Author's Note: I have been taking care of my fiance, including staying at the hospital with him, and so this latest chapter took a little more time to come out.

This chapter combines "The Dog Ship/First Sighting", "The Dog Ship/An Examination", and "The Dog Ship/Leaving".

Is that a fucking dog? I asked and all my family looked at me.

My three children were confused by the expletive I had used and didn't know what a dog was. My wife stared angrily at me, which is really creepy when the person staring has four eyes, because she knew that I had used an expletive.

I allowed most of my attention to stay on the dog shaped ship that had appeared on the scanners.

Show unknown ship on bridge. I commanded and there was a hologram of the strange ship floating around the bridge.

While the others looked at the hologram, I mentally reprimanded myself for my slip. I had grown very good at not saying Earth words. This had to be quickly learned as the other Andalites would notice one speaking oddly.

What's a dog? Enichonsho asked offhandedly as she went back to looking at the actual dog ship.

A species from a planet I visited once. I answered, hoping that other questions wouldn't follow.

Luckily that answer was enough for her and Inior went to making sure the ship wouldn't attack us.

What are the readings on the ship, Inior? I asked, though I already knew the answer. The ship was dead, it wouldn't cause us problems.

The ship is of an extinct species that I can't find on the Shormlit's database. Inior said. Or else you didn't bother putting it in the database. Or an exact reading of the species' ship was never gotten but you have data on the species.

I was glad that Inior didn't get into one of his technical rants. They usually ended with him saying how I needed to better manage the database on the Shormlit.

Is it active? I asked.

No. He replied. And it seems to have been dead for a long time. I don't know what Bob could possibly want from it.

That's why Eoptis, you, and Quio are going on the ship. Faniffoy replied. The Skrit Na aren't picky about what they gather, at least that's what it seems like.

So anything from this ship will satisfy the captain. I added.

Any specific weapon you want me to bring? Quio asked in a manner that was more bored than excited.

Tail-blade and shredder. I told her. There is no reason to get too excited.

I watched as the hologram flew around the bridge.

I had ordered Inior to look through the Shormlit's database while I watched the dog ship circle the bridge.

Halt, Unknown Ship. I said when the dog ship came in front of me. I was interested in it since we had first arrived. The ship looked like a dog from Earth.

Of course it had been a long time since I had seen a real dog. I'd make a joke about the dog ship looking like Lassie, but it looked like Snoopy.

Charlie not feeding you enough? I asked it. Guess he's too busy trying to kick that football.

I realized I had spoken out loud and checked to see if anyone had heard me. I knew if Faniffoy came then nothing would go wrong, but I didn't want her to know how much I longed for Earth.

Longing for Bruce was one thing, but being so weak that a simple television show could move me to thought-speak out loud was another. I had been through many battles and lost many men, I shouldn't react like this. A reaction like what I had just done should be reserved for something big, not something minor like Peanuts.

I controlled my breathing and looked at the dog ship in front of me. I thought of calling it the Snoopy Ship as McSnoopy was just too silly.

And the Snoopy Ship didn't deserve a silly name as it looked like it had taken a beating. One of its front paws seemed to have been blasted off. The other front paw looked like one of the two claws had been burned off from the inside.

The other big part that had been ruined was its butt.

Zoom in on rear. I said and the hologram zoomed in on its butt.

I couldn't tell what had attacked it. I didn't want to know since the damage was bad and actual people had died. A race that might not even exist now or were so few in numbers that the Shormlit's database didn't pull it up right away.

Father, Inior said over the Shormlit's speaker system. I found what the ship is.

Will it be safe to board? I asked offhandedly. I was still thinking about Snoopy and the fact it was one of my few original memories that I still had.

There was a pause and then Inior replied, Yes. But-

It being safe is all that's important at the moment. I explained. You can explain the important parts as you and I head towards the Banner to enter the Un-

Pemalite ship.

Pemalite ship. I said and was disappointed that my name of Snoopy Ship would now go unused by the rest of my family. Unless Faniffoy pretended to like the name.

I walked quickly towards the Fighter Bay with my son beside me.

I was concerned about entering the Pemalite ship as it was in a shape of disrepair. I started going over what morphs would help me out if things went wrong. I had made sure, before the Andalites had figured out what I was, to have all my children be morph capable. I also made sure to train them in the morphing ability as best I could.

I turned to Inior and asked, So what are the most important things about the Pemalite ship that I should know?

For a moment Inior looked embarrassed. Like he thought he had failed me. Then he regained his composure.

The Pemalites were a peace loving species. They were the ultimate pacifists. They resembled their ship. Inior said. The Pemalites are an extinct species that were killed off by Howlers. The Pemalite ship that the Skrit Na have asked us to look through is one of the few remaining pieces of that race.

So that's all that you know? I asked.

Yes, that's all.

We both entered the elevator and stood in silence. I took in this information as best I could.

I had been born and raised on a planet where alien life wasn't considered a reality. That beings other than humans lived in the universe was just a fantasy. Saber-toothed tigers and the dinosaurs were the biggest extinct species I had thought about. The difference being that they weren't sentient like the Pemalites.

Knowing that every species can die is something you learn as a child, or at least once you reach adulthood. Realizing that a species like the Andalites has the same chances of survival as a Saber-toothed tiger is just unnerving.

I'm sorry, Father. Inior said and one of my stalk eyes turned to look at him.

You think I'm mad about you not knowing everything about an extinct species? I then thought for a few seconds. You don't think you measure up to Quio. You don't like seeing yourself bested by a girl.

Inior turned all of his eyes downward.

Some are meant to fight and others are meant to help those who fight. I told Inior. What you do is just as important as any fighter. In fact, what you do is more important. You allow fighters to have the information they need for their victories.

I checked to see that we were close to the level where the Fighter Bay was located.

Quio hasn't been in her first battle yet. I said and turned all my eyes on my son. You can think you're brave. Believe you're fearless. But when you're faced with death you realize you're extremely weak.

Is that how you felt when you first fought? Inior asked. Hope in his thought-speak.

Yes. I told Inior, but I wasn't thinking of my first battle with the Yeerks. I was thinking of the first time I saw Bruce turn into the other guy, the Hulk. Then I had to help the man that was two find a cure for his sickness. A cure that took three months to find. A cure that still left him turning all big and green when angry, but allowed him to do that while not randomly turning him that way with a touch of amnesia. And the sickness was odd even by Andalite standards.

I had found out I wasn't brave and had then acquired bravery I didn't think I had in me.

As the elevator doors opened, Inior and myself both turned to face the opening doors.

You'll do fine. I told Inior in private thought-speak and then we walked down the hallway that would eventually lead to the Fighter Bay.