Chronicles of Terrus Chapter 9: Flight of consequence
Current location: Modified bug fighter/cargo vessel en route to Andalite crash site
(Kindly written from the point of view of Eliza 388, Who offered me her view of the events.)
I was just sitting there in the back of the bug fighter, hidden among the crates and equipment,messing with an HK and watching Serri sitting in his chair and piloting the ship. I enjoy watching him. He's very smart and not afraid to run away from a fight if it means victory in the long run. But I don't mean he's a coward, far from it. He hardly ever gets truly angry except when provoked and one of the most..he's a bit arrogant and I won't shy from saying I like that about him.
There's something between him and I, something more than just our friendship. There's always been something more with us. I just didn't recognize it until he... Anyway, I was enjoying watching Terrus and Heyo distracting themselves with the two, yes TWO, weapons stations. They're friends but sometimes we're all a little rough with each other, especially Heyo and Serri.
Serri and Heyo have a rivalry. They have since the first time our teams competed during training. I've had to seperate them a few times now. If you ask me how I feel about my team, well I'm a bit TOO caring. Don't read me wrong, I CAN be harsh at times. One such time was an hour ago in the storage room. Terrus shot Heyo unconcious because he was annoying her and I shouted at her for that.
I don't mean to say that I'm scared of Terrus. I'm just wary around her. She's young and a very skilled fighter, but she's reckless and impulsive and impatient and yes, even a little cruel at times...Yet she's also my best friend. She's supportive and nice and funny and I'm the same towards her as well as to everyone else. The single fact that we're best friends makes up for everything that's happened, and everything that will happen.
Eliza 388 is my name, and I'm what most would call a peace-keeper. But I'm not afraid to fight when I have to. "Eliza. Liz?" I looked up to see Heyo towering over me. He'll never let this nickname thing go.
I gave him a smile to let him know I wasn't upset and asked "What do you want this time?" He grinned and lazily sliced the air with his wrist blades. "Liz? It's cute." I take joy in every second of life, so I wasn't about to take away HIS joy. "I'm glad you find my nickname cute but you don't need to keep commenting on it..Unless you're infatuated with me as well."
"There's times when I think the darkap is infatuated with ME." Terrus said as she came over to stand next to him. She was shaking, she'd been shaking since we first boarded. Serri dropping the ship off the landing platform on take off (The thrusters were faulty) didn't help her feel any better.
I smiled at her and said "If any of us die first in a crash it'll be Heyo." Of course I don't mean that. Heyo switched his glare between the two of us. "Well if this ship is hit and a part of the wall is destroyed and I happen to be the only one about to be sucked out, I'll grab Terrus on the way."
I put down the HK and stood up. I smiled at them both and said "If you grab Terrus on the way out, I'll hold on to both of you until the crash landing."
Terrus growled and stated "I never need saving. I always have things under control."
I laughed and put a hand on her shoulder as I went past them to the front of the ship. "Of course." I said quietly.
Reaching Serri, I just stood next to him for a few seconds and looked through the viewport at the trees going by and the blurry terrain beneath us.
It's beautiful. I glanced to my right at Serri. Does he- He looked over at me and grinned. "It's beautiful liz." HOW? He stared at me for more seconds than somebody flying a ship should so I pointed foward out the viewport which caused him to mutter 'dapsen' and resumed his piloting. I grinned back but on the inside, I was conflicted. What does he really mean? The planet is beautiful? My host or..does he mean me?
Yeerk mean liz Hello Haran. He means me? Yes. Yeerk no like Haran. Obvious. Yeerk like yeerk I'm talking to you when I shouldn't be. But..Terrus spoke to her host to find out about the Andalites. She of all Yeerks spoke to her host so it's ok for me to be speaking to mine. He thought about that for a second before saying Yeerk Eliza speak to Haran for months Yes but I know it's acceptable now.
I pulled myself out of my mind and asked Serri "How long until we get to the first crash site?" He grinned and replied "Five minutes. But I believe you should be more interested in who else is there still, or will be there, or was already there," He paused, looked back at Heyo and Terrus and added quietly "And where the crash site is located." I glanced over my shoulder at them too before saying "What are you telling me that you won't tell them? this is a team. Whatever it is, you HAVE to tell them."
The grin faded and he said quietly "The crash site we're going to is in the mists."
