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Legacy of the Precursors

Chapter 15: Catalyst

Krystal shifted her flight stick; paws wrapped forcefully around the metal shaft as her Cloud Runner spiraled out of the way, evading the glowing red sphere of a smart bomb. The vixen pulled back, suddenly cutting of acceleration and undercutting the venomian fighter that had been doggedly in pursuit.

Once it flew into her sights she pressed the button under her thumb, gunning down the aggressor in a hail of blue light.

Even though the enemy fighter was enveloped in a ball of flames, it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough.

'He's gone… he's really gone.'

They had all watched on the bridge, in horror, as the drop pod fragmented mid-entry, the figure of Six spinning as he was consumed in the flames of Fortuna's orbit. He had seemed confident that the machine would have worked, but it didn't.

The vixen clutched the control rod in her paws in a white knuckled grip, grimacing as her teeth grinded together in anger, hot tears of denial running down her muzzle.

'Stupid! Fucking stupid!'

To add salt to their wounds, the venomian fleet had attacked not soon after, denying them even the opportunity to grieve, though it was still so hard to believe.

He had seemed unstoppable, Six. Nothing in this place was his equal. Strong, confident, and experienced, she had thought that he was invincible. Yet…to be brought down by something as trivial as a mechanical error…

It was too much for her to bear.

She had been so close! It seemed that the spirits were mocking her. They certainly seemed to enjoy her torment. It had bothered her for so long, what had happened between them in her sanctuary. She had only come to terms with it the day before, putting together why he might want to refuse her.

And, once she had thought all hope was lost to truly get to know him, he had been the one to offer to talk.

'Now… now I'll never know. He's gone, there's nothing left to say, no one to say it to.'

Krystal shook her muzzle, drizzling her cockpit with minute teardrops, lamenting on opportunities lost.

'I... I love you Six.'

How she wished she had told him before he left. Now there was no closure, no peace of mind. She had disliked him on first meeting, weary and mistrustful of the stranger in their midst. How she had been so wrong about him. Certainly he had been…abrasive at first, but in time she had learned much about him, his motivations, hopes, dreams. Underneath that callous and unsympathetic exterior was a man who didn't want to hurt anymore, a man just trying to find where he fit in a place he did not understand.

She had admired him so much, his endurance, his strength, and not just physical, but the willpower to adapt and overcome the hardships he routinely experienced, to accept her and the others, despite the well-deserved prejudices he held against other races. She admired his courage, his selflessness, willing to do whatever it took for the sake of others, though he did not openly broadcast it. And in this admiration, she had grown to love him, to love not what he was, but who he was. Despite his broken past, he had strived to overcome, to change. He had shown her a part of himself that he had not shown any other, the scared soul he kept so closely guarded.

One much like her own. She was scared, to lose her friends, the family she had been given after the one she had lost. Her greatest fear was that the same fate that befell her home would reoccur, that she would once again lose those she had held dear. Then Six had come, someone capable of keeping them all safe, of protecting them. And she was no longer so afraid.

Yet, she had learned that he too was afraid, and his soul had called out to her, wanting to be saved just as she wished to save her friends.

Just as he would protect their bodies, she wanted to protect his mind.

She had envisioned a future for him, where he could learn to live without war. And she would have helped him see that, wanted to be the reason he could. He had been a fascinating man, one she had hoped to learn about over the course of a lifetime. He was the only one she had ever felt this way about, Fox was a close friend, but with Six she had felt some deeper connection, something far more profound than mere attachment. She had not needed to see his face to fall in love with him, all she had needed was to be near him, drink up his complex personality. She had long ago shrugged off any fear of him, or his anger. His enormous strength was not something that had frightened her, rather it had brought comfort. Such would only ever be directed at those who wished harm upon her or the others.

He had been gentle, her thigh quivering at the barest recollection of his touch.

Krystal's ship suddenly shook violently, throwing her out of her sorrowful thoughts. She could not help but growl.

Would they not just let her mourn?

Lips pulled into a snarl, she flipped the Cloud Runner on its axis and locked onto a venomian destroyer, squeezing the trigger under the pommel of her joystick. The tip of her fighter glowed blue, charging the battery for the smart bomb. Vibrating in her paws, she pulled her furred finger off and watched as the torpedo leapt forwards, scything through space until it smashed into the destroyer. The wounded ship had no shields, the missile carving deep into its hull before detonating, blasting a massive crater in its side.

Not enough…

It was their fault he had been in that pod, their fault he died. If not for this damned war then he might have had the chance to be more…to be with her. She had worked so hard to show him there was another life to live. And now he would never get the chance.

Krystal racked lasers across the side of the listing destroyer, erasing any possibility that it might recover. A series of explosions beset the dying vessel, culminating in one final detonation that split it at the seams, flaring bits of hull blasted into space.

She downed several fighters as the destroyer shattered underneath her ship, intending to reap more in her growing fierce tally.

Before he had come, she had been content with the life she lived. Now she could not see one without Six's impressive presence. For the vixen the future looked bleak.

Releasing her tight grip on the Cloud Runner's controls, she fell back into her seat with a bleak moan, eyes shut and uncaring if a venomian fighter vaporized her. At least then she might be able to see him again. All she wanted was to curl up into a ball and wish the world away.

But she could not.

The Cloud Runner's comms system sparked into life, bringing a somewhat welcomed voice.

“Hey Krystal…you doing alright?" The familiar husky tone of Miyu inquired, the feline's interceptor hovering close by.

She, Krystal, and Falco had been tasked with protecting The Great Fox from venomian fighters while Fox and the others helped the CDF fleet. It had been apparent why the vulpine had put them on guard duty. He did not trust for their feelings to not cloud their focus so he had basically dumped them into the rearguard.

“No." The vixen denied in a choked growl, wishing that she was back on the dreadnought so she could just be alone.

“I…I know that things seem a little…tough, right now…" Miyu was not all that good on pep talks, especially since she herself was a pawsbreadth away from breaking. But she had to be strong, for the both of them as she always had been. The feline liked to believe she was the older sister in their relationship, looking out for Krystal, the vixen still innocent in many regards.

