you do, just make it quick. i'll radio in to the other guards that you're allowed inside, but if you're going to kill him.......watch out for his bodyguard and right hand man. both of them are very dangerous, and caerwyn's more than likely going to throw them at you while he makes his escape. also, try not to hurt the residents here. they're hard working people just like you and me, and they don't deserve what's been forced upon them any more than the cornerians do. that's all i ask." the guard replied, and nodding to him in understanding, i motioned for the platoon to continue on, while we marched into the city. it was hard to get used to at first; the guards gave us funny looks, and the residents backed away from us into the safety of their homes, but we were a platoon of power-armored, genetically augmented ass-kickers that were going to tear their leader a new one. they had a right to be scared. and as we marched on the town hall, where caerwyn was no doubt posted up, i gave a pause, and looked back at the crowd of people who now flooded the streets behind us. "people of c'thaal, there is no cause for alarm. we're here on behalf of the CDF, to turn in one caerwyn davenport on several accounts of indiscriminate murder, and unwarranted attacks on CDF personnel. all we ask is that you all remain calm, and let us handle this matter. it will only take a moment." i told the growing crowd, but they didn't seem pleased to hear that. "and why should we listen to a bunch of suped-up mercs? caerwyn's done none of those things; hell, he's a saint personified!" a man replied from within the crowd, and putting a palm to my faceplate, i exhaled through my nose loudly. "are you people blind? or did you not see the great fox, a CDF licensed vessel, get attacked by the same ship your supposedly 'saintly' leader boarded? caerwyn davenport is nothing but a liar, a menace, and a cold-hearted snake! and it's time for him to be slain." i replied, turning away from the crowd and kicking the doors to town hall in. "boys, keep the crowd under control. krystal, krymson, krom and i got this." i replied coldly, stepping across the threshold and drawing my rifle from it's holster on my back, cocking it threateningly.

(inside city hall, just outside the main chamber)- "alright you guys, ready to take down a tyrant?" i asked in a hushed tone, looking at my squad for a moment, before turning back to the door. they all gave grunts of assent, and with a grunt of my own, i kicked the main chambers' doors open, revealing that caerwyn had turned them into an improvised throne room, cleared out to give an empty and intimidating atmosphere. the fucker himself was sitting in his throne, smirking at us while holding a pistol in his hand. "i've gotta hand it to you kyle, your little entourage here, they've got balls. you though, not so much balls, as foolhardy bravery matched with overwhelming stupidity. anyway! i'm not sure if you know this, but i've been busy since the last time we've spoken. so busy in fact, i nary had the time to set up this little meeting. foxy, bring in our guests of honor, if you would be so kind." caerwyn replied, and looking at the set of doors on caerwyn's left, fox burst through them without a second thought, hauling two individuals, a man and a woman, with him. i couldn't tell who they were, given their faces were covered by a black burlap sack, but i could tell from their attire they were of royal blood, and were piss scared of the situation they found themselves in. fox then shoved them to their knees without any remorse, pulling a pistol of his own from the holster at his hip, and firmly gripping the woman's burlap sack. "krystal, you remember your darling mother, don't you?" caerwyn asked, and without further adieu, fox pulled the bag off of the woman's head, revealing that she was indeed krystal's mother. they almost looked like twins, with the exception being krystal's mum was about twenty years her senior. "and your father?" caerwyn added, and motioning for fox to remove the man's bag, fox obliged, and grinned like the cheshire cat when both of their faces were exposed, and krystal gaped in horror. "aww, such a touching reunion. shame i have to kill them. they're your only family left after all, besides your black sheep of a sister, and your older sis whom of which is probably either dead, or sucking cock in some orgy right about now. but hey, you killed my dream of being able to be your lifemate, so why not kill your dream of reuniting with your parents again? fox, if you would please, shoot krystal's mother first." caerwyn replied, and with fox lining up the pistol barrel to krystal's mother's head, i felt something in me twitch. not like when i got angry. no, this felt.....different. like something i needed to indulge in, or krystal's parents would be dead. *release me, son of ikkresht. fulfill your destiny as the equinox.* a voice replied in the back of my mind, and obeying it as best i could, i could feel the room temperature drop a few degrees. my own body temperature dropped as well, and while i was puzzled as to why that was, whatever was going on, was certainly different; and fox took notice of it immediately. "did it just get colder in here, or is that just me?" fox asked, and the longer he spoke, the more visible his breath became. pretty soon, it was like a tundra had camped out in the town hall, and turning to caerwyn, i growled low. "well, well, well. you dun shit the bed my cerinian friend. because i've got a new element to play with now, and it's about time i used it." i replied darkly, smirking when caerwyn gulped hard, looking several shades paler than he was. "vanakh, now would be a good time to intervene!" caerwyn shouted pointedly, looking behind him, where a dark form was slowly swirling into life. within seconds, the form turned into a precursor man, much like myself, who wrinkled his nose in disgust at me the second he saw me. "well, never thought i'd see your face in this system again, son of pyrohkt. i thought i'd killed you when i sabotaged your pod's course, and meant to send you into an asteroid field. it appears even as an infant, you were quite persistent in avoiding death." vanakh replied in contempt, drawing a short sword from his hip and jumping over the throne, to land in front of caerwyn, and take up my field of vision. "aah, my beloved uncle. can't say it's nice to see you, especially after you sold out our homeworld to a power-mad tyrant who almost killed our entire race. and not only that, but after you've thrown your hat in with the lylat system's second most wanted. seems to be a running theme with you, making bad decisions and whatnot. ah well, no matter. i'll kill you, and then that weaselly fucker behind you is next on my agenda. but first," i began, turning to fox, and using my new abilities to freeze him solid, to make sure he or caerwyn didn't try to execute krystal's parents. turning back to vanakh, i cracked my knuckles, and rolled my neck back and forth. "let's do this old man, i'm anxious to kick the arse of the man who sold out his own kind to andross for a stupid grudge." i growled, and without another word, i leapt at my 'uncle', rearing a hand back to knock vanakh's teeth out.

