Star Fox: Eclipse

Chapter 12: Deception

Fox returned to the team's headquarters, surprised that he was the last to arrive after receiving Krystal's important message. The Great Fox orbited Corneria just beside the Beltino Orbital Gate when he landed, finding all five of the other ships resting in the hangar bay. Krystal sensed that the pilot was hiding on Corneria all along, he thought, not once doubting the vixen's telepathic senses. I wonder what he was able to tell them about our mysterious new enemy.

As the leader of the Star Fox team took the elevator to the control room, he reassessed what he had found out on Katina. The outposts stationed throughout the planet seemed to be stable, as if the only base under enemy control was the base where he and Krystal were ambushed earlier. None of the other Cornerian lieutenants had any news to report, but Fox was hesitant to believe their words after his recent distrust in the Cornerian military.

Fox's search was brought to an abrupt halt after receiving Krystal's message. He immediately left Katina and contacted the others on his way back to The Great Fox. Unfortunately none of their searches turned out to be productive, either. It's strange, Fox thought, that the Cornerian pilot was hiding on his home planet... as if he wanted us to find him. Why else would he hide somewhere so obvious?

When he stepped foot into the control room, he noticed that Krystal was absent from the group. Falco, Slippy, and Katt were listening to a frantic Lucy while she tried to explain the events that have happened on Corneria.

"There you are!" The rabbit addressed him as he approached. "Now that everyone is here, you need to take a look at this."

Before Fox could ask her to explain, the computer monitor at the head of the bridge came to life, displaying the Cornerian News Channel. A red vixen with dark-rimmed glasses held a microphone, describing the horrific scene of the city behind her. Across the bottom edge of the screen, a message to the viewers scrolled sideways, repeating: "Mysterious Bombings Destroy Lunastone Hotel!"

"As you see behind me," the reporter began, "the Lunastone Hotel along the outskirts of Corneria City was destroyed just hours ago in a series of unknown bombings. As of now, we have not located any survivors. Beyond the hotel, you can see the bodies of multiple Venomian soldiers, suggesting the involvement of Andrew Oikonny. More details to come upon further investigation."

With a glance toward Lucy, Fox asked, "What happened down there? I thought you said that Krystal would be resting after all she has been through?"

She opened her mouth to reply when another voice interrupted her. "The pilot we sought was murdered, shot through the chest by the fox who ambushed us on Katina," Krystal answered coldly. "We tracked him to where he was hiding, the Lunastone Hotel, but our enemy must have known he was there the whole time. Venomians bombed the building shortly after I encountered the pilot; we escaped the blast, but found ourselves swarmed by enemies. Lucy and I barely escaped with our lives."

Fox spun around to face her, lost for words at the despair and loss reflected in the vixen's eyes. Her face was slightly red as if she had been crying, and she still trembled from the shock of the attack she had witnessed. Her purple space suit and boots appeared to be put on in a hurry, as if she changed into them just moments ago. "Krystal..." Her name was all Fox could say in reply. It felt as though she suffered greatly from the death of the Cornerian that betrayed them.

"After the sniper shot our soldier, he fled into the city using a jetpack. I could only follow him in my sights for so long before I lost him in the crowds. I'm sorry," Lucy sighed. "I think we escaped in time just before any of the news reporters reached the scene, anyway."