But this time was inordinately harder than any before. To say that she was hurt by Six's death was putting it….. lightly. It was just that she had to be the levelheaded one here, even though she did not want to be. As it was, Krystal was a liability to herself and the others, and Miyu wondered why Fox had let her come. Maybe it was for the best, they all deserved to get back at Venom.

“Tough?" Krystal hissed through clenched teeth. “It is a damn sight more than tough!" The vixen spat caustically, her tone acidic enough to melt the hull of a landmaster.

Miyu let her poisonous remark wash over her, ignoring Krystal's ire, knowing that she was just hurt. They all were. Six had been a part of their team, their family. Though having only been a part of Starfox for a month, he had left an unforgettable impact, namely on Krystal and herself. The feline's body tingled, remembering the time they had spent at the cliff's edge.

To her he had been more than family.

Miyu could only wonder what Fox was thinking, he having given the direct order responsible for the spartan's fate. No doubt he was internally beating himself up. She knew that Fox had thought of Six highly, seen how they had interacted. Both had shared an unusual brotherly bond, Six reciprocating it in his own peculiar way.

She could see Fox's arwing out there, at the epicenter of the conflict, dancing through the labyrinth of war and giving death to anyone unfortunate to get close. It was clear to see that he deserved his well-founded reputation as the best pilot in Lylat. She had never seen him come back from a mission with as much as a scratch on his ship. His only competition for the title was wolf, and no one had seen hide or hair of that lupine or his team since the end of the war. She wondered if he would be showing his muzzle anytime soon.

Even as she considered that, she felt a sharp stab of pain in her heart.

Six was gone. And Fox was taking his anger out on the only ones he could. There was nothing to be done now They could grieve properly once the battle was over. In all likelihood, Admiral Demarcus would have the fleet pull back again since their original plan failed. Without Six down there to take out the planetary defense grid, there was little they could do. Most of the fleet was in reserve protecting the transports that were to ferry down the reinforcements. The force of infantry and heavy armor would most likely not see use this day.

“Come on, Krys, we still have a job to do." She murmured softly, shifting her interceptor to double back towards The Great Fox. Despite their grief, they could not give in.

With a hoarse sigh, Krystal brushed a paw across her muzzle, drying her tears and following after her friend.

She would finish this fight.

For Six.

*****

Six regained consciousness sluggishly, clearing his thoughts with a few stern shakes of his head as he scanned his environment, trying to recall what had occurred shortly after he deployed. Upon realizing where he was, the spartan let slip a slight weary sigh.

'Well…the pod worked….sort of.'

Pieces of the once cylinder-shaped entry device lay scattered about the newly minted spartan shaped crater marring the surface of Fortuna. Dragging himself out of the hole, Six's memory slowly returned to him, resulting in another heavier sigh.

The drop pod had entered the atmosphere without any problems, in fact it had been the smoothest reentry he had the pleasure to experience… at least until the pod fell apart. Even with the addition of further armor layers. The machine had not been able to handle the stress of reentry and had veritably fallen apart at the seams. While durable, cornerian metals were not as strong as the titanium alloy the UNSC utilized. If they wished the pods to work, they would have to find a balance between protection and viability.

Six hoped the team had not panicked. In all likelihood they had seen the pod disintegrate mid-flight. True, that would have killed anyone else, but this was not his first time falling through the sky. Admittedly, his previous exploit had been aided by an M-spec Reentry Pack. Without it… well, it was needless to say the ride had been a bit… bumpy.

As he lifted himself to his knees, the spartan groaned, clutching his side. Sliding an arm over his bruised and battered body to the source of his pain, his gauntlet closed around a shard of metal jutting into his armor. With an annoyed grunt, he ripped the debris free in a fleeting spray of crimson and tossed it to the dirt, watching as the hunk of steel impaled the ground with the force of his throw.

Staggering to his feet, Six chuckled darkly at an irony only he could hope to understand. Of all the things he had encountered, it seemed that the true dangers were not that of the enemy, but of his own ill-fated luck.

Shrugging of his disorientation, the spartan performed a quick weapons check, giving himself and his surroundings a swift once over. Six dropped a gauntlet to his thigh, discovering that his M7S was nowhere to be found. Switching to his other thigh he was relieved to learn that the sidearm Miyu had given him was still locked firmly in position.

Down a weapon, he concentrated his efforts on finding it and the sniper rifle he had anchored inside the pod. Six took a few minutes to rummage through the wreckage, ignoring his injuries in a rush to find his gear.

Finally, after almost losing hope, the spartan spied a long greyish tube sticking out of the dirt, the barrel of his sniper rifle. Approaching the half submerged firearm, he grabbed the muzzle and yanked upwards.

Upon finding his weapon, Six frowned.

Only half of the SRS-99 hung in his grip. Everything from the trigger down did not exist, all but sheared away from the violence of his arrival. Growling, he tossed the now rendered useless gun to the ground.

The now frustrated spartan pitched pieces of the pod, scattering them around the area as he intensified his search for the SMG, hoping to scrounge some sort of suitable weapon. However, his efforts were futile. The M7S was nowhere to be found.

Six sighed, never having had the chance to use either weapon and weighed down by ammunition he could no longer use. The spartan unholstered the blaster Miyu had gifted to him and gave it another glance, concerned that it might be his only weapon.

Seeing no place to insert a magazine and with the knowledge that she had not given him any, he theorized that the blaster did not need reloads, perhaps using some sort of portable recharge system, technology that not even the Covenant had employed.

“At least ammo is not an issue." He muttered darkly.

He supposed now would be a good time as any to see how effective cornerian weapon tech was. Thankfully his hours of research had given him an innate understanding on how to operate their munitions. And while he had yet to test them on the range he was confident that he could perform at the very least satisfactorily.

As he moved to lock the weapon back to his armor, Six detected voices approaching from a distance, moments before his tracker lit up with the signatures of six contacts, resulting in a more prolonged sigh from the spartan as he reached for his shoulder sheath and extracted his kukri with a noiseless whisper, the curved blade shimmering in the subdued light of his jungle surroundings.

'Why did every planet in this system have a jungle?' Honestly, he was getting tired of it.

Six activated the armor mod he had installed pre-op and faded into thin air as the group of unknowns arrived.