*cue nickelback's never again at 0:01 (keep in mind, this fight is supposed to last until the end of the song)*

but i never even got to connect. because even faster than i could track with my eyes, vanakh grabbed my by the throat, and threw me, literally THREW me, back over to where i had launched from, making my back slam against the hard wood painfully. "oww." i grunted, picking myself back up and launching at my uncle again. but once more, vanakh beat me to the punch, and slugged me in the stomach, before turning me around and booting me in the ass, sending me stumbling to the ground. "this is what my brother thinks will kill me? how pathetic. the son of two godly being, and you can't even match the power of your uncle." vanakh replied, raising his sword at me to take a finishing swing. i stared up at him from my now prone position, waiting for him to do something, but a voice from my left called out before he could, drawing his attention. "hey vanakh!" it replied, and with a bright flash, a blue sphere of frost energy slammed into my uncle's side, throwing him aside violently. "stay the fuck away from my sister's boyfriend." the voice replied, and looking up at my savior, i came face to face with a woman who looked almost the spitting image of krystal, but with longer hair and darker blue fur. i had no idea who the hell she was, but if she was krystal's sister, i was going to help her kick my uncle's ass, if it killed me. rising to my feet with a snarl, i turned to my uncle, whom was holding his side as he rose, picking the ice shards out of it. "you think a little ball of ice is going to stop me, girly? i'm the fucking GOD OF DEATH. you couldn't kill me if you tri-" vanakh began to say, before i blinked in front of him and slugged him in the nose, staggering him back a bit, making him hiss and spit like an angry cat. "you fucker! i'll gut you for that!" he replied, and growling deeper, i slugged him in the face again, this time putting more power into my punch, forcing my uncle off his feet and onto his ass. "what's the matter uncle, can't handle two on one? or are you just as weak as your pathetic son, before i ripped his head from his shoulders?" i asked darkly, taking step after step in my uncles direction until i reached him, and hoisted him to his feet by his shirt collar. "you killed alabaster? that was YOU?!! I'LL KILL YOU!" vanakh roared, kicking me away from him with an angry snarl, making mine look pathetic by comparison. *shit on my dick, i'm alot stronger than i used to be, but he's still alot stronger. wait a minute, that's it!* i thought to myself, snapping my fingers and harnessing the available energy i had into stacks. once i had enough, i focused on a more powerful form of my rah-adón, and was rewarded with a bright blue aura enveloping me, in place of the normal orange-gold. i could tell my fur color had changed once again too, and punching my fists together, i could see from the reflection in my armor that it was a dark, almost navy blue. "let's see how powerful the god of death is after i beat him a new asshole." i growled, approaching my uncle once again. he swung with his sword when i was in range, but grabbing his sword wrist before the blade could reach its mark, i twisted painfully, making vanakh drop the blade with a roar of pain. "not so tough now, are you, you traitorous piece of dog shite?" i asked rhetorically, kicking vanakh in the knee, and almost wincing as the sound of snapping bones was heard from within. vanakh promptly dropped to one knee afterwards, and still holding his wrist, i drew my sword with my right hand, making sure the blade was level with his head. "any last words before i kill the god of death, and put your head on my trophy wall?" i asked coldly, smirking when vanakh looked up at me in fear. "please, don't kill me! i'll do anything, leave pri'aal, give my land to your parents, just don't kill me!" vanakh pleaded, making me chuckle venomously. "aww, isn't that PRECIOUS! the ever-so-fearsome precursor god of death, is begging for his life after getting his ass handed to him by a seventeen year old! what's the matter vanakh, are you actually scared of dying by my hand? well, you have a right to be. because unlike you," i began, inverting my blade swiftly, and swiftly diving it into the stomach of someone approaching behind me, "i'm ever aware of my surroundings. isn't that right, caerwyn?" i asked, craning my head to stare at the poor doucher impaled on the end of my sword. he gurgled for a bit, spitting up blood onto the blade of my sword. but i paid him no mind, and withdrew my sword, holding it normally again, and keeping it against vanakh's neck. "goodbye uncle. you traitorous, manipulative little cockroach." i replied, and with that said, i reared my sword arm up, and brought it down, lopping off vanakh's head without hesitation. "riposare en pace, su cazo." i growled, droppng vanakh's limp body, and turning on my heel, i came face to face with caerwyn's prone form, who was grasping onto life while keeping his guts from spilling onto the floor. i crouched down to meet him eye to eye, and smirked evilly, knowing his end was near. "so caerwyn, any last words before i kill you?" i asked heartlessly, ready to full-on execute this asshole for all that he's done to the lylat. "krystal's mother......