The Art in Me
By Cyberwulfe

Author's Note: This story is sort of dedicated to Nordog, who commented me on the romantic endings that occur in the rest of my stories. I hope you like this one, Nordog.

The young white wolf ran across the desert, his feet skimming the sand as if he were running on air. The only sign he left were shallow footprints that by morning would be filled with sand. The sun was setting and it would be dark soon; when the creatures of Titania's desert came out to prey. Clutching two dead Groomats tightly in his hands he finally reached the settlement. He had lived here since he was born. It was the hottest place in all of Lylat, next to the sun itself, but to him it was home.

His name was Jared, and where he came from there were no last names. He lived in a small colony in the middle of nowhere. Regardless of its position and appearance, the settlement was quite modern and even had some air-conditioning. Solar panels surrounded the buildings and every dome-shaped house had a moisture vapourator next to it in order to collect water.

Jared, before going to his own house, took a different route through the domes to purposely pass another dome house. He smiled as he saw his target, a shy gray wolf named Mina. He had known her for several years and the two had become good friends, but he was getting older now and was starting to have other, stronger feelings for her.

"Hi Mina," he called to her, and kept running as if he hadn't even seen her.

"Hi Jared," she replied in her quiet voice that always turned his knees to mush.

He kept running until he got home. The multicoloured dome sat near the center of the colony, and was painted with various mosaics and other works of art. Since there wasn't really a lot to do when you're stuck in the middle of the desert, Jared had taken up painting as a hobby, and other people in the colony had recognized his works and paid him to paint their houses.

"Hi mom," he said as he came in the door. He dropped the two dead critters on the kitchen counter and grabbed a cold soda," It's really hot out there!"

"Well I've told you not to wander so far young man," replied his mother, an aging white wolf herself.

Jared's father, a black wolf with a white streak in his hair sat in the living room," He's old enough. I remember the first time I ever left the colony and ran into the desert. I was only twelve. I think he can handle himself."

"Yeah, but at least he didn't run wild through the desert naked!" laughed Jared's mother.

Jared snickered.

"Alright guys, yuk it up!" said Jared's father. He went back to reading his book.

Jared went to his room. After pulling his sweaty shirt off he lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Another of his murals was painted there, a beautiful picture of the night sky with all of the planets of Lylat in their orbit around Solar. He began to point at each one, identifying them as he made his way around the circle," Corneria, Sector Y, Aquas, Zoness, Sector Z, Venom, Sector X, Fortuna, Katina," then he stopped and stared at Fortuna, the frozen planet. He would give all of his artwork away just to live on Fortuna for one season. He loved his home, but he was at the age when everything unfair really sucked and everything better was sought after. His latest quest was to raise enough money to travel to Fortuna.

He looked at the wall opposite his bed. On it were several posters of Fortuna and other planets. He knew that his planet was the dust-ball of Lylat, and he wanted to get out and see the galaxy first hand, not through posters or the pages of a book. He sighed again," Maybe Mina would come with me?"

After supper he went to his room again to work on another painting. In one corner of his room there was a stack of used canvasses four feet high. He had begun painting when he was eight, and since then he had gotten better and began working with larger mediums such as canvas and paint and even houses or walls; whatever he could find.

His latest painting was of him and his parents living in a nice cool house on Fortuna. The big house was sketched into the canvas and all he needed to do was a good drawing of himself and his mother. His father was in the process of rolling up a snowball. After an hour he was ready to paint. He took his fine tipped brushes and his thick brushes and laid them out on the table next to his easel. His paints were kept in a little box on the shelf above his bed. He stepped up on his mattress and reached for the box.

Then a rumbling noise made him stop. His eyes opened wide with terror as he realized why the ground was suddenly shaking," Mom! Dad! It's a Mareek stampede!" he shouted.

His parents met him in the living room and they hugged each other close as the stampede rushed through the settlement. Mareeks were small armoured animals but when they were grouped together their armoured shells could crash through concrete and sometimes steel. They heard pounding on their walls and a few cracks appeared. Jared's mother held him tighter.

But as soon as it had started it was over. The rumbling subsided and then disappeared altogether. They emerged from their house to examine the damage, along with everyone else in the colony.

"Did you see them?" asked their neighbor.

"Must have been a thousand of them!" said another.

Jared looked around at the crumpled houses and wrecked vapourators. Most of the colony had been spared, but his family's vapourator was lying on the ground, a trampled mass of broken metal. They would have to share water with another family or buy it from the store, a place which was owned by a wealthy merchant and had over twelve vapourators.

Jared saw Mina walking around and he went up to talk to her," Hey Mina, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little spooked," she replied, but her hand was shaking.

Jared noticed it," You're not okay, are you?"

Mina just shook her head," I was so scared that they would ram the door down and come in and kill us. They've never come through like that before!"

"Well is your house okay?"

Mina just shook her head and looked over at the pile of rubble," We had to escape through the back window before the house collapsed. Then we huddled in the back until the stampede left. It was awful!"

She began to cry. Jared wished that he wasn't the touch-me-not type of guy so he could walk over and hug her, but he did try to calm her with some quiet words.

Meanwhile the grownups were talking to each other, trying to decide what to do about the wrecked houses. After cleaning out the wrecks they would have to rebuild. The good thing about having dome houses is that you could just mold another dome and then place it over the hole where the old one used to be, then just rebuild all of the walls and replace the furniture. Things were cheap in the desert so everyone was able to afford things that most people only dreamed of, and the close community helped each other as if they were family.

The next day, after having to give up his bedroom for a needy family, Jared rolled off the couch and walked into the kitchen. He pulled a box of cereal out of the cupboard and grabbed a bowl. He poured the cereal into the bowl and began to eat. Since milk was extremely rare on Titania Jared had never known that luxury, but he still liked his favorite cereal: Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. His mother always disapproved of such cereals, but when it was his money that bought it she allowed it and knew his stomach would pay for it later.