The spartan watched as they trotted nosily into sight with the telltale jangle of armored plates and weapons dangling from harnesses. From their color scheme and species, he identified them as venomian soldiers. If not wanting to adhere to his preference for stealth, Six would have gladly exited his concealed position and eliminated them.

However, there was little guarantee that he could silence them swiftly enough that that could not broadcast a distress or warning signal. So for now, he would wait until an opportunity availed itself to him.

“Why did the commander send us out here again?" This question came from the only reptilian of the group, his nasally voice managing to irritate the hidden spartan.

“You're an idiot… you know that, Serval?" The ape in front declared in annoyance, shifting the drop pod's debris around with a boot. The other five dispersed and moved to scrounge through the wreckage. “Cannot you not see the reason…?" Reaching down, the simian picked up a chunk of steel and chucked it at the reptile, turning away as he fumbled to catch it. “Something fell out of the sky yesterday and I'd bet a month's salary this junk has something to do with that, maybe some trick from the CDF. Spread out and see what you can find!" He barked firmly, his soldiers moving to comply as they carefully sifted through the remains of the drop pod.

Six had heard enough. It seems that he had been unconscious for several hours. That put him behind schedule. He would have to pick up the pace to capture his lost momentum. Since he had little to fear from their weapons with his shields, Six debated on the need for stealth. At the very least he should strive to reach the venomian installation undetected. The spartan had no desire to have air units scrambled to take him down, as unstoppable as he was, there was little Six could do to take down a fighter without the proper tools.

For now, he would silence this patrol and keep moving.

Waiting until they spread out from each other, Six selected his first target.

The lizard had placed himself as the farthest from the others, trying to laze off near the edge of the little crater Six's pod had made, amusing himself by staring up into the sky. It was clear that he had little to no experience, not that it would matter in a few moments.

Activating the Covenant stealth field generator, Six silently circled around the edge, closing in on the unfortunate reptile. In a flash of movement, his gauntlet lunged out and wrapped around the lizard's throat.

He squeezed.

Without a noise, the spartan popped the vertebra in his spine, killing him instantly and dragging the corpse out of sight.

With the party now numbering five, Six ghosted to his next target.

In moments an ape vanished into the jungle, Six making short work of him as he had the reptilian.

By now the disappearances were no longer unnoticed.

“Serval, Arald, where the hell are you?" The ape leading their small squad called out the names of the missing, his men looking around nervously.

With no immediate answer forthcoming, yet with their numbers suitably diminished, Six no longer felt the need to constrain himself.

“Seriously, if you slackers are fucking off again I'l-"

Whatever he was going to say was suddenly cut off as a curved blade erupted through his esophagus, splitting his vocal cords and silencing him mid-speech with a heralding wave of ruby red gore spouting from his ruined throat.

The sight of their leader mysteriously and violently killed, the four venomians were frozen with indecisive terror. This would prove to be their undoing as the lifeless form of their superior collapsed to the dirt, eyes forever wide with shock, revealing a shimmering distortion of air that one would only see in a heat baked desert.

As the vaporous figure moved, they finally regained their senses and opened fire. But the bolts of energy only managed to singe the bark of a tree as their intended target was nowhere to be found. Still trying to grasp what was happening, one of them cried out in pain as a thick crimson shard of light materialized of the blue and burned a path through his chest, scorching its way past his flimsy armor.

Another of their number killed off by the unseen force, the last two tried to run, figuring that cowardice was preferable to death. Yet the path ahead was instantly blocked as a figure phased into sight, a hulking monstrosity of cerulean plate. Skidding to a halt, they never received the chance to turn. Stepping forwards, the armored being flashed into movement, an ape dropping to the ground, his neck twisted at an odd angle.

The remaining simian had little time to grasp what was happening before he felt a tremendous force impact his breastplate, crumpling his armor and shattering everything from his collarbone down to his ribs as he was tossed into the air, little more than a leaf in the breeze.

*****

Six glanced down from the scene of carnage to his bloodied fist, mildly amused. He had spent so long regulating his strength around the team that it was relieving to no longer have to hold himself back.

Lowering his blood stained gauntlet, Six turned his attention to the other, clutching Miyu's blaster. The weapon had a decent amount of force behind it, with a surprising kick he had not expected to find in an energy weapon. Yet, the results of its use were most satisfactory. He had yet to speak with Fox in regards to his payment, having given little though to it previously. But he was starting to think up uses for having currency of his own, there were things he wished to acquire.

Temporarily disregarding such thoughts, Six accessed his HUD, having managed to mark the location of the installation before his pod had failed. The nav arrow placed it ten or so kilometers to the southeast, it should take a few hours for him to reach it, enough time so that the patrol would not be missed.

The spartan followed the arrow on his HUD, wondering how the team was fairing. From an earlier conversation, he knew that Fox suspected the venomians might reengage in orbit upon the arrival of The Great Fox. The ship was well known to belong to the Starfox team and as such Venom might feel the need to preemptively act. If this was true, and he had been unconscious for a few hours, they might very well be fighting at that moment.

But he was not overtly concerned. They could all handle themselves, even Slippy. And with the dreadnought and CDF fleet to back them, there was not much to be worried about. From what he knew of naval engagements, which was a great deal given his record, there would be lulls in combat, both sides retreating to regroup. This should buy him the time he needed to knock out the planetary defense grid so they could send reinforcements.

The only thing that troubled him was the possibility that they thought he was dead. The pod had managed to breach the lower atmosphere before it malfunctioned. And since his bones were not crushed into powder, he must have pumped the hydrostatic gel layer to cushion his landing before he went unconscious. No normal person could survive a fall from such a height, though it had not been his first, the recollection bringing bitter memories forth. He would have contacted them to update Fox on his current situation, but there was no telling if their comms were compromised. For the moment he was operating on his own.

But isn't that what he always preferred?

To be a lone wolf…?

Six had always favored working on his own, had long ago learned that the only one he could rely on was himself. But now…. he was not so sure that still held true. So far Fox had been a reliable leader, he and the team had surpassed his admittedly low expectations. He might have even gone so far as to call them trustworthy. No longer was he so fond of solitude, they had changed him. And he was not all that sure it was for the better.