*cough cough* is a fucking........whore." caerwyn replied, and watching his now lifeless head hit the floor, i sighed, closing the poor bugger's eyes. "riposare en pace. krom, get ready to resurrect this bastard as soon as the spell this asshole cast on fox is gone. i said i was going to hang this asshole, but i want the CDF to do the honors. after all, they were fooled into thinking we're criminals. i think after that mix-up, the lylatian people would want just retribution for what they've been through. and what better way than to watch this asshole hang for his crimes?" i replied, and with a nod, krom moved over to caerwyn's body, while i strode over to fox's still frozen form, and punched a hole into the ice, grabbing hold of him and pulling him out. he came to immediately, and sputtering wildly, he shook his head, like he'd just come out of a trance. "where the hell am i?" he asked, and crouching down to his eye level, i smirked. "congrats mccloud, i just saved your ass from being a puppet to a sleazy politician the rest of your life. you can thank me later." i replied, once again standing to full height, and hoisting mccloud to his feet. "what do you mean, you saved me? the last thing i remember is feeling really bad about kicking you off the starfox roster, an eccentric blue vulpine showing up at the door to my quarters, and then........oh. oh. oh my god." mccloud replied, and promptly afterward, broke down crying, sitting down once again while he did so. "the things that bastard made me do! he made me kill people, kyle. innocent people. people with families to look after, and he just made me slaughter them like cattle!" fox replied, and heaving a hefty sigh, i cast one last look at caerwyn's body, before sitting down beside mccloud, and putting a hand on his shoulder. "fox, relax. you were under caerwyn's control. none of that was of your own free will. believe me, i would've been alot harder on you if it were. but i know you're not like that. you're the boy scout. the guy who always preaches clear-cut, black and white justice. the guy who's always on the right side of the law. if you're really that worried, i can vouch for you if you're put on trial for those things." i replied, but fox refused to listen, shaking his head back and forth. "there's no excuse for what i've done, the families of those i've killed will never forgive me for what i did, regardless of if i was under someone's control or not. the only thing i can do now is face the music and hope my punishment is dealt swiftly and severely. it's what i deserve." fox replied, and having enough, i thwacked him on the back of the head, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and making him look at me. "will you STOP having a fucking pity party over this? god you're making me wish i'd actually killed you now! what's done is done, there's no arguing that. but the families of the men and women you killed will forgive you in time. you just have to explain your case. now, can we stop acting like such a drama queen, and get the asshole that krom's currently resurrecting clapped in chains please? because if we turn him in to the CDF, you'll be hailed as a fucking hero. we could make something up about you being a deep cover operative, who had to kill innocent people to keep from blowing their cover, or something of that nature. the CDF will forget what you did, the public will love you again, and we'll fade into the background. it's quick, simple, and a hell of a lot better of a defense than 'i deserve whatever punishment you give me'. that just tells the public you were in your right state of mind at the time of the slaughterings, and that you're 100% guilty. when you were actually under someone else's control. sigh, we'll talk about this more when we get to corneria. right now, speak with krymson. she'll give you your new quarters until we get back to corneria, and hopefully help enlighten you about what's happened in the past couple of weeks since you've been under caerwyn's thumb. she won't be very happy with you interrupting her and krom's private time, but it's necessary that you are up to speed." i explained, and after making sure fox got all of that, i helped him to his feet, for what felt like the third time that day, and patted him on the shoulder. "don't worry, you're in good hands. i trust krymson with my life, and while she was the bodyguard of a notorious mob boss, i'd follow her into hell any day. you'll be safe with her." i replied, and finally pulling away from my former friend, i walked back over to krystal and krymson, watching with crossed arms as krom hoisted a resurrected caerwyn to his feet, punching him in the side of the head to knock him out. "well then, time to go home. well, to corneria anyway." i replied quietly, turning on my heel and walking out of the town hall without another word.

AN- *insert starfox 64 mission accomplished theme here* that's chapter 61 of first contact everybody! as always, read and review, favorite, comment and watch, and i'll see you guys next time with chapter 62, wherein kyle and company will witness the hanging of a tyrant. also, an old friend (if you can call kyle's older self an 'old friend') will leave some parting words before departing. what shall they be? find out next time, on first contact!