Jared finished his breakfast and quickly downed a sip of water before stepping out into the bright morning sun. Although it was still fairly early, the sun had heated the sand to roasting temperatures. Walking out with bare feet was a big mistake here, so Jared always wore shoes or sandals. He now wore his favorite leather sandals that his grandmother had sent him from Corneria. He wished he could visit her, but all he ever knew about her were pictures and the gifts she sent him. Several people were up and around as well, starting work on the new houses. He wished that the day would go by quickly so he could come back home and do some more work on his painting.

At school, Jared stared at the clock most of the time, wishing he could somehow speed it up. Finally the bell rang and he almost shot out of school like a bullet, but he saw Mina walking the same way as him so he stopped and walked with her.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked her.

"Mmm, better. Our house is scheduled for tomorrow so we won't be without a place to live for too long," replied Mina. She still had an empty look in her eyes, a look that Jared had wished for years to capture on canvas.

"That's good," said Jared. Then finally he got an idea," Would you like to come over to my house and let me paint a picture of you?"

Mina looked shocked," Are you nuts? I couldn't let you do that, I mean, it's your work! I wouldn't want you to waste a perfectly good canvas on this body."

Jared looked further down the hall. Although Mina had a great looking body, she always thought she was overweight, and was currently on some sort of silly diet she had seen in the trailers before a holo-flick. He sighed and continued walking with her. He knew that someday she might let him paint her, but not today.

As the years passed, Jared became more interested in other things such as aircraft and communications. Since the Androssian wars had just ended there were a lot of books and journals being written on the subject, and Jared bought every one of them he could find. Hanging from his ceiling were models of fighters and other ships. He had spared his mural by using stick-on hangers, which preserved the beauty of his favorite work of art.

Mina had changed too. Now seventeen she had gotten bigger and even more beautiful. Jared, just a year older than her, now realized his true feelings for her, but was too shy to ask her out. Then again, where would he take her? They were stuck in the middle of the desert. There was always the holo-flicks, but he had seen every one of them for that season and the new ones wouldn't arrive for another three months. No, he needed something special.

He finished the final touches on a model jet and set it down on his table to dry. Then he reached under his bed and pulled out his money box. He counted out the fifty-six credits and laid them down on the bed. Should he really use his art money to take Mina out on a date? He'd only need about ten credits to make the night interesting, but he knew that after the first date there would be more... and more! He'd be flat broke before he knew it. He put the money away and tucked in back under his bed. There must be another way.

The next day, with no money or any patience Jared approached Mina as she left her home. At least Mina had enough persistence to go out and find a job. Jared still liked to hang out at home and play games and paint. He ran up and greeted her as usual," Hi Mina!"

"Hi Jared," she replied. Her deep brown eyes flashed in the sun; the eyes Jared wanted desperately to paint.

"So, um... are you busy tonight?" asked Jared. The words seemed to slide out easier than he thought.

Mina smiled and placed her hand on his forearm," Look, Jared. We've been good friends for a long time, and I really do like you a lot. But I think we should just stay friends... for now. Who knows, maybe you'll find a girl who just totally blows you away, and you won't even want to look at me."

"Oh, well, okay. I was just thinking..." Jared mumbled.

"I'm sorry..."

"About that girl you mentioned?"

"Yes?" asked Mina, wondering what he meant.

"Well, Mina... I thought she was you," and he turned and walked away.

The months went by and somehow Jared managed to keep himself occupied. His "breakup" with Mina had temporarily separated the two of them, and Jared didn't speak to her as much as he wished he could. He'd still say," Hi Mina" in his old way, but seeing her eyes made him feel sad, and he spent most of his time in his room; living in his own world of depression and sadness.

Then news came of a rebellion on Titania. Some groups of the remaining military from Venom, who had signed a treaty and sworn allegiance with Titania and the rest of Lylat, had begun attacking caravans and military bases. Jared saw this as his chance to become a soldier and fly the ships that he had read about, seen, and built models of. His parents took the news rather hard, but he was eighteen and old enough to make his own decisions.

The money he had saved up, which by then was over one-hundred credits, was used to buy him a ticket to the main military site for the Titania Special Forces base, several hundred kilometers northeast of the settlement. Jared packed only the things he would need, and he doubted he'd have time to paint in the military, but he did pack a small sketch pad and some pencils. Before he went to bed, on the night before he was to leave, his mother called him to the living room.

"Your grandmother sent you this when you were sixteen, but your father and I didn't think you should have it," she revealed a small pistol from a box she was holding," But now I think you'll need it."

"Thanks mom," said Jared. He took the pistol in one hand and aimed it around the room.

"It's not a toy!" his father said sternly," It's a weapon, and it's dangerous. You put it away and only use it if you absolutely have to!"

"Yes sir," replied Jared. He took the leather holster from inside the box and slid the gun into it. He kissed his mother and went to bed.

Morning came. His alarm went off and this was the last time he was going to hear it. He was leaving in a few short minutes. He quickly ate some bread with jam and got together all of his things. He stuffed the small blaster into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He grabbed his other bag and walked out of the house. His parents were right behind him.

At the launch station they hugged him and Jared's father punched his arm," Good luck, son," he said, fully aware that his son could be killed.

"Thanks dad. I'll see you when this thing is finally over," said Jared.

He turned to get onto the transport but then turned back to the colony. It was his home, and he may not ever see it again. His parents understood what he was thinking and quietly stepped back. On the edge of the houses jared could see Mina watching him leave. He felt like calling out or waving, but he just hung his head and boarded the transport. His last view of home was it disappearing from view from outside his window.

Jared first arrived at the Special Forces headquarters about three hours later. Not much time had passed but it was a fast transport that had carried him and several others from his colony. He stepped off the ship and walked in the direction that everyone else was. After picking up his bags he quickly inspected them to make sure nothing had been stolen. Everything was as it had been when he left home.

He picked up his things and entered the large gray building that was labeled as "Special Forces Building". There was a small sign on the door that said "Register inside" with an arrow on it. Jared smiled as thoughts of flying ships and fighting for his planet raced through his head.

