A/N: I would like to thank Shawna (Ami of Destiny) for giving me the name Miaker. Thank you!!!
Chapter 3
After Jake and I heard Ax's thoughtspeech, we stood up and started toward the bridge. We had been talking about everything, as well as doing some very preliminary planning for our wedding. I had not been able to stop smiling.
We entered onto the bridge and saw Sandra, Marco, Tom, Jeanne, Santorelli, General Doubleday, Yahal, Ax, and Menderash already there. A few moments later, Toby walked in followed by Tobias and Rachel.
I believe that I have learned how to unfreeze the Mercora. However, I do not know because these controls are so ancient and different, Ax announced.
"Just go ahead and try," Jake said.
Using a mixture of both thoughtspeak and typing instructions on control pads, Ax gave a series of instructions. We all heard a clicking noise and a whoosh of air, and a green light started blinking on the control pad. Ax looked at us.
It worked. They have started to come out of their frozen states, said Ax.
"Rachel, Marco, will both of you please morph something that can do something if these Mercora turn out to be not very nice? And Toby, Yahal, and Ax, will you please stand at the front?" Jake asked.
I watched as shaggy brown fur sprouted from Rachel's shoulders that were growing broader by the minute. Her face was still human, thought, when her teeth grew long and sharp. She looked like a strange vampire. Then, her face bulged outwards, she fell forward to all fours, and wicked claws grew from her toes and fingers. After a minute or so, she completed the morph.
The first thing to happen to Marco was that his arms grew long and his knuckles dragged against the floor. Then his spine curved, causing him to hunch over. His stomach and chest grew thick, muscled, and rubbery. His mouth sprouted outward and hair finally began to grow. I'm finished, he said after a few more minutes.
He and Rachel moved toward the front of the hall, near where Ax, Yahal, and Toby were standing. We waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Marco finally turned to Ax. Ax-man, you're sure that this is working? It's taking forever!
It should be Marco. The computer files tell me that there are close to two hundred Mercora in there, so it is understandable that it is taking a while.
We stood in tense silence. No one said anything, all too busy wondering what was to happen. The mist inside the holding tanks started to filter out of the cages and dissipate into the normal air. Slowly, so slowly. Marco clenched and unclenched his gorilla hands, and Tom's hand found Jeanne's hand. Jake turned to me and hugged me. Tobias looked at Rachel's grizzly bear morph. Sandra moved to be right behind Marco.
Slowly.
At long last, Tobias shouted out. Whoa!
What? What was it? Rachel demanded.
That big one in front's eye opened for a moment, and then it closed again, I think, Tobias said.
Which eye? asked Marco.
We grinned, but it was still slightly forced. Then, it was my turn to gasp. "I saw it too," I said. "It did it again."
We stared patiently at the Mercora, until finally the one that had been opening various eyes twitched its claw. All of its eyes opened at once, and then closed again. Its movements finally became regular, and looked like the Mercora I remembered. A door opened in the tank, and slowly, the Mercora sidestepped out.
Who are you, and what are you doing on my ship? he asked.
Your ship? Marco questioned stupidly.
"Your ship?" the rest of us repeated.
My ship, said the Mercora. I am its captain, and these are the last of my species, he said, using his two arms to gesture the rest of the Mercora.
"Well," Jake began, "I am Captain Kirk, and we were on a peaceful reconnaissance mission for the United Confederation of Planets, when some aliens shot us out of the air, and after we landed on another planet, destroyed our ship the Enterprise. We bought this ship, thinking it had been found dead in space. Then we found you in here."
One by one, the other Mercora were starting to wake up and scuttle out behind their leader.
"We have met another colony of you before, on another planet far away, when we accidentally opened a rip in the time-space continuum and were sent sixty-five million years back in time. The Mercora of that time were very helpful to us, and so we thought that you may be the same and so we decided to defrost you. Please forgive us for any inconvenience that it might have caused." Jake kept a neutral expression, not wanting to sound overly wimpy or strong. "Now who are you?"
I am Miaker, answered the captain of the Mercora. Where did you meet with us before? There are no records of any of our ancestors ever meeting with anything like you. You, on the other hand," he said, turning to Yahal and Ax, We have met before, I believe. Or at least your ancestors. Now, where are you trying to go? And why do you speak in sound? It is strange.
"We wish to return to our planet earth in the Milky Way galaxy. We are on our way there, and I believe that we are finally in our own galaxy now, aren't we, Ax? We have been traveling through Zero-Space, but we returned to normal space a few moments before unfreezing you. Marco, Rachel, I think you can demorph now."
Rachel and Marco demorphed, and the Mercora gawked. What technology is that? he asked, astounded. You can shift form!
Morphing technology, Ax replied quickly. Pride of the Andalites.
"Now, Captain Miaker, do you think you could please tell us how you came here? The other Mercora we met said that they were the last of their species, yet here you are."
It's a long story, said Captain Miaker, But if you are willing to listen, I will gladly tell it.
"Humor us," said Jake. I smiled at him, and the Mercora began.
A/N: Hehehe, did you like it? Of course you liked it, it was written by ME!!! Now review it to be nice. Oh, and just warning you, but because I, the wonderful-est, marvelous-est, graddest (lol, Kaitlyn!), and one-and-onliest Ax have turned fifteen, I now have a driver's permit!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! BEWARE!!!! Yeah, so, if you're ever outside and see a short blonde girl come barreling down the road in the driver's seat, with an older short guy with grayish-white hair or a woman that looks like the girl in thirty years holding on for dear life in the passenger's seat, DUCK AND COVER!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!! =)