The spartan shook his head.

What he would give to have Jorge hear with him. The man had been a well of experience and familiarity. Being a Spartan-II he was more knowledgeable in many fields and Six could have admittedly used some of that at the moment. Peppy was a poor replacement, not at any fault of his. The hare was making an admirable effort to be helpful, and Six was aware of that.

He had also been fairly handy with his LMG.

Six's travel dropped him off on a small dirt road, with signs of recent use. It was also worth note that is nav beacon followed the same direction so it was safe to assume that this road connected with the venomian base. From the looks of it, the path was fairly recent in its construction, only rebuffing his assumption.

Stepping onto the muddy lane, the spartan meditatively thumbed the coarse grip of his blaster.

This was not the first time he had set out from an impact crater with nothing but a sidearm.

He could only hope that this time it would have a better ending. With that thought, he moved forwards, his heavy greave sinking into the thick muck.

'Perhaps… in some ways, war doesn't change.'

*****

“Dammit!"

With a loud clang, Fox smashed his fist into the side of his arwing, the reverberations of the blow traveling up his now throbbing paw, the vulpine growled, fists tightening with impotent anger.

“Of all the stupid ways to die…. dammit Six!" He muttered quietly, resting his sweaty brow against the cool metal of his ship, eyes closed.

He should never have cleared the pod so soon, regardless of what Six felt. Because of his hasty actions, a member of his team was dead. This hit Fox hard, his first time suffering a loss under his command.

Is this what Six deserved, to die over some world completely alien to him, having fought in a war that did not involve him for a species he held no allegiance to? Fox had heard the tale told to General Pepper, raised from childhood to fight a war that had taken everything from him, his family and his future, and just as he was starting to change, to be killed by a random twisty of ill-fated circumstance?

It seemed as if fate had made a mockery of Six.

Holding back his anger, Fox took a deep breath and stepped away from his arwing, turning to his team as they stepped down to the gantry.

He was not the only one so affected.

Falco leaned against his ship, taking a swig from a bottle of water, beak expressionless. On the outside he might have seemed uncaring of the spartan's fate. Yet he had not uttered a single sarcasm fueled retort since the battle started. And there has not been a single mission where Fox had not heard him make at least one bad pun or joke.

Peppy had yet to leave the bridge, overseeing the battle and coordinating with the admiral, using his years of experience to their advantage. The hare's only response had been a sad shake of his head, whatever he thought was closely guarded behind his wizened age.

Slippy tinkered away at his fighter, focusing on that rather than the cold hard truth. Fay sat beside him, the two friends working together. Fox was not sure if she was all that affected. Six had not spent that much time around her and when he had she had been distinctly uneasy.

Miyu had not left the cockpit of her interceptor, the feline sulking in her seat and staring off in the distance. She would probably sit in there until Admiral Demarcus called on them once more. Fox knew that she had considered herself close to Six, perhaps closer than he himself had been. So if she was that pained by it, Krystal was worse off.

The vixen sat on the cool grating of the gantry, leaning against the guard rails, knees pulled tight to her chest, muzzle propped on top of them. Her tail slumped lifelessly at her side. Krystal's natural vitality had been sapped, the female fox riveted in an unresponsive state.

Fox had not heard a single word from her since Six's fate, her responses consisting of dazed nods and grunts. He worried about her more than the others. He wouldn't know what to do if Fara was gone, didn't even want to think about it. It was his concern that in her current situation she would get herself killed. Distractions were the bane of pilots, and she had a very good reason to be. He had found it hard to focus on the fight at hand, plagued by doubt.

Had it been his leadership that killed Six in the end? Perhaps if he had made better decisions along the road the spartan would still be with them.

Spartan….

Fox jolted out of his melancholy.

An idea came to him, a silly, irrational, and foolish one but an idea nonetheless. Fox had seen the spartan's armor, the incredible capabilities it featured. Maybe, just maybe, there was a sliver of a chance that he might still be alive. Until he saw Six's body with his own eyes he would not give his death any credence, he could not afford to.

Stepping off the pier connected to his arwing, the vulpine crossed over to the Slippy's.

“Oh hey Fox." The toad greeted weakly, barely suffering a glance in his direction.

“Hey Slip, can you help me out with something for a second?" He looked down to his friend who was webbed hands deep in the inner workings of his ship's engine.

“Uh…what do you need?" There was a slight change in his tone's pitch, Slippy curious of what Fox wanted and anything that might distract him.

“Would you be able to rig an encryption on a comms high-band?" Fox asked hopefully.

“Encryption…" The toad muttered quizzically, scratching the top of his head with a wrench. “I'm not all that good with computer stuff, you're better of asking Fay." He turned to the canine next to him that had been watching their discussion. “What about it? Can you?"

She frowned, setting down the toolbox. “Maybe…it would take some time and I would have to tap into The Great Fox's comms relay with ROB's help, and that would probably only last a few minutes before Venom managed to break the encryption." She tilted her muzzle curiously. “Why? What do you need one for?"

“Just an idea, can you get started on that and let me know when you're done." He didn't want to say anything in case it didn't work. No reason to get everyone's hopes up just yet.

She nodded in confusion and sat up. “Sure…I'll get started right now."

“Thanks Fay." He grinned softly, saying his goodbyes as he made his way down the gantry to where Krystal brooded. He was not relishing this next conversation but he could not just leaver her there. Sher was like a sister to him, and he could not stand to see her like that. He hated to admit it, but Miyu was made of tougher stuff so he did not have to worry about her all that much.

The vulpine stopped just in front of her, crouching down beside the vixen and resting a comforting paw on her shoulder.

“Hey Krystal, you…alright?" He asked, hesitant of the answer he knew was coming.

The vixen was slow to respond to his presence, tilting her muzzle up to him with bloodshot eyes. It became obvious to him that she had been crying silently for some time.

“Why does everyone ask that?" She whispered hoarsely, muzzle twisted into a ferocious grimace.

Fox winced. “It's because we're all worried about you. I know that you are hurt, we are. Six was our friend too."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.