The mists. Full of genetic mutations created by the Arn to keep the..well, all Yeerks know of it, but nobody ever goes there anymore. Not since the massacre of the Arn. Too many Yeerks died in there. Oh. "I'll tell them."
Terrus will be happy to have things to fight and kill. She won't worry so much about her fear of flying. I turned around again and went back over to the back of the ship to tell them about the mists and was met with a terrible sight. Terrus and Heyo were fighting! I hurried over to them and stopped just outside striking distance. This can't be happening now!
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I shouted. Terrus turned instantly towards me and Heyo slashed for her neck. I stepped forward and thrust my left arm out, catching his attack on my blades. "Both of you STOP." I told them. Terrus pushed me back and they resumed fighting.
The ship rocked and I heard Serri from behind me, still piloting, yell back "I hear yelling and the sounds of blades so whatever it is you three are doing you should stop doing it. Now isn't the best time!"
Once again I wondered what he really meant, and why the ship had rocked. I hadn't realized that the ships thrusters were much louder than..just before the ship had rocked! I darted around Terrus and grabbed a dracon beam, then stepped back and aimed. "Please stop. We're being chased and I don't want to do this. Whatever the issue is that caused you two to fight you can work it out without killing each other! I don't want to have to put you unconcious."
Heyo slashed Terrus in the leg and chest, knocked her off balance and took the next two seconds to turn towards me and slice off my left dracon holding claw. I growled and hissed from the pain, dim, but still it hurt enough to cry out. But no, it hadn't really been ME crying out. Haran think Yeerk Eliza kill Yeerk Heyo now
I was going to respond when the ship suddenly went completely sideways for two seconds and the three of us (and the equipment) flew left into the wall. The ship leveled out again and I glanced to the left, Serri flying, I looked to my right, Terrus and Heyo STILL going at each other! I heard Serri again "Somebody get on the undership beam controls now! I'm dodging their cannon rounds easily enough but their beam weapons are taking down the shields VERY quickly and I'm NOT dodging THEM easily. I don't want to speed up for fear of crashing into one of these darkap giant trees, which is funny because I'm using them for cover right now."
Who needs me more? Serri or them? Ship crash, all die. Haran said simply.
Thank you I said as I stumbled left to the front of the ship.
I reached Serri and supported myself with his chair as he threw the ship into another violent turn. "SERRI! Those two are trying to kill each other back there! HEYO CUT OFF MY HAND!" Serri angled the ship up and I saw from the front viewport a tree branch three times bigger than the ship go by and felt it scrape the bottom of the vessel. An alarm sounded and Serri growled out "Hand loss, it'll grow back! Nevermind the undership beam weapons now! The darkap branch took off the turret!"
Despite the situation I smiled "I never payed attention to the ship weapons station usage anyway," I looked back again at the rear of the ship just long enough to confirm..they're still fighting. Right against the ship ramp. "Does this ship take voice commands or will I have to activate the observational panels myself?"
The ship bucked again as it took another hit to the shields. I kept my eyes down on the back of the chair. I didn't want to look through the viewport and see another near death maneuver. Serri tapped a holokey and said quickly "Voice commands. It's one of the newer models. Whatever you're going to do, do it FAST. No..FIRST go through the terminal on your right and scan the vessel behind us. See what kind it even is. It's keeping up with us so I'd guess it's a bug fighter varient like us but just to be sure. If you get a scan on it you'll be able to get tactical readouts too."
Despite myself I looked up, right when the ship dived under another massive branch and sped left around the tree. I stepped up on Serris right side to the terminal and clicked through the files and functions. Why can't there just be a key that says 'scan enemy ship'? I heard Serri hiss beside me as another beam hit our bug fighter.
I hissed to myself and shouted "I can't figure out how to target the ship and scan it!" He tensed up and his head snapped right to glare at me and he shouted back "ARE YOU SERIOUS? . STOP MESSING WITH THE TERM AND DO IT." Unbelievable. I punched him and yelled "YOU TOLD ME TO MESS WITH THE TERMINAL! FINE,"
"Ship computer, target enemy vessel. Scan and state vessel classification and shield levels. Also please activate the rear walls observation panels." The ship rocked three times in quick succession and a completely calm female voice replied to me "Instructions confirmed. Pursuing vessel is bug fighter in origin. Sensors indicate it has undergone changes to allow for maximum effeciency in stealth and speed. Enemy vessel shield levels are at 100 percent. Now activating specified observation panels."