The first thing that he did was fill out about six forms that asked stupid questions like," What is the length of your big toe?" He filled out as much as he could and handed it in to the big sergeant behind the desk.

"Thank you," he grumbled. He was obviously frustrated to have to do so much work right after a war had just ended.

Jared just followed the signs that led to the barracks where he gathered up his uniform and joined the ranks. There were several hundred other people there; some his age or older. He looked around at as many as he could see. There was a tough looking one just to his left, a short one to his right. Farther down the row were three foxes who looked like twins. Jared had never seen so many people in one place.

The general in charge of the special forces arrived and everyone stood at attention. Jared could barely hold back his excitement. Here was the general of the Titania Special Forces right in front of him. He wished he was in the front row and not the third.

"At ease," he began, and everyone stood with a looser stance," I want to welcome you troops to the Special Forces. For the next three months you will be trained in the art of combat on three fronts: air, land, and sea. Unfortunately you'll never get your feet wet, but you will be trained in a simulator, so don't make any smart remarks about our planet's water supply.. or lack thereof."

Two officers who were standing behind the general chuckled. Jared guessed that they must have been the general's personal aides.

"We have captured several Venomian Invaders which will serve as your training craft until Corneria delivers the Arwings they owe us. Hopefully we will be able to win the war within a few months rather than what has just previously happened in Lylat."

Jared nodded. The Androssian Wars had lasted over three years!

"Any questions?" asked the general. There were none.

The general walked down the first row, looking at each of the new recruits carefully. He stopped and looked right at a black mink," Why are you here, son?"

"Um, to join the Special Forces and fight for the glory of Titania, sir!" replied the mink.

"You read too many books, son," said the general.

The mink slumped slightly but then straightened. The general continued down the line, nodding and humming to himself. Jared knew it was going to be a long day.

Training was tough, but Jared grew to like it. He would spend the first eight hours of the day, after waking up before the sun, working out with the rest of the recruits. He soon developed strong muscles and was able to bench-press 160 pounds. His hand-to-hand training was coming along well too. Sure, he lost sometimes, but often he was the one to remain standing after a good fight. The trainer was tough on all of them, constantly reminding them that the enemy wouldn't back off, so why should they," You need to go on the offensive while they're going on the offensive!"

For another four hours they flew jets, after a one hour review course. The first three weeks they were sitting in class for the four hours, learning how to fly before they went up. Jared like the Invader II that he trained in. It was a Invader II-b, which had an extended cockpit with a second seat. One of the many pilot trainers sat in the back seat and would take control of the aircraft if something went wrong. Jared hoped that soon he would graduate to a single-seat Invader III or IV, but he knew there was still plenty of training to do.

Finally the day came when the Special Forces were to join the rest of the army at the front. Jared was a bit nervous but the past three months had changed him. He was now a soldier and a pilot. A flier and a fighter. He felt invincible, as though nothing could stop him. He was ready to get in the air and take it to the rebelling Venomians.

As their transport arrived at the battle grounds, the sights were nothing like Jared was prepared for. Several tents were set up all over the field and there were troops and officers walking and running around. There was a small skirmish going on a few kilometers away, and Jared could see and hear the explosions and shooting. Dead troops were lying around, and those that weren't dead were bleeding and helpless on stretchers. Jared looked around, not able to believe what he was seeing. This was the war? He had read plenty of war books but he didn't think it was this bad! Suddenly Jared was very frightened.

He heard a loud buzzing sound and looked into one of the medical tents," No! Don't! You can't! I need it!" shouted a soldier.

"Strap him down. I need to cut it off!" shouted one of the doctors.

The other three doctors in the tent used thick straps to keep the soldier down as the doctor brought a saw towards the soldier's leg.

Jared looked away, but the screams were still ringing through his ears. One of the Special Forces officers walked past him," It's the tragedy of war, son," he said.

Jared looked down at his legs. Could he leave with only one of them? Then he saw a soldier laying nearby with no legs. Another with an arm missing. They looked so forlorn and lost. Jared thought of how he thought he had lost Mina's love forever, but these men had lost their limbs. He followed his troop until they arrived at the Special Forces barracks.

Night came, but the sounds of explosions rang through the night. Jared was kept awake for most of the night, but he soon fell asleep.

The next two years that followed, Jared overcame his fear and had a terrific campaign. Forty-six enemy kills in a jet, twelve ground victories. He was captured twice, escaped both times, and even captured an entire platoon of enemy troops. By the time the war ended he had been promoted to Captain and he was glad to be going home.

He wore his Special Forces Elite trooper armour, a blood-red full-body suit that was topped off with a red helmet with a black visor. He felt like a real somebody. He was a Captain of the Special Forces. But he had lost a part of himself too. He had seen friends killed and his enemies die right in front of him. Once, when the troops from the other side ran over the front lines, the troopers were forced to use knives, pistols... anything they could find. Jared had crushed the skull of an enemy soldier with a large rock that he had picked up off the sandy ground. The sound it made would haunt him forever.

The worst part now was that he was the only surviving soldier from his home colony. All of the others had died in the war. He used the Special Forces account to purchase a sand-speeder and took off at full speed for home. He smiled and let out a shout for joy. He was going home, back to his old life, his friends and family, and Mina.

As he closed the distance he saw smoke on the horizon. He pulled out his macrobinoculars and zoomed in as close as they would go. He saw where the smoke was coming from: it was the colony. He wished that the speeded could go faster, but it still raced along at its maximum speed. He gripped the control handles tightly, not knowing what to expect. But after the horrors of war he could take anything.

He finally arrived at the colony. It had almost been completely destroyed. Most of the houses were now black, burned-out shells and there were dead bodies everywhere. He wandered through the streets and looked for any survivors, but could find none. Finally he reached his home. It was nothing but a black hole with smoke pouring out of it. He pounded the ground and screamed.