“Friend?!" The vixen snarled derogatorily. “He wasn't just my friend, he was more than that!" She spat heatedly, lips pulled up to reveal her glistening white fangs, tail bristling at her side.

Fox watched in alarm as her claws unsheathed, digging into the fur on her shins, hard enough to nearly draw blood. “Krys!" He reached down and pulled her paws away from her legs, worried that she would hurt herself.

And he was subsequently cut by surprise when she pulled him into a fierce hug, burying her muzzle into his arm, which soon became damp with her tears. The vixen whispered something to him a few moments after, almost too quiet for Fox to hear.

“I never told him Fox…I never told him." She repeated between sniffles, the vulpine cringing as he felt her claws tug at his clothes.

Not knowing what else to do he rubbed her back soothingly, waiting for her sobbing to subside. “It'll be alright Krys, You'll see. I don't know how, but just you wait." At that point he was just trying to say anything to help her.

Eventually, after a few minutes her breathing settled and the vixen fell into a light and troubled sleep. Sighing sadly to himself, Fox pulled away, taking his jacket off and scrunching it up into a makeshift pillow, which he placed under her head as he gently set her down. He wished he could have moved her but at the moment it was better this way.

Fox stood up and groaned, pinching the bridge of his snout and leaning against Krystal's Cloud Runner. None of this would have happened if he had just told Six to wait till they finished testing the pod. Of course his first mistake as a leader had to be a catastrophic one.

Six better be alive.

His arm suddenly buzzing, the vulpine pulled his paw away from his muzzle and glanced down, seeing that the call was from fay. He pressed the green answer prompt.

“Yeah?"

“Hey, I set up that encrypted band like you wanted and patched it into your comms device. I still don't know why you wanted me to do it but whatever it is you have planned make it quick. I'd say you only have about ten minutes before I have to shut it down."

“Thanks Fay." That was some good news at least.

“Just hurry it up Fox, alright?"

“I will." He ended the connection, focusing his attention on his silver band wrapped around his forearm with profound dread. With this he would truly find out whether Six was gone or not. Fox's paws trembled as he reached down and slowly keyed in the spartan's comm signal.

Once his furred digit hit the last number, Fox dragged his arm up to his muzzle, lips straining to form the words that would make or break this.

“S-Six, t-this is Fox c-come in." Dead static answered him, the white noise damning in its scratchy insensible tone.

By this time he had grabbed the attention of the others, reacting to the spartan's name. Even Krystal had awoken, staring up at Fox in perplexed confusion.

“Six this is Fox. If you can hear me please respond, that's an order." He pressed more firmly, somehow believing that his demand would bring the dead back to life.

Once again there was no response, just that damnable white noise.

“Six respond….please." He pleaded, tone an octave away from cracking.

Dead silence.

Then...

“You better have a damn good reason for breaking radio silence, Fox." A gruff emotionless voice muttered irritably, only one person in the universe capable of using it.

“S-S-Six….is that really you?" Fox stuttered with wide eyes, truly surprised to hear a response. Despite his hope, he had not thought the spartan would answer.

“Last time I checked." The voice grunted.

“You…you're alive!" Fox shouted with a relived chuckle, lips pulled back into gleaming grin.

“Evidently so…" The spartan deadpanned.

“B-B-But we thought you were dead."

“I believe I told Miyu this already, but spartans never die, Fox."

One moment he was talking to Six, the next his muzzle was firmly plastered against the gantry's grating.

“SIX! You're alive!" Krystal yipped, commandeering Fox's arm to yell into his bracer. The vixen had almost dislocated his shoulder, holding it up to her muzzle with teary eyes.

“Ouch."

*****

“Why is this such an alarming development?" He inquired, wishing his helmet had noise dampeners not only for outside sources but interior ones as well. Thankfully he had his exterior transceiver shut of when Fox had called, otherwise the vulpine would have alerted the thirty or so odd venomian soldiers spread out through the complex's headquarters.

It had been hard enough infiltrating the compound without a nineteen something female fox screaming in his ears.

Six silently withdrew from the large room and shadowed through a corridor, an unfortunate venomian soldier along the way suffering from an acute displacement of his spine, Six propping the corpse in a storage room along the way.

Yet at the same time he was… glad, to hear her voice.

The spartan came across another target, scything his gauntlet into the soldier's side with enough force to rupture the entirety of his internal organs and pulverize his armor. Acting quickly, he clamped his gauntlet on the simians muzzle to snuff his imminent cries of pain and prevent him from spewing blood onto the pristine flooring.

Six grunted in irritation, backtracking to stuff the corpse with the other one, wiping his blood stained gauntlet on their uniforms.

Damn, he was starting to go soft.

“B-But we saw the pod fall apart." The vixen whined softly into his ear as Six crossed into another room in his search for the complex's reactors.

He had… questioned, a venomian soldier he discovered patrolling the outskirts of the base, learning that the reactors were indeed a real thing and located in the compound inside an underground bunker which's entry hatch should be around the place he was searching.

He had also learned that the venomians had destroyed the firebase nearby, though they had taken prisoners, all of them female. The spartan was not so ignorant as to not know what they had planned for the women. It was a common occurrence played by the insurrection, despite their broadcasted desires for civil liberties; they were not above pillaging and raping their way through the colonies.

Hypocritical bastards.

Six had extracted the information of their location from his reluctant contact before aggressively terminating him, appointing their rescue as a vital secondary objective even as he broke the reptilian's spine.

Once the explosives were set on the reactors he would double back and release them. If there was one thing besides battle that could set his heart alight with the fires of retribution, it was when the strong abused the weak. He had seen enough of that between the Insurrection and the Covenant alike. While the aliens had no desire to violate humanity, they had little issue slaughtering women and children.

The Covenant did not take prisoners or hold hostages.

“The matters regarding my death are greatly exaggerated." The spartan had all most forgotten the feminine voice knocking around in his helmet, wondering how anyone could stand such a thing for any breadth of time, chiefly a spartan.

At least once the bombs were planted he no longer had to worry about stealth. There were plenty of opportunities so far for him to grab a venomian weapon, but he had refrained. He could always just commander one when he needed it.

“I… I am so h-happy that you're alive." Krystal whispered quietly, the vixen's tone giving him temporary pause, the spartan halting at the hatch. “When I saw the pod fall apart… I… I."

