Chapter 9
Cassie
I stood on all four legs of my wolf morph at the back of the assault shuttle, steady as the thrusters dropped us out of the hangar and accelerated towards the derelict Kelbrid cruiser. We'd dropped out of Z-space right when and where we were supposed to, found the two dead ships floating right where we expected, but something still wasn't sitting right with me. I wasn't afraid - I'd done this too many times to feel real fear. Add to the fact that there was a bengal tiger to my left, sixteen hardened space marines in front of me, and Dron to my right, and I was actually fairly comfortable. It wasn't that. 'It's too easy,' my brain warned. 'Too perfect. I don't know what to expect, but I'm ready. Gotta be ready.'
When we reverted to normal space and saw both ships figuratively dead in the water, we'd quickly decided to go with plan A. Tobias would go on the rescue mission to the boys on our ship with the medics and computer techs; me, Jake, and Dron were to accompany the marines to assault the Kelbrid ship; Rachel and Marco, along with the rest of their squadron, were to fly cover for the whole double-pronged operation. There weren't any windows on the assault shuttle I occupied, and there wasn't any sound in space, but the quiet isolation was almost driving me mad. After what felt like forever, there was a clang-bump as our shuttle docked with the Kelbrid battleship and the hull seals automatically started to equalize the pressure between the two vessels. Marines checked their weapons and gear methodically. Dron inched forward toward the door, his shredder-rifle not exactly aimed at anything but ready to be anywhere, all four of his eyes focused on the pressurized door.
(Make sure the soldiers are set for stun,) Dron reminded me and Jake privately, and Jake did so. He didn't say anything more, which surprised me - usually he had some last minute advice before a fight. I realized he was used to fighting with us - me, Tobias, Rachel, and Marco. These were marines. This was what they did. They didn't need a kid, war hero or not, telling them their business, and I admired the way Jake adapted to the situation.
The door controls began beeping rapidly, and there was a hiss of air as they finally slid open. I was in the back, so I couldn't see through the soldiers lined up in front of us, but I heard the shooting start at once. Two different sets of weapons began fighting for dominance. I heard the high-pitched whine of Earth weapons, which were based on Andalite design, and what sounded like a never-ending staccato of low whum whum whum, which began to overwhelm the wolf's amazing sense of hearing. Jake slid through the men in front of him like a ghost and began shouting orders immediately. I'd have followed him right away, but the Kelbrid weapons were getting closer and the noise was like putting my poor wolf brain in a blender. It was utterly overwhelmed, and in a moment of clarity, I understood. Not all weapons were made of projectiles or energy beams - right back on earth there were a number of devices made only to disorient the target. My wolf brain was screaming in pain, and I had no other choice - demorph. Demorph to get into the fight.
As I demorphed, I realized that this would be one of the only times I'd fought in my human body. Funny, that. I'd been fighting for what seemed like a lifetime, but I don't ever recall shooting a gun or throwing a punch. As I fully resumed my human shape, I realized that most of the Earth weapons and just about all of Kelbrid weapons had stopped singing. I also realized that I was the only person left in the assault shuttle, if you didn't count the four or five marines who were motionless on the floor. I quelled the sick feeling in my stomach, vowing to secure the ship and then get back to them right away to see if there was anything I could do to help them. I picked up one of the fallen rifles, marvelling at how heavy and powerful it felt. I hesitated at the door of the shuttle - the fact that everything I knew about guns came from TV or movies made me stutter-step, but I had to push on. Jake could be hurt, they might need help...I charged out into the Kelbrid ship, swinging the rifle wildly in both directions down the hallway, which was empty. 'Which way? Right or left?' I asked myself. A not-so-Cassie voice answered; 'Just follow the bodies.'
Not-so-Cassie was not-so-nice, but she was right. Kelbrids littered the floor to the right, so I ran that way, jumping over them as I went. I saw at least two stir, but I ignored them. "Jake!" I cried. I couldn't help it. Have you ever been lost at the mall when you were a kid, or at an amusement park, or anywhere? Terrifying for anyone. Now multiply it by about a thousand and you got what I was feeling at that moment. "Jake!"
(I'm here,) Jake replied as he sauntered his tiger body around a corner. I was so relieved that I ran to him and threw two human arms around his neck - a strange sight for the marines and Dron, to be sure. (What happened?) he asked me, not accusingly or angrily, but out of genuine curiousity and concern.
"Those guns they had...they drove my wolf crazy." Jake nodded his tiger head, as if to say he'd had a problem with it too. "I couldn't think, see, or hear, and by the time I had demorphed, I was by myself. I tried, Jake, I'm sorry," I finished in a rush.