But what about Mina? He ran to her house, pushing over rubble and kicking aside smaller debris. Her house was damaged by blaster fire, but was still fairly intact. He ran inside and found Mina's father laying on the floor. He rolled him onto his back and looked at him. He was still alive. Jared propped him up into a chair and got him a drink. Mina's father came to and stared with horror at the red armoured figure in front of him.

"Go away! You've done enough, what else do you want?!" he shouted.

"Hey, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to know what happened!" said Jared.

"Why should I trust you?"

Jared removed his helmet and placed it on the floor. Mina's father gasped," Jared. You're alive!" He hugged him and then leaned back in the chair.

"Tell me what happened," Jared asked again.

"It was a band of slave traders. They came with several other men with weapons, huge guns Jared, and tried to sell us slave girls. We weren't interested so they wasted the colony and took every girl they could find. Most of them were killed, but they still took a few."

"Where's Mina?"

Mina's father looked out the open door with horror," Oh my... they took her too!"

Jared had barely heard the words before he burst out of the house. He ran for his speeder and flipped the accelerator to max again. He pointed his speeder in the direction of the traders' tracks and hit the accelerator.

In the main headquarters of the Benzoate Slave Traders, the crime boss known as Gib Burrah looked carefully at each of the girls locked in their cells. He stopped at a young, attractive-looking gray wolf with deep brown eyes and smiled. He motioned for his two goons to come with him.

"See that girl?" he said, pointing through the bars at the wolf.

"Yeah boss," said the first one.

"Ain't she purdy?" added the other.

"I want her! When the bidding starts, I want you to offer them all of this," and he dropped a twenty-thousand credit chip in the hand of the first goon.

"All this for her?" he asked.

"Well start low and see how high the others go. But I will have her for my personal slave, do you understand?"

"Yeah boss. We shore do, don't we?" replied the second goon.

The other just nodded. He knew what would happen to them if they didn't succeed.

A few hours later the bidding for the slaves started. Mina, who was the gray wolf with the deep brown eyes, was set up for the fifth bid. In front of her were two other girls from the colony. They stayed together, holding hands and whispering; sometimes crying. They were about to be sold as slave girls to who knows what! Mina hated the way that almost every guy out there had come to the cells to gawk and make catcalls at her and the rest of the girls. She wished that she could be home right now.

She pulled at her outfit. Of course the slave traders had forced her to wear the skimpiest thing she'd ever seen, but it was merely used to boost business. She didn't like the idea of being a walking billboard for her body, but when surrounded by knives and guns she didn't really have much of a choice. At least she wasn't melting in the heat of the afternoon. She felt quite cool.

The first girl had been sold, and she walked away with her new master as if she wanted it. Some of the girls were really nasty, and made poses for the men to stare at with their tongues hanging out, but it just disgusted Mina. She planned on just standing there, staring straight out over the crowd, hoping that they'd find no interest in her. She looked down at her body. Yeah right, she thought, They'd buy me on the spot, even if I was wearing a baggy night suit!

The second girl was sold now. Mina waved a small wave as her old friend was taken away by a fat badger. She could only wish that she would be treated well. She was up next after another of the skanky girls. The bidding lasted several minutes and then it was over. Mina was shoved onto the platform in front of the whole crowd with the auctioneer standing to the right of her.

"And here's our latest jewel. From just a few dozen miles to the East I present to you... Lynx!" said the auctioneer. Everyone cheered and hooted and waved their fists in the air. It was clear to Mina that most of them were drunk. And where did they get that Lynx crap?

"We'll start the bidding at 2, 000!" shouted the auctioneer.

"Two-thousand!" shouted one of Gib Burrah's thugs.

"We have two do I hear twenty-five hundred?"

"Twenty-five!" shouted someone from the other side of the room.

"Three thousand!" came another call.

"Three thousand, do I hear four?"

"Four-thousand!" shouted the other thug.

"Four, any higher? Come on guys, for this beauty of the desert? Going once, twice..."

Just then the door burst open and slammed against the wall. Everyone gasped and looked at the doorway in surprise. There stood a tall figure, wearing red armour and a helmet. On his belt there was a huge military issue blaster and his metal gauntlets flashed in the light. He looked to both sides before proceeding into the room. He walked right up to the bidding stage, stared at Mina for a few seconds, then turned to the auctioneer," What is the biding up to?" he asked in a language that Mina couldn't understand, but the auctioneer knew it well.

"Four-thousand credits," he replied, in the same language.

"I'll give you 10, 000."

The auctioneer nearly dropped his gavel," We have 10, 000! Do I hear eleven? Twelve?"

The red figure looked around the room, almost daring anyone to speak.

"Sold! To the um... fine gentleman here."

The figure handed the treasurer a credit pad, who then deducted 10, 000 credits from it and handed it back to him. The red figure took the chain that had just been placed around Mina's hands and walked out of the room with her.

The two thugs looked at each other," Why didn't you say something?" shouted the first.

"Why didn't you, ya moron! The boss gave us a whole 20, 000 smackers and we blew it!"

"He's gonna fry us in oil for this!"

"Or leave us in the middle of a stampede or something?"

"We'd better tell him. Maybe we could get her back from that guy. We'll offer him the twenty right now!"

Mina tried hard to keep up with the armoured trooper, but he was walking very fast.

"Could you slow down please?" she exclaimed.

The figure stopped and looked back at her," I never do the bidding of women," he replied coldly.

Mina scoffed and was again dragged behind the trooper. They soon reached a speeder, and she was lifted up onto the seat. Just before the trooper himself got on he was approached by the two thugs, "Hey there. Could we talk with you for a moment?" asked the first thug.

"Quickly. I have plans for her," replied the trooper.

Great! through Mina, Being raped in the desert and left for dead sure sounds like fun!

"Well what a coincidence, so do we. You see, our boss gave us money specifically for her and..."

"Good for you and your boss," interrupted the trooper. He jumped onto the speeder.