The spartan's grimace shifted into a frown, it seemed once more he had unwittingly been the benefactor of her distress.

He sighed, dropping his helmet in defeat.

Was nothing ever easy?

“I am… sorry, to have worried you." Six muttered awkwardly as he twisted an iron wheel to pry open the hatch and step inside.

“Don't worry. It's fine… now that you're okay." He did not have to see her face to hear the happiness in her tone and he was not sure what to make of it.

But at least that was sorted out.

As he traveled down the concrete steps towards the reactor room, he heard a scuffle on the line shortly before Fox's voice returned, though the vulpine was groaning as if he just been attacked.

“Hey Six, glad to hear you're alright. Where are you?"

The spartan shook his head in disbelieving wonder. Did they not know what military communications were for? This was not the time for idle chitchat, he was in the midst of an operation and they interrupted it to speak with him? What was the meaning of this insanity?

Despite being disgruntled, Six decided to at least update Fox on his current situation. “I am inside the reactor complex, readying to set the charges." He replied moodily, ducking under a cross beam and arriving at the bottom floor to the sight of several large machines rumbling as they filled the chamber with soft green light. They were undoubtedly what he was looking for.

“Really?' The vulpine gasped in surprise as Six began the process of laying charges on the machines.

“No. I decided that the middle of an operation was the perfect time to fuck around." He replied dryly, keying in another explosive with a fifteen minute timer and eyeing his motion tracker. So far things were running smoothly.

Fox chuckled. “You know Six, you're starting to sound a lot like Falco."

“I'd rather die." The spartan retorted, utterly serious.

Another chuckle from the vulpine as he made his way back up the staircase, as he neared the door several blips flashed on his tracker, probably a security team on patrol, of the same kind he had been avoiding since he arrived.

An idea came to him, one that made Six frown.

“Fox…is this channel encrypted?"

“Of course it is, why?" came his confused response.

“No reason." Six muttered, unholstering his sidearm as he raised his grieve, the contacts stopping just outside the door.

Growling, Six smashed his armored boot into the thickly fortified door, blasting it off its hinges as he leapt forwards. Mid-jump, he snatched the unhinged door by the handlebar, turning it into a crude shield/battering ram and catching the small party of venomians by surprise.

Swinging the massive slab of pure iron to his left, Six annihilated the poor ape that had been standing there, throwing the broken corpse down the hallway in a pile of powdered bone. As they tried to piece together what had transpired in the last few seconds, he lowered the barrel of his handgun to the closest enemy and pulled the trigger. The crimson bolt plowed through the venomian, all but ignoring his armor.

Six pulled the iron door close to him, letting it absorb the flurry of laser blots sent hurtling his way in stuttering retaliation. With another roar he charged forwards, battering the venomian's to the side and crushing them in the process, the door-turned-shield bludgeoning them into oblivion.

The spartan chuckled as he took in the death around him, glancing at his impromptu armor.

'So, this is what being a hunter feels like. I think I'll keep this for now.'

Stepping over the corpses, Six jogged down the corridor, racing towards his next objective. He had not forgotten about them.

This was only the beginning.

*****

She had lost all sense of hope.

Sasha glanced up from her seat on the barren cot towards the six other women jammed into the same cell as her. They were far from the giggling group of friends they had been weeks ago. The arrival of the venomian army had changed that. Those monsters had destroyed their base, murdering all of their male comrades and enslaving them. For that's what they were, slaves. They were definitely not being treated like prisoners of war.

The female husky was just glad that the enemy soldiers had not taken advantage of them yet, but judging from the lustful glances the guards kept giving them, that was not going to last much longer.

She shuddered.

Is this how her life was to end? Raped and murdered by the hands of a bunch of monsters? She wasn't even nineteen! When she had signed up this was not how she saw it ending. She hadn't thought it would end at all. She had joined at the tail end of the war, banking on the assumption that she would never get to see combat, while still getting the benefits of service. And that plan had worked up until now.

The venomian assault had taken them completely by surprise. What was worse, all her friends had been killed, at least all the men. Yet, she could not help but feel bitter jealousy. At least they were not going to be turned into sex slaves, a fate she considered to be far worse than death.

As she pondered on the darkness in her future, she heard a commotion outside their cell. The guards that had been lounging around the break table were now hastily reaching for their weapons, a warning klaxon resounding in the air as red strobe lights flashed.

The faint ember of hope she had once thought lost was instantly reignited.

Was the CDF attacking? Where they about to be rescued? The other women looked up from their depressed stupor, the chance for freedom kindling their hearts with newfound optimism, their menagerie of tails flicking with anticipation.

Just outside, a thunderous noise shook the room, the sounds of weapons fire erupting just beyond the closed door. It sounded as if something had impacted the building with enormous force. The three guards exchanged worried glanced and shouldered their arms, cautiously eyeing the now foreboding doorway. Eventually the firefight outside petered out to a sudden halt, leaving them all in an ominous silence.

As the seconds dragged on, the guards argued briefly amongst themselves before the unlucky candidate was selected to go forwards. Just as his scaled hand touched the handle the door exploded open, throwing the venomian to the ground. Two red shards of light flew in from the open door and cut down a guard, the ape dropping to the ground clutching his scorched throat.

The gecko that had been thrown to the ground tried to climb back to his feet. Once he had managed to get on his knees, a figure strode in from the doorway, lodging what looked like a sword into his chest.

Sasha was not sure what to make of this person. They did not look like any CDF soldier she had ever seen. They were practically a giant, covered in some strange hulking blue armor splattered with reddish gore.

Whoever they were, they pulled the now crimson stained blade from the dying reptile and turned to the last guard, who had by this time managed to aim his weapon. The trio of lasers the ape released flattened against a shimmering barrier of golden light that seemingly sprung into existence around the warrior, protecting him from harm.

As the venomian watched on in horror, the armored giant strolled towards him and decked the ape across the jaw with enough power to rip it away from his skull. The presently jawless simian smashed into the wall and flopped to the ground, dead.

Silence loomed.

Sasha and the other women eyed the stranger cautiously, uncertain if they had just been rescued or just merely exchanging captors.

