Chapter Three
Ax had become a really strong, experienced Andalite veteran. He'd learned to be a light sleeper, and he came over to investigate right away, no questions asked. But even though he was a professional, he looked, to me, a bit put off and irritated by being woken up.
His monologue might have given me a bit of a hint to his irritation more than his general demeanor.
‹Stupid Skrit Na raider,› he muttered, ‹Should have asked Ondrean to try and get translator chips for everyone before we left. Now I have to wake up to interpret every little detail anytime this happens until we can acquire some...›
"Uhm, Aximili? You sort of said that out loud. All of it."
He blinked a few times rapidly. He was embarrassed, and turned a stalk eye toward me in a bit of a wave – a sort of apology. But then he was back to business. Without accidentally telling us all his dark, secret thoughts about what he thought of having so much human crew without training. Or translator chips.
"So what's the story?" I asked.
‹I am still looking it up, Prince Jake.›
"You know, you're a prince yourself now. You can stop calling me 'Prince Jake' unless you want me to start calling you 'Prince Aximili' – okay?"
He kept speaking to the computer and reading what was onscreen, ignoring my threat entirely. I got the feeling he really couldn't care less what I called him – I probably could have called him Pooh-Bah, for all that he cared.
Then, he threw all eyes forward. Andalites do not normally do that unless something's important – at least, the ones I know who are all part of the military. His tail shot up to his shoulders – not ready for a fight, but alert. Fully awake.
"What is it?" I asked impatiently. If it was important, he needed to be telling us, and he needed to be telling us now.
‹It is a team. Andalite and human, on one of the prototype Earth ships. Four crew, a small vessel. They had engine failure and the Skrit Na found them! They – the Skrit Na are attempting to trade them off to a zoo. And of course keep the technology which they can sell off the black market.›
"I don't get it," Leah said irritably. She hadn't had a chance to sleep yet, so she wasn't happy about what was starting to sound like a mission. "Why can't the Andalites just fight their way out?"
‹The improviso,› Ax explained. Patiently, all things considered. ‹Since they are in Kelbrid space now, they cannot fight for control of the spacecraft without causing political unease and perhaps even beginning a fight.›
"What about the Kelbrid?" I asked, "Can you, I don't know, surf around transmissions? See if they're giving Andalites permission to go after the crew? Or if the Kelbrid are going to go and get them? I mean, it's not the crew's fault they're out here."
‹Prince Jake, it is unlikely a decision would be made for months regarding the matter. More importantly, the spacecraft is relatively nearby. I believe we should look for them. Besides, perhaps someone will have seen the Blade Ship.›
I paused. It was true. Someone might know something. Failing that, we might bump into something on the way.
"Well," Marco said, jolting everyone, "If we go and find the human ship, we'll also have some more human rations until Ondrean gives us a call."
"Also – I totally startled you, Ax."
‹Did not,› Ax said defensively. Everyone knew it was a lie though, so Marco grinned.
"This will forever be known as the say humans snuck up on Andalites for the first time without morphing."
‹Did not!›
‹Did so. Look, are we going or not?› Tobias asked irritably.
Leah, Ax and I just gawked. We'd been trying to keep quiet.
‹Oh, come on,› Tobias said, exasperated, ‹Ax-man was talking in public thought-speak the entire time. When you're asleep it's like a megaphone in your head! So either we're going, and we're going right now, or we're not and I'm going back to sleep.›
Marco stifled a giggle. "You gave it away, Bir- uh, well, Tobias."
Tobias didn't seem particularly sensitive or upset about the near shot – his old name from being trapped in hawk morph.
Everything different. Everything the same. I wasn't sure what was going on, but Tobias seemed to be handling his status way differently than he would have back when he first turned hawk. Or how I would have imagined him acting when he realized he wasn't going to be able to morph ever again.
"Okay," I said, "Let's vote. My personal opinion is that we go – we can't leave humans and Andalites stuck as a zoo exhibit for a few months on end for the sake of politics."
"Go," Leah said, "Maybe they'll have some supplies I – I mean, we – need."
Marco and I stared at her. Leah turned red.
"Uhm. Okay," Marco laughed, but he didn't comment further. "I say we go for the supplies Leah – I mean we – need -"
Leah turned redder. I felt fairly sorry for her. Attempted really hard to not start giggling. At the idea of what could consist as an emergency out in the far regions of space.
"And because maybe some of them would be interested in helping us out as crew," he finished. Pleased with himself for finding something he could probably use against Leah the rest of her life.
‹Go,› Ax said, ‹The Andalites must already be embarrassed enough, getting stuck on a Skrit Na raider.›
‹Well, we really can't say 'no' can we?› Tobias wondered.
I sighed. "Okay," I said, "We go after the Skrit Na raider, get them, come back. How hard can it be? Let's get going in the morning, though. We need some sleep tonight if we're going to operate the Researcher safely."
Ax looked like he wanted to argue to leave immediately. But the truth is, space is so vast it wasn't like a few hours was going to hurt us much. Plus, the Researcher would travel faster than a Skrit Na raider in Z-space.
So instead, he turned to Leah.
‹Leah, what did Marco find so amusing about what you said?›
‹Ax!› Tobias said quickly, ‹I, uh, I'll explain later.›
At which point, Leah's face turned so red that Marco couldn't stop laughing until there were tears rolling down his face. Which left a few highly amused humans, one embarrassed human, and a confused and irritated Andalite to sleep until dawn.