"Well you see, we're willing to offer you the full sum of 20, 000 credits, which will pay you back twice what you just paid, if you give her to us now."

"I'll tell you what. You go back to your boss and tell him you screwed up."

"Now hold on there," the first thug pulled out a blaster," Now I'm gonna have to get nasty."

The trooper whipped out his own blaster and left three smoldering holes in the thug's chest. Then he pointed it right at the other thugs face," Tell your boss that I've taken her, and that sometimes live sucks!"

He then started the speeder and began to drive away," It sucks to be you!" he shouted behind him.

"What do you mean he's dead?" asked Gib Burrah," I gave you both an order!"

The thug was now in the boss' main chamber with the body of the dead thug on the floor nearby," Well I mean this guy was huge. He had all this armour and a gun the size of me and he must have been from the Special Forces or something. Then he blasted Lenny in a split second and left me with him."

"Well I suggest you take some of my men and make him pay back the debt he owes me!"

Mina held onto the trooper tightly, not wanting to fall off. But she preferred a smaller pain like that than the pain she was sure to endure later. Then the speeder began to slow down and came to a stop. The trooper grunted something in the other language and jumped off of the speeder.

"Is this where you rape and murder me?" asked Mina.

"No," replied the trooper, speaking english for the first time," The engine has stopped. I think we're out of gas."

"Too bad for you huh?" said Mina," Hey, just why did you come out her anyway. You couldn't have just been out looking for a slave girl?"

"Actually I was. And I found her."

Mina looked confused.

"I was just at your colony a few hours ago. I was told that you'd been taken so I came to rescue you," explained the trooper.

"Oh I see, this is some sort of a rescue? I've seen better planned and executed rescues in the holo-flicks!" shouted Mina," How do expect us to get back to the colony?"

"We walk, unless it's too much for you to handle?"

"I can hold my own!"

The trooper grabbed his sacks from the speeder and slid one onto his shoulder. Then he tossed one to Mina," I'm not carrying the whole load myself," he said.

"Awww, poor little army guy can't take it?" she teased.

"If you look inside that bag you'll find some clothes. You can wear one of my old uniforms to keep yourself decent."

"Thanks," replied Mina. She pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt.

The trooper began walking East.

"Hey," shouted Mina, she picked up her bag and ran," Wait up!"

The group of armed thugs reached the speeder. They carefully inspected it and then discovered the empty fuel tank.

"They went East," said one of them, pointing at the trail of footprints leading out into the desert.

"They couldn't have gotten far. Four of you go after them and report in when the trooper is dead and the slave girl is secured," ordered the leader.

Four of them took off on their speeders and followed the footprints.

"So, um... how was the war?" asked Mina. She couldn't think of anything else to say to the trooper.

"Bloody. I wish I'd never gone. But I was young and stupid and I had different ideas about what war was really like," replied the trooper in monotone.

Mina nodded," I don't suppose you might have met a friend of mine during the war, huh?"

"There were a lot of soldiers there, but if you tell me his name or describe him I think I might be able to tell you whether or not I saw him."

"Well, his name is Jared. He's pure white and has blue eyes. He likes to draw and paint things so I guess he might have gone around as a combat artist or something, I don't know?"

"I remember him. I saw some of his sketches, they were quite good. He even gave me this one," the trooper pulled a folded piece of paper from one of his bags and handed it to Mina.

She gasped when she unfolded it," This is me!"

"Yes. He always talked of you. His most precise description were your eyes. The chocolate brown that he wished to eat up with paint."

"Huh? What do you think that meant?" asked Mina.

"He wanted to paint you. Not just to paint, but because he loved your eyes. They were very beautiful," the trooper looked right at her," And they still are."

Mina blushed," So, what ever happened to Jared?"

"I'm not sure. I never saw him again after that. He either moved on with his troop or... he may have been killed?"

Mina hung her head sadly," I'm sorry," added the trooper," I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'll be okay. I just watched as bandits destroyed my colony, I think I can add one more name to the list of dead loved ones."

The trooper stared at her for a few seconds, then continued on.

Just then a laser blast exploded the sand nearby. The trooper drew his gun and turned around. He could barely see four figures riding in on speeders," Man, those guys just don't give up!"

"They're after me, aren't they?" exclaimed Mina, huddling behind his protective armour.

"Yes, but they won't get you without a fight!"

The trooper fired his blaster, destroying one of the speeders and sending the driver flying to the sand. Several more blasts were exchanged and then another speeded exploded. They were getting closer now, and the trooper reached down and pressed a blue button on the side of his armour. He began to make a slight humming sound.

"Take this," said the trooper. He handed Mina a small blaster," You're going to need it!"

The thugs were right on top of them now. The trooper tossed a concussion grenade and the explosion knocked both of them off their speeders. There were only two left, but they were still armed with small blasters and knives.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way?" said one of the thugs.

"You're not taking her, you scum!" replied the trooper.

"Have it your way, then!"

The thugs opened fire on the trooper. The lasers impacted and bounced away, causing very little damage to the shining red armour. The trooper shot the guns out of their hands and ran at the first thug, pulling out a vibro blade. With one slice he disarmed the thug of his knife and then stabbed him several times.

The trooper heard a scream from behind him and a laser blast. He turned to see Mina lying on the sand with the last remaining thug on top of her," I'm gonna enjoy this!" he said as he tried to remove Mina's shirt.

Mina pounded on his chest and tried to scratch his face but he held her small hands in one of his. Then there was a loud cracking sound. And another. The thug's head jolted backwards both times, then blood oozed from his nose and mouth. He fell over and rolled onto the sand next to Mina. Mina looked up to see the trooper cracking his armoured knuckles. She looked at the dead thug and saw that the back of his skull had been punched in.

"That was close!" she said, straightening her shirt and standing up," Thank you."

The trooper nodded and handed her the blaster that she had tried to use to defend herself.

"Where are those lazy slugs! They should have reported in by now. How long has it been?" demanded the leader of the group of thugs.