I held onto the terminal like my life depended on it as the ship began flying upward until it was angled completely vertical. "STOP GOING UP." I yelled at Serri while looking down at Terrus and Heyo lying flat against the back of the ship. The latter seemed to be unconcious.
Right then the observation panels activated and from my point of view it looked as if the whole ships rear had been vaporized and they were being supported by nothing but air. The enemy bug fighter was flying straight up with us and getting closer every second. I was surprised to see we were well above the trees and valleys.
A beam lanced out from the pursuing ship and hit the rear shields full on. Terrus looked down at it, then stared up at me in utter terror and shouted "I KNOW I GET IT I WAS WRONG. COMPLETELY WRONG. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRIED TO KILL HEYO AND I WON'T TRY IT AGAIN! IF YOU LEVEL THE SHIP I'LL TURN DESHA'S VESSEL TO PIECES OF TWISTED RAMONITE."
"ARE YOU SURE IT'S DESHA?" I shouted down to her. "DOES IT MATTER? TELL SERRI .THE SHIP" Terrus yelled angrily.
Serri shouted from beside me "ALREADY ON IT. BRACE YOURSELVES."
"BRACE MYSELF ON WHAT?" Terrus and I shouted at the same time.
The ship leveled out finally and I loosened my hold on the terminal. I really shouldn't have. In the next 3 seconds the ship accelerated again and I found myself flying backwards, my flight was softened when I smashed into Terrus, pinning her against the back wall. Our ship was flying straight down now!
I looked up behind me through the ships transparent wall and began, "Ship computer, turn off observa..." The enemy ship was arching to follow us. I threw a millisecond glance down at the huge trees rushing up to meet us and concentrated on the vessel behind us again. It fired four times with the main dracon beams, each landed dead on and another alarm sounded from within our ship.
Serri announced angrily "THE SHIELDS ARE NOW AT 5 PERCENT." The ships computers said the same in an annoyingly cool tone. I shouted to Serri, "Elim maneuver!" and he replied with a hiss and an "If you say so." Terrus muttered from behind me, "You're crazy..I don't want to share a ship with you.."
"Don't worry. It will work this time." I replied. I hope. Elim is such a risky move it's almost never used in training sessions. Serri yelled out "Elim maneuver initiating in...NOW!"
As the ship came to a halt, Terrus and I flew forward and I was pinned against the back of Serri's chair by her. I looked back again at the end of the ship just in time to see our pursuers flash forward underneath our vessel. I mentally tracked it's progress and looked down through the forward viewports. It was rushing ahead to the mists!
I heard Serri quickly say "Ship computer, divert power from thrusters, shields, EVERYTHING and put it into our forward dracon beams and fire on that darkap fighter."
"Understood. Power is diverted. Options are now available. Fire continuously or initiate single full power strike?" The ship asked.
Serri, Terrus and I yelled roughly the same thing. "JUST FIRE!"
Our ship hung in mid air, the dracon beams rained down to hit the enemy craft seven times, causing the back of it to be vaporized. I watched it as it got smaller and smaller until it leveled out and glided forward, disappearing into the mists.
Everything was silent in the ship except for the sound of the thrusters. I looked around and spotted Heyo to my right with crates against him and cells scattered everywhere. To my left side there were dracon weapons and the skimmers on the viewport, with the HKs laying next to them. Serri was completely unmoving in his chair. "Can you put the ship even again please?" I asked. He didn't say a word as he righted the ship.
I pushed Terrus off me and stood up. "Serri?" He didn't respond for several seconds so I tried again. "Serri? Take your claws off the controls, it's over. Everything is fine. Please talk to me." He just sat there, staring straight ahead. I saw Terrus starting over to check on Heyo but I grabbed her arm and said, "You help Serri. I don't need you trying to finish off Heyo." She grinned and said "I told you I wouldn't try to kill him again. I wasn't just saying that out of terror."
I let go of her arm and went over to Heyo. "I know." I said, more to myself than to her. "I'm sorry I had to scare you with the observation panels. That was terrible of me to do." I pushed a crate off Heyo and shook him a few times and got no response. I looked over my shoulder at Serri and Terrus. She was trying (and failing) to get him to talk or move. I left Heyo and went back to Serri. I put myself right infront of him, grabbed his face with my right hand and looked into his eyes"Things are okay now. Everyone's safe. I'm safe I'm right here with you and Terrus is here too. PLEASE. Do something to show me you're still alive."