The blue giant scanned the room before his mirrored visor settled on their cell, as he approached; they could hear his boots impacting the concrete with echoing thuds. Without a sound, the stranger stopped in front of the iron bars.

“Big Dog, clearance code 580-2950." The masculine voiced figure stated mechanically.

Puzzled, it took a few moments for Sasha and the others to recognize the code. When they did, elation filled their chests. They had been taught that watchword during their training days!

“You're with the CDF?" The husky asked joyful.

“Affirmative." He nodded.

Sasha collapsed onto the cot with a heavy sigh, no words able to express how glad she was to hear that. The other women whispered happily amongst themselves. It seemed as if lady fate herself had intervened.

However, there were still a few problems left.

“How are you going to get us out of here? The guards were the only ones who knew the code for the door." She gestured to the corpses and the keypad next to their cell.

“That will not be a problem, please step back."

Confused, they complied and moved to the back of the cell, watching in mute astonishment as the soldier grabbed the iron bars and pulled, ripping the entire wall out and tossing it away with the same mentality one did with trash, the thick metal dropping to the ground with a resounding clang.

“Come we must keep moving." The cerulean giant turned and bent down, retrieving the three venomian blasters from his unlucky victims and walking back over to them. “Who here is the best with a weapon?"

“I'm a pretty decent shot." Sasha confessed. She and a couple others had been marines. “Lily and Morgana too."

He nodded holding a blaster out to her. The husky grabbed it, welcoming the feeling of a weapon in her paw once more. Now she was the only one responsible for her fate. A calico cat and skunk stepped up to grab the other two weapons.

Once their little troop was somewhat outfitted, the soldier gestured for them to follow in silent command, leading them out of the cell.

Stepping outside, they were awed to see at least a dozen venomian soldiers sprawled across the ground in varying states of death, most looking to have been cut down by the man's unusual sword or crushed to death by some immense force. It was a grisly sight, but the knowledge that these had been their captors made it much easier to accept, bringing them some small measure of satisfaction.

“Where are the others?" The skunk, Morgana, inquired as she looked around.

Sasha noticed this as well.

Maybe they were securing the area?

The man shook his head negatively as he walked over a partially dismembered corpse dismissively. “It's just me."

“Just…you." Lily mumbled in wonder, the sight before them taking a whole new context.

“You did all of this…by yourself?" Sasha reiterated in incredulity. There had to be at least fifteen venomian soldiers here, and he was saying he went through all of them.

“Now is not the time, we must keep moving." He replied commandingly as he hoisted a slab of iron into his free arm as easily as one did their baggage, it looking suspiciously like a bunker door.

What was he intending to do with that?

“We must keep moving, more will be coming soon." The armored man urged them to move with a beaconing flick of his visored helmet.

“How exactly do you plan on getting out of here?" Sasha sure hoped he had come here with a strategy; otherwise this would be a very short rescue.

In response, he simply held up his blaster.

“Oh…" She muttered with a deflated sigh.

*****

Six was not sure what to make of his newly rescued cohorts. He was not as uncomfortable around them as he might have been a short while ago, mostly due to their military nature. While still aliens, he could still respect that much about them. And it made it easier to ignore the fact that they were all females.

They were different from civilian women; those were much harder to deal with.

It helped that they all were decent shots.

The spartan hunkered down behind his improvised shield, letting it soak up the efforts of his venomian adversaries while providing cover for the ones under his protection. With their aid they managed to fight their way out of the main building and into the field outside, blazing through seemingly endless waves of soldiers. Without his help they would not have made it past the bars of their cell, as attested by the terribly disproportioned body count. If this kept up he might set a new record for most kills in a single mission.

“Sasha, reach for my bandolier." By this time he had learned all seven of their names, Sasha, their instinctively elected leader, Lilly and Morgana, the two to first get weapons, and then the last four, Henriette, Sue, Kendra, and Mona.

Making their way through the compound, he had managed to get a good opinion on their capabilities. Sasha, Lilly, and Morgana were the best of the seven, judging from their tattered uniforms they had been CDF marines. The others were preforming admirably but had obviously not been assigned to combat postings.

Six was not sure why he was giving so much thought to them. Perhaps because it had been so long since he fought beside others? Whatever it was, he was undeniably curious.

In response to his order, the female husky reached for his breastplate, knowing what it was he wanted, and grabbed one of the two grenades attached.

With a wordless nod of appreciation, he took it from her and pulled the pin, tossing the frag over his shield and into the nest of venomians hiding behind a fuel tank.

He did not tag his adversaries as very bright.

In a flash of searing light and heat, the volume of enemy fire lessened considerably, enough to allow the seven individuals hiding behind him to seek cover of their own and freeing the spartan up to move.

In the instant they were gone, Six bolted forwards, boots cracking the concrete underneath him. He was now unrestricted to his previous defensive stance.

With the supportive fire of his allies, Six smashed his way through the defenses the venomians had erected in front of the main building, bulldozering through cement blocks and defenders with equal ease. His spur-of-the-moment shield providing him the means to enact his offensive assault.

Those too close were squashed by the immense slab of iron and any too far from his grasp were put down by precise lances of crimson energy disgorging from the blaster in his free hand. The body count continued to rise as he swept a destructive swath across the open field.

While aware that he was acting recklessly, there was not much time for anything else. His communication with Fox was only temporary before they had to close the line, but the vulpine had given him an express set of orders before that time.

This place was to be the beachhead for the reclamation of Fortuna. While he cleared it off hostiles, Fox and the others were going out to confront Oikonny, Venom's dictator that he had all but forgotten. Apparently the ape was trying to flee down to the planet, his orbital forces all but destroyed.

But Krystal wasn't accompanying them, the vixen was piloting the shuttle that would come to retrieve him ahead of the main units. She had been explicitly adamant about that from what Fox told him. Her concern was… appreciated, though he was not looking forward to the coming conversation. He may have adjusted to this life somewhat, but he was ill prepared to be scolded by a female.

Despite his foreboding, Six was not about to slow down. The timetables would not allow it.

With a frown, he slammed the now battered and crumbling shield into a pair of venomians that had traveled to close, leaving nothing but a red smear on the concrete.