"Uh," one of the others checked his watch," Forty minutes. I think they ran into trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Well you saw how that guy was armed, he's from the Special Forces. They're the best trained military on this side of Lylat."

"Well then, what do you say we give him some... trouble?!"

Mina curiously looked at the trooper's armour, which had stopped humming. She examined the blue button, which was accompanied by a yellow button," That must be some strong armour to be able to deflect blaster shots like that," said Mina.

"Well not really. It could barely protect me from a heavy blaster pistol, but it's because I'm also wearing an individual field disruptor, which acts as an energy shield for a person to wear. They still got me though," he said. He rubbed a spot on his shoulder and Mina looked at the small black scar in the ruby red armour.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'll be fine. It's only a small dent."

Mina wanted to talk with the trooper more, not only because she owed him her life, but to know more about who he was. He seemed very heroic, like a superhero in one of the comic books she used to read. After the Androssian Wars were over, her role model and hero had been Fox McCloud, but now she was thinking more realistically. She'd most likely never get off this planet, so meeting Fox McCloud would be impossible. She looked at the trooper once more. He was real, and right in front of her now. Mina changed her mind; she had found her hero.

"So, what do you do in your colony?" asked the trooper," Do you do any work?"

Mina came out of her thoughts and replied," I used to work at the market, but I quit because my boss was a loser."

"Oh really? Well you'll be happy to know that during the attack they destroyed the market, so you won't have to work there again."

Mina laughed. Although having the market destroyed wasn't very funny, the trooper did have a very nice sense of humour," Well I was going to get a new job soon, but I didn't get around to it. I still live at home with my father. My mother died last year during a sandstorm that picked her up and carried her away. We never found her.

"I'm sorry," said the trooper.

"It's okay. I've gotten over it."

"It seems like your life has been full of bad times," the trooper sighed," As has mine."

Mina was unsure exactly what the trooper meant, but she was sure that it must have involved the war. She didn't want to pry too deeply into his past life, even though he seemed very interested in hers.

The sun was slowly going down over the horizon. They day was ending, and the cooler air of night would soon come. She grabbed the trooper's arm," We need something to keep from freezing out here tonight."

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," replied the trooper," Do you prefer your own tent, or would you feel safer with me to protect you?"

"I don't know you that well," joked Mina," But just put them close enough that if anything does happen you'll know about it."

The trooper nodded.

The two dome-shaped tents were the only things sitting on the vast desert that night. There was a light in one of them; the tent of the trooper, who was indeed Jared himself. He held a small sketchbook in his hand as his pencil did its work. The lines came clear and perfect. He chuckled as he signed and titled his drawing: "Mina in a slave outfit". He tore it from his book and crumpled it up. She deserved better.

He turned his light out and lay down to get some sleep. He hadn't closed his eyes for two seconds before he heard Mina scream.

"There's something trying to knock over my tent!"

Jared ran out with his glow-rod to see what it was. There were three venomous spiders clawing at the nylon walls of the tent," Hey!" shouted Jared. He pointed his blaster at the closest spider and shot. The other two were knocked over by the blast and scurried away. Jared popped his head inside the tent," Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit spooked," said Mina, gasping for breath," Are they gone?"

"Those two won't be back tonight," replied Jared.

Mina just nodded. She squinted a bit and looked at the trooper's face for the first time, which was dimly lit in the light of the glow-rod. The trooper nodded as if to say,` You'll be safe tonight,' and then left. Mina thought about the face and who it could be, but she had trouble recognizing the face. She was sure that they had met before.

The night went by without any more surprises, just until a few hours before the sun was to rise and the heat returned. Jared was jolted upwards as his tent was knocked sideways. He scrambled outside as a P'weck lumbered past on its six legs. Jared's light could barely illuminate half of the tremendous creature. Mina's tent also fell over, and Mina came screaming out of her tent," What the heck?"

"Don't worry, we're not under attack," said Jared," We sure put our tents in the wrong place though!"

"I think I'll take you up on your sharing the tent idea... for the rest of the night anyway," said Mina. She was tired of being disturbed by anything.

"As you wish," replied Jared.

He helped Mina set her tent back up and then the two of them crawled inside.

"As long as you stay on your side then there won't be a problem," said Mina.

"Fine with me," replied Jared.

He rolled onto his back, as close to the wall as he could get and closed his eyes.

"Hey!" said Mina.

"What?"

"Your tail is brushing against my legs."

"Oh, sorry," replied Jared. He pulled his tail up between his legs and held onto it.

He sighed and yawned, then rolled onto his side. He remembered all of his stuff that was in his tent was now spread out on the desert. He moaned and rolled onto his stomach.

"Hey, I need my sleep ya know?" said Mina again.

"Sorry," replied Jared.

It was going to be a long night.

The leader of the thugs kicked his partners awake. Without the luxury of tents they had been forced to sleep under the night sky without any sort of blankets, other than their natural fur coats. Most of them were cold and stiff and just wanted some breakfast.

"Don't worry, boys," said the leader," Once we kill that trooper and capture that slave girl, we'll have plenty to eat!"

The others laughed as they mounted their speeders and took off once again in the direction of the footprints.

Jared waved his arms and shouted as loudly as he could, but he was sure that his cries could not penetrate the thick hulls of the Desert Crawlers or the Hop Bots. He pulled out his blaster and fired into the air, and then in the direction of the crawlers. One of the Hop Bots changed direction and came at them. Jared put his gun away and waved his arms once more. The Hop Bot landed and three hyenas came out.

"What do you want?" asked one of them.

"And why did you shoot at us?" asked another.

Jared, now in his full armour, approached the hyenas," How far East are you going?"

"Far enough. Why do you want to know?" replied the first hyena.

"As far as Eighth Colony?" asked Jared.

"Yeah," said the third hyena, who hadn't spoken yet.

"I have money, and I was hoping to get transportation to Eighth Colony."