He kept staring as if I wasn't even there. I felt hopeless and sad. What if he doesn't come out of this? What's going on? Why won't he even respond to ME? I stood up and looked at Terrus meaningfully, hoping she'd understand. She grinned and before I even knew what had happened, she'd pulled back her hand and punched him in the side of the head.
He instantly jumped up and swung around to face her. Being behind him, I couldn't see his expression or his eyes, but the grin left Terrus's face and she took a few steps back. She tried to sound cheerful and said "Oh look he moved. Mission accomplished Eliza." He took a step towards her and she stepped back even more. She tried again with the cheeriness "So..you..good job flying! You really showed everyone here why you passed the piloting courses..."
She looked past him at me in a silent plea for help. I just smiled at her and raised my left arm, effectively saying: Get out of this one yourself. Unfortunately, she misinterpreted it as 'I'm going to die' and smiled uncertainly at Serri. "Really, the piloting was amazing...you're going to kill me now aren't you?" He raised a bladed arm and I stepped forward and spun him around to face me.
"Nobody is killing anybody else here." I told him firmly. He grinned at me and I realized he'd been messing with Terrus. I tried hard not to smile but I did anyway and Terrus saw. She came over and patted his arm, then whisperered to him "I really do think the piloting was..perfect. I'll leave you two alone and just go gather up the weapons and equipment and put in the back of the ship again."
She went about picking of the cells and moving the crates around, and making alot of noise doing it. I stared at Serri for a few seconds and then grabbed his arm and moved him back onto his chair. I positioned myself infront of him again and said quietly "Serri, you still haven't talked. You need to talk, at least to me." He laughed and shook his head.
"You know you're an amazing pilot Serri. You are. We're all alive and safe because of you." I told him. "You could all be dead because of me." His voice, already a whisper, was almost inaudible when he'd said 'dead'. "I don't want this. I don't want to be the one to kill you. I don't want the responsibility of having everyones life in my claws just by being in the pilots chair."
Poor Serri. "If not you then who else?" I asked softly. He stared so I continued on. "I would rather it be you who gets us all killed than some random darkap I don't even know."
Terrus shouted from the back of the ship "I don't see how that's supposed to comfort him. Or ME."
Serri grinned and shouted back "Stay out of the conversation miss." Terrus growled and went back to organizing the equipment. I smiled at Serri and said "Serri..Are you feeling up to flying again now? We need to get down into the mists and see about that bug fighter and then we still need to go to the Andalite crash sites." I saw the same blankness cross over his features and saw the fear in his eyes. He stared past me, through me again for five seconds before grinning and saying "No chase this time. Just easy flying. Not a problem."
I moved to stand on his left side and I put my hand on his shoulder. "Yes. Just easy flying. It's okay." He tentatively placed his claws around the control sticks and then looked at me. I smiled and reassured him gently "It's okay Serri. Nobody will be hurt. You won't crash. I promise. You're the best pilot I've ever known." Terrus came up on his right side and said loudly "Everything is all neatly placed back there...Darkap ship computer, deactivate the observation panels in the back of the ship. Now."
"Understood. Complying. May I make an inquiry?" An inquiry? The SHIP? Terrus laughed and said simply "Go ahead."
The female voice droned out, "Your pilot does not appear to be functioning correctly. If he is unable to pilot the ship, my programming allows me access to all systems aboard this vessel. I am able to preform the functions of any Yeerk pilot. Would you prefer to authorize me to assume control of the bug fighter? Given your pilots state, I would highly suggest-" Terrus cut her, it, off and said quickly "That won't be necessary. Our pilot is in perfect condition. Isn't he Eliza?"
Serri grinned at me and said in a mock tone. "I'm perfect. I'm the greatest pilot in the universe." Terrus laughed and told him "Don't be so arrogant. You sound like an Andalite." He laughed back at her and stated "Well, If I'm Andalite then I'm sure I'm the best Andalite ever." "Undoubtedly Serri. Are you ready?" I asked with a smile.
He gave a simple "Yes" and took us down to the mists.