I could have sworn that tiger smiled at me. He nudged the gun in my hand with his nose and said, (I can see that.) I dropped the rifle with a clatter as he continued. (Turns out those guns of theirs are just concentrated blasts of mostly air, probably some energy too. I guess they use them on their ships so they don't damage anything. All of our guys that were hit should be okay - maybe some broken bones and bruises, but nothing fatal. But Cassie, it was worth it. We hit the jackpot,) he said as he began demorphing. The humans with us stared, and I had to remind myself that morphing was still sort of taboo on Earth. He finished and almost absentmindedly reached down to acquire one of the knocked-out Kelbrid. I followed suit, feeling the familiar sensation of the process, and then I followed him and Dron to what I assumed was the cockpit. The two of them were almost skipping, and I soon found out why.
(I've gotten the Captain's holo-log working,) Dron told me as we entered the cockpit, which looked pretty much like any other spaceship's bridge I'd been on. (This ship was on a secret communications mission. They were to contact several Kelbrid battle groups in person in order to keep communications from being intercepted. There are two really great things that this holo-log tells us. One is that this ship was not to have any sort of contact with anyone other that the planned communiques to the battle groups. The battle groups are awaiting the messages this ship was delivering, but they don't know what the messages are or when they're coming.)
"That's awesome news," I said. "We have some time to work, and we also have room in there for a lot of improv. You said you found out two things. What's the second?"
"The captain of this ship was supposed to self-destruct it if any deviation from their plan took place. Apparently, the EMP knocked out their self-destruct device before they could activate it. The Kelbrid either expect this ship to finish its mission or be destroyed," Jake said, talking in the fast way he did when he was excited.
"But we don't have to do either," I said. "We're not going to let it carry out that mission."
(Think bigger,) Dron interrupted. (By all means, this ship should deliver messages to the battle groups. But it's going to be our ship instead of theirs, and our messages -)
"Instead of theirs," Jake finished. He smiled and actually clapped as he turned around to face the marines. "All right, boys, lets round these Kelbrid up and lock 'em in the cargo hold. Tonin, you contact the Admiral for me and let him know what's up. Yeah, there's a big fight brewing, but the Kelbrid just handed us Excalibur."
Cassie
I stood on all four legs of my wolf morph at the back of the assault shuttle, steady as the thrusters dropped us out of the hangar and accelerated towards the derelict Kelbrid cruiser. We'd dropped out of Z-space right when and where we were supposed to, found the two dead ships floating right where we expected, but something still wasn't sitting right with me. I wasn't afraid - I'd done this too many times to feel real fear. Add to the fact that there was a bengal tiger to my left, sixteen hardened space marines in front of me, and Dron to my right, and I was actually fairly comfortable. It wasn't that. 'It's too easy,' my brain warned. 'Too perfect. I don't know what to expect, but I'm ready. Gotta be ready.'
When we reverted to normal space and saw both ships figuratively dead in the water, we'd quickly decided to go with plan A. Tobias would go on the rescue mission to the boys on our ship with the medics and computer techs; me, Jake, and Dron were to accompany the marines to assault the Kelbrid ship; Rachel and Marco, along with the rest of their squadron, were to fly cover for the whole double-pronged operation. There weren't any windows on the assault shuttle I occupied, and there wasn't any sound in space, but the quiet isolation was almost driving me mad. After what felt like forever, there was a clang-bump as our shuttle docked with the Kelbrid battleship and the hull seals automatically started to equalize the pressure between the two vessels. Marines checked their weapons and gear methodically. Dron inched forward toward the door, his shredder-rifle not exactly aimed at anything but ready to be anywhere, all four of his eyes focused on the pressurized door.
(Make sure the soldiers are set for stun,) Dron reminded me and Jake privately, and Jake did so. He didn't say anything more, which surprised me - usually he had some last minute advice before a fight. I realized he was used to fighting with us - me, Tobias, Rachel, and Marco. These were marines. This was what they did. They didn't need a kid, war hero or not, telling them their business, and I admired the way Jake adapted to the situation.