The three hyenas looked at each other and then took a few steps towards the Hop Bot. They formed a small huddle and whispered to each other. Finally they came back to Jared," How much?" asked the first hyena.

Jared fumbled through his bag and pulled out a credit chip," Ten thousand."

The hyenas once again formed their small huddle.

"You sure travel with some big bills there, trooper," said Mina.

"You never know when you might need to buy a slave girl," replied the trooper.

Mina put her hands on her hips and gave him a nasty look. He didn't have time to reply because the hyenas had returned," Okay, we'll take you as far as Eighth Colony. But you'll have to do some work for us too."

"Sounds fair," replied Jared.

"And another thing," said the third hyena.

"What?"

"How much do you want for your slave? She's pretty!"

Mina just walked up and slapped him," I'm no slave, and I'm not for sale you pig!" She walked up to the Hop Bot and climbed up the boarding ladder. jared just chuckled to himself and followed the hyenas into the Bot.

"She called me a pig," complained the hyena.

The other two just laughed.

"They're getting into the Hop Bot," said one of the thugs.

"Great. Those things have some armour on 'em, especially if they're old Venomian military War Bots," said the leader," I just hope they've stripped the weapons off it too."

"There's a total of four Desert Crawlers and six Bots. They're landing inside one of the crawlers now."

"We'll have to get inside. Scan the crawler and see what it's carrying."

"We've got some iron ore here," replied the thug with the binoculars.

"We'll tell them we need to buy some raw iron ore and they'll let us on board to inspect it," said the leader," It's flawless."

"You can't let them on board!" said Jared.

"Why not. They're here to buy off some of our ore," replied the chief worker of the crawler," I'm obligated to let them on board."

"They're the reason we're out here in the desert," said Jared," They're trying to kill me and take her away with them. You have to make up some sort of excuse."

"I'll try to stall them as long as possible, but I'm not promising anything."

"Thank you."

The hyena walked down the boarding ramp to meet with the thugs," I just called my headquarters and they said not to sell any ore. You can pick some up on another caravan about twelve miles South of here."

"I think we're going to get some right here!" said the leader. He shot the hyena and waved for the others to follow him up the ramp.

"Well I guess that didn't work," said Jared, who had been watching from one of the crawlers windows. He grabbed Mina by the arm and pulled her along the hallway," We need to get out of here quick!"

"Hey buddy! I can run by myself thanks," protested Mina.

Jared let go of her arm and let her pass him. He activated his individual field disruptor and drew his blaster, then continued after Mina.

"There they go!" shouted the leader of the thugs as they entered the hallway.

Laser blasts exploded around Jared and ricocheted off his shield as he ran down the hallway. One of the thugs open fire with a repeater gun, which rapidly launched tiny energy bolts at him. They peppered his shield and made bright sparks fly out of the walls, but he had to protect Mina. The two of them ran around a corner and Jared checked the power level of his shield. It was down to forty percent," Darned repeater guns!' he cursed.

"Will you be okay?" asked Mina.

"Yeah, for about another half-dozen shots."

More laser blasts came down the hallway ad shouts could be heard. The thugs were getting closer. Jared pointed at a door and Mina nodded. The two of them ran through it. Inside was the storage bay for the iron ore as well as a Hop Bot. Jared closed and bolted the door and looked around the room. There were no other doors except the one in the ceiling that allowed the Hop Bot to enter. There was a metal ladder leading up to the top of the Hop Bot where the top hatch lay open.

"Climb up the ladder," said Jared.

As Mina climbed, Jared found the switch to open the door and pulled it down. With a loud groaning sound the three curved doors worked their way open; their hydraulics screaming under the weight of the doors. As soon as the doors were fully open Jared ran towards the ladder.

Just then the thugs used an explosive to blow open the locked door. Jared was thrown several feet from the ladder by the explosion.

Warning! Shield power at critical level! said the voice from his shield system.

"Darn it!" shouted Jared. He jumped to his feet and scurried up the ladder. The thugs came in and spotted him instantly.

"Get him!" shouted the leader.

They opened fire once more. The shots bounced off the metal rungs of the ladder and some connected with Jared's shield. It soon failed, but Jared had reached the top. He was just about to jump through the hatch when the thug with the repeater gun aimed at him and fired. Jared stumbled backwards as the shots ripped through his shield and hit his armour. Smoke rose from the damaged armour and Jared dragged himself into the hatch.

Mina saw he was injured and closed the hatch. Jared managed to grab the controls and the Hop Bot took off into the sky. The blast from the engines powering up and firing at maximum burn turned the storage bay into a barbecue. The thugs were irradiated. It was finally over.

The Hop Bot landed several miles away from the caravan of Desert Crawlers. Mina helped the trooper down from the Hop Bot through the main access ramp and laid him down on the sand. His armoured chest was now black from blaster shots and his shoulder pad had been blown off by the repeater gun. He was bleeding all over the sand and Mina wasn't sure what to do. She removed his helmet and once again saw the familiar face that she strained to remember.

The trooper still had his bag slung over his back and Mina searched through it for something to use to stop his bleeding.

"I need to get your armour off," she said.

"I know. But It'll be tough. It's hard enough to get it on, let along get it off!" he replied.

Mina grabbed at the chest plate and pulled. The trooper gasped with pain and pushed her away. He sat up painfully and reached behind his back. He pushed a switch and the clamps on the side of his armour released. Mina then carefully removed the chest plate and set it down on the sand. The back plate came off just as easily and Mina set a blanket down so the trooper wouldn't burn his back on the hot sand.

She fumbled with the clips on his leg armour and pulled the pieces off one at a time. Meanwhile the trooper removed his arm pieces, then undid his codpiece and slid it down around his knees. Mina pulled it off and looked up. He was now wearing nothing except a pair of boxer shorts that had Arwings on them. His pure white fur was stained red and his shoulder and chest were drenched in blood. She took a water bottle and managed to clean up most of the blood with a small cloth. Once she had exposed the burns on his chest and shoulder she dabbed at it with some alcohol she found in his bag. He winced and gritted his teeth as the alcohol stung his wounds. Mina apologized again and again.