The spartan examined his protection, knowing that it would not last much longer. While durable, to be used as a giant club had not been its originally intended purpose. A few more uses is all he would probably get out of it, then it would be back to relying on his actual barrier tech.

The ground vibrated under his feet and a familiar sound pierced the air, that same hybrid clamor he had heard back at the base on Corneria. Turning his head, Six was treated to his first look at venomian armor.

It held no resemblance to the main cornerian battle tank, the landmaster; rather it was almost twice the size with duel barrels and heavier armor. Instead of treaded tracks, the machine hovered a few feet of the ground, seeming to employ the same technology he had seen in civilian use. Perhaps this meant that venomian tech was somewhat ahead of their cornerian cousins as the spartan could not see a reason why they would not utilize it if they could. In ally likelihood they had not managed to find a balance for the weight. Not that it was his concern. No. His concern lay in the question of how he was supposed to take that thing out.

His current arsenal was woefully insufficient.

Debating with himself, Six watched as the machine drifted to a stop several meters from him, a low rumble signifying the rotation of its main weapon.

Thankfully it was turning to aim at the women scattered about the broken cover strewn landscape.

Unfortunately, there could be only one other target.

Six braced himself, firmly digging his armored greaves into the concrete, reading his shield and squaring his shoulders as the cannons glowed with accumulative energy.

Hopefully it would hold.

In a dazzling flash of green energy that appeared to draw the very light and sound from the sky, Six felt something colossal smash into him with the force of a runaway warthog, blasting him backwards and tearing his shield from his grip. The spartan's energy barrier evaporated instantly, the howling whine of an empty gauge screaming in his ears as he was tossed backwards to crash into the remains of the fuel tank that had erupted not so long ago.

Radiation warnings flickered frenetically across his static tainted HUD, his shields failing to recharge. His arms were on fire, his nerves calling out to him in blistering agony as his systems warned him of a myriad of armor failures.

Pulling past the pain he pulled himself back to his feet, ignoring the burning sensation in his arms.

His gauntlets were scorched black up to his elbows, the cerulean paint that had once coated them completely stripped away by the intense heat. No doubt his skin had suffered some damage, the only thing preventing him from losing his arms being the hydrostatic gel, it combating the remarkably high temperatures.

Six grinned savagely through bloodied teeth, a sight that would have stricken mortal terror into the hearts of the tank crew if they had been able to see it, which would have only worsened had they seen his eyes.

Finally, something that could at last challenge him.

The spartan unsheathed his kukri and dashed forwards just as the enemy armor made to fire again, moving too fast for them to hit. As he neared the machine, a flurry of panicked bolts shot from its anti-infantry defenses, the clumsy aim of the gunner only managing to land a couple of inconsequential hits, barely enough to register on his HUD despite the lack of shielding.

The tank fired at the ground in front of it, taking the risk of damaging itself in order to try and kill him before it was too late. Six tensed his lower body and vaulted over the explosion, soaring a full ten feet over the detonation to land on its hull, his weight enough to cause the entire machine to sharply dip downwards.

Raising his kukri, Six buried it to the hilt in the tank's armor, intending to pry it open like a tin can. In result, the venomian vehicle careened drunkenly, trying desperately to throw off the seemingly insane attacker.

The spartan dug his free hand into the hull, clamping down with enough force to dig his fingers into the hardened steel, steadying himself and determined to finish what he started. With mechanical precision he carved a shallow divot into its side and primed one of two of the plasma grenades he brought with him, stuffing the flaming cobalt sphere inside and jumping off.

As if realizing its fate, the tank ground to a halt, moments before its left side was torn apart in a violently blue explosion, driving the hovering machine into the ground to furrow a crater in the concrete. Muffled screams could faintly be heard as the molten plasma cooked the unfortunate souls inside.

Six staggered to his feet, a satisfied grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

It was good to be back in action. He had spent too long without release, gladdened to know his skills had yet to fade.

He held onto his smile even as his legs have out from underneath him, the spartan collapsing to his knees with a hiss of pain. Confused, Six glanced down, a trail of blood seeping from a gash in the side of his armor. Upon hesitantly probing the injury with a blackened finger, he snarled and curled his fists.

It seemed the wound he had contracted during his crash landing had been exasperated by his efforts.

“Sir, are you alright!" A panicked female voice cried out, Six uncomprehendingly thinking it was Krystal. Even his immense tolerance for pain was almost at its limit, rendering him faintly delirious.

She would be furious at him for getting himself hurt.

But it was not her, that female husky running to his side.

Huh… he hadn't even given her his name.

Not feeling the need to respond, Six chose the much more appealing option, staggering to the nearest wall and clumsily falling against it. He would not lie down; he was far too prideful for that. Only in death would he allow himself to lie down on a battlefield.

He ignored the growing protests of her and the other women. There were no more enemies, nothing else to worry about for the moment. Six spent his time trying to quell the rising delirium and once more gain complete control over his faculties.

It was hard to do with his charred hands and that gaping hole in his armor.

Those would be a pain to repair.

He sat there for what seemed like an eternity, everything else fading into the background. The spartan was grudging to admit, but this was the worst he had been hit in a long time. He would have to make it a point in the future to avoid getting shot by a tank. He doubted he would survive a repeat performance. If not for that slab of iron he would be finding out just what awaited him in the afterlife. Such would have been problematic considering he was far from done with this life.

Even he knew when to admit defeat. This little conflict was going to put him out of action for a bit. It would be some time before he recovered and returned to full strength. If what his HUD was telling him was true, he would be out of it for a while.

Six smirked.

And he never thought he would see the inside of The Great Fox's Infirmary. It just went to show that he was not without his hubris. Even in this world there were dangers for him. There was a lesson to be learned here.

Sometimes it was not best to work alone, or at least in that event, bring a bigger gun.Charging enemy armor with nothing but a knife was definetly not one of his best ideas.

“SIX!" A female voice shrieked, the owner rapidly closing in with the slapping of sandaled paws.

At least this time he was certain he knew who it was.

The spartan groaned, the back of his helmet cracking against the concrete wall.

“Here comes the lecture."