The door controls began beeping rapidly, and there was a hiss of air as they finally slid open. I was in the back, so I couldn't see through the soldiers lined up in front of us, but I heard the shooting start at once. Two different sets of weapons began fighting for dominance. I heard the high-pitched whine of Earth weapons, which were based on Andalite design, and what sounded like a never-ending staccato of low whum whum whum, which began to overwhelm the wolf's amazing sense of hearing. Jake slid through the men in front of him like a ghost and began shouting orders immediately. I'd have followed him right away, but the Kelbrid weapons were getting closer and the noise was like putting my poor wolf brain in a blender. It was utterly overwhelmed, and in a moment of clarity, I understood. Not all weapons were made of projectiles or energy beams - right back on earth there were a number of devices made only to disorient the target. My wolf brain was screaming in pain, and I had no other choice - demorph. Demorph to get into the fight.
As I demorphed, I realized that this would be one of the only times I'd fought in my human body. Funny, that. I'd been fighting for what seemed like a lifetime, but I don't ever recall shooting a gun or throwing a punch. As I fully resumed my human shape, I realized that most of the Earth weapons and just about all of Kelbrid weapons had stopped singing. I also realized that I was the only person left in the assault shuttle, if you didn't count the four or five marines who were motionless on the floor. I quelled the sick feeling in my stomach, vowing to secure the ship and then get back to them right away to see if there was anything I could do to help them. I picked up one of the fallen rifles, marvelling at how heavy and powerful it felt. I hesitated at the door of the shuttle - the fact that everything I knew about guns came from TV or movies made me stutter-step, but I had to push on. Jake could be hurt, they might need help...I charged out into the Kelbrid ship, swinging the rifle wildly in both directions down the hallway, which was empty. 'Which way? Right or left?' I asked myself. A not-so-Cassie voice answered; 'Just follow the bodies.'
Not-so-Cassie was not-so-nice, but she was right. Kelbrids littered the floor to the right, so I ran that way, jumping over them as I went. I saw at least two stir, but I ignored them. "Jake!" I cried. I couldn't help it. Have you ever been lost at the mall when you were a kid, or at an amusement park, or anywhere? Terrifying for anyone. Now multiply it by about a thousand and you got what I was feeling at that moment. "Jake!"
(I'm here,) Jake replied as he sauntered his tiger body around a corner. I was so relieved that I ran to him and threw two human arms around his neck - a strange sight for the marines and Dron, to be sure. (What happened?) he asked me, not accusingly or angrily, but out of genuine curiousity and concern.
"Those guns they had...they drove my wolf crazy." Jake nodded his tiger head, as if to say he'd had a problem with it too. "I couldn't think, see, or hear, and by the time I had demorphed, I was by myself. I tried, Jake, I'm sorry," I finished in a rush.
I could have sworn that tiger smiled at me. He nudged the gun in my hand with his nose and said, (I can see that.) I dropped the rifle with a clatter as he continued. (Turns out those guns of theirs are just concentrated blasts of mostly air, probably some energy too. I guess they use them on their ships so they don't damage anything. All of our guys that were hit should be okay - maybe some broken bones and bruises, but nothing fatal. But Cassie, it was worth it. We hit the jackpot,) he said as he began demorphing. The humans with us stared, and I had to remind myself that morphing was still sort of taboo on Earth. He finished and almost absentmindedly reached down to acquire one of the knocked-out Kelbrid. I followed suit, feeling the familiar sensation of the process, and then I followed him and Dron to what I assumed was the cockpit. The two of them were almost skipping, and I soon found out why.
(I've gotten the Captain's holo-log working,) Dron told me as we entered the cockpit, which looked pretty much like any other spaceship's bridge I'd been on. (This ship was on a secret communications mission. They were to contact several Kelbrid battle groups in person in order to keep communications from being intercepted. There are two really great things that this holo-log tells us. One is that this ship was not to have any sort of contact with anyone other that the planned communiques to the battle groups. The battle groups are awaiting the messages this ship was delivering, but they don't know what the messages are or when they're coming.)
"That's awesome news," I said. "We have some time to work, and we also have room in there for a lot of improv. You said you found out two things. What's the second?"
"The captain of this ship was supposed to self-destruct it if any deviation from their plan took place. Apparently, the EMP knocked out their self-destruct device before they could activate it. The Kelbrid either expect this ship to finish its mission or be destroyed," Jake said, talking in the fast way he did when he was excited.
"But we don't have to do either," I said. "We're not going to let it carry out that mission."
(Think bigger,) Dron interrupted. (By all means, this ship should deliver messages to the battle groups. But it's going to be our ship instead of theirs, and our messages -)
"Instead of theirs," Jake finished. He smiled and actually clapped as he turned around to face the marines. "All right, boys, lets round these Kelbrid up and lock 'em in the cargo hold. Tonin, you contact the Admiral for me and let him know what's up. Yeah, there's a big fight brewing, but the Kelbrid just handed us Excalibur."