She tore a few pieces of clothing that he had in his bag and wrapped the strips around his wounds. Then she propped him up on his back and looked him over. The bleeding had stopped.

"There you go, " she said with a slight smile.

"Thank you," he grunted weakly.

"Now I guess we're ever then, huh?"

"Yeah," he smiled. Then his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

"Hello? Hello?! Oh my gosh, wake up!" she shook him, but he was totally out cold.

She grabbed the edges of the blanket and dragged him up the ramp," You'll fry out here," she said.

She left him in the main cargo bay and went outside to gather up his things. When she returned he had woken up.

"Oh, you're awake?" she was a bit surprised.

"Yeah. I kinda get used to losing a lot blood. I was wounded several times in the war, even worse than this," he said.

Mina just nodded and helped him up. He limped to the crew bunks and sat down on one.

"It's still the afternoon, but I need to rest. I think we could both use a good sleep. Nothing will disturb this thing at night either," assured the trooper.

Mina agreed and left him alone to sleep. She wasn't tired, just very hot. She walked outside for a few minutes and walked around the Hop Bot several times. Every time she passed the red stain in the sand she looked up at the Bot. He had saved her life three times now and she had just helped to save his. She looked down at her bloodstained clothes. There must be some clean clothes in the bag, she thought.

Mina ran back up the ramp and searched through the bag. She found a clean shirt and pulled it out. A small book fell out with the shirt. She opened the cover and her mouth dropped open with surprise. There were sketches in it. She kept flipping through it and looked at the drawings. They were pictures of soldiers and aircraft, people fighting, dying, fighters flying through the sky, explosions. She looked at the bottom of each page to see a familiar signature: Jared, with a swisty double-underline. She now realized why the face was so familiar. The trooper was Jared.

She got up and walked to where the bunks were. The trooper was still asleep. She didn't want to tell him that she knew right away, but she couldn't wait that long. He wouldn't be awake until the next day. She was so excited. Her old friend wasn't dead, but right here sleeping in front of her. She climbed up into the top bunk and tried to get herself to fall asleep. She wanted to drift off too and just wake up the next day and tell him everything. She tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like forever. Finally she fell asleep.

She woke up as the trooper sat up in bed, shaking the whole bunk," Ughh!" he moaned, still in pain from the wounds. He went to his bag to look for some pain killers and found his skecthpad lying open beside it. He picked it up and sniffed it. Mina had been looking at it. She must now know who he was. He looked up at her. She was looking down at him.

"Mina I..." he began.

"I know... Jared," she said," Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was... that is..." he stammered.

Mina jumped down from the bunk and hugged him tightly," I missed you so much! I was worried that you'd been killed or something!"

"I wasn't. I was still alive. I wouldn't do that to you," he said softly into her ear.

"Jared, I wanted to tell the trooper that..."

"I know," replied Jared, and he kissed her. She kissed him back. Jared began to cry happily. Mina smiled and wiped away his tears. They kissed again.

"I knew you'd come back, then we'd be together," she said happily.

"I thought about you all the time. Everything the `trooper' said about me was true. All true!" replied Jared.

They kissed for a few more minutes before they finally stopped," I'm going to take you back home, and then we can get married and move someplace nice like... oh, hmm, how does Katina sound?" said Jared excitedly.

"Woah! We're kind of jumping the gun here, right?" said Mina.

"I know," and he kissed her again," I'm just really excited right now. I'll start the engines."

He ran to the cockpit as Mina shook her head and smiled. The engines hummed to life and the Hop Bot took off for Eighth Colony.

The work crew of the remaining citizens of Eighth Colony looked up as the Hop Bot came soaring towards them. They all grouped together and came towards the Bot as it landed in the center of the colony. The engines died and the ramp extended, then two figures emerged. Mina's father's eyes lit up as he saw her coming down the ramp. He ran up and hugged her," Oh, Mina! You're alive!" then he saw Jared," Thank you so much! I can't thank you enough! I only wish I could give you something in return!"

"There is," Jared kissed Mina and smiled," Sir, I request permission to marry your beautiful daughter."

"Of course! Of course! Congratulations!" shouted Mina's father.

Mina and Jared kissed once more and then finally set foot on their home territory. Jared looked around but didn't see his parents anywhere. After meeting his old friends and other people he knew from the town, he and Mina went to his house. It was empty.

"Oh, I never told you did I" asked Mina.

"Tell me what?" asked Jared, anxious about what she was going to say.

"Your parents moved to live with your grandmother on Corneria. They were supposed to send you a message at the military but I guess you never got it."

Jared slapped his forehead," Oh no! Well, what do you say we go there for our honeymoon, eh honey?" smiled Jared.

"I thought Fortuna would be nice," said Mina.

"How 'bout both! I've still got plenty of money left over!"

The two held each other close. Jared looked into her eyes and took her into his old home, into his room, and finally painted her portrait.

THE END

ART IN ME
by Jars of Clay

Images on the sidewalk speak of dream's descent,
Washed away by storms to graves of cynical lament.
Dirty canvases to call my own,
Protest limericks carved by the old pay phone.

In your picture book I'm trying hard to see,
Turning endless pages of this tragedy.
Sculpting every move you compose a symphony,
You plead to everyone, "see the art in me".

Broken stained-glass windows, the fragments ramble on,
Tales of broken souls, an eternity's been won.
As critics scorn the thoughts and works of mortal man,
My eyes are drawn to you in awe once again.

In your picture book I'm trying hard to see,
Turning endless pages of this tragedy.
Sculpting every move you compose a symphony,
You plead to everyone, "see the art in me".

Back to Star Fox Stories

Characters: Jared, Mina, Gib Burrah.

Inanimate Objects: Titanis Special Forces, Invader II-b, Eighth Colony.

©1998 Cyberwulfe (CW Inc.)